TURISMO RIVOLUZIONARE
1900 TI SUPER
30 April 2024 • Written By Virgiliu Andone
Built back in 1955, this Alfa has been in Dr. Uwe Koenzen’s ownership for 18 years. During all this time it was anything but a garage queen, cutting its teeth on the Green Hell of the Nordschleife, not far from its, and the Koenzen’s family home in Cologne. On top of all the modifications, one stands out for being commendably period-incorrect. It runs entirely on e-fuels.
‘Only with the use of eFuels is it possible to operate historic vehicles with combustion engines in a CO2-reduced or neutral way. That’s why we immediately took up the offer to drive the Tour Auto with eFuels.’ Saudi Arabia’s Aramco, one of the world’s largest integrated energy and chemicals companies, created a special synthetic fuel for this year’s Tour Auto. Once Uwe took a good look into it, he liked what he saw. “No special modifications were made for the e-fuel operation, as the engine has a moderate compression ratio and a moderate early ignition.
Peter Auto, organiser of the Tour Auto and Le Mans Classic, did a bold step by introducing sustainably fueled racing categories. They initiated the much needed change that many talk about, but few actually take it beyond uttering the words. ‘In the first year everybody was very afraid’, says Patrick Peter. That first year was 2022, when the first five cars taking part in Le Mans Classic ran with e-fuels. ‘It was just a test and it was a very good test because at the end all the cars finished and one was on the podium. In 2023 we did that again with around 200 cars.’
At this year’s Tour Auto some 30 cars took up the option of running on the new energy source. ‘For us it’s absolutely important to prove that we can use this type of fuel. The classic car must have a normal engine.”
