ALFA 40/60 HP

File:1922-04-02 Targa Florio Alfa Romeo 40-60 HP Giuseppe Campari.jpg

Giuseppe Campari in his Alfa Romeo 40-60 HP at the 1922 Targa Florio.

The ALFA 40/60 HP is a road car and race car made by Italian car manufacturer ALFA (later to become Alfa Romeo). This model was made between 1913 and 1922 and was designed by Giuseppe Merosi, as were all other Alfas at that time. The 40/60 HP has a 6082 cc straight-four engine with overhead valves, which produced Template:Cvt and its top speed was . The 40-60 HP Corsa racing version had Template:Cvt and a top speed of , and it also won its own category in the Parma-Berceto race.

File:Alfa 40-60 HP Aerodinamica.jpg

ALFA 40-60 HP Castagna Aerodinamica prototype

In 1914 the milanese count Marco Ricotti commissioned to Carrozzeria Castagna the ALFA 40/60 HP Aerodinamica (also known as Siluro Ricotti), a prototype model which could reach top speed. A replica of that car was created in the 1970s, and now it is shown in the Alfa Romeo Historical Museum.

40/60 HP production and development was interrupted by the First World War, but resumed briefly afterwards. The 40-60 HP Corsa now had Template:Cvt and a top speed of around . Giuseppe Campari won the 1920 and 1921 races at Mugello with this car.

Specifications

The 40-60 HP was based on a ladder chassis of C-shaped stamped steel rails.

Its engine was a (bore and stroke 110 x 160 mm, compression ratio 4.35:1) overhead valve inline-four cylinder, fed by a single vertical carburettor.Template:Sfnp The en bloc cylinder block and cylinder head were split in two groups of two cylinders, and made of cast iron; the crankcase was cast aluminium, incorporating the four engine mountings.Template:Sfnp The two in-block camshafts were driven by a gear train located at the front of the engine.Template:Sfnp

The driveline comprised a dry multi-plate clutch, a four-speed gearbox and a one-piece propeller shaft, spinning inside a tube attached to the rear differential housing.Template:Sfnp At its open end, towards the gearbox, this tube forked out into two ends which, linked to the chassis, located the rear axle. The gearbox was positioned towards the middle of the chassis, almost underneath the driver, rather than in block with the engine—to which it was connected by a short prop shaft. Front and rear solid axles were sprung on longitudinal semi-elliptic leaf springs. Brakes were drums on the rear wheels, with both pedal and hand controls. The wheels were 5.5x19" Sankey-type pressed steel.Template:Sfnp

40-60 HP tipo corsa

The tipo corsa sat on a shortened wheelbase of , instead of the road car's .Template:Sfnp Kerb weight was versus .Template:Sfnp The racing-prepared engine was fitted with two carburettors and had a 5.50:1 compression ratio.Template:Sfnp It produced Template:Cvt at 2,000 rpm; after the war, for the 1920–22 races, it was brought to Template:Cvt at 2,400 rpm.Template:Sfnp Top speed was .Template:Sfnp The final drive ratio was 18/49 instead of the standard 17/49.Template:Sfnp The Sankey steel wheels were replaced by 6.0x20" knock-off wire wheels.Template:Sfnp Fuel tank capacity was expanded from the standard to .Template:Sfnp

External links

• ALFA 40-60 HP Castagna Siluro Aerodinamica 1914 on autoconcept-reviews.com

Ownership	Ugo Stella & investors					Nicola Romeo																	IRI
Type	1910s										1920s										1930s										1940s
	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
4-cyl.	12 HP/15 HP			15-20 HP			WWI				[α]																				WWII
	24 HP													RM
					20-30 HP			[α]	20-30 ES
				40-60 HP
6-cyl.												G1
												RL
																		6C 1500/1750/1900							6C 2300					6C 2500
8-cyl.																						8C 2300				8C 2900
Grand Prix car					GP									P1		P2						Tipo A	Tipo B (P3)				8C 35		158								158
																													308
																										Bi motore	12C		312		512
																													316		162
Notes	[α] 105 A.L.F.A 15-20 HP and 20-30 HP started in 1915 were completed in 1920, after the war, as Alfa Romeo models.