☰
conceptcarz.com
✕

1924 Alfa Romeo RLSS-TF

Boattail
Chassis number: 8009
Engine number: 8009/TF-15

This 1924 Alfa Romeo RLSS-TF was given the 'TF' designation for racing in the touring-car class of Grand Prix events such as the Targa Florio. The list of drivers who piloted this machine includes Enzo Ferrari and Alberto Ascari.

This boattail vehicle has a wheelbase that measures 113.5-inches and lying under the hood is a massive 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine that has seven main bearings. It is the last engine of this type known to exist.

This car's history is impressive and so is the fact that it is the oldest Alfa Romeo in the United States. It spent some of its earlier life in Peru and Ecuador before being brought into the US. It is seen here at the 2007 Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance and AROC meet.

The RL versions, a touring car designed by Giuseppe Merosi, featured a six-cylinder OHV pushrod engine. It was given a ladder frame chassis with drum brakes and semi-elliptic springs in both the front and the rear. The RL was offered in two forms, a sporty version and a normal touring edition. Many Sporty versions, known as the RLS, were used in competitions such as hill climbs and endurance races. Their shorter wheelbase and modified engine made them ideal candidates for this type of activity. By using twin carburetors, the engine's horsepower output was increased to over 70 horsepower.

The RLS proved their capabilities by winning the 1923 Targa Florio. In 1924, Alfa Romeo continued to improve upon their vehicle and created a vehicle that was shorter, lighter, and even more powerful. It was given the name 'RLSS' and featured a six-cylinder engine capable of producing over 80 horsepower.

In total there were 2640 examples of the RL including its various body styles.

by Dan Vaughan

In the early 1920s, the Italian automotive engineer, Giuseppe Merosi, designed the Alfa Romeo RL. This was not his first design for Alfa; his history with the company dates back to the early 1910s when he designed the A.L.F.A. 24 HP. During the mid-1910s, he designed a DOHC four-cylinder engine with 16-valves and displaced 4.5 liters.

The Alfa Romeo RL was produced from 1922 through 1927. It had a displacement size of 2.9 liters from its six-cylinder engine, which would continue to increase throughout the years, culminating with a 3.6-liter size and around 125 horsepower. There were four versions of the RL created, the Normale, Turismo, Sport, and RLTF (for Targa Florio). The RLTF was a purpose-built, racing version stripped of non-essential items, given sleek designs, and weighed about half the other versions. The engine was finely tuned and given seven main bearings and double carburetors. It was used in competition by such legendary drivers as Ugo Sivocci, Enzo Ferrari, Antonio Ascari, and Giulio Masetti. One example driven by Sivocci won the 1923 Targa Florio race.

The RL featured a pushrod OHV 6-cylinder engine mated to a four-speed, suspended by semi-elliptic springs, and placed in a ladder frame.

by Dan Vaughan