Some cars win with slogging reliability, others through clean-sheet thinking that alters the sport’s course. By winning four Le Mans races in succession, Alfa Romeo’s 8C 2300 put paid to Bentley’s bigger is better approach, swapping over-engineering for design economy and proving that racing really can improve the breed.
Creator Vittorio Jano infused lessons from his P2 grand prix cars into the 6C 1750, which entered the 1930s garlanded with race victories and made a perfect springboard for its thoroughbred nephew – the 8C 2300. Designed to comply with the 1931 GP regs, the 2300 boasted twin-cam supercharged power with blower and camshaft gear-driven from the middle of the crank, exotic alloys, a robust four-speed gearbox and a chassis that was slender but strong. Remember that GPs of this era could be as much as a 10-hour grind… “A jewel of an engine,” says Paul Grist, racer and restorer of these eight-cylinder gems. “You’d had those heavy, long-stroke Bentleys and then Alfa builds this small, light, supercharged car – it was the way forward. The engineering is wonderful – industrial art – and the motor is totally reliable. They’re a delight to drive, with lovely steering, and they won everything from Le Mans to grands prix. Jano was responsible for the entire car – an amazing designer.” As well as racing, Jano led all road car, bus and truck design, plus Alfa’s aero engine. 
Tyre woes led to a lowly eighth for the 2.3 in the 1931 Mille Miglia, denting Jano’s run of every new model winning on its debut, but Nuvolari’s victories in the Targa Florio and Italian GP confirmed this was no highly-strung racehorse but a rapid, versatile base for road and track alike. It was sold to wealthy customers too, notably Earl Howe, who entered his new long-chassis example in ’31. He and Birkin smashed Bentley’s distance record to win. After this, win followed win, with squadrons of 2.3s collecting more than 50 victories in grands prix, endurance classics, hillclimbs and sprints of every sort.
Alfa’s works team pulled out of racing for 1933, but the 8C went on winning. Nuvolari/Raymond Sommer headed an Alfa 1-2-3 at Le Mans, while Chinetti/Étancelin made it four in ’34. “They were in standard spec, but ran like watches,” says Grist.
In 1938 Alfa looked set to match Bentley’s five Sarthe wins, until the leading 2900B coupé destroyed a tyre and dropped a valve. Its engine? A scion of Jano’s remarkable 8C. No wonder Enzo Ferrari said he’d learned everything from Alfa Romeo.