What Alfa Romeo model carried Giuseppe Farina to the 1950 Formula 1 title?

Giuseppe Farina won the 1950 Formula 1 title in an Alfa Romeo 158.

Known as the Alfetta, the Alfa Romeo 158 was a 1.5-litre, straight-eight racing car originally developed before World War II for the voiturette formula. Its long competition life became one of the sport’s great engineering stories: after the war, Alfa Romeo adapted the car for the new Formula 1 regulations and immediately dominated the inaugural championship.

Farina won the first World Championship race at Silverstone on 13 May 1950 and added victories at the Swiss and Italian Grands Prix. He finished the season just ahead of teammate Juan Manuel Fangio, securing the first Drivers’ Championship in Formula 1 history. Alfa Romeo’s works team also included Luigi Fagioli, creating the celebrated “three Fs” lineup of Farina, Fangio and Fagioli.

The main historical mix-up involves the Alfa Romeo 159. The 159 was an extensively updated evolution of the 158 used primarily in 1951, when Fangio won the title. Farina’s 1950 championship is therefore correctly associated with the 158, even though the cars are often discussed together as the 158/159 Alfetta.