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The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

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Hans Ruesch and the Alfa Tipo 8C35

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Montage image from photographer Piergiorgio Bardi aka Häaden 2 Como, Italy

Story and Montage by Peter Darnall
Additional photos from the collection of Dale LaFollette

Alfa Romeo Tipo C #50013 . . . The Hans Ruesch Era

The 1936 racing season brought victories for the Tipo C Alfa Romeos against the German Silver Arrows at Penya Rhin, Milan, and Budapest. The new monoposto showed it could compete with the Teutonic rivals—at least on tight winding courses when pushed to the absolute limit by Tazio Nuvolari. Italian hopes were high as the cars lined up for the start of the Coppa Ciano on August 2, 1936. No one could have known at that time, but Nuvolari was about to put on a virtuoso performance which would rank as one of the greatest drives of all time. [Read more…] about Hans Ruesch and the Alfa Tipo 8C35

Alfa Romeo 8C35 Grand Prix Cars

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The Editor Tracks the three 8C35 Alfas
Montage above by Peter Darnall

One might wonder why we are so interested in the Alfa 8C35 cars. An old saying goes that history is written by the survivors; and indeed, this is the case for the 8C35. But in addition to being survivors, the various and sundry 8C35s running today are examples of the only Grand Prix car to give the combined Silver Arrows a real run for the money. Given the might of the Mercedes and Auto-Union teams, the Alfa Romeo 8C35 had a brief but reasonably successful two seasons in Europe. Designed to be fitted with either a V12 engine, or an 8 cylinder, the 8C35 used a longer version of the famous Alfa 8C 2.3 engine, running almost concurrently with the initially unreliable V12 (12C36) while it was being developed. In 1936 Tazio Nuvolari drove the 8C35 to great victories at Coppa Ciano and the Hungarian GP. In our humble opinion, although Vittorio Jano’s V12 (actually designed by Bruno Trevisan) may have led to his downfall in October of 1937, the 8C and 12 C are underrated and much more successful contenders than results might render. And speaking of results, at the bottom of this article we’ve reproduced the Alfa racing results from the years 1935 to 1937 for your perusal.

As VeloceToday is currently publishing a series of short articles that often include these cars, (read A Most Unusual Meeting) we thought this an opportune time to provide a brief history of the 8C35 chassis known today.

Of the six 8C35s listed by Fusi, three can be determined to still exist in some form: [Read more…] about Alfa Romeo 8C35 Grand Prix Cars

Peter Giddings, the Chain Gang and Firle

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Peter Giddings at Firle Hillclimb in the Frazer Nash.

Peter Giddings at Firle Hillclimb in the Frazer Nash.

By Peter Giddings
All photos courtesy Peter Giddings unless marked otherwise

Last week Jonathan Sharp wrote up a very nice piece for us about the Firle Hillclimb Revival, with plenty of enticing photos of car guys and girls just having fun with their classics. It certainly hit a note with our readers. Then Peter Giddings emailed us about his experiences driving a Frazer Nash ‘Chain Gang’ at the original Firle Hillclimb in 1963. We begged for more and here is his story:

I could not believe my eyes when I saw your “Firle Hillclimb Revival”, the setting for several of my early attempts at competitive speed hill climbing.” I attach a report from Autosport, July 19, 1963 which reads in part, “Last May P. H. Giddings had rocketed up in 28.69 secs. in a 1928 Frazer Nash fitted with a 1926 A.C. engine, and on Sunday this incredible device did 28.66 secs. to take third place in the most hotly contested class of the day. How this chain-driven car can be coaxed up Firle so quickly only Mr. Giddings knows!” [Read more…] about Peter Giddings, the Chain Gang and Firle

Racing the Alfa Romeo 8c35

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Color photos by www.rprincephoto.com

By Pete Vack

This article originally appeared in VeloceToday on September 10th, 2008. The cars featured here may have changed hands since.

Peter Greenfield is in the enviable position of owning and racing not one, but two pre-war Alfa Romeo Grand Prix cars. Furthermore, chassis 50013 which he acquired from Peter Giddings in 2005, is the only complete, original Tipo 8c35 in the world.

He keeps the crown jewel–50013– for very special events such as the upcoming Laguna Seca event at Monterey where he will have it out for the Shell Ferrari Historics. For the race at Mt. Tremblant and most other vintage races, Peter drives a ‘clone’, which is referred to as 8c35 50015C, the “C” standing for clone. This car was built up from the parts of a vehicle obtained from South America, and uses an engine found by Peter Giddings years ago. Giddings explains: “The clone’s “C” section chassis came out of Argentina, and Paul Grist built a car up around it, using the transaxle out of the dismantled Rex Mays Tipo C (#50012), and fitted with engine #50015, which engine I used to own when it was shoe-horned into a 1932 Alfa Romeo Monza!” Giddings says “shoe-horned” because whilst the 2.3 8c and 3.8 8c engines look similar, the dual supercharged 3.8 is somewhat longer than the single supercharged 2.3.

Apparently the actual 8C35 chassis numbered 50015 has long disappeared, so something useful was done with the engine, based on the fact that Grist had access to 50013 and used it for comparisons. Thus, 50015 “C” was born.

Peter Giddings in the ex Rex Mays car, 50012, leads Greenfield's clone at Tremblant in 2008.

[Read more…] about Racing the Alfa Romeo 8c35

Tony’s Talbots

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Peter drives his first Talbot Lago, #110007, ex-Chiron. Courtesy Peter Giddings.

Hindsight is a good remedy for perceived mediocrity. Looking back on the 20-odd year run of the French Lago Talbot, it is easy to see that the cars of Anthony “Tony” Lago (born on this date in Venice in 1893)were not only were winners on the concours circuit, but significant winners on the Grand Prix tracks in the post war era. After five major Grand Prix wins, nine lesser ones and victory at Le Mans in 1950, Cyril Posthumus would write, “Lago, in his retirement years could look back on a remarkable chapter of accomplishment.”

On the day of his birth, we remember the cars of Tony Lago, thanks to VeloceToday reader and longtime vintage racer, Peter Giddings.

From the dramatic concours-winning Figoni et Falaschi coupes of late 1930s to the last-of-the-line Lago America coupes of 1956, Lago Talbots came on the scene with style and flair, making the most of a meager budget and limited facilities. In between the flashy sports cars were the real stars…the series of remarkable 4.5 liter Grand Prix cars that were campaigned primarily by privateers from 1939 to 1952.

Peter Giddings can claim to have been racing Lago Talbots for over thirty years. Although he recently parted with the ex-Etancelin car #110054 (which went to his good friend David Duthu), Giddings has an enormous amount of experience with the GP Lagos. He also owned and raced the ex Chiron/Whiteford French/Australian Grand Prix winning Lago Talbot #110007 for ten years. Like no one else, Giddings is the guy in the know.

The ex-Ron Smith Talbot-Darracq 150 which inspired Peter Giddings. Photo courtesy of David Venables.

[Read more…] about Tony’s Talbots

Phillip Island Classic, Australia, 2011

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Story and photos by Vince Johnson

Australia 18-20 March 2011

Maserati 250Fs haven’t been thick on the ground at race meetings since the fifties, but there were three of them at the Phillip Island Classic in March. During Sunday’s lunchtime demonstration they ran together for several laps. Peter Giddings in 2501/2523, Tom Price in #2525 and Jeffrey O’Neill in #2527 were obviously enjoying the moment. They’d filled the podium in their first race on Saturday morning in that order, proving they weren’t there just to circulate, and the sound of these three Italian classics had grown men misty eyed.
[Read more…] about Phillip Island Classic, Australia, 2011

The Racing Bugs

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Sandy Leith pushing hard with his 1931 Type 37. Leith, who is the Registrar of the American Bugatti Club, tell us about his car: My car was the second-to-last T37 built. It was bought by a New York banker on vacation, Elgood Lufkin, in Paris who brought it home with him. After one or two more owners and an engine blow-up in early ARCA competition, it received the 4-cylinder, Ford B engine in 1935 and raced as the 'Scrambling Egg' Bugatti-Ford special with the ARCA until 1940 when it disappeared. I found it in 1995 and have kept it, essentially, as found.

Photos and Captions by Hugues Vanhoolandt

The best of the bugs from Monterey.

[Read more…] about The Racing Bugs

Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival

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A portion of an outstanding Bugatti turnout includes David Duthu's T-35A (14) that was driven by Jim Strandberg; Matt Cobb's T-37A (37); Peter Mullin's Delage-Era, driven by David Duthu and Peter Mullin's T-35C. Credit: Michael T. Lynch

A Weekend of Wine, Food and Cars

By Michael T. Lynch

Steve Earle, through his company General Racing, has been the most influential organizer of American vintage races over the past 30-odd years. This year he expanded and renamed his long-running Wine Country Classic. The first edition of the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival was held June 5th & 6th at Sonoma’s Infineon Raceway.
[Read more…] about Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival

Alfa’s Pre War Titans, Part I

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Rex Mays, Peter Giddings and the Alfa Tipo C 8C35

By Pete Vack

Color photos by www.rprincephoto.com

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Giddings at Mt Tremblant with the Tipo C, 8C35 Grand Prix car.

Given the might of the Mercedes and Auto-Union teams, the Alfa Romeo 8C35 had a brief but reasonably successful two seasons in Europe. Designed to be fitted with either a V12 engine, or an 8 cylinder, the 8C35 used a longer version of the famous Alfa 8C 2.3 engine, running almost concurrently with the initially unreliable V12 (12C36) while it was being developed. In 1936 Tazio Nuvolari drove the 8C35 to great victories at Coppa Ciano and the Hungarian GP.
[Read more…] about Alfa’s Pre War Titans, Part I

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