Race cars in the ‘30s… Ah, those legendary Auto-Union 16-cyl. monsters and glorious Mercedes Silver Arrows… the striking blue Bugattis and Delahayes… the little green ERAs, repeatedly winning their 1500cc class… and fleets of red Alfas and Maseratis, always ready to pounce. Well, that all depends which year you’re looking at precisely. In 1930, the field for the world championship title was red and blue, full stop. But by 1937, silver was the dominant colour – very little else besides.
Before the establishment of German supremacy on motorsport, the battle was chiefly between Italy, represented by Alfa Romeo and Maserati, and the blue Bugattis. But the French constructor, who had been extremely successful in the ‘20s, was starting to run out of inspiration – and money. Maserati were also in peril (a perpetual predicament), but thanks to the deep pockets of its state backer and the brilliance of the Scuderia Ferrari, Alfa Romeo were at the top of their game in 1931-34.
In those days, the difference between a race car and a street-legal one was largely a question of bodywork. Privateer drivers would often drive their cars to the race venue, unbolt the fenders, remove the windscreen and take off the headlamps, and just line up for the grand prix. This is pretty much what we have here: Alfa Romeo launched their 8C chassis in 1931 and it immediately became the car to have, both on track and off.
The 8C had a very advanced straight-8 designed by Vittorio Jano that originally provided about 140hp thanks to a displacement of 2.3 litres and twin overhead cams. The plan was to just manufacture a few chassis for racing – single-seaters and two-seaters, depending on the type of racing involved. But very soon, Alfa found that there was a (tiny) market for the 8C, so they started selling chassis to well-heeled “civilians” alongside the scuderias.
There were two chassis available – the LWB variant was favoured for fancier bodies, whereas the standard short car was ideal for sportier variants. A super-short (265cm) chassis, dubbed “Monza”, was available for circuit racing. The suspension was pretty ordinary for the times, with rigid axles and leaf springs front and rear, but it still made for a nimble and competitive car. After all, Bugattis and Maseratis weren’t too different from Alfas on that score.
But the 8C 2300 was a tad tame for the Nuvolaris, Chirons and Caracciolas of the early ‘30s, so a special variant was developed by Enzo Ferrari (and Vittorio Jano, unofficially) after the single-seater P3 grand prix cars had scored big in 1932. The new 2654cc engine, providing about 215hp in race spec, allowed Ferrari to keep his scuderia in the top spot for 1933. Some non-P3 (i.e. two-seater) cars were also modified with the 2600 engine, including this one, though road-spec cars usually made do with a more reasonable 180hp.
In 1934, the 8C engine was further augmented to 2.9 litres. This was short-lived, as a brand new V12 was to replace the 8-cyl. for Alfa Romeo race cars in 1935, though Ferrari kept using ever-larger versions of the straight-8 for his scuderia. But the 8C chassis still survived, in 2.9 litre form and with an all-independent suspension and hydraulic brakes, at the very top of Alfa’s range for the rest of the ‘30s, though it was more usually seen wearing chic streamlined Berlinetta bodies than boat-tailed roadsters like our featured car.
With wins at Le Mans, the Mille Miglia and the Targa Florio in the same season, the Alfa Romeo 8C 2600 was the racer of the year for 1933. And you could basically buy the very same chassis from Alfa Romeo, ask for Mr Ferrari to provide one of his special engines, get a minimal body made by one of a dozen local carrozzerie for a few fistfuls of lira and you had the equivalent of a street-legal Formula One, minus silly complications such as seat belts. Or turn signals. Nobody uses those at Monza anyway, right?
Certainly streetable, though I suspect the example I caught doing a three-point turn in the middle of a relatively quiet street was a 1750. I’m not too much across this period, but I’m assuming these lighter bodies were generally the output of Zagato. Did you see any carrozzeria identification on this Monza?
Grazie Mille, Don A. Yes, that does look more like a 1750 – still a sight for sore eyes, isn’t it?
I was unable to locate a coachbuilder’s mark on the 8C. Zagato did clothe a fair few, but there really is no way to tell (for me, anyway) if this Tokyo one was one of theirs or any of a good dozen other potential craftsmen.
Nice, just enough car to sit down in fuel and engine, thats a recipe for fast, it took a few model years before they updated the brakes and doubled the hp so it needed them,
very cool find, most are hidden away in collections not out playing in traffic.
Exquisite car. Nothing quite like the sound of a racing straight eight at full chat.
Glory to god in the highest. This thing should come with kneelers.
I’ve only ever one such up close, a P3 I think, years ago. The look, the sound, and the fury blinded me, deafened me, and furied me. Magnificent.