So while playing GranTurismo and thinking of what would be a good topic for Nostalgic Wednesday, it dawned upon me, my love for the original DTM cars!!! Meanwhile I was having a debate with my good ol’ friend about what would be an all-time favorite DTM car. As much as I love the Mercedes 190e and the BMW e30 m3, there is another that I have a special kind of love for, the Alfa Romeo 155 TI V6 racecar.

The DTM, being dominated by the Germans (Merc, BMW, Audi) and their big v8 power under the bonnet, the underdog Alfa Corse entered their 400hp naturally aspirated little v6 into the game; a courageous move.

Check out the Alfs’s boxy aerodynamics. The elaborate bumpers, widened side skirts, and aero wing were specifically designed to create the perfect downforce for its mid-mounted 6speed transmission. The car alone without the aero would have had no chance.

Saving the best reason for last, Alfa Corse with driver Nicola Larini took the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaf title from Germany’s big dogs.

Sadly Alfa Romeo had to pull out of the ITC/DTM which eventually led to the end of the original DTM series. Alfa Romeo’s record was never equalled or broken (38 victories) till the end of the series in 1996.

Team Alfa Corse proved to us that you don’t have to have a big displacement motor to win races. Winning is all about the execution of skill, paired with well thought out engineering. Alfa Corse, a bunch of bad asses.

-mark-

mark@maydaygarage.com