When Alfa was King and Queen
King of road racing and Queen of elegance. This 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Berlinetta Speciale. was built for competition (the C) and yet would transport a couple at very high speed in complete comfort and class. In many ways, the 2900B Lungo Berlinetta was the finest closed car produced in the pre-war era. Built with race-proven engineering and with a style of unsurpassed elegance, these fastback Alfas are among the finest cars in world.
On the track, the 2900 competition cars benefited from a decade of Alfa Romeo progress and became the most successful of their time. A trio of 2900As placed first-second-third at the 1936 Mille Miglia, while three specially built 2900MMs accomplished the same feat at the 1938 edition. The decision to make a road-going variant of these winning designs must have been easy.
Touring of Milan was responsible for almost the entire production of 2900B bodies and their exceptional ‘Coupé Superleggra’ or ‘Coupé Ultraleggro Aeroprofilato’ took advantage of the Lungo chassis and exaggerated it with a huge rear overhang. In total, Touring constructed only around 10 of these masterworks. The 2900 chassis was outfitted very similar to the competition cars.
The engine was similar to the Tipo B unit but was made from new castings in aluminum instead of magnesium. They retained a 10-main bearing crankshafts that sat in white metal babbits. The cylinder head was cast integral to the block with hemispherical combustion chambers and domed pistons. The valvetrain and axillary devices were all gear driven.
The men responsible for this model were engineer Vittorio Jano (designer of Alfa Romeo's P-Series Grand Prix racers and road-going sporting models) and body stylist Felice Bianchi Anderloni (founder of the coachbuilding firm Carrozzeria Touring in Milan). With the help of chief designer Aquino Gilardi, Anderloni helped pioneer Superleggera (super light) body construction. Instead of using heavy frames and rigid axles like so many other competitors, Alfa Romeo employed an intricate latticework of lightweight but rigid steel tubes that formed the framework for the elegant, hand-fashioned aluminum body shell. Shapes were tested by attaching felt strips to the body and the car was photographed while moving to record how wind flowed over and around it.
The original 8C had won LeMans 4 years straight, and this car is a barely detuned racing chassis. What a way to tour Europe!
When Alfa was King and Queen
King of road racing and Queen of elegance. This 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Berlinetta Speciale. was built for competition (the C) and yet would transport a couple at very high speed in complete comfort and class. In many ways, the 2900B Lungo Berlinetta was the finest closed car produced in the pre-war era. Built with race-proven engineering and with a style of unsurpassed elegance, these fastback Alfas are among the finest cars in world.
On the track, the 2900 competition cars benefited from a decade of Alfa Romeo progress and became the most successful of their time. A trio of 2900As placed first-second-third at the 1936 Mille Miglia, while three specially built 2900MMs accomplished the same feat at the 1938 edition. The decision to make a road-going variant of these winning designs must have been easy.
Touring of Milan was responsible for almost the entire production of 2900B bodies and their exceptional ‘Coupé Superleggra’ or ‘Coupé Ultraleggro Aeroprofilato’ took advantage of the Lungo chassis and exaggerated it with a huge rear overhang. In total, Touring constructed only around 10 of these masterworks. The 2900 chassis was outfitted very similar to the competition cars.
The engine was similar to the Tipo B unit but was made from new castings in aluminum instead of magnesium. They retained a 10-main bearing crankshafts that sat in white metal babbits. The cylinder head was cast integral to the block with hemispherical combustion chambers and domed pistons. The valvetrain and axillary devices were all gear driven.
The men responsible for this model were engineer Vittorio Jano (designer of Alfa Romeo's P-Series Grand Prix racers and road-going sporting models) and body stylist Felice Bianchi Anderloni (founder of the coachbuilding firm Carrozzeria Touring in Milan). With the help of chief designer Aquino Gilardi, Anderloni helped pioneer Superleggera (super light) body construction. Instead of using heavy frames and rigid axles like so many other competitors, Alfa Romeo employed an intricate latticework of lightweight but rigid steel tubes that formed the framework for the elegant, hand-fashioned aluminum body shell. Shapes were tested by attaching felt strips to the body and the car was photographed while moving to record how wind flowed over and around it.
The original 8C had won LeMans 4 years straight, and this car is a barely detuned racing chassis. What a way to tour Europe!