Alfa celebrates its centennial year and winning first ever FI
Championship race!
On May 13, 1950 at the Silverstone motor racing circuit, Alfa Romeo dominated the podium. The team finished a historic 1-2-3 at the first ever Formula One European Championship race. Italian driver, Giuseppe Farina, dominated proceedings to bring home his 300-horsepower Model 158 racecar - also known as the Alfetta - ahead of fellow Alfa drivers Luigi Fagioli and Britain's Reg Parnell. All three finished two laps ahead of the 21-strong field.
To celebrate, one of the rare 158s, which competed in this historic race, has been pictured alongside the latest Alfa Romeo MiTo to showcase the famous Cloverleaf badge, as part of company's commemorative Mosaic digital art project.
The Alfa 158 ('15' for 1,500-cc and '8' for 8 cylinders) secured victory in every Formula One race in which it competed during the inaugural 1950 session. Having made their motor racing debut in 1937, the 158s spent the war years dismantled and hidden in various inconspicuous places including, legend has it, a cheese factory! In total, the Alfa 158 and its derivative, the 159, dominated the Formula One calendar over the next few years, with 47 wins from 54 Grand Prix races entered. The 158 and 159 secured Alfa Romeo's revered place in Formula One motor racing history.
Alfa Romeo enthusiasts interested in Alfa's motor racing pedigree should attend The Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 2-4, where a 159 will be among a host of historic Alfas taking part in the event. Alfa Romeo, celebrating its centennial year, will be the featured marque.
The photo of the 158 and the MiTo at Silverstone, above, by Mike Jiggle can be seen with others from owners past and present at in a visual celebration of Alfa's 100th anniversary at www.alfacentenary.co.uk