Post by Alfaholic on Jul 17, 2023 2:24:14 GMT -5
Wth a lull in deliveries for a while, I thought I would add another thread in relation to a part of my collection - Le Mans.
As a longtime motorsport fan I have plenty of racing to keep me interested, both classic and modern, however the one race of the year that gets me more excited than any other is the 24 Heures du Mans. For me, no other race captures the imagination as much as this one does each year - multi-class racing with a variety of cars, genuine differences between the cars in each class (apart from the dreaded Balance of Performance), a classic track, professional and amateurs drivers, an event that is very international but so French at the same time - it all adds up to something that can't be beaten in my book.
Many of us collect models of the cars that have graced the Circuit de la Sarthe, although most collections will be a bit more varied than mine. As is to be expected, my collection centres around cars from one country only, with one marque dominating proceedings (hint, it's the one from Maranello ). There will of course be some vehicles from the Milanese marque closest to my heart, as well as a few from the other Italian brands and even the odd car from further afield.
Let's get into it. The event may have begun in 1923 but the first time a car pops up in my collection os from 1931, the start of Alfa Romeo's glorious winning streak.
1931
Spark
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM 2.3 s/c
#16 Earl Howe & Henry "Tim" Birkin
1931 24 Hours of Le Mans - Winner
1932
Spark
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM 2.3 s/c
#8 Raymond Sommer & Luigi Chinetti
1932 24 Hours of Le Mans - Winner
Spark
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM 2.3 s/c
#11 Automobili Alfa Romeo - Franco Cortese & Giovanni Battista Guidotti
1932 24 Hours of Le Mans - 2nd
1933
Spark
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MM 2.3 s/c
#11 Raymond Sommer & Tazio Nuvolari
1933 24 Hours of Le Mans - Winner
1934
Spark
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM 2.4 s/c
#6 Earl Howe & Tim Rose-Richards
1934 24 Hours of Le Mans - DNF, Transmission
Spark
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza LM 2.4 s/c
#7 Raymond Sommer & Pierre Felix
1934 24 Hours of Le Mans - DNF, Engine/Fire
Spark
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MM-LM 2.3 s/c
#9 Luigi Chinetti & Philippe Etancelin
1934 24 Hours of Le Mans - Winner
1935
Spark
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MM-LM 2.3 s/c
#15 Raymond Sommer & Raymond d'Estrez de Sauge
1935 24 Hours of Le Mans - DNF, Condenser
1938
TSM-Model - Collection d'Elegance
Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B Touring 2.9 s/c
#19 Raymond Sommer & Clemente Biondetti
1938 24 Hours of Le Mans - DNF, Valve Gear
As a longtime motorsport fan I have plenty of racing to keep me interested, both classic and modern, however the one race of the year that gets me more excited than any other is the 24 Heures du Mans. For me, no other race captures the imagination as much as this one does each year - multi-class racing with a variety of cars, genuine differences between the cars in each class (apart from the dreaded Balance of Performance), a classic track, professional and amateurs drivers, an event that is very international but so French at the same time - it all adds up to something that can't be beaten in my book.
Many of us collect models of the cars that have graced the Circuit de la Sarthe, although most collections will be a bit more varied than mine. As is to be expected, my collection centres around cars from one country only, with one marque dominating proceedings (hint, it's the one from Maranello ). There will of course be some vehicles from the Milanese marque closest to my heart, as well as a few from the other Italian brands and even the odd car from further afield.
Let's get into it. The event may have begun in 1923 but the first time a car pops up in my collection os from 1931, the start of Alfa Romeo's glorious winning streak.
1931
Spark
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM 2.3 s/c
#16 Earl Howe & Henry "Tim" Birkin
1931 24 Hours of Le Mans - Winner
1932
Spark
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM 2.3 s/c
#8 Raymond Sommer & Luigi Chinetti
1932 24 Hours of Le Mans - Winner
Spark
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM 2.3 s/c
#11 Automobili Alfa Romeo - Franco Cortese & Giovanni Battista Guidotti
1932 24 Hours of Le Mans - 2nd
1933
Spark
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MM 2.3 s/c
#11 Raymond Sommer & Tazio Nuvolari
1933 24 Hours of Le Mans - Winner
1934
Spark
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM 2.4 s/c
#6 Earl Howe & Tim Rose-Richards
1934 24 Hours of Le Mans - DNF, Transmission
Spark
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza LM 2.4 s/c
#7 Raymond Sommer & Pierre Felix
1934 24 Hours of Le Mans - DNF, Engine/Fire
Spark
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MM-LM 2.3 s/c
#9 Luigi Chinetti & Philippe Etancelin
1934 24 Hours of Le Mans - Winner
1935
Spark
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MM-LM 2.3 s/c
#15 Raymond Sommer & Raymond d'Estrez de Sauge
1935 24 Hours of Le Mans - DNF, Condenser
1938
TSM-Model - Collection d'Elegance
Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B Touring 2.9 s/c
#19 Raymond Sommer & Clemente Biondetti
1938 24 Hours of Le Mans - DNF, Valve Gear