Alfa Romeo
8C 35

Why it matters

The 8C 35, the Tipo C, was Vittorio Jano's replacement for the ageing Tipo B Grand Prix car, designed to face Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union in 1935. It combined an enlarged supercharged eight-cylinder engine with a rear-mounted transaxle and an all-new independently sprung chassis. The same chassis took either the eight- or the twelve-cylinder engine, so the 8C 35 and the V12 12C 36 are closely linked.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Alfa Romeo 8C 35 (Wikimedia Commons: Alfa Romeo 8C-35)
  Photo: Simon Davison from Los Gatos, United States · CC BY 2.0
• Alfa Romeo 8C 35 (Wikimedia Commons: Alfa Romeo 8C-35)
  Photo: jason goulding · CC BY 2.0
• Alfa Romeo 8C 35 (Wikimedia Commons: Alfa Romeo 8C-35)
  Photo: jason goulding · CC BY 2.0
• Alfa Romeo 8C 35 (Wikimedia Commons: Alfa Romeo 8C-35)
  Photo: Craig Howell from San Carlos, CA, USA · CC BY 2.0

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The car debuted at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in September 1935, where Tazio Nuvolari, sharing Dreyfus' car, finished second behind Hans Stuck's Auto Union. In 1936 it won at Budapest, the Coppa Ciano and Donington, while the twelve-cylinder version won at Barcelona, Milan and Modena.

RM Sotheby's reports that, following Simon Moore and Luigi Fusi, about a dozen Tipo C chassis were completed. Four complete 8C 35s were later sold, numbered 50011 to 50014. One of them, chassis 50012, went to the USA with Scuderia Ferrari in 1936 and was later raced at Indianapolis by Rex Mays and others, running an engine reworked in 1938 to under 3 litres.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   1935 Alfa Romeo 8C 35 Specifications - Ultimatecarpage.com Level C

   • 6 Tipo C cars built ("Six (Tipo C)")

   Accessed 2026-11-11
2. 2
   1935 Alfa Romeo Tipo C 8C 35, Monterey 2021 Level C RM Sotheby's

   • a pair of superchargers each feeding a bank of four cylinders
   • enlarged 3.8-liter engine
   • smaller bore of 75.5 mm, in place of the original 78-mm units
   • reduced the throw from 100-mm to just 82-mm
   • mated to a rear-mounted transaxle

   Accessed 2026-11-12