Alfa Romeo Tipo 308

The eight-cylinder route into the three-litre formula

The Tipo 308 belongs to Alfa Romeo’s 1938 Grand Prix programme. Its identity is more specific than the general 8C name: it is the eight-cylinder car among the 308, 312 and 316 designations. An individual 308 may also have a long competition history far beyond its initial European season.

A documented four-car programme

Museo Fangio’s account reports four Tipo 308 cars and three spare engines. These are separate counts. This profile records four as the car-production total with the museum attribution preserved; it does not add spare engines to create seven cars. The museum also discusses competing theories of chassis origin, which should remain an acknowledged uncertainty.

Configuration can change over a racing lifetime

The Fangio account describes a supercharged straight-eight of the three-litre programme, and separately documents the later 3.8-litre engine installed in its Argentine car. That is an important distinction. A present-day engine measurement does not automatically describe the 1938 formula specification, and a larger replacement engine does not by itself erase the chassis history.

The Indianapolis museum’s individual car

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum traces its example from Raymond Sommer’s European programme into American ownership. Its account records Louis Durant’s sixth place in the 1946 Indianapolis 500, Walt Brown’s seventh in 1947 and Johnny Mauro’s eighth in 1948. Those results belong to that specific car, which is the example illustrated in this profile.

Why the Argentine and American histories stay separate

A Tipo 308 description can introduce both museum cars, but it should never merge their owners, engines or results. The museum records demonstrate the value of following one chassis at a time. Transfers between countries, changes in event rules and mechanical development can produce very different later careers for cars originally belonging to the same small programme.

What to retain in a collector archive

Keep engine identity and displacement tied to dates, alongside ownership records and photographs. Record original and replacement mechanical components separately. For a car whose chassis origin is debated, present the competing interpretations with their sources rather than choosing the most attractive story. The supplied photograph is Johnny Mauro’s museum car, with its own American competition chronology.

Frequently asked questions

Were spare engines included in the four-car total?

No. Museo Fangio reports four cars and three spare engines separately.

Did every 308 use the same engine throughout its life?

No. The Fangio museum documents a later 3.8-litre engine in its Argentine example.

Which car is pictured?

The Tipo 308 associated with Johnny Mauro and held by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

Related vehicle profiles

• Tipo 312
• Tipo 316
• 8C 35 Tipo C

Primary references

1. Museo Fangio: Tipo 308 and the Argentine example
2. IMS Museum: the Sommer–Mauro 8C-308

Photo and credit

Johnny Mauro’s Alfa Romeo Tipo 308 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum, photographed in 2007; this example has its own American racing history. Photo: Francesco Raiola / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and JPEG-compressed for web display; no content retouching. Website layouts may crop the image.