Alfa Romeo and Ferrari - two brands, two engines in one car
08/19/2017
Scuderia Ferrari officially managed Alfa Romeo 's racing activities from 1934 to 1937 . In 1935, a particularly ambitious plan was pursued: Luigi Bazzi was commissioned to build a monoposto with two engines. The Alfa Romeo GP 16C Bimotore had both a front and a rear/mid engine, each with eight cylinders and a displacement of 3165 cm3. Together, this resulted in a displacement of around 6.3 liters and around 540 hp. A modified P3 chassis was used as the basis for the GP 16C.
The cars were driven by Tazio Nuvolari and Louis Chiron. At the Tripoli Grand Prix, the cars finished 4th and 5th on their first start, while Chiron took second place on the Avus. During record attempts on the Firenze-Mare highway, Nuvolari reached 364 km/h and completed the flying kilometer in 321 km/h on average. However, the car proved to be unsuitable for winding roads due to the difficulty in dosing the power, so that the old P3 was used again.
The car is normally on display in the Alfa Romeo Historical Museum in Arese, but it is currently one of the highlights of the unique special exhibition that Paolo Spalluto has organized for Passione Engadina in St. Moritz at the Hotel Kulm. In addition to the twin-engined Alfa Romeo, there are also three Ferrari F1 cars, including the "Sharknose" six-cylinder 156, as well as other prototypes and racing cars from Ferrari and Abarth. Admission is free of charge. So if you happen to be in St. Moritz these days, don't miss this exhibition.
