The 158 was developed from 1937 to 1938 under the main engineering responsibility of Gioacchino Colombo. Its name references the car's 1.5-litre straight-8 engine configuration — built for the voiturette class, which related to the top Grand Prix formula in much the way that Formula Two later related to Formula One. At its debut with the works Alfa Corse team at the Coppa Ciano Junior in August 1938 at Livorno, Emilio Villoresi took the car's first victory. At that time the 1479.56 cc engine produced around 200 bhp at 7000 rpm, using a single-stage Roots supercharger. Further successes followed at the Coppa Acerbo, Coppa Ciano, and Tripoli Grand Prix before the Second World War halted development for six years.
After the war the engine was developed to produce 254 bhp in 1946. In 1947 the Alfetta returned to competition under new regulations permitting 1500 cc supercharged or 4500 cc naturally aspirated engines. Designated Tipo 158/47, the car produced over 300 bhp. Its post-war return was marked by tragedy: Achille Varzi lost control and was killed at the 1948 Swiss Grand Prix, and Jean-Pierre Wimille died in a practice accident at the 1949 Buenos Aires Grand Prix.
When the Formula One World Championship launched in 1950, the 158 won every race in which it competed that season. Driven by Giuseppe "Nino" Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio, among others, the car's dominance owed much to the limited resources of rival constructors and to the Alfetta's extensive pre-war development time.
For 1951 an updated version, the 159, was introduced. It featured revised rear suspension — the old swing axle replaced by a De-Dion axle — and the engine produced around 420 bhp at 9600 rpm. The 159 reached a top speed of 305 km/h and weighed 710 kg, but its enormous power demands came at a cost: fuel consumption reached 190 litres per 100 km, compared to the approximately 31 litres per 100 km achieved by the Talbot-Lagos of the period. This forced double fuel stops at the 1951 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, allowing José Froilán González in a Ferrari to take victory — the first time in the Formula One championship that an Alfa had been beaten. Despite that result, Fangio won the 1951 World Championship with victories in Switzerland, France, and Spain. At the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Alfa Romeo introduced the 159M (Maggiorata) evolution variant.
Following an unsuccessful bid for government support to fund further development, Alfa Romeo withdrew from Grand Prix racing at the end of 1951. The FIA subsequently decreed that the 1952 and 1953 World Championship rounds would be run under Formula Two regulations, owing in part to the disruption caused by Alfa's departure.
The 158/159 Alfetta remains one of the most accomplished racing cars ever built. Its record of winning every race entered in 1950, and four of seven in 1951 (with a podium in each of the remaining three), reflects a level of domination seldom matched in Formula One history.
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