By the time I was born, and once I had grown old enough to understand what racing was, motorsports was already undergoing a transformation phase. A new century marked the beginning for new regulations and rules, those that govern where, and how far Man and Automobile can go. A dance between flesh and machine that was always exciting, and equally dangerous. Racing became more corporate and expensive, but in return, it became safer and cleaner.
Worth it? Perhaps. From the tough and tumble world of rallying, or the blinding speeds of Formula 1 - the sport was changing, and so were the blood and steel that lived it. New faces came, old ones gone. As I was growing up, I became so accustomed to this new era, that I never knew what preceded it. Only when I got older that I uncovered this past world that young'uns like myself could not imagine. Racing in the old days was simple, raw, and wild.
Credits to: rc-workchop - Facebook 1 and 2 | Just renders, and unfortunately not real :-(
It was from opening this forgotten chapter that I learned of a King who's name was nearly lost forever. The Vanguard that ruled over all race-tracks - asphalt and dirt - for a almost a century. He who's throne was lost from his grasp, his name was Alfa Romeo. In the days of my rather, Alfa was revered across the lands, particularly in its days while racing. Rallying, Formula 1, Formula 3, endurance, or road-rallies, there was always an Alfa present.
One of their favourite championships however, was touring-car racing. Here, unlike the specially-designed and engineered Formula cars that most people can scarcely control, touring-cars were a familiarly inviting sight. They consisted of modified version of cars that you, and I can own. Where F1 cars were fragile and expensive, touring-cars could be bashed and bumped around all day long. They were mighty fun to watch, exciting to no end.
The Last Hurrah.
Credits to: 155V6Ti - Facebook | Shaken, not stirred.
As they do, Alfa Romeo dominated the sport, and even until today, they still hold a recognition for their victories over any other marque. It was their home turf, where you dad's old Giulia could be the very same Giulia who's winning trophies. From the 1960s to the early-2000s, they were the indisputable King. Among the more popular championships around the world, I've counted at least 40 first-place wins. Mind you, that's an over-simplified summary as it doesn't even take note of podium finishes, and less prominent races.
When totalled, it could easily surpass 100 wins. That then, is the might of Alfa Romeo in its prime, since lost, although there is hope now that the King could arise once more. But before we can think of the future, it would help to rekindle those old memories of its last hurrah. This is the Alfa 155, a (very) boxy four-door saloon to compete against the then-upstart BMW 3-series. Seemingly designed only with a ruler and by someone who has no understanding of curvature, it was launched 5 years before I was born.
Credits to: Alfa Romeo 155 TI DTM (1993) | Hell hath no fury like an angry Alfa.
Even from birth, it brought with it some bitter-sweet emotions. It was the first Alfa Romeo to be born in a post-Fiat ownership, with the outgoing 75 being the last independent car from fabled brand. One mark of disappointment was the loss of rear-wheel drive, instead adopting for a more plebeian front-wheel drive that wasn't welcoming to enthusiasts. Assuredly, Fiat's accountants took an easier time to swallow the costs, however.
There was at least, one neat consolation offered in the more powerful variants. Those 155s had an advanced four-wheel drive system that was inherited from none other than the legendary, Lancia Delta Integrale. Now in the same family, the Q4-branded 155s used basically the same drivetrain as in the record-breaking, 7-time winner of the World Rally Championships, only slightly modified. This then, was Alfa's ace-in-the-hole, a mighty weapon of war handed from one King to the next.
Alfa made great work of Lancia's engineering. Among the many versions of the 155, the homologated GTA, and V6 TI cars were modified and entered into touring-car racing. A high-revving 2.5-litre V6 was fitted, which was up-rated to output 420hp, and it'll keep revving to an ear-shattering 11,500RPM. Combined with that clever, tried and tested Lancia four-wheel drive, it would run rings around the Germans in the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft).
Credits to: CarThrottle | Subtitles, and volume-checks required.
In the 1993 season of the DTM, Alfa 155s won outright victory, with those being piloted by Nicola Larini winning half of the races. Quite an amazing achievement, although the more consistent Germans prevented Alfa from winning in later seasons. However, the 155s still brought a reign of terror, as you're just waiting for that screaming V6 to pounce you at any time. They may not have won, but it continued to dominate the race.
Overall through the 90s, the 155 V6 TI - not counting the GTAs - held a record for 38 total wins, with Nicola Larini being responsible for 17 of them. Google for "alfa romeo racing", and an image of that razor-sharp 155 would appear in your feed in no time. This was the last hurrah before the later 156 and 159 began a gradual descent from greatness. They won here and there, but by then, Alfa Romeo was only a shell of its former shelf. If they wanted to get back in the game, the 155 was the yard-stick to beat.
A Familiar Face.
Credits to: Top Gear | Oh yes, It's really happening.
For long, this was merely speculation, mixed in-between doubts that Alfa Romeo could even survive as a company in these hard times. There has since been, at least some glimmers of hope for our glorious King's return. A successor beckons, now clothed in a shiny brand-new Giulia Quadrifolio. This is the first rear-wheel drive, four-door Alfa since that old 75, 25 years ago. The Giulia is also the first good Alfa in a generation or two, something that both the passionate enthusiasts and common folk can agreed on.
But there has been one thing missing - racing. In the olden days, it was fate that every single Alfa road-car was destined to be raced, sometime or another. It was a process of growing up, of proving their mettle against the rest. The Giulia has thus far shied-away from that. The new Giorgio platform had shown itself to be very capable dynamically, and its Ferrari-derived twin-turbo V6 is more than powerful enough. Compared to the Germans, it's lighter, faster, and more well-balanced.
Credits to: Top Gear | A reminder that auto-translate subtitles are rubbish.
Theoretically, it could win, and perhaps now it might just have a chance to confirm that. Lanza Motorsport, run by Scuderia (Team) de Portello wants to give it that opportunity - to bring the Giulia to the race-tracks, with an Italian team, and an Italian car. If that's not enough Italian-ness already, then consider that it's drivers are named Mauro Simoncini, Ugo Vicenzi, Alberto Carobbio and Bruno Barbaro. Interestingly, all four drivers will make do with one Giulia to satisfy.
Not a touring-car championship like the olden days, but this souped-up Quadrigolio will undergo a trial-by-fire at the Nürburgring 24-hours endurance-race, or the N24. I will admit that compared to a lot of modern touring-car racing, endurance is far more exciting, if not a bit tiring for a single sitting. It's that suspense, the feeling that anything can happen - good, or bad - from dawn, to dusk.
It's a much tougher test, as victory will not only depend on the driver's acute senses and driving skills, but also whether the car itself will be able to survive being driven to, and beyond the limit for 24 hours. Just one machine, and it's only time to rest is for a quick swig of petrol, a change of tyres, and a swap of drivers. If the stereotypes of Alfa Romeos are true, then this little Giulia could very well break-down just after the first few laps.
Credits to: Autocar | Hold on to your pants.
Nevertheless, these dim chances aren't deterring Lanza. Besides, as difficult and dangerous as the Nürburgring can be, it's not unfamiliar to Alfa. It was the Giulia Quadrifoglio that set the lap-record here for a rear-wheel drive, production four-door saloon car years ago. It was tested on this "Green Hell", as were its predecessors, including the illustrious 155. The main driver and owner of this Lanza-run Quadrifoglio, Simoncini previously drove the 155 at the N24, 20 years ago.
On the specifics, this car will enter the N24 in the production-class, and owing to its regulations, the car is mostly kept stock. You'd be surprised as to how ordinary this appears to any old Quadrifoglio that you'd find in a showroom, right down to the interior. Almost perfect from the factory, the engine has been fettled with to provide a slightly higher 520hp of output, allowing it to sprint from 0-60mph in just 3.2 seconds. There's no word on the top speed, but whatever it is, that gigantic rear-wing will surely help to bring downforce when needed.
Aiding in the improvement of dynamics, it's gone through some heavy dieting, losing 200kg - now 1,400kg - from the standard Quadrifoglio. Quite an impressive loss, and all done with replacing many of the panels with carbon-fibre, from the bumpers to the fenders. The bonnet, which was already carbon-fibre on the regular car, has somehow been changed to weigh 10kg lighter. I can only explain by crying, Magic!
Credits to: LP Design - Facebook | Just an imagination of what a current-day DTM Giuia could look like.
It's got some new colours as well, albeit not as attractive as the old Alfa liveries, like those Martini-sponsored cars. One saving grace is its gold wheels, and when has that ever been a bad thing, eh? It'll no doubt face some tough challengers in the N24, and it's difficult to discern as to whether this little Alfa would cope. As much as I've been looking forward to Aston Martin's new Vantage GTEs tearing-up the Nordschleife, my heart goes out to this Giulia. Sincerely, it's going to be David, versus Goliath.
Alfa's current involvement in motorsports can be described as, interesting. No longer is it the giant that once was, they've focused on more upper-class leagues. For the past few years, they've raced in Formula 1, and we've already seen fruits of this trickle down onto its road-cars, with refinements being made to the GTA, and GTAm. In fact, the Austrian calendar of F1 is starting tomorrow, and Alfa-Sauber is already busy running prep-work. Now, you know who I'm cheering for.
In any case, while Alfa themselves aren't supporting Lanza's run in the N24 officially, I do hope that it'll inspire them to get back into the game. If not Alfa's works racing-team, then perhaps others could take up Giulias, and return them to those hollowed grounds, just as its ancestors had. Our King hasn't yet truly awaken, but I pray that He arises, and beckons to win once again.
Credits to: LP Design - Facebook | Some extra eye-candy :-)