Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza
The compact competition configuration of Alfa Romeo’s supercharged eight.
The compact competition configuration of Alfa Romeo’s supercharged eight.
The 8C 2300 Monza is a specialised competition form of the eight-cylinder family. Its short wheelbase and open racing body produce a different vehicle from a Touring road spider or long-wheelbase Le Mans car. The Monza name should therefore carry a documented mechanical and chassis identity, rather than serving simply as a description of an attractive body shape.
Engineering and historical context
The Alfa Romeo museum lists a supercharged 2336 cc inline-eight producing 165 hp at 5400 rpm, with twin overhead camshafts, a four-speed gearbox and rear-wheel drive. It gives a 2650 mm wheelbase, 920 kg weight and 210 km/h maximum speed. These are the museum’s Monza specifications, not whole-family figures.
Production and rarity
The same museum page reports ten examples. This profile uses ten for the museum-listed Monza configuration. Later conversions and Monza-style recreations cannot be added to that figure as if they were original factory production. Conversely, a later body does not automatically settle the identity of the chassis underneath it.
Coachwork and the illustrated car
The selected photograph shows a car identified as a 1933 Monza at Hampton Court in 2023. It illustrates the type as seen today. Its appearance does not establish original works-team status, an untouched body or a particular race result; those questions belong to the individual chassis file.
Reading an individual car’s history
Begin with the chassis identification and trace its connection to dated records. Keep engine identity, coachwork and race history as separate lines of evidence. A replacement component may be documented and appropriate without being original to delivery; a restored body may be historically faithful without preserving every original panel.
For this Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza entry, retain copies of the records that support the precise version being described. Period photographs can establish a configuration at a particular date, while invoices and restoration photographs can explain subsequent changes. A concours award or modern rally appearance belongs in the ownership history, alongside those records, rather than replacing them.
Collector questions
Does the model name identify a particular chassis?
The name identifies the model or configuration. An individual chassis and its body history need their own supporting records.
What does the production figure count?
It counts the museum-listed configuration stated above, rather than current survivors or later conversions.
Related vehicle profiles
Primary references
Photo and credit
1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza at Hampton Court in 2023; a later example of the competition configuration. Photo: MrWalkr / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and JPEG-compressed for web display; no content retouching. Website layouts may crop the image.
Why this machine matters
The 8C 2300 Monza is a specialised competition form of the eight-cylinder family. Its short wheelbase and open racing body produce a different vehicle from a Touring road spider or long-wheelbase Le Mans car. The Monza name should therefore carry a documented mechanical and chassis identity, rather than serving simply as a description of an attractive body shape.
Built in limited numbers
The same museum page reports ten examples. This profile uses ten for the museum-listed Monza configuration. Later conversions and Monza-style recreations cannot be added to that figure as if they were original factory production. Conversely, a later body does not automatically settle the identity of the chassis underneath it.
Gallery
Specifications
Factory specifications may vary by model year, market and configuration.
Identity & production
- Official model
- Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza
- Country of manufacture
- Italy
Powertrain & performance
- Engine
- 2336 cc inline-eight
- Horsepower
- 165
- Drivetrain
- Rear-wheel drive
