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1968 Alfa Romeo T33/2 Daytona racing to the auction block in Monaco



 
 
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Old April 18th 12, 05:42 PM posted to alt.autos.alfa-romeo
MummyChunk
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Default 1968 Alfa Romeo T33/2 Daytona racing to the auction block in Monaco

From AB



1968 Alfa Romeo T33/2 'Daytona'

270 bhp, 1,995 cc fuel-injected DOHC V-8 with dual ignition, six-speed
gearbox, independent front and rear suspension by double wishbones,
rear-wheel-drive, and four-wheel disc brakes. Wheelbase: 2,250 mm
(88.58")

• One of the best documented Tipo 33/2 Dayontas of the period
• Ex-Nino Vaccarella, Teodoro Zeccoli, winner of 500 Km of Imola
• Stunning eight-cylinder power; gorgeous design
• Exceptional event car; FIA, HTP and FIVA documentation

Post-War Alfa Romeo Sport Car Racing

At the end of 1951, after winning the first two World Driving
Championships with its Tipo 158/159 racers, Alfa Romeo retired from
international Grand Prix competition. The company's next major
competitive effort was to be the famed Disco Volante (the 'Flying
Saucer') sport car. An entirely new design, it appeared in 1952–1953,
in both open and closed form. An intriguing 2-litre V-8 prototype
engine design, built shortly afterward and intended for a sporting GT
car, was shelved.

In the early 1960s, when Alfa Romeo and its competition arm,
Autodelta, were scoring many victories in touring and GT races,
especially with the Giulia coupé derivatives and the TZ1 and TZ2, Alfa
Romeo decided to re-enter international sport car racing. The
stillborn 2-litre V-8 engine, which had been set aside ten years
earlier, became the heart of Alfa's return to sport cars. This effort
would encompass eleven racing seasons and result in Alfa Romeo winning
the World Championship in 1977.

The first of the new cars appeared in 1967, with a rather exotic
H-shape chassis made of magnesium and aluminium. It was powered by a
2-litre V-8. This car was entered in a number of events, the first
being a Belgian hill climb at Fleron, where Teodoro Zeccoli finished
1st overall. Zeccoli of course had a long history with the marque,
having been an Abarth Works driver, a well-respected Le Mans and hill
climb veteran and an Alfa Romeo test driver who was actively involved
in the Tipo 33 project development. The name 'Fleron' became
associated with this model, and that name persisted with the Tipo 33
Alfa Romeo sport cars. Alfa Romeo won four victories in 1967: three
were in hill climbs and one was at the Vallelunga circuit later in the
year.

For 1968, Autodelta's brilliant chief engineer, Carlo Chiti, was
preparing an "all-new" car for a serious international
effort. Although it retained the original H-shape chassis, everything
else was re-designed. Testing began in late-1967, and four cars,
equipped with beautiful new coupé bodies, were ready for the February
24 Hours at Daytona race. They finished 5th, 6th and 7th overall, with
an impressive 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the 2-litre class. These short-tail
cars soon became known as the T33/2 'Daytona'. The later long-tail Le
Mans racers similarly became known as the 'Le Mans' models. The new
bodies had much better aerodynamic qualities, and the 1995 cc V-8
benefited from significant development work, producing 270 bhp at 9600
rpm. The 6-speed gearbox had been refined. The long-tail version was
reaching just under 300 km/h at Le Mans. Factory and private entry
T33/2s took part in 23 racing events in 1968, and won eight victories
at various venues.

Chassis 75033.029

According to Alfa Romeo authority, Ed McDonough, chassis number
75033.029 is one of the few Alfa Romeo racing cars of the period, for
which there is strong evidence of its identity. As McDonough writes,
"...both Alfa Romeo and Autodelta kept very poor records of their
competition cars and no comprehensive (official factory) written
record exists which identifies which Tipo 33 chassis raced at which
event. No one knows exactly how many T33/2 chassis were built,
although there were believed to be about twenty. The chassis numbering
system has always defied understanding".

For the car on offer, however, there are two principal sources of
provenance: the first is Teodoro Zeccoli, who did most of the early
testing, kept his own diary and worked closely with Chiti. Race entry
forms exist which match the chassis number on this car as it appeared
at the races. There is also testimony from the original owners, as
well as from the late Marcello Gambi, an ex-Autodelta mechanic who
kept his own records and went on to restore many cars. McDonough
believes the history of 75033.029 is "reasonably complete",
and notes "...that can only be said of about five or six of the
1968 cars". As such, this particular racing car is in a very
rarefied class of Alfa Romeos.

Documents show the first and most important race for 75033.029 was a
500 km non-championship event at Imola in September, 1968. Three Works
entries appeared: Ignazio Giunti/Nanni Galli in chassis 017, Mario
Casoni and Spartaco Dini in chassis 018 and Nino Vaccarella and
Teodoro Zeccoli in 029. This race was considered a shakedown event for
the team, prior to competing at Le Mans two weeks later. (The race was
delayed several months that year.) Galli and Giunti starred in
practice and the early laps, but it was 029, in the hands of the
legendary Nino Vaccarella and the veteran, Teodoro Zeccoli, which
worked its way steadily into the lead.

That race was Autodelta's best showing since Daytona, and it proved to
be the team's first 1-2-3 victory, with the T33/2's outperforming the
field of Porsche 910s by a wide margin. In July, Vaccarella and Lucien
Bianchi won the Circuit of Mugello race in what was thought to be 029,
although irrefutable evidence for this claim has not yet been
established. Nino Vaccarella reportedly told Ed McDonough and Peter
Collins that "after Mugello, it was nice to win again in the same
car at Imola", which would argue strongly for the Imola winner
being the Mugello 029 car.

Late in 1968, Autodelta, developing a new 3-litre car for 1969, sold
some of the 1968 racers to privateers, whilst retaining a few to use
until the new model was complete. 75033.029 was sold to an Italian,
Antonio Zadra, who planned to compete in a number of events with his
friend, Giuseppe Dalla Torre. The first of these was the 1969 Monza
1000 Kilometres, where the Scuderia Trentina 029 scored an impressive
10th overall and won the 2-litre prototype class. Zadra had Mario
Casoni as his co-driver at the Targa Florio, where the car ran well
but eventually retired. On 13 July, Zadra finished 8th at the Trento
Bondone hill climb in Italy, and a week later, Zadra/Dalla Torre had
Works support at the Circuit of Mugello. McDonough noted that 029
appeared there with a more open body fitted. Then came the Austrian
1000 Kilometres at Osterreichring, where Autodelta brought the new
3-litre cars. Zadra/Dalla Torre competed in 029 along with other
private Alfa entries. 029 turned out to be the only Alfa to finish,
this time in 17th place.

Zadra was 12th at the Karlskoga races in Sweden in August, and he
shared 029 with Carlo Facetti at the Imola 500 Kilometres in
September, but they retired. In 1970, Hubert Ascher bought the car and
it appeared at Dijon, after which Klaus Reisch drove it at Neubiberg
and again at Magny Cours in 1971. 029 was in the USA in the 1980s, and
it returned to Europe, where Paul and Matt Grist found and restored
it, then successfully competed in a number of historic events,
including the French Tour Auto.

The owner states, "This is my personal Tipo 33/2 Daytona, the
most original and best documented racing Alfa of that period. It's
well-sorted and blindingly fast for an 8 cylinder 2-litre. I have been
invited (to compete) in about every event in this part of the world.
It is versatile, exciting to drive and very reliable".

Indeed, Classic & Sports Car seem to agree wholeheartedly with
this assessment of the car in a recent road test, entitling their
article "Once you're in the groove, it has a lightness of touch
not unlike that of a Grand Prix racer". Mick Walsh went on to
say, "With wide 'pepperpot' wheels packing its arches, gaping
vents dominating its profile and aero wing-flicks indicating serious
speed, the Daytona is the best-looking of the line that ran from the
'66 Periscopica to the '77 twin-turbo flat-12 SC wedge".

Complete with both Dutch and UK road registration, as well as all the
requisite FIA, HTP and FIVA documents, it is certainly quite unique
and ready for any number of historic racing events. Indeed, the
opportunity to acquire a T33/2 Daytona is a very rare one. This
particular car's offering, however, marks what is surely a unique
opportunity, by virtue of 029's stellar racing record and known
history. From the corkscrew at Laguna Seca to the open roads of
France, there is surely no more exciting way to exercise one's right
foot than with a high-revving, 2-litre Alfa Romeo V-8.

________________
75033.029 Racing Record
1968 500 km Imola – 1st OA – Nino Vacarella / Teodoro Zecolli
1969 1000 km di Monza – 10th OA – Antonio Zadra / Giuseppe Dalla
Torre
1969 Targa Florio – DNF – Antonio Zadra / Mario Casoni
1969 Mugello GP – DNF – Antonio Zadra / Giuseppe Dalla Torre
1969 1000 km Zeltweg – DNF – Antonio Zadra / Giuseppe Dalla Torre
1969 GP Swerige – 12th OA – Antonio Zadra
1969 500 km Imola – DNF (Engine) – Antonio Zadra / Carlo Facetti
1969 Preis von Salzburg – DNA – Antonio Zadra (did not run)
1969 Sports Neubiberg – 7th OA – Klaus Reisch
1970 Dijon – 14th OA – Hubert Ascher
1970 Mugello GP – DNF – Klaus Reisch
1970 1000 km Zeltweg – DNF – Klaus Reisch
1970 Sports Neubiberg – 5th OA – Klaus Reisch
1970 Magny Cours International – 3rd OA - Klaus Reisch

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