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alfa racing

Gauld talks to French Champion Bernard Consten

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Consten-Alfa-Jags- Reims 1958

By Graham Gauld

All around the South of France there are former racing drivers tucked away in villages, or otherwise holed up in Monaco trying to preserve their race winnings. As a result one (this author, at any rate) tends to meet up with them from time to time and chew the fat. One of them who has become a good friend is Bernard Consten, best known for his multiple wins on the old original Tour De France event with his Jaguar 3.8 and Alfa Romeo. Bernard managed to combine rally driving with racing.

Consten has all the charm of a Parisian whose father ran a successful Renault dealership that allowed Bernard to follow his passion for motor sport.

He was born in the Courbevois district of Paris in 1932 and almost as soon as he had his driving license he began competing. His first event was the circuit de Bressuire with a little Renault 750 sedan. When competing on rallies he normally took his cousin, Jean Hebert, who was himself to become a successful driver with Alfa Romeo. The Consten/Hebert duo soon began to win a number of events which eventually led to Consten becoming French Rally Champion for the first time in 1958. He also became Champion in 1961 and 1962, on both occasions with a Jaguar 3.8 sedan, and finally in 1967 with an Alfa Romeo GTA.

The Tour de France wins are the ones that remain in the memory.

” In 1951 the Tour de France restarted and when I was a student I dreamed about competing on that event. The following year my mother was keen to buy me a Triumph TR2.


“It was very difficult to buy new cars in France at that time as it was not long after the war. You had to have the right currency as the French importer was only allowed to import about five or six cars a year. When I went to order the car the dealer asked me all the things I wanted. I told him it was to be white with red upholstery with wire wheels – even the heater was an extra. He then asked me how I was going to pay: American dollars, German marks or English pounds. When I told him I wanted to pay in French francs he said it was not possible to have a car.

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Watch Scuderia Portello Alfas at These May Events!

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Catch the Portello entries at Donington, Monte Carlo, and the Mille Miglia in May.

By Roberto Motta

Photos courtesy of Scuderia del Portello

Scuderia Portello has a big month planned for May as they celebrate their 30th Birthday.

On May 5th and 6th, the Scuderia del Portello will be at Donington Park “Historic Festival”, with its English partners. The Milanese team entered the first race with the Alfa Romeo GTA U2TC driven by the “gentleman drivers” Jason Wright, Michael Gans and Simon Tate. Wright and Gans will also take part in the “1000 km”.

The Alfa-de Tomaso F1 car will compete at Monte Carlo.

From May 10 to 13, Scuderia del Portello, and Ross Zampatti, the ubiquitous Australian pilot of Italian descent, will participate in the ‘”8th Grand Prix de Monaco Historique”, with the De Tomaso – Alfa Romeo that took part in the Grand Prix of Italy in 1961 with Nino Vaccarella. The car will be entered into the D category, reserved for cars with rear engines up to 2,000 cc. Zampatti won the European Car GT Historical 2006 with Alfa Romeo 1900 CSS Zagato entered by Scuderia del Portello.

On May 17 to 20, the Scuderia del Portello will be at the “Mille Miglia” with four cars.
Wishing to emphasize the international aspects of the club, Scuderia del Portello will assign the MM cars with drivers from different countries.The all-female team formed by the crew of Christina D. Von Schinkel and Caroline N. Koc, (based in Turkey) will be at the start of the event with an Alfa Romeo 1900 TI. This car competed in the Carrera Panamericana in 1954, with Bonini and Zanaboni.

The Italian crew, composed of Paolo Zanardi and David Tizzi, will drive an Alfa Romeo Spider Sebring.

Shintaro Goto and Takayoshi Matsui, members of Scuderia del Portello Japan, will participate in a 1954 Alfa Romeo 1900 TI Super.

Finally, the German partners and Josef Joachim Isselhorst Schnippering, will participate in an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Berlina

On hand at all the events will be this Alfa Giulia Estate to serve as a support vehicle.

A team of mechanics at the wheel of an Alfa Giulia Wagon of 1972, fully restored to be a mobile workshop, will be on the scene to assist as necessary.

We hope you will stop to see our Scuderia Portello friends at these events, and tell them you read about them in VeloceToday…

In Italian

Continuano i festeggiamenti per i 30 anni i Scuderia del Portello
By Roberto Motta
Photos courtesy of Scuderia del Portello

Nel corso dei festeggiamenti per i trenta anni dalla fondazione, nel prossimo mese di maggio la Scuderia del Portello sarà presente in numerose manifestazioni di carattere Internazionale.

Il prossimo 5 e 6 maggio, la Scuderia del Portello sarà presente al Donington Park “ Historic Festival con i suoi soci inglesi.
La scuderia Milanese sarà impegnata nella 1° gara di campionato U2TC con le Alfa Romeo GTA affidate ai “gentleman driver” Jason Wright, Michael Gans e Simone Tate. Wright e Gans prenderanno parte anche alla “1000 Km“.

Dal 10 al 13 maggio, Scuderia del Portello e Ross Zampatti, l’onnipresente pilota Australiano di origini italiane, saranno presenti all’“8°Grand Prix de Monaco Historique”, con la De Tomaso – Alfa Romeo che prese parte al Gran Premio d’Italia del 1961 con Nino Vaccarella.
La vettura sarà iscritta nella categoria D, riservata a vetture con motore posteriore fino a 2.000 cc.
Ricordiamo che Zampatti ha vinto il titolo Europeo Auto G.T. Storiche del 2006 con Alfa Romeo 1900 CSS Zagato iscritta dalla Scuderia del Portello.

Infine,Dal 17 al 20 maggio, la Scuderia del Portello sarà presente alla “Mille Miglia” con 4 vetture
Volendo sottolineare l’internazionalità del Club, Scuderia del Portello sarà presente alla MM con vetture affidate a piloti provenienti da diverse nazioni.
Il team tutto femminile formato dall’equipaggio Turco delle sorelle Christina D. Von Schinkel  e Caroline N. Koc, saranno al via della manifestazione con un’Alfa Romeo 1900 TI.
Questa vettura partecipò alla Carrera Panamericana del 1954, con i piloti Bonini/Zanaboni.
L’equipaggio Italiano, composto da Paolo Zanardi e Davide Tizzi, porterà in gara un’Alfa Giulietta Spider Sebring Monoposto.
Goto Shintaro e Matsui Takayoshi, soci di Scuderia del Portello Giappone, parteciperanno alla MM con un’Alfa Romeo 1900 Ti super del 1954.
Infine, i soci tedeschi Joachim Isselhorst e Josef Schnippering, parteciperanno alla MM con un’Alfa Romeo Giulietta Berlina.
Il team ufficiale del Portello sarà seguito, come ogni anno, dalla squadra di assistenti meccanici alla guida di un’Alfa Giulia Giardinetta del 1972, perfettamente restaurata ad officina mobile.

Scuderia Portello Celebrates 30 Years with Honors

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By Roberto Motta
Photos Scuderia del Portello
Italian version below

Milan – The Scuderia del Portello celebrated 30 years of sporting activities with the “Trophy of the Thirty Years” held in Milano on February 17 to 19th. The event was held at the new Fiera Milano, a 345,000 sq meter pavilion in conjunction with the “Milano Autoclassica”.

The celebration was attended by the Alfa Romeo race cars such as the GTA, GTAm, and Giulia, and Giulia GT sedans. The cars were challenged to participate in a circuit specially designed in the square in front of the pavilions of Nations Autoclassica. Eighteen GTA/GTAms were on hand and divided into two classes. The winner of the trophy for the GTA category was Jason Wright followed by Arturo Merzario, while in GTAm, Sabino de Castro and Francesco Frisone were first and second.

Jason-Wright Alfa GTA

Jason-Wright with his Alfa GTA won the GTA class.

A large, passionate audience attended the exhibition of seven historic cars of the Carabinieri, and watched performances by go-karts and cars of every make.

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Inside Scuderia del Portello with Roberto Motta

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A group of Alfa 1300 Berlinas waiting for their day in the sun.

Roberto Motta gets an exclusive look at the jewels in the Scuderia del Portello. All photos by Roberto Motta unless othewise noted.

Scuderia Portello has been at the forefront of Italian Vintage Racing since its creation in 1989. At first a small but enthusiastic group of Alfa owners began competing in European vintage car events, but as the sport grew the Scuderia was also entrusted by the company of Alfa Romeo to manage the appearances and transportation of the Arese Museums’ jewels. ( See Interview with Marco Cajani, President, Scuderia del Portello )
Below is the lair of the famous Scuderia, opened to our correspondent Roberto Motta. It is not open to the public and naturally discretion is always optimum.
[Read more…] about Inside Scuderia del Portello with Roberto Motta

Alfas on the Track Part II

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Alfas in England but where. Photo by Jeff Allison.

Jeff Allison continues his tribute to Alfa Romeo’s 100th anniversary
with images from races where Alfas competed in 1972 and 1974.

Part I

Words and Photos by Jeff Allison

Alfa hoped for success in endurance racing in 1972 with a new car. Prospects appeared bright as the team had some momentum from winning three manufacturers’ title races in 1971. However, it was not to be. In 1971, Alfa had practiced occasionally but never raced a new model called the 33TT3. A Telaio Tubolare (tubular chassis) replaced the previous aluminum monocoque. It reduced the frontal area for lower drag, and the gearbox was relocated and the driver moved forward for better balance. Alfa intended to introduce a more powerful flat-12 engine for the TT chassis, but it wasn’t ready to race in 1972. This left Alfa (read Autodelta) with a heavier chassis (steel tubes) and a now old, underpowered V-8 to race against Ferrari’s 312 P(B), which would become the dominant car in 1972.


The BOAC 1,000kms on April 16 followed Buenos Aires, Daytona and Sebring in the 1972 manufacturers’ championship, where Alfa placed third overall in each race. When the Alfa team arrived in their transporter full of 33TT3 cars and parts at the 2.65-mile Brands Hatch road racing course, the spirit around the Alfa camp was upbeat. Could they turn the tables and upset Ferrari’s 312 P(B)s, which had won the first three races?

The paddock at Brands Hatch was crowded with the 23 cars that qualified for the BOAC 1,000kms World Championship Sports Car Race. The Alfa paddock area was relatively quiet during the moments before the race as mechanics and spectators mill around the cars. According to the race report in Autosport, the 33TT3s had been lightened by removing the safety fuel tanks for this one race, and the engine was tweaked to around 440-hp. Despite three consecutive third places in the first three races, the 33TT3s were just .3 seconds faster than they had been at Brands a year earlier in 1971, and the 450-hp 312 P(B)s would go on to dominate the 1972 championship.

At the start, the three works Ferrari 312 P(B)s that qualified 1-2-3 have already gone out of the picture as has the fourth place on the grid 33TT3 (#8) of Peter Revson/Rolf Stommelen. Seen here are the Andrea de Adamich and Vic Elford (#6) and Nanni Galli and Helmut Marko (#7) 33TT3s surrounded by two- and three-liter rivals from Lola, Gulf-Mirage and Chevron.

American Peter Revson was driving for Alfa in the manufacturers’ championship for sports cars and for McLaren in F1 and the Can-Am in 1972.

Revson was partnered by German Rolf Stommelen, who had become a regular with Alfa Romeo in sports cars and raced with Team Eifelland Caravans in a March 721 in F1 in 1972.

Revson and Stommelen drove their Autodelta (works) 33TT3 (#8) to third overall and third in the Sports 3000 class. Starting fourth on the grid behind three works Ferrari 312 P(B)s, the pair finished one lap behind the second-place Ferrari and two laps behind the winning Ferrari of Mario Andretti and Jacky Ickx. The photo shows Revson (#8) leading the Lola T280s, powered by three-liter Cosworth V-8s, of the Jo Bonner team—Chris Craft and Gerard Larrousse (#3) and Rene Wisell and Bonnier (#4).

Vic Elford (left) speaks with codriver Andrea de Adamich before the start. Elford was picked up by Alfa from the now defunct Martini & Rossi Porsche 917 team. De Adamich, a long-time Alfa sports car driver, also drove a Surtees TS9B-Cosworth Ford for the Ceramica Pagnossin team in F1 in 1972.

The 33TT3s just couldn’t match the speed of the Ferrari 312 P(B)s, and Elford and de Adamich drove the #6 33TT3 to a fourth overall and fourth in the Sports 3000 class. Qualifying eighth on the grid, they completed 231 laps to finish two laps behind the Revson and Stommelen 33TT3 (#8). The photo shows Englishman Elford at the wheel.

The third Autodelta 33TT3 (#7) in the BOAC 1,000kms was driven by Nanni Galli and Helmut Marko. Galli also raced F1 for the Martini Racing Team in a Tecno PA123 and Marko with the Marlboro BRM team in a BRM P153. They qualified ninth on the grid but suffered a loss of brake fluid in the last hour, slowing them to a sixth overall finish. The photo shows Galli exiting Druids Corner with the #34 Chevron B21-Ford of Brian Robinson and Francois Migault behind. At the conclusion of the 11-race series for the manufacturers’ title, Alfa Romeo had raced in only seven of the races with the highest finish of a second in the Targa Florio and no wins. Even so, they finished second, albeit a distant second, to Ferrari but ahead of Porsche, Lola, Chevron, Mirage and Matra for the manufacturers’ title.

Well known enthusiast and long-time California exotic car dealer Otto Zipper entered his T33/4 for Scooter Patrick at the Los Angeles Times 15th Annual Grand Prix on October 29, 1972 at the 2.54-mile Riverside International Raceway. Patrick maneuvers the car around the paddock in the photo.

Riverside was the ninth and final Canadian-American Challenge Cup Series race in 1972. The 4.0-liter V-8 powered Alfa was a standard FIA Group 6 car in all but its engine size, but it didn’t stand a chance against the unbelievable 5.0-liter Porsche 917-10K with its turbocharged flat-12 engine approaching 1,000-hp or the 9.0-liter (565-ci) 800-hp behemoth Denny Hulme had in his McLaren M20 only for Riverside. Patrick, who had driven to a seventh overall finish two weeks earlier at Laguna Seca, did well to qualify ahead of 13 of the more powerful Can-Am cars, including the Bryant Ti22, Lolas, McLarens and the 917PA/K. He finished ninth overall, completing 57 laps to the winner and newly crowned Can-Am champ George Follmer’s Porsche 917-10K (61 laps). In the photo, Patrick is shown alongside the larger, more powerful 8.3-liter McLaren M8FP (#55) of Chuck Parsons as they exit Turn 6 at Riverside.

The Interserie was Europe’s version of the Can-Am. At the Martini International Supersports event, the opening round of the 1974 Interserie Championship at Silverstone, England on May 12, 1974, Richard Pilkington was the entrant and driver of T33/3 (#84). It was reported by Autosport to be the 1971 BOAC 1,000-km winning car of Andrea de Adamich and Henri Pescarolo. Pilkington, the curator of the Totnes Motor Museum in England, was quite slow around the 2.932-mile Silverstone course, qualifying next to last on the grid of 27 qualifiers.

The Martini International Club Trophy event was a long-running event at Silverstone that began in 1961, won by well known drivers such as Chris Amon, Peter Gethin, Denny Hulme, Leo Kinnunen, Arturo Merzario and Michael Parkes. The T33/3 was in the Sport 500 class that was populated mainly with two-liter cars from Chevron and March and some three-liter cars. The photo shows the business end of Pilkington’s T33/3 with its three-liter V-8 engine.

In the 35-lap, 102.45-mile final, Pilkington finished 17th of 21 cars and five laps behind the winning Willi Kauhsen in a 4.5-liter Porsche 917-10K. It was the German Kauhsen who later brought money and sponsors to run Alfa’s racing team, and the cars, now powered by the flat-12 engine, won the manufacturers’ title in 1975 and 1977 for Alfa Romeo.

Jeff Allison is presently the editor of Prancing Horse, the quarterly magazine of the Ferrari Club of America. He’s previously served in editor positions with MG Abingdon Classics and Vintage Motorsport magazines, including editor of “Vintage Stuff” in Automobile magazine. Since 1976, he’s produced almost 400 articles in over 40 magazines and web sites relating to motorsport activities.

Alfas on the Track Part I

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Hezemens, de Adamich, Vaccarella? Find out below. Photo by Jeff Allison

Jeff Allison presents the first of a two-part tribute recognizing Alfa Romeo’s 100th anniversary with a selection of images of Alfas on the track at races from 1959 to 1974.

Words and Photos by Jeff Allison

Before I go further, I should disclose I’m the editor of Prancing Horse, the quarterly magazine of the Ferrari Club of America. Okay, give me a break—Ferraris are Italian aren’t they? In writing about Alfa Romeos, I’m exposing a long lingering soft spot in my heart. In Alfa’s 100th year, I wanted to do my part to recognize the cars with the unlikely name in Italian of Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili or A.L.F.A. that later joined forces with Società Anonima Ing. Nicola Romeo & Co. to become Alfa Romeo. [Read more…] about Alfas on the Track Part I

Racing the Alfa Giulietta in America Part I

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There's carbon on this sparkplug, the Alfa lady seems to be saying. Dunkirk 1958. Photo: Alix Lafontant.

By Carl Goodwin

A slow beginning
The Alfa Giulietta did not come on the sports car scene as Porsche did, with dramatic wins and startling performance. Instead, it kind of slid into the U.S. market, and began to race two years after its introduction in Italy. [Read more…] about Racing the Alfa Giulietta in America Part I

Racing the Alfa Giulietta in America Part II

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Following close: Detroit's Harry Constant in Alfa #84 is hounded by Chuck Stoddard in the #25 Alfa, with the rest of the Put-in-Bay field in the distance. Photo: Joe Brown

By Carl Goodwin

Stoddard Racing
Chuck Stoddard won national SCCA championships in 1959, 1961 and 1965 in Alfas. “The Giulietta didn’t get interesting,” he says, “until the Veloce was introduced. Bob Grossman was one of the first to run one. Max Hoffman was behind it – he pitted Porsche against Alfa. He would go to Porsche and tell them ‘The Speedsters are nice but the Giulietta is nicer.’ [Read more…] about Racing the Alfa Giulietta in America Part II

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