Alfa Romeo GTV GT Turbodelta & Pregliasco - 1980 San Remo Rally - photograph 2

Description

A superb and rare photo of
Mauro Pregliasco
in his
Alfa Romeo GTV Turbodelta
during the heavy
1980
edition of the
San Remo Rally
, which was ridden from October 6 until
October 11, 1980
. Pregliasco ’s co-rider during this event was
Vittorio Reisoli
.
The Alfa Romeo Alfetta was the base for the
Alfa Romeo GT and the Alfa Romeo GTV
. The four-door Alfetta was sold in the
USA
from 1975 through 1977 under the name Alfetta Sedan. From 1978 to
1979 a
mildly restyled version was sold under the name Sport Sedan. The four-cylinder coupe was available from 1975 to 1977 under the moniker Alfetta GT . Finally, the V-6 version was marketed from 1981 to 1986 as the GTV-6. Back to the GTV, it was a fastback coupé version of the Alfetta, introduced in 1974 as Alfetta GT, initially available only with the
1.8 litre
(1779 cc) version of the Alfa DOHC four. For 1976, with the final phasing out of the earlier 105 Series 1.3 and
1.6 litre
coupes (GT 1300 Junior and GT 1600 Junior) and the
2.0 litre
105 series 2000 GTV, the Alfetta GT became a range, also available with the
1.6 litre
(1570 cc) and
2.0 litre
(1962 cc) versions of the same engine as the Alfetta GT 1.6, Alfetta GT 1.8 and Alfetta GTV 2000. The GTV designation was initially reserved for the
2.0 litre
top version. In 1979, some minor revisions, including a revised engine with new camshaft profiles and a change to mechanical-and-vacuum ignition advance, saw the
2.0 litre
redesignated the Alfetta GTV 2000L. Autodelta also produced a limited edition turbocharged model, named
Turbodelta (SEE PHOTO!)
, for FIA Group 4 homologation. This version used a KKK turbo which pushed power up to 175 PS (129 kW). The car also received a modified suspension layout. This was first Italian production car with turbocharger. The styling of the GTV, while distinctive, can be seen to share many design features derived from the
Montreal
supercar, as translated down to a simpler and thus more marketable vehicle. Examples of this are the bonnet line, which while briefer, still has 'scallops' for the headlights, and the tail light clusters which resemble those of the
Montreal
. The door shape is similar, and in a sharing of parts, both vehicles employ the same door handles. In 1981, the GTV received a restyling, with grey plastic bumpers and all matt-black trim replacing bright stainless steel, the
1.6 litre
and
1.8 litre
versions were discontinued and the Alfetta 2000 GTV became the base coupé model as the Alfa GTV 2.0. The Alfetta name was dropped, but the two-litre coupé retained its type designation of 11636 for left hand drive and 11637 for right hand drive.
15 inch
alloy wheels were now standard, as opposed to the earlier cars'
14 inch
pressed steel or optional
14 inch
alloy.
Later in the same year, the GTV-
6, a
version of the GTV with the SOHC V6 2.5 L engine from the Alfa 6 luxury sedan, was released. As a result the hood received a bulge to clear the top of the intake and became its most pronounced feature. With Bosch fuel injection instead of the six downdraught Dell'Orto carburetors in the early Alfa 6 installation, the V6 was much easier to start and retained its state of tune much better. The V6 received rave reviews from the motoring press, which had previously lambasted the same engine in the Alfa 6 because of the carburetor problems. It found its true home in the GTV-6 where it could stretch its legs better than in the less sporting Alfa 6 sedan, including winning the European Touring Car Championship an unprecedented four years in succession (1982-85), the British Touring Car Championship in 1983 at the hands of Andy Rouse, as well as many other racing and rallying competitions. The fuel injection installation eventually made it into the second series of the Alfa 6 as well. The GTV went through a number of revisions, including a new gear ratios and an updated interior in
1984. A
grey GTV6 is featured for a short period in the James Bond movie Octopussy. Bond steals the parked car while its owner uses a pay phone booth and makes haste towards Octopussy's Circus. The GTV6 was driven to victory by Greg Carr and Fred Gocentas in the 1987 Australian Rally Championship. South African models were first assembled at Automaker's Rosslyn plant, located outside
Pretoria
. These early, 1973 models, were manufactured alongside Datsuns. From 1974 South African Alfetta's were manufactured at Alfa Romeo's own Brits plant.
South Africa
was one of two markets to have a turbocharged GTV6, with a Garrett turbocharger and a NACA intake. An estimated 750 were assembled before all production ceased in 1986. The South African market also introduced the 3.0 L GTV-6, predating the international debut of the factory's 3.0 L engine in 1987. Approximately 200 were built in
South Africa
for racing homologation. To this day, the GTV-6 remains the quintessential Alfa Romeo for South Africans. For the
U.S.
market two limited production GTV-6 models stand out. The Balocco (named after the famous Balocco race track in
Italy
) in 1982 with a production run of only 350 cars. And the GTV-6 2.5 Maratona, of which only 150 were built. The Maratona model included a more aggressive aerodynamic trim package, lightweight Speedline wheels, clear engine view port, sunroof, wood steering wheel, rear louvers and fog lamps. All 150 cars were painted only in Silver. Callaway Cars, famous for their modified Camaro, Impala SS and Corvette offerings modified about thirty GTV-6s between 1983 and
1986. In
addition to numerous small component upgrades, the Callaway GTVs included a much revised suspension, larger brakes and a twin-turbocharger system, boosting performance to near-exotic levels. A different twin turbo GTV was also built briefly for the Australian market.
The
racing versions of the Alfetta GT and GTV
were built by
Autodelta
, initially with the normally aspirated engine from the earlier GTAm racer based on the 105 series coupe, for homologation under FIA Group
2. In
this form they were rallied with moderate success in 1975, winning the
Elba
and
Costa Brava
rallies overall, as well as winning the Group 2 category in the World Rally Championship's Corsican event. The next year Autodelta shifted its focus to circuit racing the Alfettas, which won the under 2.5-liter Group 2 division of the European Touring Car Championship, scoring a remarkable second place overall at the 24 hour race at Spa-Francorchamps, as well as an overall win in the ETC race at Vallelunga. Despite such results, Autodelta's efforts with the Group 2 Alfetta were desultory, and ended prematurely. At a single rally at the end of the 1975 season, Autodelta also rallied an Alfetta GTV with a
3.0 litre
V8 engine, derived from the
2.6 litre
V8 of the Alfa Romeo Montreal coupé and sharing the same mechanical fuel injection by SPICA. It had been suggested to produce 400 roadgoing versions of this model for homologation but this plan was abandoned as well. In 1980 the
Alfetta GTV Turbodelta (SEE PHOTO!)
was already homologated in FIA Group 4, since the required number of production cars had been built. A racing version was campaigned in rallies, but once more the effort was abandoned after a single season, despite scoring a win at the Danube Rally. In 1986 the Alfa Romeo GTV6 was one of the fastest Group A rally cars. However FIA put it to Group B in the end of 1986, this made if from winner car to a car which was drawn away from rallying. The GTV6 placed 3rd in 1986 Tour de Corse.
The
Rally of San Remo
, or the
Rallye Sanremo
is a rally competition held in
Sanremo
,
Italy
. Except for the 1995 event, the event was part of the FIA World Rally Championship schedule from the 1973 season to the 2003 season. Currently, it is a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and the Italian national rally championship. The first "
Rallye Internazionale di Sanremo
" was held in 1928. The rally name's French word "rallye", as opposed to Italian "rally", was inspired by Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo. After another successful rally in 1929, the event was given to new organizers who decided to set up a street race through the town of
Sanremo
instead. The first one, 1° Circuito Automobilistico Sanremo, was held in 1937 and won by Achille Varzi. Rallye Sanremo was re-started in 1961 as Rallye dei Fiori ("Rally of the Flowers") and has been held every year since. From 1970 to 1972, Rallye Sanremo was part of the International Championship for Manufacturers. From 1973 to 2003, the rally was on the World Rally Championship schedule, except for 1995 when the event was only part of the FIA 2-Litre World Championship for Manufacturers. The rally became the centre of controversy in 1986 after the stewards disqualified the factory Peugeot team at the end of the third day for using illegal side skirts, handing the victory to Lancia. Peugeot had used the same configuration in earlier rallies without any scrutineering problems and had also passed pre-rally scrutineering. Peugeot appealed but the organizers did not allow the team to continue the rally. FIA later confirmed that the exclusion had been illegal as the Peugeot cars were legal, and decided to annul the results of the whole event. Rallye Sanremo was originally a mixed surface event (tarmac and gravel) but from 1997 on it was organized as an all-tarmac rally. After being dropped from the WRC schedule, Rallye Sanremo has been part of the Italian Rally Championship. Since 2006, it has also been a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.
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.
This is a very nice and very rare
non period
photo that reflects a wonderful era of Alfa Romeo ‘s and San Remo Rally ’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. 8" x 12" (ca. 20 x
30 cm
).
It makes it perfectly suitable for framing.
Contact us for more Alfa Romeo ‘s and San Remo Rally ’s and other automotive photos.
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