1923 Alfa Romeo RL

History

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 Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2008