Officine Fioravanti delighted aficionados last year with the unveiling of its Alfa Romeo 8CM project. The Biscione's latest pure V8-powered production sports car, a work of art on wheels, has been fitted with a mechanical gearbox! The Italian craftsman has just unveiled a unique example of this Alfa Romeo 8CM, whose livery pays homage to a 1935 8C 35 single-seater driven by an Argentinian named Carlos Arzani. But who was he?
Arzani, a little-known champion
Born in Buenos Aires in 1909, Arzani came from a wealthy Argentine family that owned a public transport company. During the thirties, he scored a total of 18 victories in less than 60 starts, mostly at the wheel ofAlfa Romeo private.
In 1936, he won the first Gran Premio Ciudad de Buenos Aires on a 2900. In 1937, he travels to Italy to acquire an Alfa Romeo Tipo 8C-35. After a race in Naples, he shipped the car to South America and won several races, including the Gran Premio Ciudad de Necochea in 1938, a race in which a young man from Balcarce, Juan Manuel Fangio, made his racing debut at the wheel of a Ford.
Further successes followed, earning him the title of Argentine national Formula Libre champion in 1939. Shortly after his last victory in Rosario, Arzani considered returning to Italy for a full season in Europe as a Scuderia Ferrari works driver, but the outbreak of the Second World War put an end to all sporting activity and Arzani never raced again.
A strange journey!
The Alfa Romeo Tipo 8C-35 ex Arzani, was sold and raced in South America until 1947. It was then acquired by the Pesatti brothers, who modified the bodywork and suspension to make it similar to a 308 model. The original engine was replaced by an Alfa Marine engine based on the 6C-2500, manufactured in Argentina.
The car, christened "Alfa Marino", was however destroyed in an accident that claimed the life of Pablo Luis Pesatti during a race in 1948. The wreck was bought by Alberto Crespo, who rebuilt it and won several Formula Libre races in the mid-1950s. Discovered in poor condition, she was returned to Europe in the 80s and 90s for restoration.
8C-35, the Italian that wanted to stand up to German monsters
The 8C-35 was Alfa's riposte to the Mercedes and Auto Union Silver Arrows which, from 1934 onwards, had begun to dominate the grand prix scene, thanks to generous subsidies from the Nazi regime. Developed under the technical direction of Vittorio Jano, its beating heart was a 3.8-liter in-line eight-cylinder, a supercharged masterpiece developing around 330 hp. It made its debut at the 1935 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, in the hands of Nuvolari, but was unable to challenge German supremacy. The 8C35's most notable victory was the Coppa Ciano in 1936.
A beautiful marriage of colors
To pay tribute to Arzani and its 8C, the Officine Fioravanti team wanted to create a visual echo of the past, reinterpreted with its 8C M, which sports the same livery as the iconic race car. The restyled 8C M wears its new look to perfection, blending metallic blue and Giallo that spreads across the entire hood, creating a spectacular "V" shape flowing into Alfa Romeo's iconic Scudetto.
These two Italian giants may be 90 years apart, but while their technology, safety and roadholding may have nothing in common, the 8C35 and 8CM are ideally matched by the same "cuore sportivo".
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