Alfa Romeo 158 and 159 Alfetta – The Queen of the Voiturettes

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Alfa Romeo 158 and 159 Alfetta – The Queen of the Voiturettes

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Created on December 15, 2025

Text:

Thomas Suter

Photos:

Centro Documentazione Museo Alfa Romeo

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Rodolfo Mailander

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Archiv: Gerhard Schütz

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Archiv Bernhard Brägger

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Collection Maniago

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Centro Documentazione Alfa Romeo

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Archiv

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An Alfetta in the lead, a typical picture in the first Formula 1 season - Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta (1950)

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Gran Premio d'Italia 1947, Trossi wins with the 30, Sanesi on the 24 comes third - Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta (1938)

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Alfa Romeo Tipo 158 "Alfetta" (1946) - First post-war appearance of the "Alfetta" on June 9, 1946 at the Coupe René le Bègue in Paris-Saint-Cloud

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Alfa Romeo Alfetta (1946) - Achille Varzi on Alfa Romeo Alfetta in the first post-war race in Turin in 1946

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Gran Premio di Bari on July 9, 1950, Fangio ahead of Farina - Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta (1950)

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Alfa Romeo Tipo 158 "Alfetta" (1946) - Jean-Pierre Wimille wins the Italian Grand Prix in pouring rain at Valentino Park in Turin on September 5, 1948

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Alfa Romeo dominated the post-war Grand Prix - Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta (1950)

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In-line eight-cylinder engine with 1.5-liter displacement, supercharger and initially around 195 hp - Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta (1938)

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Alfa Romeo Alfetta (1947) - high liter performance - Racing car show - Geneva Motor Show 1966

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Giuseppe Farina on the Bremgartenring 1950 - Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta (1950)

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Giuseppe Farina is waved off as the winner at the Silverstone GP - Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta (1950)

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Silverstone GP, Giuseppe Farina wins the first Formula 1 race in history - Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta (1950)

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Goodwood Trophy with winner Giuseppe Farina 1951 - Alfa Romeo 159 Alfetta (1951)

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Alfa Romeo Alfetta 158 (1951) - Juan Manuel Fangio at the wheel of the superior Alfetta - crash helmets were not compulsory until 1952

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Gioachino Colombo, a life at the drawing board

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Varzi's ill-fated car from Bern 1948, an Alfa Romeo Alfetta

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Orazio Satta Puliga in front of the Alfetta Formula 1 racing car Tipo 159, behind him Alfa Romeo Giulia 1.6 Berlina, Alfa Romeo Giulietta Berlina

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At the Turin Grand Prix on September 1, 1946, Wimille finishes second behind Achille Varzi. Here he talks to a reporter together with Nino Farina (left)

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Alfa Romeo Alfetta 159 (1951) - The engine of Giuseppe Farina's car in Barcelona

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Alfa Romeo Alfetta 159 (1951) - The Alfetta in its last version with two-stage supercharger and around 400 hp

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Alfa Romeo Alfetta 159 (1951) - GP of Germany '51

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Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta (1938) - The view-through drawing shows the compact design of the 620kg monoposto

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Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta (1938) - The cars were mothballed in 1946 and used again until 1950

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Summary

The Alfetta 158 is probably one of the most successful racing cars in the history of motor racing: Together with the Type 159, which was further developed for the 1951 season, no fewer than 47 victories were claimed in 54 races between 1938 and 1951. A record, even if the Second World War took place during this period! But the origins of the Alfetta are as adventurous as its sporting history.

This article contains the following chapters

Horses in front of the car
First start - first victory
Surviving in hiding
Total dominance
Memorable start at Silverstone
Running - but running!
Three "Fs" for the history books
Alfa Romeo Alfetta 158 Results:
Alfa Romeo Alfetta 159 results:
Alfa Romeo Alfetta chassis numbers:

Estimated reading time: 17min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The Alfetta 158, first entered in 1938, is probably one of the most successful racing cars in the history of motor racing: Together with the Type 159, which was further developed for the 1951 season, no fewer than 47 victories were claimed in 54 races between 1938 and 1951. A record, even if the Second World War took place during this period. But the history of the Alfetta's origins is as adventurous as its sporting successes. The Alfa Romeo Tipo 158 did not originate in Portello, but in Modena, in the workshop of Enzo Ferrari. From 1929, he was responsible for the Alfa Romeo racing cars, which he directed from Modena from 1933 onwards. In the 1930s, the Alfa Romeo P3 was no match for the superiority of the German Mercedes and Autounion racing cars in the long term - apart from the surprising success of Tazio Nuvolari in the 1935 German Grand Prix, of all races. Alfa Romeo therefore considered building a racing car for the 1938 Tripoli Grand Prix that complied with the specific, technical "Voiturette regulations" in order to return to winning ways. Ferrari managed to persuade the directorate in Milan to build the Alfetta in Modena, as the racing department in Portello had been considerably downsized in order to free up resources for the development of aircraft engines and military vehicles. Neither the director at the time, Ugo Gobbato, nor Vittorio Jano, who was working on the further development of the Tipo "C", had anything against it. And Wifredo Ricart, the exceptional Spanish engineering talent - and considered a potential successor to the equally ingenious Vittorio Jano - was just as happy to have to meet Ferrari less often and to be able to devote himself to the development of the Tipo "C".He was able to devote himself undisturbed to the development of the Tipo 162 and Tipo 316 racing cars and a racing car with a 1.5-liter rear engine and 338 hp, which, however, did not go beyond a study model.

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