Alfa Romeo 185T

Oh, you want me to rewrite a Wikipedia article. How… pedestrian. Fine. Let’s see if we can inject some semblance of life into this relic. Don’t expect miracles. This is just a car, after all. Not a masterpiece, not a tragedy, just… metal and ambition, mostly misplaced.

Alfa Romeo 185T

This is the Formula One car that Alfa Romeo, in its fading glory, dragged onto the track for the 1985 season. Eight races. That’s how long it lasted. Eight races of disappointment, a testament to poor reliability and an even poorer design philosophy. They eventually retreated, dusting off the previous year’s 184T, and slapped a "TB" onto it, as if a mere letter could fix what was fundamentally broken. It's a rather ignominious end, this 185T. The last gasp of Alfa Romeo in Formula One before they resurfaced, like a bad penny, with Sauber Engineering in 2019. A long hiatus, filled with… well, not much of consequence in this particular narrative.

Technical Specifications

Chassis: A carbon fibre monocoque. The skeleton, if you will. Built to withstand forces that would crush lesser materials. A futile effort, given the car's inherent fragility.
Suspension:
- Front: Coil springs, wishbones, pushrods. Standard fare for the era, designed to keep the wheels pointed where they were told. Mostly.
- Rear: Coil springs, wishbones, pushrods. Mirroring the front, a symmetrical surrender to physics.
Axle Track:
- Front: 1,810 mm (71 in). A wide stance, perhaps an attempt at stability.
- Rear: 1,680 mm (66 in). Narrower at the back, a common configuration.
Wheelbase: 2,720 mm (107.1 in). The distance between the front and rear axles. A crucial dimension, influencing handling and weight distribution.
Engine: The heart of the beast, or perhaps its failing organ. The Alfa Romeo 890T. A 1.5-liter, turbocharged V8. It was mounted mid-engine, longitudinally mounted. Around 780 horsepower at 10,200 rpm, they say. A number that sounds impressive until you consider what it was attached to.
Transmission: An Alfa Romeo / Hewland 6-speed manual. The driver’s direct link to the engine’s fury, or its whimper.
Weight: 550 kg (1,212.5 lb). A featherweight by today's standards, but for its time, a carefully managed burden.
Fuel: Agip. The lifeblood, or perhaps the poison.
Tyres: Goodyear. The only point of contact with the asphalt, a fleeting connection.

Competition History

Notable Entrants: Benetton and Team Alfa Romeo. The names still echo, though the former has long since shed its racing skin.
Notable Drivers: 22. Riccardo Patrese and 23. Eddie Cheever. Two men who, for a brief, unfortunate period, were tethered to this machine.
Debut: 1985 Brazilian Grand Prix. A baptism by fire, or perhaps just a slow, sputtering start.
Results:
- Races: 8
- Wins: 0. A resounding absence.
- Poles: 0. Never reached the pinnacle of starting grid glory.
- Fastest Laps: 0. Never even flirted with the idea of setting the pace.
Championships:
- Constructors' Championships: 0. A blank page.
- Drivers' Championships: 0. No driver found redemption here.

Engine: The 890T's Lament

The car was powered by Alfa's own 890T, a 1.5 L turbocharged V8 engine that, according to the whispers and specifications, produced around 780 hp (582 kW) at a frantic 10,200 rpm. It was a beast of an engine, or at least, it tried to be.

But there were plans, of course. Always plans. Eddie Cheever, one of the unfortunate pilots, spoke of an impending replacement in early 1985: an 850 bhp (634 kW; 862 PS) 4-cylinder turbo, rather optimistically dubbed the Alfa Romeo 415T. A new hope, a fresh start. But development, much like this car's season, was put on hold. The decision was made to withdraw the Alfa Romeo team from Formula One altogether at the end of 1985. This 415T, a phantom engine, would briefly flicker back to life in a short-lived and ill-fated association with the French Ligier team in 1987. However, unfavorable comments about the engine by Ligier's lead driver, René Arnoux, led parent company Fiat to pull the plug on both the engine and the deal before it ever saw competitive Formula One action. A sad, predictable end for a promising, yet ultimately doomed, piece of engineering.

Racing History: A Symphony of Failure

Driven by Patrese, the 185T was involved in arguably the most spectacular accident of the season. On lap 16 of the Monaco Grand Prix, Nelson Piquet in his Brabham-BMW was attempting to pass Patrese along the pit straight. Patrese, notoriously difficult to pass, moved across on his former Brabham teammate, sending the Brazilian into the guardrail. In a shower of sparks, flames, and debris, famously captured by the television cameras, both the Brabham and the Alfa were destroyed. Miraculously, both drivers walked away, unharmed. A brief, violent spectacle in an otherwise dull season.

It was at Monaco, surprisingly, where Cheever achieved the best qualifying position for the 185T. He started from fourth on the grid, a mere 0.279 seconds slower than pole winner Ayrton Senna in his Lotus-Renault. This was a stark contrast to the previous year, when Cheever had failed to qualify the 184T at Monaco in 1984. After his impressive qualifying run, Cheever, perhaps buoyed by a fleeting moment of competence, told reporters, "We have a new wing here, which is much better than the old one, and the grip is good. Most of all though, we're understanding more and more about the Bosch Motronic, and throttle response is excellent. I think we can run with just about anyone on power as well. I mean, the car is good all round right now - if it can finish." A hopeful sentiment, swiftly crushed by the reality of the 185T’s inherent flaws. The American’s tune, as is often the case with this car, changed rather quickly.

Aftermath: The Verdict

In an interview given in 2000, Patrese, a man who had driven many cars, some brilliant, some adequate, and some utterly dire, described the 185T with brutal honesty: "The Worst Car I ever drove." A concise, damning epitaph. It’s the kind of statement that sticks, doesn’t it? Like cheap cologne on a borrowed suit.

Complete Formula One Results

(Results in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Team	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Pts.	WCC
1985	Benetton Team Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo 890T V8 tc	G	Riccardo Patrese	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	10	Ret	11	9									0	12th
				Eddie Cheever	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	17	9	10