Alfa Romeo 159 F1 & Giuseppe Farina – F1 Grand Prix Belgium 1951 - photograph

Description

A superb and rare photo of
Giuseppe Farina
in his
Alfa Romeo 159 Formula 1 race car
, in preparation for the
F 1 Grand Prix of Belgium
which was ridden on the circuit of
Spa-Francorchamps
in the Belgian Ardennes on
June 17, 1951
. A great image of the RACE WINNING Alfa Romeo 159! Farina won the race in a time of 2 hours, 45 minutes and 46 seconds before Ascari (Ferrari) and Villoresi (Ferrari). Farina went on to finish
4TH
in the
1951 Formula One World Championship
. His teammate Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1951 World Championship with a similar
Alfa Romeo 159
race car! It was Alfa Romeo’s last Formula One World Championship season until 1979!
For this race Alfa Romeo introduced a new evolution version of their famous 158 Alfetta, known as the
159M
, the "M" standing for
Maggiorata
("improved").
The 1952 World Drivers' Championship was run to Formula Two regulations, so the 159 became obsolete. The car's last Grand Prix win came in 1953 at Merano Grand Prix, Italy.
The
Alfa Romeo 158 and 159
, also known as the Alfetta (Little Alfa in Italian), are amongst the outmost successful racing cars ever produced. The 158 and its derivative, the
159
, took 47 wins from 54 Grands Prix entered. It was originally developed for the pre-World War II voiturette formula (1937) and has a 1.5 litre straight-8 supercharged engine. Following World War II, the car was eligible for the new Formula One introduced in
1947. In
the hands of drivers such as Nino Farina, Juan-Manuel Fangio and Luigi Fagioli, it dominated the first two seasons of the Formula One World Championship. The first version of this successful racing car, the 158, was made during 1937/1938. The main responsibility for engineering was given to Gioacchino Colombo. The car's name refers to its 1.5 litre engine and eight cylinders. The voiturette class was for racing cars with 1.5 litre engines, standing in the same relation to the top 'Grand Prix' formula (usually for
3 litre
engines) as the GP2 series does to Formula One today. Alfa's
3 litre
racing cars in 1938 and 1939 were the Tipo 308, 312 and 316. The 158 debuted with the works Alfa Corse team at the Coppa Ciano Junior in August 1938 at
Livorno
,
Italy
, where Emilio Villoresi took the car's first victory. At that time the 1479 cc engine produced around 200 bhp (150 kW) at 7000 rpm with the help of a single-stage Roots blower. More success came at the Coppa Acerbo, Coppa Ciano and Tripoli Grand Prix in May 1940. Soon World War II stopped development of the car for six years. After the war the engine was developed further to push out 254 bhp (189 kW) in
1946. In
1947, the Alfetta became eligible for the newly-created Formula One. The new rules allowed 1500 cc supercharged and 4500 cc naturally aspirated engines. The 158 was modified again, this time to produce over 300 bhp (220 kW) and was denoted as Tipo 158/47. The car made a tragic debut in the 1948 Swiss Grand Prix where Achille Varzi lost control of his car and was killed. Another loss for the team came in practice for the 1949 Buenos Aires Grand Prix, where Jean-Pierre Wimille was killed in an accident (driving with Simca-Gordini). The car won every race in which it competed during 1950; it was incredible that a car which had originated in 1938 was so victorious. The Alfa Romeo team included talented drivers such as Giuseppe Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio, the latter of whom later won the World Drivers' Championship five times. At the end of the 1950 season, a further updated version known as the 159 was produced. This version had reworked rear suspension, the old swing axle was replaced with a De-Dion axle and the engine produced around 420 bhp (313 kW) at 9600 rpm. For their last World Championship race (until 1979), the 1951 Spanish Grand Prix, Alfa Romeo introduced a new evolution version known as the 159M, the "M" standing for Maggiorata ("improved"). The 1952 World Drivers' Championship was run to Formula Two regulations, so the 159 became obsolete. The car's last Grand Prix win came in 1953 at Merano Grand Prix,
Italy
.
The company that became
Alfa Romeo
was founded as Società Anonima Italiana Darracq (SAID) in 1906 by Cavaliere Ugo Stella, an aristocrat from
Milan
, in partnership with the French automobile firm of Alexandre Darracq. The firm initially produced Darracq cars in
Naples
, but after the partnership collapsed Stella and the other Italian co-investors moved production to an idle Darracq factory in the
Milan
suburb of Portello, and the company was renamed
A.L.F.A
. (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili). The first non-Darracq car produced by company was the 1910 24 HP, designed by Giuseppe Merosi. Merosi would go on to design a series of new
ALFA
cars with more powerful engines (40-60 HP). ALFA also ventured into motor racing, drivers Franchini and Ronzoni competing in the 1911 Targa Florio with two 24 HP models. However, the onset of World War I halted automobile production at ALFA for three years. 1916 saw the company come under the direction of Neapolitan entrepreneur Nicola
Romeo
, who converted the factory to produce military hardware for the Italian and Allied war efforts. Munitions, aircraft engines and other components, compressors and generators based on the company's existing car engines, and heavy locomotives were produced in the factory during the war. When the war was over, Romeo took complete control of ALFA and car production resumed in
1919. In
1920, the name of the company was changed to Alfa Romeo with the Torpedo 20-30 HP becoming the first car to be badged as such. Their first success came in 1920 when Giuseppe Campari won at Mugello and continued with second place in the Targa Florio driven by Enzo Ferrari. Giuseppe Merosi continued as head designer, and the company continued to produce solid road cars as well as successful race cars (including the 40-60 HP and the RL Targa Florio). In 1923 Vittorio Jano was lured away from Fiat, partly thanks to the persuasion of a young Alfa racing driver named Enzo Ferrari, to replace Merosi as chief designer at Alfa Romeo. The first Alfa Romeo under Jano was the P2 Grand Prix car, which won Alfa Romeo the inaugural world championship for Grand Prix cars in 1925. For Alfa road cars Jano developed a series of small-to-medium-displacement 4, 6, and 8 cylinder inline power plants based on the P2 unit that established the classic architecture of Alfa engines, with light alloy construction, hemispherical combustion chambers, centrally-located plugs, two rows of overhead valves per cylinder bank and dual overhead cams. Jano's designs proved to be both reliable and powerful. Enzo Ferrari proved to be a better team manager than driver, and when the factory team was privatised, it then became Scuderia Ferrari. When Ferrari left Alfa Romeo, he went on to build his own cars. Tazio Nuvolari often drove for Alfa, winning many races prior to WWII. In 1928 Nicola Romeo left, with Alfa going broke after defense contracts ended, and in the end of 1932 Alfa Romeo was rescued by the government, which then had effective control. Alfa became an instrument of Mussolini's
Italy
, a national emblem. During this period Alfa Romeo built bespoke vehicles for the wealthy, with the bodies normally built by Touring of Milan or Pininfarina. This was the era that peaked with the legendary Alfa Romeo 2900B Type 35 racers. The Alfa factory (converted during wartime to the production of Macchi C.202 Folgore engines) was bombed during World War II, and struggled to return to profitability after the war. The luxury vehicles were out. Smaller mass-produced vehicles began to be produced in Alfa's factories beginning with the 1954 model year, with the introduction of the Giulietta series of berline (saloons/sedans), coupes and open two-seaters. All three varieties shared what would become the classic Alfa Romeo Twin Cam engine, initially in 1300cc form. This engine would eventually be enlarged to just under
2 liters
(1962cc) and would remain in production through 1995.
Argentinean
Juan Manuel Fangio
dominated the first decade of Formula One racing.
He won five World Championship titles — a record which stood for 46 years.
During his career he rode for 4 different teams: Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Maserati.
This was a feat that has not been repeated since. For these achievements, and because of the time they were accomplished, he is considered by many as the "greatest driver of all time". Fangio was born on
San Juan
's day in
1911 in
Balcarce
,
Argentina
to Italian parents from the small central Italian
village
of
Castiglione Messer Marino
, near
Chieti
. He began his racing career in
Argentina
in 1934, driving a Ford Model T, which he had rebuilt. During his time racing in
Argentina
, he drove Chevrolet cars and was Argentine National Champion in 1940 and 1941. He first came to
Europe
to race in 1949, funded by the Argentinean Automobile Club and the Argentinean government. Juan Manuel Fangio, unlike most later Formula One drivers, started his racing career at a mature age and was the oldest driver in many of his races. During his career, drivers raced almost without protective equipment. The notable rivals he had to face consisted of the likes of Alberto Ascari, Giuseppe Farina and Stirling Moss. Initially Fangio was not particularly successful until racing an Alfa Romeo in 1950. He finished second in the world championship in 1950 and won his first title in 1951. He was competing well in
1952 in
a Maserati until a serious accident at
Monza
,
Italy
ended his season with a neck injury. Fangio soon returned to win
La Carrera Panamericana
, the 2000-mile Mexican road race the following year in a Lancia D24. In 1954 he raced with Maserati until Mercedes-Benz entered competition in mid-season. Winning eight out of twelve races (six out of eight in the championship) in that year, he continued to race again with Mercedes—driving the superb W196 Monoposto—in 1955 (in a dream team that included Stirling Moss). At the end of the second successful season (which was overshadowed by the 1955
Le Mans
disaster in which more than 80 spectators were killed) Mercedes withdrew from racing. In 1956 Fangio moved to Ferrari, replacing Alberto Ascari, who had been killed in an accident, to win his fourth title. He finished first in three races and second in all the other championship races. In 1957 he returned to Maserati and won his fifth title, notable for an extraordinary performance to secure his final win at the Nürburgring in
Germany
. After his series of back-to-back championships he retired in 1958, following the French Grand Prix. He won 24 World Championship Grands Prix from 51 starts, the best winning percentage in the sport's history. In 1990, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. According to the official Formula One website, "Many consider him to be the greatest driver of all time." Many later drivers, such as Jim Clark, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, have been compared with Fangio.
This is a very nice and very rare
non period
photo that reflects a wonderful era of Alfa Romeo ‘s automotive history in a wonderful way.
This is your rare chance to own this photo, therefore it is printed in a nice large format of ca. 7.8" x 8" (ca.
19.4 cm
x
20 cm
).
It makes it perfectly suitable for framing.
Shipping costs will only be $ 7.00 regardless of how many photos you buy.   For 5 or more photos, shipping is free!
(Note: A. Herl, Inc. does not appear on photo, for ebay purposes only)
No copyright expressed or implied. Sold as collectable item only. We are clearing out our archives that we have gathered from various sources.
All items always sent well protected in PVC clear files
and board backed envelopes.
We have photographs that came from professional collections and/or were bought from the original photographer or press studio! They are all of professional and excellent quality.
After many decades of professionally collecting photographs and posters we are clearing out our archives. They make the perfect gift and are perfectly suited for framing. They will look gorgeous unframed and will be a true asset nicely framed with a border. They are a gorgeous and great asset in every home, workshop, workplace, restaurant, bar or club!
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