The Nearly Alfa - Part 1
The Alfa Romeo 183T was a ‘nearly car.’ As demonstrated at Spa in 1983, it was good enough to win Grands Prix. Though it was – as are all racing cars – far from perfect, that its results fell below its potential was more to do with how it was operated rather than in its design/specification. Key factors that undermined its results included a short window of opportunity. Crucially, the following season’s limitation on permitted fuel use per race militated against the engine’s inherent consumption characteristics. Additionally, two races were lost for lead driver, Andrea de Cesaris, because of technical regulations disqualifications. And performance was hampered early in the season because of inconsistent availability of the specific turbochargers suited to the Autodelta-developed V8 engine. And, throughout ’82 and ’83, conflicting political considerations conspired to make it quite an achievement by Autodelta and Euroracing that the car displayed any measure of competitiveness a