Benz Tropfenwagen – Road Car Inspired Grand Prix Racer
The roots of the advanced Benz Tropfenwagen lay in an unsuccessful road car designed by an Austrian engineer, Edmund Rumpler. His Rumpler Tropfenwagen caused a sensation when it was launched in 1921, but the mid-engined layout and futuristic styling proved to be too radical for a German public recovering from the Great War.
Rumpler had been involved in aircraft production, running a sizeable operation which built an aeroplane known as the Rumpler-Taube in great numbers. With restrictions placed on Germany after the war, which forbade aircraft construction, Rumpler focused his talents on car design.
Although the general public wasn’t interested in buying his radical car, the Benz company saw great potential in the design. Willy Walb and Dr. Ferdinand Porsche both worked on creating the teardrop shaped Benz Tropfenwagen for the 1923 Grand Prix season.
The Tropfenwagen used a two litre, six-cylinder, DOHC engine with four valves per cylinder. It was not particularly powerful but the car only weighed 750 kg. Drive was to the rear wheels and inboard drum brakes were utilised.
The sleek Tropfenwagen made its Grand Prix debut at Monza in the autumn of 1923. It stood little chance against the cars of FIAT, who had recently discovered the benefits of supercharging. Nando Minoia finished fourth in a Tropfenwagen, with the similar car of Franz Hörner fifth.
The Tropfenwagen did achieve some success in hillclimb events but it was never a serious threat in Grand Prix racing. It raced on into 1924 before being retired. Porsche and Walb still believed that a mid-engined layout was ideal and they proved it years later when they worked at Auto-Union together.
Alfa Romeo 512 – Italy’s Answer to Auto-Union
When new Grand Prix regulations were announced for a 1.5 litre supercharged formula, to take effect from 1941, Alfa Romeo were made to panic. Before the war another change in regulations had been made, rendering the enormously successful cars of Auto-Union and Mercedes-Benz obsolete. When the 1939 Tripoli Grand Prix was held to these regulations Mercedes stunned everyone by turning up with a specially designed car which ran away with the race.
Rumours were also circulating that Auto-Union had plans for a new car, known as the E-Type, which was equipped with a prodigiously powerful 1.5 litre engine. Alfa Romeo’s Spanish engineer, Wilfredo Ricart, decided that the only solution was to copy the Germans and build a mid-engined Grand Prix car.
There was no shortage of talent at Alfa, with designers including Gioachinno Colombo and Luigi Bazzi. The 512 followed the example set by Auto-Union, with the driver seated far forward and the engine behind. Power was delivered by a flat-12 engine which featured two stage supercharging. Early test bench results were encouraging, with readings of well over 300 hp.
During the war years the 512 was developed, but it was far from trouble-free. In the summer of 1940 Alfa test driver Attilio Marinoni was killed on a public road. He had been testing an Alfa 158 fitted with the 512’s rear suspension when he collided with a truck. Along with the 158s the 512 was concealed in a cheese factory to hide it from enemy forces. After the war the 158s went on to win the first two Formula 1 World Championship titles, while the 512 never started a race.
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