Name this car....

[gmo]

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I doubt whether Carlo Ponti had something to do with it. But Alfa Romeo certainly. Ordered by the Italian government in 1938 for the use in their African Colonies.

 

All that remains to be found is the name of this particular type. To help some other parts of the car.

 

To start some more "Sofia Loren" view.

 

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Partial front view

 

 

Partial interior view

 

 

This should do it I presume.

 

Regards

Gerd

[LuxBob]

It's the sort of car that I would love to hear start-up and run and it would be nice to be able to feel how they adopted the beautiful driving characteristics to military need. Possibly, being Italian, they managed to retain some of the sporting feel.

I am not going to guess any more, in fact I think I quite like the name Alfa Romeo Sophia.

Now Lancia, how about a Lancia Lolla - sounds quite sensuous - at least to me it does.

[250swb]

The Alfa is a '6C 2500 Coloniale'. 150 were made as off roaders for the Italian military between 1939 an 1942

 

Reference Fusi 'Alfa Romeo Tutte Le Vetture Dal 1910' pages 397 - 400.

 

Steve

[gmo]

Steve,

 

Exactly although some sources speak of 152 cars. The first prototypes were ready in 1939 for testing in what is now Ethiopia but the production only followed in 1941 and 1942. Seen the situation in North Africa by then a lot of cars ended in Russia / Ukraine with the Italian forces fighting over there in a terrain where the cars were not suited for.

 

This one I saw during the 2004 Mille Miglia and was beautifully restored up to the drivers running the car in the race as you can see form the following pictures.

 

 

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Over to you

Gerd

[250swb]

Steve,

 

Exactly although some sources speak of 152 cars.

 

Over to you

Gerd

 

Two cars were built as prototypes, so yes, 152 if you count those as well.

 

 

Steve

[steed]

I have been freeloading for too long, and owe this sub-forum a post or two. So, in the interest of promptly paying my debt to society, here is another "name this car" submission. The model itself is probably not that difficult for the fans of this forum, but the notoriety of this particular car is the real challenge. Here is a clue: this car is most famous for (alleged) cheating. Good luck!

John W

P.S.: please don't give me a hard time about the "square" format. The Leica roll is still in the camera.

[steed]

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I have been freeloading for too long, and owe this sub-forum a post or two. So, in the interest of promptly paying my debt to society, here is another "name this car" submission. The model itself is probably not that difficult for the fans of this forum, but the notoriety of this particular car is the real challenge. Here is a clue: this car is most famous for (alleged) cheating. Good luck!

John W

P.S.: please don't give me a hard time about the "square" format. The Leica roll is still in the camera.

[steed]

missing attachment??I hope so. If not, I give up

[stuny]

Still missing. Email it to me and I'll add it: stuart.nordheimer@opco.com.

[elansprint72]

Ghost? Silver version by Rolls Royce; or perhaps a Phantom?

[stuny]

Pete -

 

Alternatively, it could be Wonder Woman's ariplane.

[steed]

I have been freeloading for too long, and owe this sub-forum a post or two. So, in the interest of promptly paying my debt to society, here is another "name this car" submission. The model itself is probably not that difficult for the fans of this forum, but the notoriety of this particular car is the real challenge. Here is a clue: this car is most famous for (alleged) cheating. Good luck!

John W

P.S.: please don't give me a hard time about the "square" format. The Leica roll is still in the camera.

P.P.S. Stu-thanks for your kind offer of assistance. For some reason I could not get my computer to send to the email address you provided. Since then, I was able to reduce the file to the right size (I think) and so I am reposting.

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[elansprint72]

Eldorado? I know nothing about US cars.

[malcolm]

'60-something Ford or Mercury. With hood pins and blanked out headlights, I'd guess either a dragster or NASCAR "stocker".

[steed]

Malcom-you are on the right track.

[stuny]

Malcolm is most certainly on the right track.

[neal]

Ford Galaxie 500

[steed]

Correct!

This particular Ford is unique. Here is its history from a Fred Lorenzen site:

 

In one race in 1966 at Atlanta Motor Speedway he drove a Junior Johnson-owned #26 Ford due to the Ford boycott of NASCAR for much of the 1966 season, and it is still one of the most talked about vehicles in NASCAR Grand National Competition to this day. The front end of the car was sloped downward, the roofline was lowered, the side windows were narrowed and the windshield was lowered in an aerodynamic position, and the tail was kicked up. Several rival drivers referred to it as "The Yellow Banana," "Junior's Joke," and "The Magnafluxed Monster." Even though it was against the rules NASCAR allowed the car to compete and Lorenzen crashed while leading the Dixie 500 on the 139th lap.

 

The car is now part of the Edelbrock collection.

[250swb]

The important thing is that the 'Yellow Banana' was was built by Smokey Yunick, a legendary car builder. It was the Banana that led to NASCAR later implementing body templates.

 

But in the same race as Lorentzen's Banana Yunick had entered what seemed to be a very boring Chevrolet Chevelle #13. Nothing fishy about that then? Not until somebody stood next to it whose own car was a Chevelle. Somehow it looked right, but it was smaller? Yunick had only gone and made a perfect 15/16th sized car, and it went on to break the lap record before the engine expired. But can you imagine how many panels, windows, trim, etc needed to be cut and shut to make a perfect smaller car!

 

Another Chevelle escapade for Yunick was fitting a full spaceframe inside the car, lowering the floorpan but retaining the mandatory sill height (something Porsche went on to do with the 935), plus many other creative intrepretations of the rules. But the scrutineering stewards tore it down at the 1968 Daytona 500 and they didn't like it, giving him a long list of things to put right, mainly to 'remove the frame'. Incensed Yunick's answer was to jump in the car and drive across Daytona the five miles back to his race shop, which he managed minus the fuel tank that was still on the floor of the scrutineering bay! Nobody ever worked out where the secret tank was.

 

I don't think Yunick so much cheated as read the rules very closely, looking for loopholes and then he drove a coach and horses through them. But many of the things he did have led directly to significant later developments in NASCAR racing. A great man.

 

Steve

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[steed]

Thanks for more memories. A lot of water (about 35 years worth) has passed under the bridge since I cared about stock cars; my focus now is GT and formula one history. Your post did bring back some memories, though.

I seem to recall that there were templates around the time of the Banana car, and that the scruntineers just looked the other way when they were applied to this car. The book "Ford-The Dust and the Glory" says that NASCAR was so anxious to get a competitive Ford into a series dominated by Chrysler that they overruled their own on-site inspector.

Regards

John W