A fresh rendering of a dramatic but stillborn Alfa Romeo racing car – the 1941 Tipo 163 – has been created by digital artist, David Rodríguez Sánchez.
Conceived by Wifredo Pelayo Ricart, the Tipo 163 was to be a racing berlinetta with an extraordinary specification. Its chassis was drawn up by Gioacchino Colombo, who would later go on to greater fame with Ferrari. The 163 was to have used a development of the Tipo 162 racer’s 16-cylinder engine.
Engineered by Ettore Pagani, the 2995cc V16 powerplant – which had been supercharged in the 162 – would have been unboosted in the 163, and with eight carburettors would have produced around 190hp. It was designed to be mounted in a mid-rear position.
The 163’s dramatic bodywork featured covered wheels to improve aerodynamics, a forward seating position and two large fuel tanks, one along each flank. However, the racer was only ever partially built as the war scuppered any chance of it being completed. The 163’s eventual fate is unknown, but the new digital rendering by Sánchez shows how it might have looked in better detail than ever before. You can see more of Sánchez’s renderings for lost Lamborghinis.
