Turbo-power with the Alfa Romeo 184T
The BOSS GP has yet another unique car among its participants. As preparation for the 2012 season, an Alfa Romeo 184T in original Benetton-livery drove its first test kilometres at the Ascari Race Resort during the Prize Giving 2011. If everything goes according to plan, this beautiful reminder of the turbo-era will appear in BOSS GP races next term.
Riccardo Patrese and Eddie Cheever were the Alfa Romeo company-drivers who took place behind the steering wheel of the Alfa Romeo 184T back in 1984. The most remarkable feat is the position of the driver’s seat, which is located far more forward than in any other later Formula 1-car. The car is equipped with an 1.5 litre V8 turbo-engine, which was worth about 680hp at the time. The car that featured at the Ascari Race Resort was still completely in the Benetton colours of the American driver Eddie Cheever.
“Only the engine-management has been modernised, but the rest of the car is still in its original livery,” declares the team’s spokesperson. The Alfa needed to be handled with care, something that came to the fore particularly in the relaxed opening rounds. “They drove with incredibly high rotational speeds back then, something that we can’t afford to do just yet because of the reliability and the availability of spare parts.
We do use the same turbo-power though and that means that the car delivers its power with a very low rotational speed. You have to be really alert when all these horse-powers are at work. You hardly know what’s happening to you, such is the brute force. That’s why it is quite difficult to keep the car in check.”
The Alfa fully lived up to its 1984-reputation of being slightly unreliable for that matter. The car was first being plagued by leakage in its cooling system twice, before the engine caused vibrations, prompting the team to leave the beautiful Alfa in the pits on Sunday to prevent potential damage.
