One of the most important cars in the history of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) is heading to auction in June.
Used to dominate the BTCC in 1994, the Alfa Romeo 155 2.0 TS helped revolutionise the touring car series.
Now, the exact car that helped Gabriele Tarquini and the Alfa Corse team claim title success, will be sold by RM Sotheby’s in Milan, Italy.
Tin-top titans
For fans of the BTCC, the Super Touring formula used between 1990 and 2000 produced some of the best motorsport on the planet.
Super Touring rules dictated that cars should be four-door saloons, and fitted with 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engines. Manufacturers were prevented from fitting extra wings and spoilers that could not be found on regular road cars.Â
Alfa Romeo joined the BTCC in 1994, bringing with them the 155 TS saloon. The car had previously found success in the Italian Superturismo series, and the Spanish Touring Car Championship.
With the BTCC seen as the world’s premier touring car championship, Alfa Romeo wanted to win it.
Changing the game entirely
With ex-Formula 1 driver Gabriele Tarquini behind the wheel, the Alfa Romeo 155 would win the first five races of the 1994 BTCC. This included taking three pole positions, and setting four fastest laps.
Helping Alfa Romeo win was the trick aerodynamic aids fitted to the 155 TS. Hidden during pre-season testing, Alfa Romeo used a raised rear spoiler when racing to generate more downforce.
Alfa Romeo created a special-edition road car, with the extra aerodynamic appendages supplied unfitted in the boot. It meant the buyers of the 2,500 Silverstone Editions could choose whether to add the bigger spoiler.
Driving straight to victory
Such a creative approach to the rules prompted challenges from rival teams. This culminated in Renault, BMW, and Ford developing their own ‘aero specials’ for the BTCC. Alfa Romeo would also be forced to use the lower rear wing.
The reduced performance of the Alfa Romeo, combined with the improved rival teams, limited the success of the Italian team for the rest of the season. However, such a dominant start to the year had given Alfa Corse and Gabriele Tarquini a huge points advantage.
It meant that Tarquini collected the 1994 Drivers’ title, with Alfa Corse collecting the Manufacturers’ championship.
A one-hit wonder
Alfa Corse officially quit the BTCC at the end of 1994, leaving the Alfa Romeo team to be managed by Prodrive for the following year. As a parting gift for winning the championship, Gabriele Tarquini was gifted one of the cars he had driven that year.
Chassis number 90080 was used in the later stages of the 1994 season, and included podium finishes at Silverstone. These results were the ones to help Tarquini seal title success.
The car has been owned by Tarquini since, making this is the first time it has been offered for public sale.
Italian heroes for sale
To buy any period BTCC racer that has been so well preserved is a rare opportunity. To buy one that has been owned by the driver who used it to win is almost unheard of.
Such history, and the car being left in original condition, means the expected sale price is €300,000 to €400,000 (£258,000 to £344,000).
The Alfa Romeo 155 TS is listed as part of the RM Sotheby’s Milan sale. Other lots include a Ferrari 550 GT1 race car, and an outrageous Lamborghini LM002. Bidding begins on Tuesday, 15 June.
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I followed Alfa Romeo throughout the series. The envy and sniping of AR by other teams was ridiculous. However AR changed the game on and off the track. It was great seeing their ultra professionalism comapred to the other teams. They had state of the art computer equipment and a bespoke covered pit wall canopy. The rest looked like amatuers.
Completely agree – super-pro outfit. Wonderful season that was exciting from start to finish.