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In the early 1930s, boosted by the racing and commercial successes notched up by the 6C model family, the directors of Alfa Romeo decided to develop a new straight-eight cylinder engine, designed to power even more luxurious high performance cars, and to succeed in expressing and symbolising the brand’s technical sophistication.
Vittorio Jano - the engineer in charge of the planning department - set to work, and in 1931 the new Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 made its momentous debut.
This dual block 8C engine was highly advanced for its time, boasting light alloy cylinder heads, a carburettor and a lobe rotor supercharger, plus distributor ignition and forced lubrication. It continued with the same unit displacement as the engine that had equipped the previous 6C 1750 GS - 65x88 mm - but the increase in cylinders from 6 to 8 brought the displacement up to 2336 cm3 and the power output soared: the "Spider Corsa" version, the most powerful 8C 2300 model, generated 155 HP at 5200 rpm, almost double the 85 HP of the 6C 1750.
Tazio Nuvolari’s triumph in the 1931 Targa Florio race was only the first of a long series of racing successes conquered by the 8C 2300 in its various versions: a few months after the Targa Florio, Campari and Nuvolari won the Italian GP in Monza, while the first successes in the 1000 Miglia came with two consecutive victories in 1932 and 1933.
Meanwhile, Prospero Gianferrari, the general manager of Alfa Romeo, was determined to conquer another prestigious international competition: the 24 Hours of Le Mans, until then consistently dominated by British car manufacturers. In order to comply with the rules of the French race, a long-wheelbase four-seater competition car with torpedo-race bodywork was prepared, in collaboration with the Touring coachbuilders in Milan. The 8C 2300 Le Mans, weighing roughly 1000 kg, could reach 200 km/h and immediately showed itself to be a supremely sophisticated and unbeatable racing car.
In 1931, three 8C 2300s entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans: two official cars - driven by the Campari-Marinoni and Minoia-Zehender teams - and a third driven by an English gentleman driver, Lord Howe, teamed with Sir Henry Birkin. The British-driven car was provided with assistance by the Alfa Romeo racing squad, and emerged victorious. This was a victory of epic proportions: establishing a margin of 112 km over the second-placed team, and setting a then incredible average speed record of 125.735 km/h.
https://www.fcaheritage.com/en-uk/heritage/stories/alfa-romeo-8C-2300-le-mans
SPECIFICATIONS
OVERVIEW
• Manufacturer: Alfa Romeo
• Team: Earl Howe
• Series: 24 Hours of Le Mans - 3.0
• Country: Italy
• Year: 1931
• Type: Race car
• Division: Gr.X
• Major Wins: Winner 1931 24 Hours of Le Mans
ENGINE
• Engine: Alfa Romeo Straight 8
• Power: 155 HP / 5000 rpm
• Torque: --- Nm / --- rpm
• Engine location: Front
• Displacement: 2337 cc
• Construction: Alloy block and head
• Compression: 6.6:1
• Valvetrain: 2 valves / cylinder, DOHC
• Aspiration: Roots-Type Supercharger (SC)
• Fuel feed: Memini Carburettor
PERFORMANCE
• 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) Time: Unknown
• Top Speed: Over 200 km/h (124 mph)
• Power-to-weight ratio: ≈0.16 hp/kg
DRIVETRAIN
• Layout: FR
• Drive: Rear wheel drive
• Body: Aluminium body
• Chassis: Steel ladder frame
• Gearbox: 4 speed Manual
• Steering: Worm-and-sector
• Suspension: Rigid axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs
• Brakes: Drums, all-round
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT
• Lenght: --- mm
• Width: --- mm
• Height: --- mm
• Weight: ≈1000 kg
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