The Alfa Romeo Tipo 308 or 8C-308 is a

Grand Prix racing Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition, has its roots in organised auto racing, automobile racing that began in France as early as 1894. It quickly evolved from simple Road racing, road races from one town to the next, to End ...

car made for the 3 litre class in 1938. Only four cars were produced, actually modified from Tipo C with the engine mounted lower into the chassis and a slimmer body. The chassis was derived from the Tipo C and the engine from the 8C 2900. The 308 was engineered by Gioacchino Colombo under the control of Enzo Ferrari who was then in charge of Alfa's racing team,

Alfa Corse Alfa Corse is Alfa Romeo's factory racing team. Throughout the years, Alfa Corse has competed in various forms of motorsport, from Grand Prix motor racing to touring car racing. Alfa Corse was officially formed in the beginning of 1938, after th ...

. The car debuted at the Pau Grand Prix in 1938, where two cars were entered to race, one for

Tazio Nuvolari Tazio Giorgio Nuvolari (; 16 November 1892 – 11 August 1953) was an Italian racing driver. He first raced motorcycles and then concentrated on sports cars and single-seaters. A resident of Mantua, he was known as 'Il Mantovano Volante' (Th ...

and the other for Luigi Villoresi. Both drivers had to withdraw from competition, however Nuvolari had by then set a lap record. The next race was the Tripoli Grand Prix. The new

312 __NOTOC__ Year 312 ( CCCXII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantinus and Licinianus (or, less frequently, ...

(3-litre, 12 cylinders) and

316 __NOTOC__ Year 316 ( CCCXVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sabinus and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 1069 ''Ab u ...

(3-litre, 16 cylinders) were entered, but they had engine trouble during practice and

Clemente Biondetti Clemente Biondetti (18 October 1898 – 24 February 1955) was an Italian auto racing driver. Born into a working-class family, Biondetti raced motorcycles before turning to automobiles where he had greater success. Biography Born in Buddusò, Sa ...

took the start at the wheel of the 308 held in reserve. He failed to finish, while Hermann Lang, driving a Mercedes-Benz W154, was the winner. In this race,

Eugenio Siena Eugenio Siena (1 April 1905 - 15 May 1938) was an Italian racecar driver from Milan. A cousin of Giuseppe Campari, he was a mechanic and testdriver for Alfa Romeo (assistant to Enzo Ferrari). Next, he joined Scuderia Ferrari 1930–34. Siena wo ...

, driving a 312, was killed after hitting a wall. In the 1938

Mille Miglia The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi, which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 (thirteen before World ...

, Clemente Biondetti and

Carlo Pintacuda Carlo Maria Pintacuda (18 September 1900 – 8 March 1971) was a motor-racing driver from Italy. Pintacuda was born in Florence on 18 September 1900. He was one of the greatest drivers from the "Florentine School" alongside Emilio Materassi, Gast ...

took the first two places. Biondetti's car used a Tipo 308 engine, while Pintacuda's used a 2900B.Title:"Classic and Sportscar" magazine, Published: April 2007, Article: "Alfa 8C-2900B MM", Page 192, In 1938 and 1939, Raymond Sommer won a couple of hillclimb competitions at

La Turbie La Turbie (; oc, A Torbia; in Italian "Turbia" from ''tropea'', Latin for trophy) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. History La Turbie was famous in Roman times for the large monument, the Trophy of Augus ...

with 308; Jean-Pierre Wimille won a couple of races in Europe in the 1940s. One of the cars was brought to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

where it gathered some success and victories in the hands of

Óscar Alfredo Gálvez Oscar or Oskar is a masculine given name of Irish origin. Etymology The name is derived from two elements in Irish: the first, ''os'', means "deer"; the second element, ''car'', means "loving" or "friend", thus "deer-loving one" or "friend of deer" ...

. The car that Gálvez used in Argentina is now in the

Juan Manuel Fangio museum ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of '' John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, ...

. One of the cars was sold to the US after World War II and Louis Durant drove it to 6th place in the

1946 Indianapolis 500 The 30th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1946. This was the first Indianapolis 500 presided over by new track owner Tony Hulman. The track had closed in late 1941 due to World War ...

; the next year it placed 7th with Walt Brown. In 1948, Johnny Mauro drove the car to 8th place; this car is now located in the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United State ...

Hall of Fame Museum. It is probably the same car that was also used in the

1940 Indianapolis 500 The 28th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 30, 1940. The winner was Wilbur Shaw in the same Maserati 8CTF he had driven to victory in 1939. Shaw became the first driver in the history of th ...

, which was Raymond Sommer's ex car. Overall Alfa Romeo's 3 litre formula cars (Tipo 308,

and

) were not a great success. Instead, the new car for the 1500 cc class, the 158 voiturette, designed in 1937 and first raced at the Coppa Ciano in August 1938, proved much more successful.

Main victories

*1938 Grand Prix Rio de Janeiro,

Carlo Maria Pintacuda Carlo Maria Pintacuda (18 September 1900 – 8 March 1971) was a motor-racing driver from Italy. Pintacuda was born in Florence on 18 September 1900. He was one of the greatest drivers from the "Florentine School" alongside Emilio Materassi, Gas ...

*1939

Circuit des Remparts Circuit des Remparts is a historic race circuit in Angoulême, France using the town's ancient road layout. History Used once in 1939 for a circuit race for Grand Prix cars and Formula Two voiturettes, The circuit had a length of 1287 metres, wh ...

- Angoulême, Raymond Sommer *1946 Grand Prix de Bourgogne, Jean-Pierre Wimille *1946 Grand Prix du Roussillon - Circuit des Platanes - Perpignan, Jean-Pierre Wimille *1947 Grand Prix de Rosario,

Achille Varzi Achille Varzi (8 August 1904 – 1 July 1948) was an Italian Grand Prix driver. Career Born in Galliate, province of Novara (Piedmont), Achille Varzi was the son of a textile manufacturer. As a young man, he was a successful motorcycle ra ...

*1948 Grand Prix São Paulo, Jean-Pierre Wimille *1949 Buenos Aires Grand Prix,

Indianapolis 500

*1940 Chet Miller, 17th *1946

Louis Durant Louis Durant (25 September 1910, in Topeka, Kansas – 13 February 1972, in San Bernardino, California) was an American racecar driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the ...

, 6th *1947 Walt Brown, 7th *1948

Johnny Mauro Johnny Mauro (October 25, 1910 – January 23, 2003) was an American racecar driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto r ...

, 8th

Notes

{{Alfa Romeo Pre War Timeline Tipo 308 Grand Prix cars