ALFA ROMEO 182

   For the 1982 season, the Alfa Romeo team revamped its technical department, assigning Gérard Ducarouge, who had arrived from Ligier, the task of designing the new Alfa Romeo 182. The French engineer was joined by designer Mario Tolentino, while engineer Carlo Chiti now focused exclusively on the design and development of the brand’s engines. The new chassis of the 182, designed by Ducarouge, was made entirely of carbon fiber and, for the last time, was paired with the naturally aspirated 1260 V12 engine (60° angle, 2995 cc), which in that season reached an exceptional 540 hp, an outstanding figure for a three-liter naturally aspirated engine.

ALFA ROMEO 182, Bruno Giacomelli
Brands Hatch, British GP 1982

   At Autodelta’s workshops, Chiti was already working on the new turbocharged V8 engine, which would be mounted on the 182 chassis during testing at the Monza Grand Prix, in a car named the 182T, though it was never raced. Like Ferrari, Alfa Romeo manufactured everything in-house, and the 182 featured a six-speed Alfa Romeo transmission. Although its design followed the lines of the previous 179, Tolentino further refined the aerodynamics of the 182, creating a car with a 2720 mm wheelbase and weighing 585 kg, which proved to be very fast from the outset.

ALFA ROMEO 182, Bruno Giacomelli
Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1982

   Driven by Italian drivers Bruno Giacomelli and Andrea de Cesaris, the 182 made its debut at the second race of the season in Brazil, consistently achieving impressive results in qualifying, including Alfa Romeo’s first modern-era pole position at Long Beach. Unfortunately, the car proved extremely fragile and unreliable in races, as evidenced by the long list of mechanical failures (19 retirements in 30 starts) that negatively marked the Italian team's season.

 ALFA ROMEO 182, Andrea de Cesaris
Long Beach, USA West GP 1982 

   Moreover, all the team’s efforts were redirected toward developing the turbo engine for the 1983 season, leaving the naturally aspirated 182 underdeveloped. This completed a disappointing year that culminated in Ducarouge’s departure at the end of the season. The only notable result came with a third-place finish by De Cesaris at Monaco, in a crazy race that saw leader Alain Prost crash at the harbor chicane when it began to rain in the final two laps.

 ALFA ROMEO 182, Bruno Giacomelli
Long Beach, USA West GP 1982

   Patrese then took the lead but spun at the Loews hairpin, giving the front to Pironi, whose Ferrari stopped under the tunnel due to a battery failure. De Cesaris inherited the lead but ran out of fuel, handing the race to Daly, who crashed into the barriers at Rascasse. In the midst of this chaos, De Cesaris's Alfa Romeo 182 was classified third, even though it did not finish the race.