Long ago photo of the No. 33 Alfa Romeo Tipo 308 on
display in the Indianapolis Hall of Fame museum. (The Tomaso Collection)
When Alfa Romeo raced on Both Sides of the Pond…
No idea why this story got so waylaid here upon
thoust Gory Isle ‘O Nofendersville, other than time simply flies bye-bye!
Having long ago read an interesting Blog post
about an Alfa Romeo Tipo 308 that had raced in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. So
many years ago now, that the story’s link has been “Dead” for years!
Back in the good ‘Ol days when it was still a
dirt road, and it was the Unser’s playground, before ‘Ol Uncle bobby became the
ultimate King of The Mountain! When His uncle Louis (Unser) was trading blows
for victory with Al Rogers. As ironically Louis Unser won twice aboard an
Maserati 8CTF, but that’s a story for another day…
As here’s a link
about Pikes Peak history Y’all may enjoy…
Yet some of Y’all may be way ahead of me,
knowing the car I’m referring to, Eh?
History denotes that a scant total of four Alfa
Romeo Tipo 308’s, also known as Alfa Romeo 8C-308’s were built. Having been
designed by famed engineer Gioacchino Columbo, who’d go onto fame at Scuderia
Ferrari.
These racecars were built for the three litre
Grand Prix category and campaigned by Enzo Ferrari, then running Alfa Corse,
Alfa’s factory racing department. With the likes of Tazio Nuvolari and other
legendary Alfa Corse drivers.
Although the Tipo 308 wasn’t overly successful
in what then was the European Grand Prix series. With Alfa Romeo going up
against the likes of the dominant Auto Union and Mercedes Grands Prix teams.
Yet Raymond Sommer driving for Alfa Corse did
win a pair of Hill Climb events at La Tubrie in 1938-39 behind the wheel of an
Tipo 308 with its 2991cc Straight-8 cylinder Roots supercharger engine.
I suppose the part that always inspires me
about this era of racing cars is their amazing longevity, since the Tipo 308
would race for some twelve-plus years. Hmm, sort of like today’s Dallara DW12,
Oh Never Mind!
With war brewing in Europe, and soon to engulf
the globe, i.e.; World War II. Sommer enlisted in the French Army in early
1940, and the Tipo 308 was sold to two wealthy American’s Richard Wharton and
Thomas Dewart.
The duo hoped of reuniting Nuvolari with the
Alfa for that year’s Indianapolis 500, but later hired Clarence Chester “Chet”
Miller as the Alfa Romeo’s race driver. Miller qualified the Tipo 308 27th,
with a speed of 121.392mph.
Unfortunately, Miller handed off to relief
driver Henry Banks on lap 148, just before the race ran under caution the rest
of the way due to rain. As the car would be classified P17, with 189 laps
completed.
The car wasn’t entered in the 1941 Indianapolis
500, the last before the United States entered World War II, and was eventually
sold to Milt Marion. Before racing resumed at the Speedway in 1946 with pre war
machinery, including the Alfa.
For 1946, Louis Durant; no relation to William
Crapo Durant, founder of General Motors and Chevrolet. As Durant’s birth name
was Durant Oscar Lewis whom drove under the nom de plume Louis Durant. Qualifying
the No. 33 Alfa an impressive sixth, albeit with a slower speed of 118.973mph
vs. Miller’s 121-plus qualification six years earlier.
Durant ran a slow but steady race, being the
final finisher to complete all 200 laps also in sixth place. Before the car’s
future owner gained notoriety for being involved in the ASPAr (American Society
of Professional Auto Racers) “Affair.” When drivers were demanding a larger
slice of the pie, Err larger purse and Arse-sumedly larger payout. Sondd
familiar? Can Y’all say NASCAR and the ensuing Anti-trust lawsuit currently
playing out…
Durant who’d aligned Himself with the ASPAR
crowd, saw Indianapolis rookie Walt Brown assigned to drive the #33 Alfa for
1947. With Brown qualifying with a speed of 118.355mph and finishing seventh.
With only fellow rookie Bill Holland’s second place finish besting the
impressive rookie.
Although Marion entered the car for the 1948
Indianapolis 500, apparently there were no takers, before a deal was struck to
sell the Alfa Romeo to Johnny Mauro, who’d caused quite a kerfuffle during 1947
with His controversial entry form involving the aforementioned ASPAR affair,
before ultimately failing to qualify for that year’s race.
For 1948, Mauro qualified P27 with a speed of
121.790mph. And then drove the trusty #33 Alfa Romeo racecar to its third
consecutive top ten finish, crossing the finish line in ninth place. With Louis
Durant driving as relief driver for 19 laps. Mauro was then elevated to eighth
place the following day, after officials reviewed the scoring tape.
That year, Mauro from Denver, Colorado drove
the Tipo 308 in the Pikes Peak Hill climb. Finishing third with a time of 16
minutes, 55 seconds. When the International Hill climb was part of the AAA Championship.
With Mauro’s accomplishment celebrated in a nationwide Mobil 1 newspaper
advertisement.
Although Mauro entered the Alfa for the 1949
Indianapolis 500, He never attempted to qualify it Himself. Yet Tony
Bettenhausen tried bumping His way back into the field with the Alfa, the
eleven year old chassis simply wasn’t quick enough, with Bettenhausen failing
to make the Show.
Reportedly Mauro qualified the Alfa Romeo
fourth in 1949, for the annual Labour Day Pikes Peak Hill climb event. But two
women with cameras wandered out on-track, causing Mauro to have to swerve to
avoid hitting them. Instead, crashing into a parked car!
Mauro brought the Alfa to Mother Speedway one
final time in 1950, but technology had passed the twelve year old Tipo 308,
with the car once again failing to qualify. Ending the car’s competition days,
before ultimately being donated to the Indianapolis Hall of Fame museum, where
it still resides today…
Information shamelessly pilfered from Kevin Triplett’s Racing History Alfa Romeo 308 story.
