History of Alfa Romeo- Rolling into the 1970's- http://www.autosmithcar.com/









The Alfa Romeo Montreal – From Concept to Production

Bertone’s pen produced the original prototype that was introduced at Expo 67 in Montreal, Canada. Combining race car thrills with the essentials of a daily driver, the Montreal's V8-cylinder engine (borrowed from the 33) produced 200 HP and top speeds of 137 mph

Return of the Alfetta

Alfetta inherited its name from – and shares its De Dion suspension system with – Alfa Romeo's Formula 1® world champion, the Alfa Romeo 159, also known as Alfetta (“Little Alfa”). It was a stylish, complex sports sedan. Front engine and rear gearbox gave the Alfetta perfect weight distribution – a feature that would set a precedent for the competition.

Many different coupe and sedan versions appeared until 1984, and engine sizes included 1.6, 1.8, 2000 and 2500 6-cylinder

The Alfa Romeo “bug”

In 1974 Rudolf Hruska was appointed head designer at Alfa Romeo but it was the great Orazio Satta Puliga who expressed it best. Before leaving his role as technical director, during an interview in 1970, Puliga said:

"Alfa Romeo is not just an automobile factory… It’s a kind of illness, a zeal for a means of transport. It’s a way of life, a unique view on how to design a motor vehicle. It’s all about feelings, passion, anything that has more to do with the heart than with the head.” 

It was, and continues to be, a “bug” every Alfa Romeo enthusiast shares

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

History Of Aston Martin- Our Founder and his bike...-http://www.autosmithcar.com/

Image
He was born at Nansladron at  St Ewe  near  St Austell  in  Cornwall , and was an only child. [1]  His father was Edward Martin (born in 1843), the owner of Martin Brothers China Clay Merchants in St Austell, who lived at  Treverbyn , and who also owned the Lee Moor porcelain factory in  Plympton . Martin Brothers, founded in 1837, became part of  English China Clays . His mother was Elizabeth Emily Birch (born in 1851 in Manchester), who had also been married previously to Walter Braithwaite who died, and she came from  Salford , and her family were wealthy chalk and lime merchants; her father was William Singleton Birch, who had founded  Singleton Birch , later run by his uncle Thomas Birch. His parents had married on 26 April 1877 at  Lillington, Warwickshire ; he was baptised on 20 May 1878 at Lillington church. [2]  He grew up in  Knightsbridge . In 1891 he went to  Eton College . In 1897 he went to  Brasenose College, Oxford , where he was an enthusiast member of the 
Read more

History of Lotus- A Bit Much?...- http://www.autosmithcar.com/

Image
1974 Lotus tries to move upmarket with the front-engine, four-seat Elite hatchback. Although surprisingly practical and motivated by a DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 140 hp in U.S. tune, the Elite is expensive and arguably overpriced at $16,300 ($70,000 in 2010). In a May 1975 feature, Patrick Bedard calls the Elite “a Mustang II taken to the very highest limits, just as it could be said that an Elan was a much-massaged MGB refined until it was an unmistakably pure sports car. The word will get out on the Elite. When it does, there will be another legend in the making.” Lotus has often been associated with being overpriced and in a way I believe that is why they did not continue to try and make a "everyday" driver or mass produce a "common" vehicle.
Read more

History Of Lotus- The Race Team's History...-http://www.autosmithcar.com/

Image
Arguably the most innovative team in Formula One history, Lotus established itself in the 1950s by building simple, lightweight sportscars with sublime handling. They stuck with that same philosophy as they became the dominant force in grand prix racing in the 1960s and 70s, and had many of racing’s greatest champions pilot their machines. "He was the computer. If the car wasn’t handling well on the Friday, he would go back to the garage and call the mechanics. By Saturday morning the car would be fantastic. Only Colin Chapman could do that. He was a genius.” - Emerson Fittipaldi Team founder Colin Chapman was an ingenious engineer who experimented with lightweight materials and relied heavily on his knowledge of aeronautical engineering, which he had gained while in the Royal Air Force. Lotus entered its first F1 race at Monaco in 1958, with Graham Hill and Cliff Allison driving. A victory of sorts came the following year with Stirling Moss in a customer Lotus, but
Read more