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StarLight Garage presents the Alfa Romeo F12 Minibus from 1970.
We know all the Volkswagen Samba bus, but we need this nice Alfa Minibus as his competitor.
Now available in the most dynamic garage on
with more than 285 suggestions!
We know all the Volkswagen Samba bus, but we need this nice Alfa Minibus as his competitor.
Now available in the most dynamic garage on
with more than 285 suggestions!
The pre-war Alfa Romeo organisation could be likened in many respects to today's Fiat industrial empire. Although best known for automobiles, the Alfa Romeo product range was diverse and also included commercial vehicles, railway locomotives, buses, trams, tractors and aircraft engines. Only Mercedes Benz could match such a diversity at that time.
Having struggled through the war, with a bombed out factory at Il Portello, Alfa Romeo quickly resumed car production in 1946 assisted by the post-war Marshall Aid program, firstly with a continuation of the 6C2500. However it was already realised that the future lay in volume production and that a new generation of products was required. Equally importantly, the major decision to outsource many components was taken, thus ending an era where virtually the entire product had been designed and produced in-house.
The final version, essentially the Romeo 3, was introduced in 1966, but the name reverted to just Romeo. This incorporated some changes destined for the forthcoming F12 & A12, including hydraulic clutch operation & an adjustable driver's seat. The Romeo 3 had a production run of only some 6 months or so before being replaced by the Giulia 1300 engined F12 and A12 models. In all, some 23,000 Romeos had been produced between 1954 & 1966.
Abandoning the use of a model name, "F" depicted a furgone, or van, "A" depicted an autocarro or light truck, while "12" indicated the carrying capacity of 12 quintale (1 quintale = 100kg). The F12 and A12 featured a face-lifted Romeo cab or body, with a centre grille similar to that of the Giulia Super, together with conventional front-hinged cab doors and a new dashboard. The Giulia parts bin had clearly been raided - easily recognisable are the Giulia fuel filler flap used to access the radiator filler cap, interior door handles & heater controls.
The chassis was basically as that of the Romeo, although ATE front disc & Bendix rear drum brakes were fitted in place of the earlier Girling units, together with a de-tuned version of the Giulia 1300 ti engine, a new Oto-Melara transaxle and supposedly improved driveshafts. There were also lower load capacity versions with marginally lower output engines to take advantage of reduced taxes for city use, these were called the F11 and A11, with a load capacity of 11 quintale (1100kg). While the Romeo was normally available in just one wheelbase, these new models were also offered as a chassis/cab with a longer wheelbase. A Perkins diesel engine was later offered as an option, no doubt due to the particularly low price of diesel in Italy.
F12 ranges was also produced in Spain by Fadisa (Fabricacion de Automoviles Diesel SA) under licence from Alfa Romeo. The vans were a common sight on Spanish roads in the 1970s.
Specifications
Manufacturer: Alfa Romeo
Model Name: F12
Year: 1970
Vehicle type: Van (Minibus)
Engine: straight-4
Displacement: 1.3L (1290 ccm³)
Engine Power: 67 hp (49 kW)
Fuel Type: Petrol
Gearbox: 4-speed manual ZF-transmission
Max. speed: 115 km/h (71 mph)
Wheelbase: 2300 mm (91 in)
Length: 4490 mm (177 in)
Width: 1800 cm (71 in)
HERE ARE THE OTHER ALFAS:
HERE IS THE OTHER MINIBUS
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