{"id":54459,"date":"2026-09-24T11:20:49","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T09:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.italpassion.fr\/?p=54459"},"modified":"2026-09-21T10:52:40","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T08:52:40","slug":"after-25-years-of-racing-this-fiat-with-an-alfa-romeo-engine-has-just-finished-ahead-of-a-ferrari-296-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.italpassion.fr\/en\/fiat\/apres-25-ans-de-course-cette-fiat-a-moteur-alfa-romeo-vient-de-terminer-devant-une-ferrari-296-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"After 25 years of racing, this Fiat powered by an Alfa Romeo engine has just finished ahead of a Ferrari 296 Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hill climbing is undoubtedly the last type of motorsport championship where the passion and ingenuity of mechanical artisans and wizards can still run wild, producing one-of-a-kind prototypes. Unveiled in Turin in 1972 as a small, mid-engine targa sports car, the Fiat X1\/9 was intended to be a relatively affordable car for driving pleasure. More than fifty years later, Manuel Dondi\u2019s car is a formidable competition prototype in hillclimb races across Italy and Europe. It is the result of a long history, but also a family saga for this car, nicknamed \u201cBarra9<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When driver Manuel Dondi or the tuners Leo and Fabio Cavallini\u2014father and son\u2014talk about their X1\/9-based monster, they very often call it \u00abLa Barra9\u00bb or \u00abMiss X,\u00bb but be careful not to confuse it with that other nickname\u2026)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An early career in slalom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first thing that sets Dondi\u2019s X1\/9 apart is its racing history. Although it has been associated with hill climbs for about a decade, its racing career goes back even further. The Dondi family has been using it in slalom races for a long time, since the early 2000s. In 2001, Manuel Dondi won the Italian Under-23 junior title, the Prototipi class title in 2004, and then the Italian Open Slalom Championship in 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One event would play a significant role in this development. In 2008, Dondi discovered the Lima-Abetone climb behind the wheel of a Predator (small prototypes powered by motorcycle engines, very popular in Italy) and realized that he now wanted to take on the mountains. Slalom racing would prove useful to him, as this \u00abdriving at the limit\u00bb training\u2014made possible by the light weight and responsiveness of a single-seater\u2014would allow him to develop an aggressive and precise driving style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2014, Manuel found himself faced with a choice: continue racing the X1\/9 in slaloms or take on the challenge of the Italian Hill Climb Championship. Initially, the plan was to enter the Barra9 in the classic historic championship, but Leo Cavallini advised him to try his hand at the modern championship. The idea seemed almost unreasonable at the time. The E2SH class featured much newer cars\u2014turbocharged, all-wheel-drive vehicles with massive power and backed by substantial budgets\u2014such as the former DTM Alfa Romeo 155 V6s that had been repurposed for hillclimbing. His reasoning, however, is simple: the X1\/9 has enough power, very little weight, and, above all, remarkable chassis balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A heavily modified X1\/9<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The car is often called the \u00abFiat X1\/9 Dallara\u00bb because the famous manufacturer, known for its single-seaters, did in fact develop a spectacular X1\/9 race car in 1975, l'<\/em>Icsunono<\/em>v<\/em>e<\/em>, intended for Group 5. But Dondi's car isn't just an old Dallara Icsunonove pulled out of a museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Barra9 is built on a specialized compact chassis that has been extensively modified over the years. Dondi built a significant portion of the car, including its roll cage. The original central structure of the X1\/9, which lacked a continuous roof, did not inspire enough confidence for modern competition. He therefore built a particularly robust roll cage, using the maximum dimensions allowed by the regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The car retains the fundamental philosophy of the X1\/9, with a transversely mounted mid-rear engine and rear-wheel drive, which allows the weight to be concentrated in the center of the car and maintains great agility through slow-speed sequences. The body has little in common with that of a street-legal X1\/9. The fenders have been significantly widened, the aerodynamics, underbody, and diffuser have been upgraded, and the car features a large rear wing.\u00a0Long made of metal, the body has recently incorporated carbon fiber components to further reduce weight. Depending on the configuration and regulations, this weight ranges from 600 to 670 kg for European FIA races, with additional ballast compared to its Italian configuration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The heart of the Barra9: an Alfa Romeo race engine!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The original X1\/9 had a 1.4L Fiat engine, as did the Icsunonove<\/em> by Dallara. The Dondi still uses a 4-cylinder engine, but one with a more distinguished pedigree: it\u2019s a naturally aspirated 2-liter Alfa Romeo D2 Superturismo engine, which powered, in the 1990s, Alfa Romeo 155<\/a> and above all Alfa Romeo 156<\/a> in the 2-liter supertouring class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The official Alfa Romeo 156 Superturismo, which triumphed in the European, Italian, and Spanish championships, was powered by a 2.0-liter Twin Spark four-cylinder engine with a specially designed 16-valve cylinder head. The race version produced approximately 310 ch at 8,250 rpm, with a dry sump system and a sequential transmission. The Barra9 uses an evolution of this architecture, with power output remaining around 300 to 320 ch, but a maximum rpm close to 9,000 tr\/min.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the engine hasn\u2019t gained any power, it was specifically tuned by L\u00e9o Cavallini\u2019s workshop, founded in 1978 in Poggio Rusco. Cavallini has extensive experience with Alfa Romeo engines spanning half a century.\u00a0The work focused on maximum power but, above all, on how that power is delivered. Over the course of its development, the engine has undergone various overhauls, intake optimizations, and fine-tuning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In 2021, following an engine problem at Vallecamonica, a second D2 engine was prepared as a replacement. In 2022, the Cavallinis thus had two Alfa D2 engines that were virtually identical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Successful Transition to Mountain Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The transition to hill climbs took place around 2015, with appearances in the E2-SH 2000 class, which allowed for the entry of \u201csilhouette\u201d prototypes. 2016 marked the real turning point.\u00a0In its first full season in the CIVM, the X1\/9 immediately became a benchmark, securing six class victories and the Italian championship title. This performance validated the car\u2019s philosophy: it didn\u2019t need extravagant power to beat much more modern machines.\u00a0The X1\/9\u2019s agility, its light weight, and Dondi\u2019s ability to quickly adapt the setup to each track became its main strengths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In 2017, his dominance continued. Dondi won the Verzegnis-Sella Chianzutan, then the Morano-Campotenese, and most notably the Trento-Bondone. In his first appearance in this legendary 17.3-kilometer climb, he won the E2SH and finished fourteenth overall.\u00a0The season ended with a second consecutive Italian title. He followed that up in 2018, securing his third consecutive Italian title after the Monte Erice climb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A legendary feat in the world of hill climbing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 2019 season saw Barra9 achieve its most famous feat during the renowned Trento-Bondone climb, which is part of the European Championship. \u00a0After two races that hadn\u2019t fully satisfied Dondi, the team arrived with a thoroughly overhauled car. The work focused on the wheels, aerodynamics, brakes, suspension settings, and the engine. In particular, new center nuts improved rear-end handling, while the brake air intakes were enlarged. The Alfa D2 engine has been retuned and is now more responsive. The rear wing was also modified before the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result is spectacular. Dondi clocked 10\u201913\u201d68, which is about 24 seconds faster than his 2017 time. He also broke the record for covered cars in his class, which had previously been held by the late Georg Plasa, a legendary figure in European hill climbing. The German had set that record with a 600-horsepower BMW 320 Judd V8 prototype!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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