 | |||||||||
| Category | Group C | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Alfa-Lancia Industriale | ||||||||
| Designer | Giuseppe Petrotta | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Lancia LC2 | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Engine | Alfa RomeoTipo 1035 3,495 cc (213.3 cu in)naturally aspirated 40 valve,DOHCV10. Ferrari 3,498 cc (213.5 cu in)naturally aspirated 60 valve,DOHCV12. Mid-engined,longitudinally mounted | ||||||||
| Transmission | 6-speedmanual | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
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TheAlfa Romeo SE 048SP was aGroup Cracing car built byAlfa Romeo in the early 1990s. Designed to replace theLancia LC2 after the Group C regulations had undergone a major revamp, the SE 048SP had anAbarth-developed chassis mated to the 3.5-litreV10 engine from the stillbornAlfa Romeo 164 Procar, but, although at least one SE 048SP was built, it never left the development phase. The V10 engine appears to have been replaced by aFerrari-sourced 3.5-litreV12 engine at some point during its development, although this was never officially confirmed by Alfa Romeo.
In1990, theGroup C regulations underwent a major revamp, with the primary focus being on changing the engines to 3.5-litre units sourced fromFormula One cars.[1] TheFiat Group had previously run theLancia LC2 in the Group C category, but had cancelled that project in 1986 after only winning one race with the LC2.[2] In 1990,Lancia were primarily focusing on theWorld Rally Championship (with theGroup ADelta Integrale), whilstFerrari were focusing on their Formula One programme; this meant thatAlfa Romeo were the only member of theFiat Group that would have the capacity for asports car racing programme; they had last competed in top-level sports car events in the 1970s, with theAlfa Romeo Tipo 33.[1] AsAbarth had previously developed the Lancia LC2, it was them who Fiat turned to for the chassis development of the new Group C car,[1] which was assigned the project code of "SE 048SP".[3]Giuseppe Petrotta, formerly ofOsella, was the man selected to design the SE 048SP,[4] and he drew up a fairly conventional car, with radiators mounted in the front of the chassis, covered rear wheels, and a nose that featured the traditional Alfa Romeo grille.[1]
The project itself was a well-kept secret, and very little was ever revealed about the car's specifications.[1] One thing that Alfa Romeo did reveal was that it used the 3.5-litreTipo 1035V10 engine from the still-bornAlfa Romeo 164 Procar; this was anaturally aspirated 72 degree V10 originally designed for theLigier Formula One team, and produced a claimed output of 620 hp (462 kW; 629 PS) at 13,300RPM.[5] It is believed that the car was built in 1990, as it had a much simpler rear wing than those found on cars built for the1991 World Sportscar Championship season, but no official build date was given.[1]MOMO's founderGianpiero Moretti had apparently been in talks with Alfa Romeo about using the SE 048SP, but these did not result in any deal being made.[1] As a result, although at least one SE 048SP was built, the car never left the development phase, and never raced.[1] It ended up inAlfa Romeo's Museo Storico, but made a public appearance at the 2010Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it appeared to be fitted with a 3.5-litreFerrari V12 engine,[1] producing a claimed output of 680 hp (507 kW; 689 PS) at 12,750 RPM.[6] This may have been because the V10 engine had proved fragile in the "Abarth SE047", which was a re-engined Lancia LC2 used as a test-bed for the SE 048SP project.[7] The budget that the SE 048SP would have used, in combination with the money used in Lancia's WRC programme, were used instead on theAlfa Romeo 155touring car programme,[7] which saw Alfa Romeo win numerous national championships, most notably theDeutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft in1993,[8] and theBritish Touring Car Championship in1994.[9]
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