In 2005 we purchased an Alfa Romeo Alfetta Berlina on Staten Island. Over the course of the following fall & winter the Alfetta was transformed into a preliminary iteration of what is now our #64 VSCDA race car. For a more comprehensive look at the Alfetta’s transformation from a dilapidated daily driver to a notable vintage race car check out our restoration page. Everything from the suspension to a complete overhaul of the drivetrain was completed. In an attempt to lighten the car as much as possible, the door glass was removed and replaced with custom removable polycarbonate panels. The interior and doors were stripped and painted with a low gloss urethane to prevent interior glare. We fabricated a 6-point SCCA roll cage complete with a 5-point racing harness, and a custom gauge cluster, which was updated in 2009.

In 2007 we rebuilt the engine from the ground up with custom ground racing cams and a beautifully ported head. We re-mapped the inductive distributor, modified the block and bores and balanced the bottom end. Hi-compression racing pistons and rings were installed along with re-jetted and polished Del'lorto DHLA45 carbeurators.



Alfa Romeo began to develop the Alfetta as a race car shortly after it debuted in 1972. They raced a half season with very good results but unfortunately Alfa Romeo pulled the plug on their racing program due to the company's pending bankruptcy. During the winter of 2011 we spent time studying photographs, like the one below, from this aborted racing effort to glean some sense of what plans and improvements Alfa may have had for this car.



Using lightweight aluminum, we designed and fabricated a front lower valance to help direct air into the radiator for better cooling and around the front wheels for better aerodynamics. During this modification we also decided to move the oil cooler to a more attractive position. The chassis was lowered to a point where the car was experiencing some bump steer, so the front hubs were removed and reconfigured.






Factory sheet metal was removed from the trunk and replaced with a square tubing substructure to hold the fuel tank, battery and Watts link. This modification alone lightened the car 100 pounds!






Finally, we decided to tackle the racing header, designing and hand building one that is more appropriate for our robust engine.