MODEL HISTORY
The Turbodelta was born in the late 1970s within the legendary Autodelta racing department under the leadership of engineer Carlo Chiti. It was a car designed to revolutionize rallying, becoming the very first turbocharged Italian car to be homologated for rally racing. The foundation for this rally special was the then-modern Alfetta GTV coupe, featuring rear-wheel drive and a transaxle layout (front engine, rear-mounted gearbox). This configuration gave the car perfectly balanced weigt distribution and precise handling. To meet the Group 4 regulations, Alfa Romeo had to produce a mandatory production run of 400 road cars, giving birth to the iconic Alfetta 2000 Turbodelta0. Under the hood was an all-aluminum 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine equipped with twin twin-barrel Dell'Orto carburetors. Autodelta paired it with a massive KKK turbocharger. While the road version delivered 150 horsepower, the full-blown racing specification sent between 280 and 310 horsepower to the rear wheels. Its official competitive debut came in the 1980 season, with top Italian drivers like Mauro Pregliasco and Maurizio Verini behind the wheel. However, the dark side of Italian engineering quickly emerged: extreme unreliability. Combining a turbocharger with carburetors proved to be a mechanical nightmare. The cars suffered from overheating and engine failures, and it was not uncommon for them to catch fire directly on the stage due to fuel leaks. The finest hour for the entire project came at the 1980 Danube Rally in Romania, a round of the prestigious European Rally Championship (ERC). The crew of Mauro Pregliasco and Vittorio Reisoli drove their 300+ horsepower Turbodelta to 1st place overall. Other notable results included Verini's 2nd place at the Rally da Madeira, a 5th place at the Ypres Rally, and Pregliasco's 2nd place at the Rallye R.A.C.E. Following this season, Alfa Romeo withdrew from the championship.
OUR CAR
Our car is one of approximately five original factory-built Turbodelta race cars ever produced. Currently, only two surviving units are known to exist—one is in Japan, and the other is in our collection. The vehicle comes with a certificate of authenticity and an inspection report from Alfa Romeo. This specific car was raced by Mauro Pregliasco in 1980, who later purchased it directly from Autodelta in 1985. Thanks to this, the car has been exceptionally well-preserved and remains in highly original condition.
