11 replies to this topic

[D-Type]

Pictures of Alfa Romeos in the 1930's Mille Miglia races often show them with rather strange headlamp covers they appear to be hemispherical and made of red translucent plastic. Obviously their purpose was to protect the headlamps from flying stones. Were they used only in daytime? In which case, why make them translucent? Or, were they also used at night? This would explain why they were translucent, but not why they were red.

Does anyone know more?

Edited by D-Type, 25 June 2010 - 22:21.

[arttidesco]

First time i have noticed this feature of the Mille Miglia Alfa Romeo's I had only seen the B&W pics before and so had not realised these covers were translucent.

I looked up why submariners use (used to use ?) red lights and it was because red lights allow submariners to maintain night vision needed when looking through periscopes at night.

Our eyes need to adjust between day light (white light) vision and night a process which takes several minuets.

I wonder if the Alfa team believed that red lights helped their drivers maintain better night vision when looking beyond the periphery of their head light beam's remembering that in those days there was no where near so much ambient light at night as there is these days, or maybe the drivers felt there was less eye strain using red headlights ?

[David Birchall]

They were made of celluloid and were for daytime use only. Sailors and airmen require red lights for night time reading - the low frequency of the red does not upset night time vision.

[VeloceGT]

I also have been wondering about them for a long time already.

They were made of celluloid and were for daytime use only.

But why didn't they use wire mesh or turned the lamps 90 degrees to the inside like other competitors? Why where the covers red? Why translucent? And why hemispherical?

Does anyone know?

[fuzzi]

I have always suspected that it was simply for "La bella figura" They looked better than turning the headlamps sideways and also:

The headlamps could be properly aligned and fixed with a smart cover that could be easily removed if they were unfortunate enough to finish after dark and needed to see.

[arttidesco]

I have always suspected that it was simply for "La bella figura" They looked better than turning the headlamps sideways and also:

The headlamps could be properly aligned and fixed with a smart cover that could be easily removed if they were unfortunate enough to finish after dark and needed to see.

Plus if they turned the headlight's round the Alfa Drivers would not have been able to warn slower traffic ahead of their presence.

[Jager]

Aside from the Mille Miglia, Alfa Romeo also used them at Le Mans in 1931 (picture below).



This situation continued at Le Mans throughout the rest of the 1930's, with some cars running the red covers (even some of the non-works cars) and others the more common wire mesh stoneguards. Even as late as 1938, the 8C 2900B appeared at Le Mans with what appears to have been the red covers :



I wonder therefore when was the first race in which they appeared and when was the last.

[David McKinney]

Aren't they just turned back to front in the earlier photo?

[arttidesco]

Aren't they just turned back to front in the earlier photo?

Apparently not !

[David McKinney]

Obviously they would have turned the around the right way at the last pit-stop before nightfall

[arttidesco]

Obviously they would have turned the around the right way at the last pit-stop before nightfall

Obviously

[D-Type]

Although I have seen photos of cars with the lights turned around that tend to be in 1950's clubbies and not at Le Mans or in the MM so maybe the practice was forbidden by the regulations.

I have also seen a reference to the distinctive pattern of red lights on the Alfas showing up in the mirrors of slower drivers - but that could have been referring to flashing the lights in daylight.