Alfa 308 / 312 / 316 Monopostos

[JHertzman@domain.elided]

I am delighted to hear that Patrick Italiano is writing for Het 
Klaverblaadje. I suspect that nobody will ever quite fill Ben Hendriks' 
shoes, but the continuation of the tradition which he established is well 
worth the effort.

Patrick disagrees with my suggestion that the 308 occupies only "a modest 
place in Alfa Romeo's certainly rich history", but the P2, P3, and 159, among 
monopostos, and the 1750, 2300, 2.9, GTA, 33 TT 12 and 33 SC 12, all cars 
which were undisputed champions in their classes and their times, set a very 
high standard against which the three Alfa three-liter monopostos of the late 
thirties fall a bit short.

Patrick also writes that "Race histories of 308s are numerous and successful
especially in Argentina, the subject being rather well covered in Hull and
Slater's History". Hull and Slater's Appendix IV, 'Alfa Romeo Competition 
Successes', lists for the 308 a third in the Coppa Acerbo at Pescara, a first 
in the Rio de Janeiro GP in 1938, a first at Angouleme (a relatively minor 
French race, not a GP) a year later, a third in the la Turbie hillclimb, and 
two firsts and a second in three minor races in France in 1946. The later 
South American competitions they list include eleven races, with three 
firsts, six seconds, and five thirds. Numerous and successful, perhaps, but 
that was South American racing; that first at the 1938 Rio de Janeiro GP was 
in a "GP" in which a Ford V8 took third and a Fiat took a relatively 
respectable seventh, not the sort of competition to give world-class bragging 
rights to the only factory-supported cars entered.

I had written that "The 308 was an expedient modification of the 8C 1935 for 
the new three liter formula while the three liter 12 was being developed"; 
Patrick replies "That's close to exactness, but in fact all three, 308, 312 
and 316 were
developed simultaneously. All three car types were entered in the Tripoli
Grand Prix early 1938 (don't recall the date by memory - no archive at hand."
Fusi does say that the 308 was the first Alfa Romeo car to comply with the 
new three-liter formula ("la 308 fu la prima vettura Alfa ad essere adeguata 
alle esigenze della nuova formula") and Hull and Slater say that the Pau GP, 
on 10 April, was a race between two Mercedes, two Delahayes, and two 308 
Alfas; Dreyfus won in a Delahaye, Caracciola was second in a Mercedes, one 
Alfa burned itself and Nuvolari who, threatening never to drive an Alfa Romeo 
again, joined the Auto Union team, and the other 308 (Villoresi's) was 
withdrawn after the fire. The Tripoli Grand Prix was five weeks later; one 
sixteen cylinder Alfa, three twelves, and one eight showed for practice, the 
sixteen, two twelves, and the 308 starting. The two twelves had accidents, 
the sixteen retired, and the 308 finished 13-1/2 minutes behind the first of 
the three Mercedes but over eleven minutes ahead of the fifth place Delahaye.

The 1938 formula was for four and a half liter unblown or three liters blown. 
Delahaye and Talbot ran unblown cars developed from sports models, Alfa ran 
blown cars which were to some extent developed from (or with) "sports" road 
cars, and the two Germans ran uncompromised pure purpose-built GP cars. By 
Hull and Slater's figures the Mercedes produced 468 horsepower, the Auto 
Union 400, the V16 Alfa 350, the V12 Alfa 320, and the straight eight Alfa 
295. 295 against 468 is a serious handicap. The Alfa 308 really must be 
judged by a different standard than the all-victorious Mercedes and Auto 
Unions; the 312 and 316 were failed attempts to meet the Germans on their own 
terms, but the 308, the Talbots, the Delahayes, and Bugattis were cars in 
which the Grand Prix monopostos, road-equipped competition sports cars, and 
luxurious grand tourers were all closely related, and in that company the 
Alfa eights were arguably the best.

Despite any quibbles I might raise I believe we are substantially in 
agreement, and I hope a few others will be encouraged to read further about 
the cars and people of this interesting period.

John H.
Raleigh, N.C.

------------------------------

End of alfa-digest V7 #1038
***************************