Alfa Romeo Pays Tribute to the 33 Stradale With Special Edition 4C Spider

December 17, 2020 – The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale was a legend in motorsport and a huge step for the automotive world being one of the first supercars. The company is paying tribute to their early mid-engine supercar with the release of a limited edition version of their current halo car and calling it the 4C Spider 33 Stradale Tributo. This 4C will be extremely limited with only 33 examples produced for the North American market.

The 4C Spider 33 Stradale Tributo comes exclusively in a beautiful Rosso Villa d’Este red exterior with composite Dinamica® black suede and brown tobacco leather sport seats. Plaques placed throughout the car noting the 33 Stradale Tributo and displaying the unit number of the car, 1-33.

Alfa Romeo’s heritage in the Formula 1 world is seen in the 4C’s carbon fiber monocoque chassis. Additionally, everything that was an option in the 4C comes standard in the Stradale Tributo like the Akrapovic dual-mode center-mounted exhaust, race tuned suspension and carbon fiber halo.

Featuring a twin-clutch transmission and all-aluminum 1750cc turbocharged engine, the 4C Spider 33 Stradale Tributo produces 237 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque. And weighing in at less than 2500lb, the Stradale Tributo is light as a feather going from 0-60 in 4.1 seconds. With its speed and luxury defining this car, the 2020 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider 33 Stradale Tributo serves as a fitting end to the production of the 4C Spider in North America.

For Its 110th Birthday, Alfa Romeo Gives the World the Giulia GTA

March 3, 2020 –  Alfa Romeo will reach its 110th birthday in June and is celebrating by dropping a performance driven, F1 inspired model: The Giulia GTA.

No, the GTA does not stand for “Grand Theft Auto”; it’s an acronym standing for “Gran Turismo Alleggerita”. Alleggerita, meaning “lightened”. And lightened it is– with several components being replaced by lightweight carbon fiber such as the driveshaft, hood, roof, front bumper, front wheel arches, and rear wheel arch inserts, the Giulia GTA weighs a whole 220lb less than the standard model. The more extreme model, the GTAm will feature even more carbon fiber components such as a larger front diffuser and a big wing on the back. The GTA will feature a 2.9L V6 Bi-Turbo aluminum engine that will produce 540hp giving it an astounding power to weight ratio.

One interesting feature added is the center lock wheels, which is quite unusual for a sedan, but shows the F1 inspired nature of this model. Additionally, even more components on the car are replaced with lightweight Lexan as seen on many cars on the track. And if that isn’t enough racecar for you, the GTAm model will come with 2 racing seats, 5 point harnesses, and even an integrated roll cage!

Production of the Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA and GTAm are going to be limited to only 500 units. Yep, thats all. And if you’re able to get one, you’ll get a whole experience by Alfa including a sales representative per buyer and several goodies like a Bell helmet featuring a GTA livery, race suit, gloves, and shoes by Alpinestars, and a Goodwool car cover. Alfa will also be offering a performance driving course with every purchase as well.

Alfa Romeo definitely pulled out all the stops to celebrate their 110th birthday with the Giulia GTA. It’s sure to be a valuable collectors item for anyone who is able to get their hands on one.

What’s a Hemi?

My very first car as a kid in England was a 1946 Riley RME. I thought it was cool because it had a chrome grille like a ’34 Ford and it had a race-developed, twin-cam HEMI—whatever that was. Back then, there was no internet to look things up but a trip to the library revealed that the word HEMI was an abbreviation for hemispherical combustion chambers—whatever that was.

Believe it or not, HEMI-heads are nothing new and their history can be traced back to the early 1900s when they could be found in a number of European cars including the 1904 Welch Tourist, the Belgian Pipe of 1905, the 1907 Italian Fiat Grand Prix car, the French Grand Prix Peugeot of 1912 and the Italian Grand Prix Alfa Romeo of 1914—race-bred alright. However, it was the Welch design that became the blueprint for the many successors that included numerous motorcycle engines.

Where the HEMI-head differs from other cylinder head designs such as the “flathead” Ford which is known as an “L” head design, is that their combustion chambers are hemispherical or half-bowl-shaped compared to most chambers that resemble a flattened, double egg. The chamber operates in a cross-flow configuration where the air-fuel mixture flows in one side; the more-or-less centrally located spark plug ignites the mixture and the exhaust gases exit on the opposite side from the inlet.

The use of a HEMI-head became prevalent in motorcycle engines because not only was it efficient, but it was not an overly complicated assembly in a single-cylinder application where the pushrods ran up the outside of the cylinder. Incidentally, a HEMI-head can be used with a pushrod, SOHC or DOHC valve train.

Believe it or not, HEMI-heads are nothing new and their history can be traced back to the early 1900s when they could be found in a number of European cars…

The concept even worked well in early air-cooled, radial airplane engines that are more-or-less a number of single cylinders arranged in a circle around a common crankshaft. In fact, by 1921 the U.S. Navy had announced it would only order aircraft fitted with air-cooled radials.

Obviously, World War II propelled engineering development, as it did with much technology, as speed and power became all-important. Chrysler worked with Continental on the development of a giant, 1,792 cubic-inch (ci) V-12 that would be used in the Patton tank. It produced 810 horsepower and 1,560 pounds-feet (lb-ft) of torque and enabled Chrysler’s engineers to gather some valuable information that they put to good use in their post-War automobiles.

In 1947, Zora Arkus-Duntov, the so-called “Father of the Corvette”, was commissioned by Ford Motor Company to improve the output of their aging flathead V8s. Zora, his brother Yuri and designer George Kudasch developed an overhead valve conversion (OHV) for the Ford V-8 that featured hemispherical combustion chambers. Tagged the “ARDUN”, which was a contraction of ARkus-DUNtov, their OHV heads looked great and increased the power, however, they were somewhat temperamental.

Only about 200 sets were made in the U.S. before Duntov moved to the U.K. to work with Sydney Allard where a few more sets were made for Allard’s J2 sports car. For many years, ARDUN heads were a much sought after hot rod accessory until the mid-90s when Don Orosco began to reproduce them. He made about 30 sets before the tooling was sold to Don Ferguson whose family continues to produce the heads albeit updated with some modern technology along with a compatible cast-aluminum block. Companies such as H&H Flatheads are known for building complete ARDUN engines.

While the Duntovs were working on the OHV Ford, Chrysler engineers John Platner, a graduate of the Chrysler Institute of Engineering, and William Drinkard, manager of the Engine Development department, got to work in 1948 downsizing that tank engine for use in an automobile.

The engine was tough and you could throw all kinds of power-enhancing devices from blowers to nitro and it thrived on it.

What they came up with was a 90-degree, 330 ci, cast-iron V8 engine with HEMI-heads. Code-named A-182, the “HEMI” was not quite ready for production and a lot of valve train development still needed to be done along with some ignition and crankshaft work.

Nevertheless, Chrysler debuted the HEMI V-8 for the 1951 model year as standard in the Imperial and New Yorker models and optional in the Saratoga. Initially, the “Fire Power” capacity was 331 ci due to an “oversquare” 3.81-inch bore and 3.63-inch stroke. With a 7:1 compression ratio (cr), it produced 180 hp and 312 lb-ft of torque but weighed a whopping 745 pounds—one head alone weighed almost 120 pounds and you’d better be wearing a belt when you lift one.

Chrysler’s DeSoto division came out with their 276-ci “Fire Dome” version in 1952 and Dodge followed suit with their 241 ci “Red Ram” in 1953. Although all three engines differed in detail, they shared the same basic architecture.

In 1955, Chrysler claimed a dual 4-barrel (bbl) Carter version the first production car to produce 300 hp. The displacement was increased in 1956 to 354 ci and the engine now produced as much as 355 hp and became the first American engine to produce 1 hp per cubic inch.

Two years later, the infamous 392 version was introduced and it was almost square having a 4-inch bore and a 3.906-inch stroke. It had a taller ‘raised deck’ compared to previous engines; however, the heads were cast with wider ports so that earlier manifolds could be used with the new heads on the new block. The following year, a single carb version with 9.25:1 cr was rated at 345 hp while a dual-carb version offered 375 hp.

The 392 is significant because it became the drag racer’s engine of choice, especially in the fuel ranks: Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Fuel Altered. The engine was tough and you could throw all kinds of power-enhancing devices from blowers to nitro and it thrived on it.

By 1958, the 392 was producing 380 hp but had reached the end of its production life. It wasn’t until 1964 that Chrysler re-introduced the engine and officially called it a HEMI. Nicknamed the “elephant engine,” because of its size and weight, the new Gen II HEMI displaced 426 ci. Not initially available to the public, it was used in NASCAR in ’64 but not in ’65 because it was not available in a production car and therefore could not be raced.

Not to be outdone, Ford also introduced a 427-ci HEMI in 1964. Nicknamed the “Cammer” because it had a single overhead cam (SOHC), engineers had worked hard to design a symmetrical combustion chamber with the plug located for maximum efficiency only to discover that the plug didn’t care where it was. The plugs were then located near the top of the cylinder for easy access. NASCAR wasn’t at all happy about these “special” racing engines, however, the “SOHC” motor (pronounced “sock”) remains a “halo” engine for Ford.

Chrysler fixed their NASCAR problem in 1966 by introducing the “street” HEMI with lower compression, a milder cam, cast instead of tube headers and two 4 bbl Carter AFB carbs. The Gen II HEMI was produced until 1971 and was rated at 425 hp at 5,000 rpm and 490 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm.

Of course, this is only the American version of HEMI history. Across the pond, in the homeland of the HEMI, the Europeans never left the concept alone.

Incidentally, the 426 HEMI is a HEMI in name only. Rather than build the new 426 from the old architecture of the 392, Chrysler engineers chose to use the existing 440 Wedge-head big-block. That said, the 426 evidences many improvements over the Wedge and indeed the 392 and became the modern drag racer’s engine of choice and was known colloquially as the “late model” compared to the 392 “early model.”

As the factory HEMIs came to the end of their respective lives Ed Donovan of Donovan Engines introduced a cast-aluminum 417 ci aftermarket version in 1971 that was based on the 392. That was followed in 1974 by Keith Black’s 426 HEMI based on the factory 426. Versions up to 573 ci are now available as are heads and numerous other parts milled from billet aluminum from numerous aftermarket manufacturers such as Hot Hemi Heads.

In fact, we use a billet 417 ci Donovan block with billet heads from Hot Hemi Heads in Ron Hope’s Rat Trap AA/Fuel Altered that we race. With a billet BDS supercharger and 90-percent nitro, it produces some 3,000 hp. However, in current Top Fuel/Funny car racing they use architecturally similar 500 ci blocks milled from forged billet aluminum.

These proprietary blocks are produced in-house by Don Schumacher Racing and John Force Racing but similar blocks that can withstand in excess of 10,000 hp are available from companies such as Brad Anderson and Alan Johnson Performance—all based on that Chrysler HEMI.

Of course, this is only the American version of HEMI history. Across the pond, in the homeland of the HEMI, the Europeans never left the concept alone. For example, Daimler, using Triumph motorcycle architecture, developed two aluminum-headed HEMI engines of 2.5 and 4.5-liters.

Other British brands such as Aston Martin and Jaguar both employed hemispherical combustion chambers in the DOHC V-8s and straight 6s respectively. However, no doubt the most well-known use of their HEMI-head was by Porsche in many of their engines—particularly the flat-six boxer engines of the 1963-’99 911s.

Pebble Beach, on the Green

My first ever trip to the Pebble Beach Historic Concours d’Elegance was a stressful roller coaster ride. We had a car “on the green.” We had all the right tickets. We had a friend with a place on the beach. What more could a car guy ask for?

Unfortunately, my boss called to say that the truck driver delivering our car had hydraulicked the motor trying to start it and that I needed to go fix it. Wait. Wait. I’m just the oily rag. I don’t know how to fix things.

Needless to say, with the help of the friend with the beach house we pulled the plugs, turned the engine with a big long screwdriver, and found out that it was just full of fuel and not seized. We went on to come second in our class but it was a stressful weekend.

Wait. Wait. I’m just the oily rag. I don’t know how to fix things.

The first Pebble Beach was held in 1950 in conjunction with the Pebble Beach Road Race. Phil Hill won the race driving a Jaguar XK120 and Best of Show went to a 1950 Edwards R-26 Special Sport Roadster owned by its creator Sterling Edwards.

The show was such a success it was repeated the following year and has grown over the ensuing 68 years to become the most prestigious event on the world Concours calendar.

Because of its stature, because of its location, and because the beautiful weather of Pebble Beach has attracted the cognoscenti like moths, Pebble Beach is now a week-long event called the Monterey Car Week. Although there are other events, the week really kicks off with Gordon McCall’s “Hanger Party” at the Monterey Jet Center. It’s the VIP cocktail party to end all cocktail parties.

It’s the VIP cocktail party to end all cocktail parties.

Then there’s the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, auctions and car shows such as the Concorso Italiano, the Japanese Automotive Invitational, the Concours D’Lemons, and the Barnyard Ferrari Event. It’s a merry-go-round of cars, chrome, and champagne.

This past year, we were intimately involved because our good friend Mick Jenkins of Mick’s Paint, Pomona, CA, had painted a rare, Atcherley-bodied Alfa Romeo that was in contention.

It’s a merry-go-round of cars, chrome, and champagne.

Atcherley, actually William Clive Atcherley, was an English coachbuilder who fabricated bodies on Brough Superior and Alfa Romeo chassis. This 1928 example—the only-surviving Atcherley Alfa Romeo—recently surfaced in Switzerland and found its way to California to be restored by Fast Cars Ltd. in Redondo Beach, CA.

Mick and the guys at Fast Cars have collaborated before on some rare Alfas but this project was special because it was being restored, but not over-restored, for the Atcherley family.

It was their name on the grille and everybody wanted it to do well. Against some heavy competition, the Atcherley Alfa came 2^nd in Class J4 Italian Classic. In fact, it was runner up in its class to the Best of Show winner, Dave and Ginny Sydorick’s 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B, some seriously strong competition.

Thankfully, we ended another fantastic Monterey Car Week on a high note but be warned, while it should be on every car nut’s bucket list it can be a very expensive week with rooms hard to find and hotels and event prices off the scale.

For a fairly complete guide to the 2019 Monterey Car Week go to: seemonterey.com/events/sporting/concours/

For more specific Pebble Beach Concours information go to: pebblebeachconcours.net

Fast Cars Unlimited

I don’t know about you but I like to detour off the main street and take the back alleys—you never know what you’re going to find, particularly if you are looking for interesting vehicles. Recently, I was cruisin’ Pacific Coast Highway on the west side of Los Angeles when I took a turn near the beach and found myself in a small street filled with exotics: Ferrari, Jaguar, Bentley. There were so many parked by the side of the road I didn’t know which way to look.

Established almost 40 years ago by Steve Tillack, Fast Cars Ltd. emerged from a stereo business but has grown to provide discerning international collectors with a complete package of services including research, location, purchase, services and complete restoration of exceptional collector cars and historic sports cars. They can even handle race support if the customer requires it.

With around 20 employees under the experienced eye of manager Craig Calder, Fast Cars has complete machine, dyno, fabrication, and upholstery shops. They have produced noted trophy, Concours, and historic race vehicles that have graced the lawns as far and wide as the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and the Ville d’Este in Italy; Their cars have even competed in the infamous Mille Miglia Italian road race. For any event, Fast Cars can offer its clients seamless support and logistic planning here in the U.S. and overseas.

Walking through the various shops on my guided tour with Marco Piehl who has been with the company for more than 20 years, I was amazed at both the amount and the variety of work being performed. We began the tour in a small shop where they were working on a Ferrari 250 GTO Spider. Next door we found a Jaguar E-type low-drag coupe with a hand-formed aluminum body. Eventually, Marco pulled us away into another large area where there were vehicles for sale.

There were so many parked by the side of the road I didn’t know which way to look.

These included a road-going 962 Porsche from Vern Schuppan, A V-12-powered Jaguar XJR-15, a pair of Ferrari 250 GT convertibles and a coupe, the only Bertone-bodied Jaguar Pirana Coupe styled by Marcello Gandini, an equally rare Porsche Carrera GTS as well as a 1966 Porsche 906 than ran in the Targa Florio, and an extremely rare DSRM-backed Ford RS200 Group B rally car.

Across the street in the service area, there was everything from a pair of Ferrari Dinos and Daytonas to a pair of 250 TRs as well as a Ferrari 500 NDTR. Alfas, Lamborghinis, and even a Jaguar 220. It’s all in a days work for the Fast Cars mechanics that keep these exotics running. Indeed, one young man who graduated from UTI turns out to be the Weber-carb tuning wizard.

About the only part of the restoration process not handled in-house is that of paintwork and some of that is farmed out to Mick’s Paint, Pomona, California. Mick’s was primarily known for award-winning hot rod and custom paint, but since collaborating with Fast Cars their combined efforts have garnered several awards at the prestigious Pebble Beach Historic Concours d’Elegance.

…one young man who graduated from UTI turns out to be the Weber-carb tuning wizard.

Their first award came in 2016 with a 1958 Pegaso Z-103 that came third in its class. In 2017, a rare Boano-bodied 1955 Alfa Romeo 1900c SS Coupe Speciale came first in class. In 2019, the only-surviving Atcherley-bodied 1928 Alfa Romeo came second in Class J4 Italian Classic. This year the companies are working together on another rare 1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500.

Typically, Fast Cars is not open to the public, however, occasionally, they host an open house and you can find out more by visiting their site at www.fastcarsltd.com

Concorso Italiano 33^RD Auto Show

Italian Auto Celebration Invades Seaside

The Concorso Italiano once again made headlines during the annual Monterey Motoring Week as vehicles on display and spectators celebrated all things Italian. The 33^rd annual Concorso event was hosted at the idyllic Bayonet & Black Horse Golf Course located in Seaside, California as a slew of more than 100 rare collectible sports cars and vintage vehicles ranging from Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Maseratis, and Alfa Romeos were all proudly on display.

This years event paid a special tribute to three special vehicles celebrating their 50^th anniversary. The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona, Lamborghini Espada, and Islero were recognized by the auto community as iconic vehicles that have achieved a milestone in automotive history.

Attending this event isn’t your typical car show. Vehicles ranging from a Ferrari 488 GTB to the venerable 488 GT3, which had just returned from battling at Virginia International Raceway where they took 4^th place, were just some of the special vehicles all embellished in rich motorsports history.

Love rare and exotic Italian cars? Be sure to check out next year’s Concorso Italiano Auto Show to get your dose of Italian flare!