Alfa Romeo Bimotore

Information

SF48
British Bimotore - the only one surviving and most original of the two existing 16C Bimotores, the other one being a replica rebuilt from original parts and owned Alfa Romeo Museum.

This example was bought by a British driver Arthur Dobson who raced the car in the late 1930s.
Later it was bought by Peter Atkien who removed the rear engine in order to make the car easier to drive.
It was exported to Australia and discovered a decade later in bad condition, with a GMC truck engine, but with a lot of original parts such as the chassis, interior and gearbox.
British businessman - Tom Wheatcroft bought the remains and the car was restored by Hall & Fowler's in the UK over a 10 years period.
Once the restoration done, the car was put on display at Donington Grand Prix Collection.

Alfa Romeo 16C Bimotore was commissioned by Scuderia Ferrari to compete with the with Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union.
It's powered by two straight 8 engines making together 540 BHP - one in front and one behind the driver.
The tires couldn't handle the power and weight of the car so the project was cancelled.
On June 16, 1935, Nuvolari drove a specially prepared Bimotore from Florence to Livorno and set a new speed record 364 km/h (226 mph) with an average speed of over 323 km/h (201 mph).