The moment of transition
Passion
Logo from 1972 to today
With the construction of the ALFASUD factory at Pomigliano, the word MILANO is dropped from the logo and only the two Milanese symbols remain, beneath the words ALFA ROMEO
The forces of law and order are loyal customers of the company. Thanks to their outstanding performance, Alfa Romeos are in fact the ideal cars for emergency situations such as chasing, blocking and catching criminals. Over the years, the Police have used various different models, ranging from the fast, elegant “1900 Ti”, with sunroof, to the Giulia of the sixties, in military green. This choice made for Italy has been followed by other countries. Both the Swiss and Malayan police forces drive the Giulia 1.6. In Italy the Giulia is replaced by the Giulietta, which is in turn replaced by the 75 in the eighties.
Alfa Romeo identity
A car manufacturer, a legendary brand, a contagious virus (as portrayed in a successful advertising campaign in 1970). What exactly is Alfa Romeo? Orazio Satta, head of design from the post-war period up until 1974, explains in an interview he gave in 1970:
‘Alfa Romeo is not simply a car manufacturer: its cars are something more than ordinary, conventional cars. It is a type of illness, this enthusiasm for what is essentially a means of transport. It is a way of life, a very particular way of conceiving a vehicle with an engine. Something that defies definition. Its elements are like those irrational parts of the human spirit that cannot be explained using logical terminology. We are talking about a feeling, a passion, things that have more to do with the heart than with the head. Naturally some of these elements are simply mechanical, and so are fairly easy to identify. They are concepts generated from racing, where excellence is indispensable’.
Alfa Romeos become trendy. Miss Auto Sport 1970, Luciana Pegoraro, pictured posing in a 33, the car used in endurance races.
A “space-age” brand. American astronaut Charles Conrad in a 1976 photograph – obviously – next to the “Disco Volante” (Flying Saucer).
At the center of attention. Alfa Romeo as a film star. A Giulietta shares the limelight with Giancarlo Giannini and Goldie Hawn in the 1978 film “Viaggio con Anita” (Travels with Anita), directed by Mario Monicelli. Alfa also plays a role in numerous action films with the “Giulia” police cars often involved in car chases and getaways, a trend mostly seen in the early seventies.
‘Alfa Romeo’s are exciting cars’ says Giorgio Bocca. ‘Since 1960 I’ve always had red Alfas. The one I liked the best was the Alfetta 2000, it had a perfect system for wheel balance on bends’.
The Cars
Montreal
- YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 1970-1977
- ENGINE: 8 cylinders at 90°-V
- ENGINE CAPACITY: 2593 cc
- POWER OUTPUT: 200 bhp at 6500 rpm.
- TOP SPEED: over 220 Km/hr
The classy sports car for the future. Designed by Bertone, the car’s prototype is launched in 1967 at the Universal Exhibition in Montreal (hence the name) marking the Centenary of the Canadian Federation, as the model that is to be one step ahead of the technological progress of the time. 1970 sees Alfa Romeo initiate production of the idea first seen in Montreal and launches it in the same year at the Geneva Motor Show. The result is a car of real class and prestige, offering competition-level performance, but with engine and mechanical characteristics that make it practical for day-to-day city driving. The 8-cylinder V-engine is derived from the 33, with Spica mechanical injection, and can deliver 200 bhp, reaching a top speed of over 220 Km/hr. The Montreal’s passenger cabin is refined and elegant, with rational seats, easily reached controls, and anti-glare instrumentation. The original body has a convex aerodynamic style, with a flat bonnet and front lights framed by grills, a cut-off tail and bumpers molded into the line of the bodywork. Performance, safety and comfort are the qualities that make the Montreal one of the most highly appreciated luxury sports cars.
Alfasud
- YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 1972-1983
- ENGINE: 4 opposed cylinders (boxer)
- ENGINE CAPACITY: 1186 cc
- POWER OUTPUT: 63 bhp at 6000 rpm.
- TOP SPEED: over 150 Km/hr
The “average car”, Alfa Romeo style. The first Alfa Romeo built at the new factory in Pomigliano d’Arco (Naples), the Alfasud marks the company’s entrance into the small-medium saloon market. It is also the first Alfa production car with front-wheel drive. Designed by Hruska with the Italian designer Giugiaro, it is conceived as a superior category utility car for middle-income drivers who want to drive a real Alfa Romeo. Its performance and the modern sporty style, the comfort of a family saloon, quietness, driving ease and roadholding make the car a product worthy to carry on the traditions of the Portello company. But the Alfasud also has many new features, such as front wheel drive, a boxer engine and a two-box body giving lots of space. Production continues until the mid-eighties in various versions, including the Alfasud «TI» (Touring International) in 1973, a two-door sporty saloon, the Alfasud Giardinetta (1975), with folding rear seats, and the Alfasud Sprint (1976), the compact, dynamic coupé in the Alfa Romeo Sprint tradition.
Alfetta
- YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 1972-1977
- ENGINE: 4 cylinders in line, front, longitudinal
- ENGINE CAPACITY: 1779 cc
- POWER OUTPUT: 122 bhp at 5500 rpm.
- TOP SPEED: over 180 Km/hr
A legend is reborn. Launched in 1972 alongside the single-seater world champion Tipo 159, from which it takes its name, the Alfetta 1800 cc is a saloon with an unconventional mechanical set-up recreating the concepts used on the 159. The cars new features include new suspension and balanced weight distribution, ensuring excellent roadholding and comfort. The car mounts front independent transverse link suspension, with De Dion type suspension at the rear, as on the 159, giving the wheels more grip, something which is also helped by the arrangement of clutch, gearbox, differential and brakes into a single rear assembly (already used on the 8C 2900 and on the 159) incorporated into the bodyshell of the car, leaving only the engine at the front. The bodywork style is new and modern, while the interior provides comfort and spaciousness, and the car is relaxing and quiet even on long journeys. The driving position is typical of Alfa Romeo, with straight arms, height-adjustable steering wheel and elegant, wrap-around seats. The various versions include the Alfetta 1.6 and 1.8 from 1975 and the Alfetta 2000 from 1977, which is even roomier and more comfortable, with a brand new passenger cabin and reduced fuel consumption.
33 TT 12
- YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 1975
- ENGINE: boxer 12 cylinders opposed horizontal
- ENGINE CAPACITY: 2995,125 cc
- POWER OUTPUT: 500 bhp DIN at 11000 rpm.
- TOP SPEED: not available
Exceptional performance and total reliability. In 1975 the 33 TT 12 wins the World Constructors Championship for Alfa Romeo, clearly outclassing its adversaries. Its ‘boxer’ engine proves to be indestructible and the car wins 7 races out of 8. Credit also goes to the Autodelta engineers, who during preparation of the engines and cars, are able to adapt the cars to the needs of each individual circuit, and to the team of mechanics who manage to carry out refueling and repairs in record time during pit-stops.
Racing
1971
An emotional year: de Adamich-Pescarolo win the Brands Hatch 1000 Km race in the 33/3 liter, part of the World Constructors Championship, beating teams such as Porsche and Ferrari. Vaccarella-Henzemans win the Targa Florio ahead of the other 33/3 of de Adamich-Van Lennep and the 33/3 of de Adamich-Peterson takes first place overall in a rain-drenched Watkins Glen 6-hour race (USA). Once again, it finishes ahead of Porsche and Ferrari. The new 2000 GT Am wins the European Touring Championship with Tonie Hezemans at the wheel.
1972
These are the golden years of the world championship for the closed-wheel cars. The 33 TT3 wins the European Touring Championship and takes second place in the World Constructors Championship. The GTAs win the European Touring Championship for the sixth time. And the participation in races by sporting customers provides even more success, with over 560 victories, including victory in twelve national championships in Europe, America and Africa.
1975
The 33 TT 12, thanks to its practically indestructible boxer engine, wins the World Constructors Championship, against adversaries equipped with turbo engines or engines used on single-seater Formula 1 cars. The victories chalked up by the 33 TT 12 include the Monza 1000 Km race, Nürburgring, the Zeltweg 100 Km race, the Watkins Glen 6-hour race, and the Coppa Florio.
1976
Alfa’s return to Formula 1 is linked to Brabham, which in 1976 decides to mount Alfa Romeo 12-cylinder engines on its single-seater racing cars. 1978 proves to be the most fruitful period for this collaboration with the English team, coinciding with the arrival of Niki Lauda at Brabham. The Austrian claims two victories.
1977
An intense season, and a truly magical moment for Alfa and Autodelta. The Alfa “33 SC 12” takes part in eight championship races, winning them all, and in the process becoming World Constructors Champion for the second time. The 12-cylinder boxer stays in Formula 1 with Brabham: the team comes 5th in the constructors championship. It also claims many other records including an average speed of 144.225 Km/hr by Paul Ricard and an average of 203.820 Km/hr on the Salzburg circuit.
1978
A great sporting year for Alfa Romeo. It is the best season for the Brabham-Alfa Romeo combination with Lauda and Watson doing the driving. Lauda wins the Swedish GP, even if the car is later adjudged to have irregular characteristics. Lauda and Watson also claim a one-two finish in the dramatic Italian Grand Prix. Alfa aims at full-scale Grand Prix participation with a Formula 1 Alfa-Alfa, making its debut at Zolder, in Belgium, in 1979.
Personalities
N. Vaccarella
Born in Palermo in 1933, a high-school headmaster and skilful driver of closed-wheel cars. In the early seventies he claims a series of international victories, including the overall Italian title in 1971. He starts working with Alfa in 1968, and moves to Autodelta in 1971, with whom he wins “his” race, the Targa Florio. He wins again in Sicily in 1975 along with Arturo Merzario in a “33 T 12”.
N. Lauda
Born in Vienna in 1949, Niki Lauda competes with the Ferrari stable from 1974 to 1977, then moves to Brabham during the years in which the English team uses Alfa Romeo engines on its cars. Lauda manages to win two races. He stays with Alfa until the end of the 1979 season and retires definitively from competition in 1985 after winning three world titles: in 1975 and in 1976 with Ferrari, and again in 1984 driving a McLaren with a Porsche turbo engine.
B. Giacomelli
Born in 1952 in Poncarale, in the province of Brescia, he makes his debut in 1974 in Formula Italia, and in the next year wins the Italian Championship in the Formula Italia Category. He makes his Formula 1 debut at Monza In 1977, with the March team, and in 1978 wins the European Formula 2 Championship, setting many records for victories and fastest laps, and competes in five Formula 1 races. In 1979, as the official Autodelta driver, he helped fine tune Alfa Romeo’s Formula 1 car for its return to the championship. Giacomelli’s collaboration with Alfa continues until 1982. His best seasons are 1980 and 1981, when he claims pole position at Watkins Glen and third place in Las Vegas.
R. Hruska
The designs Hruska was directly involved in:
- 1971 Saloon Alfasud
- 1973 Alfasud TI
- 1975 Alfasud Giardinetta
- 1976 Alfasud Sprint
Born in Vienna, he graduated with a diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the Polytechnic of Vienna in 1935. In 1954 Hruska is appointed Alfa Romeo’s Engineering Director, and becomes manager of the Design and Production sectors, and plays an active role in the creation of the “Romeo” van and the Giulietta Sprint. In 1959 he leaves the Portello company, only to return to Alfa in 1967, appointed Managing Director and President of SICA, and given the task of designing and creating a utility car that could be produced in the south of the country. He works on the designs for the mechanical aspects with a small group of engineers, while Giugiaro collaborates on bodywork design. In 1968 he is appointed Managing Director and President of Alfasud. The car is produced on schedule, and is launched in 1971, from 1972 going on sale throughout Italy. In 1974 the engineer oversees the design and experimentation of all Alfa Romeo Group products.
The Company
The seventies are a period of ups and downs for Alfa Romeo. Management difficulties alternate with sporting success. The period is conditioned by the company’s economic-financial situation, as it cannot fully meet market demand, and is also faced with the energy crisis. Sporting results on the other hand are highly satisfactory, for example victory in the World Constructors Championship in 1975 with the “33 TT 12”, a success repeated in 1977. Luraghi leaves Alfa Romeo in 1974, and the arrival of Ettore Masaccesi in 1978 sees the launch of a new restructuring program, the second such program after the one implemented by Ugo Gobbato in the thirties, the aim being to bring the company into line with new economic and market realities.