Info für Besucher ohne Javascript

Premium

Racing car technology (53): Alfa Romeo 16c Bimotore (1934) - the Alfa that almost became a Ferrari

This article was auto-translated. We apologize if some words are confusing or simply amusing. Would you like to help us improve?

Created on October 21, 2025

Reading time 6min

Written by:

Gerhard Schütz

Photos:

Archiv Gerhard Schütz

13

Dominic Fraser

2

Martin Sigrist

1

Bruno von Rotz

1

Archiv Gerhard Schütz

13

Dominic Fraser

2

Martin Sigrist

1

Bruno von Rotz

1

Alfa Romeo 16c Bimotore (1934) – Tazio Nuvolari im Wagen, Enzo Ferrari dahinter

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Alfa Romeo 16c Bimotore (1934) – Anlasskurbel hinten

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Alfa Romeo 16c Bimotore (1934) – Aufs richtige Pferd gesetzt

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Alfa Romeo 16c Bimotore (1934) – Beim AVUS-Rennen

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Alfa Romeo 16c Bimotore (1934) – Cockpit mit Kraftverteilung über Differential am Getriebeausgang. Trennkupplung für hinteren Antrieb

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Alfa Romeo 16c Bimotore (1934) – Das springende Pferd auf dem Alfa Romeo. In Milano war man nicht divertito...

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Alfa Romeo 16c Bimotore (1934) – Dubonnet- Aufhängung

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Alfa Romeo 16c Bimotore (1934) – Dubonnet-Aufhängung am Alfa Romeo P3

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Alfa Romeo 16c Bimotore (1934) – Elegant integrierte Seitentanks, seitlicher Lufteinlass für den Heckmotor

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Alfa Romeo 16c Bimotore (1934) – Für zwei Motoren braucht es auch zwei Mechaniker

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Alfa Romeo 16c Bimotore (1934) – Gespreizter Antrieb, vom P3 übernommen

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Alfa Romeo 16c Bimotore (1934) – Überlegene Antriebsleistung elegant verpackt, der Fahrer im Motorensandwich

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Alfa Romeo 16c Bimotore (1934) – Am 15. Juni 1935 brach Tizio Nuvolari den bisherigen Geschwindigkeitsrekord mit über 320 km/h

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Alfa Romeo GP 16C Bimotore (1935) - in der Sonderausstellung Ferrari-Lancia-Abarth an der Passione Engadina 2017

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Museo Storico Alfa Romeo Arese – Alfa Romeo 16C Bimotore (1935)

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Alfa Romeo 16C Bimotore (1935) – In der Sonderausstellung "Grand Prix – Ikonen der Königsklasse" im Nationalen Automuseum The Loh Collection

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Alfa Romeo 16C Bimotore (1935) – In der Sonderausstellung "Grand Prix – Ikonen der Königsklasse" im Nationalen Automuseum The Loh Collection

You have only

1 out of 17

images seen in high resolution

Summary

What do you do when one engine is no longer enough to keep up with the competition? Exactly - a second one is needed! That's probably what Alfa Romeo thought when they launched the Bimotore in 1934.

This article contains the following chapters

Creative emergency solution
Dubonnet suspension on the front axle
Tests and races
Epilogue

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Reinventing the racing car - this motif runs through the entire history of racing car technology up until the 1980s. Then, safety regulations and ever-improving simulation tools increasingly led to a technical convergence, to a kind of standardization, so that today Formula 1 cars differ externally in some cases only by barely perceptible aerodynamic refinements. Before 1986, outstandingly innovative cars were created every decade, which were not always successful or never even made it onto the road, but often provided impetus for new standards later on, until these were sometimes called into question again.

Welcome to Zwischengas!

Continue reading this article for free?

Photos of this article

Source: