WSpohn4@aol.com wrote:
<<<Subject: Interesting Note from a Vintage Racing group.
Last week at Bonneville Speed Week, some guys from the Midwest took a stock
looking Alfa Duetto onto the salt - a 1600 cc engine with twin turbos putting
out over 400 bhp (though one would not think it would do that for a very long
time). They managed to hit 194 mph, and will be back to try for the 211 mph
record next year.
Pretty impressive, I'd say!
Have a look at http://speedvision.com/classics/index.html
Bill>>>
And there was an LBC connection in that I was on the Chicago Alfa crew as
photographer and general gopher. But a slight correction - the car is a '91
Alfa Spyder with a turbocharged (custom installed AirReseach) 2.0 litre Alfa
engine. The amazing part is that the turbo went in with just weeks to go to
Speed Week. The car was supposed to run last year with a supercharger but the
bearings on the supercharger imploded on the dyno a week before we were to
leave. That lead to scratching for last year since it was custom made and it
would take a month to get another. It was eventually replaced and this past
July at the national Alfa Romeo Owners Club convention in Nashville, it went
on the dyno again - and the supercharger blew again. That lead to a last
minute effort where Jim Steck of Auto Components in Ohio installed the turbo
- which performed exceedingly well. There was a little disappointment in not
getting the two drivers into the 200MPH Club - yet. And the surpassing the
2.0 litre sports class record held by a Porsche at 211 would have been a
double whammy - it would have given them a record AND been the fastest speed
ever recorded by any Alfa, currently 210 or so as mentioned in the arrticle
on the Speedvision site. But they are the fastest four cylinder Alfa on
record.
I was disappointed that, as billed, MG Rover did not bring EX255 over again.
Rumors persist that they will be back next year having deferred this year due
to entering LeMans. I hope to see them there. About the only British car I
saw at all was a greatly extended Spitfire, but I never located it in the
pits and I have no idea what class or what engine they were running. Mention
was made on the event radio broadcast several times about cars going up
against the still standing record of the Chevy-powered Waddill MGA from
Michigan. Bonneville is an amazing event in an amazing place.
Kim Tonry
Downers Grove, Illinois, USA
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