Robert Little contacted VeloceToday recently and asked if we’d be interested in re-publishing his historic photos and descriptions of Autodelta, taken in the early 1970s, which had previously appeared in the “Alfa Owner” and now on his own website, of which he says “The new name is www.AutodeltaGoldenYears.com and I will continue to use www.RobertLittle.US at the same time for the next few years.”
We jumped at the opportunity; the photos and his story are unique and of great interest and value. “It’s actually quite an amazing and true story – one that has not been known to have been repeated in the history of Italian motor racing. Looking back one finds it difficult to believe it actually happened as it did…” wrote Mr. Little. This Introduction explains how his magical sojourn came about; the rest of the chapters will concentrate on his amazing photographic record of Autodelta at its prime.
By Robert Little
(Read Part 2)
(Read Part 3)
(Read Part 4)
(Read Part 5)
(Read Part 6)
(Read Part 7)
A native Detroiter and son of a Chrysler Corporation engineer, I grew up helping my father in the garage. We built five Soap Box Derby cars for the annual Detroit races and together we restored a 1922 Model T Ford coupe.
My interests eventually diverged with the acquisition of my Michigan driver’s license, and spent weekends as a volunteer at the Waterford Hills (Michigan) race track. There, it was obvious that small nimble lightweight automobiles could run circles around heavier, over-powered/under braked “Detroit Iron”…and found that Alfa Romeo vehicles came factory-equipped with superior handling and braking characteristics.
Entering college in the fall of 1968, I co-founded the Michigan State University Sports Car Club (which incidentally grew to become the second largest such college car club among American universities behind the UCLA club), and after four years and some intensely-Alfa Romeo summers, graduated with a B.A. in Mass Communication and Marketing.
I joined the Alfa Romeo Owner’s Club and met Tom Tann and Joe Benson (author of the still famous Illustrated Alfa Romeo Buyer’s Guide). At the time, they co-owned a blue Alfa Romeo TZ-1. In 1970 Tom and I decided to drive it to Sebring, Florida in a 24 hour non-stop run. I had been invited to be a Pit Marshal for Alec Ulmann’s organization, assigned to the Autodelta team pit area, of course! There, we met members of the Autodelta team and acquaintances developed.
In the pits with the Autodelta T33 at Sebring in 1970. Photo copyright Robert Little.
With one Sebring 12 Hours under my belt and watching Steve McQueen, Jackie Ickx, Vic Elford and other world-class masters grind it out for the Twelve Hours, I became hooked on the thought of someday becoming a part of the World Championship-of-Makes level of competition – in my opinion, the most exciting and thrilling world-class level of automobile competition. In those days it was the national prestige of the entire Italian nation battling Germany, France, and England for honor and world domination…without the visual clutter of unnecessarily high levels of commercialization. And in the case of Italy, it was purely Ferrari versus Alfa Romeo….Enzo Ferrari versus Carlo Chiti. [Read more…] about Inside the Walls of Autodelta, Part 1
