The Ricciardi was built by Australian Technology Pty Ltd in Adelaide, South Australia and was usually powered by Alfa Romeo engines.
"Take one old Alfa 105, take it apart and give a few bits to Dave Williams, and soon you will have a Ricciardi. The Ricciardi story started with a fellow by the name of Richard Hardy way back in 1982, when Rick started to mate together the remains of an Alfa Berlina and a Ferrari 750 Monza style body built during the fifties in Sydney. This car was called the Milano and was intended for an MG or Singer 9 chassis. Rick's Italian love affair started with a 1967 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super, and has continued on with numerous Alfas ever since. Just for the record, he still has the Giulia Super.
The whole concept was born when Rick bought a damaged Alfa Berlina to take apart for spares for his other car and as he cut it up to dispose of it, a vision of an Alfa based special appeared before his eyes. What he wanted was a special that could be used occasionally on the race track but that was legal for road use. In order to get the car road registered, it soon became obvious to Rick he would need to get professional help with the project and so he approached Australian Technology in Adelaide, a company that specialized in producing vehicles for the disabled and limousines.
Doug Potts, the Engineer behind Australian Technology, hired Dave Williams to assist in the project. They started out with the cut down Berlina floor pan and a lot of square tube, and produced a space frame that incorporated only the front two and a half feet (about 750mm) of the Berlina, and the front and back suspension. The front two and a half feet of the Alfa simplified the front suspension by providing accurate mounting points for the upper wish bones and other components and would in the end help with certification when it came to road registration. The space frame was made from one inch (25mm) square tubing with half inch (13mm) bracing.
The front springs were reset to give a shorter installed length and at the back the lower radius rods and upper A frame from the Alfa, were used to locate the axle. Smaller radius springs were used and the shock absorbers were mounted inside them. The spring rates were altered to match the reduced weight of the vehicle and the sports-oriented handling. Two litre Alfa 105s had a limited slip differential and so one was fitted, and the two-piece Alfa tail shaft was modified to deliver the power to the back end.
An Alfetta rack and pinion assembly was used in place of the Alfa 105 recirculating ball steering box and shock-horror, a Mitsubishi Colt collapsible steering column was used to comply with ADRs. This had the benefit of providing column mounted lights and indicator switches. The steering is 3.5 turns lock to lock and the turning circle is tighter than the original car due to the short wheel base.
With the overall weight of the car being about 730Kgm with the driver, the original four wheel disk brakes, designed for a car weighing about 1100Kgm, are more than adequate. The brake and clutch master cylinders have been moved back behind the drivers seat, using the original pedal assembles with longer push rods. Later model 105 Alfas had a dual master cylinder with two boosters and these have been used to provide an extra measure of safety.
The original cast exhaust headers have been discarded and replaced with a free flowing four into one arrangement that runs along the passenger side to the rear of the car. A 50 litre aluminum fabricated fuel tank is mounted behind the back axle on the left side. The original 105 electrics, were used and a set of Veglia instruments from an old Giulietta were substituted for the Berlina items. Any original Alfa instruments could have been used, my preference would be to use the giant speedo and tacho out of the 70’s Alfa Spiders.
Although the project started with an existing Glass Reinforced Plastic body mould, and the dimensions of the space frame were largely dictated by this body, 150mm was inserted into the cockpit area and about 150mm added down the center line, to accommodate the wider track of the Alfa donor car. To fit into the current ADRs the headlights were raised and the wheel arches altered.
The body is attached to the frame via eight attachment points and it takes about 15-minutes to remove the body for easy access to the mechanicals. The CAMS rules dictate a sports car must have doors and the Ricciardi fits into this category with opening doors, using Ford Falcon burst-proof door locks, opened by a knob on the inside of the body. The door assembly has a tube steel frame forming a secondary lattice-frame 6 inches (150mm) high, providing side intrusion protection to the required ADR specification.
The centre tunnel, floor and the foot wells are riveted 18 gauge aluminum sheet and combined with the approximately 18 inch (490mm) high outside lattice structure, makes the car very rigid. There is no flexing of the body like you get with open sports cars with a conventional floor pan and high doors.
On the inside the Ricciardi is spartan, with 50's looking sports car seats with added headrests to comply with Australian Design Rules. The seats use Holden Commodore slides and inertia reel seat belts are mounted to the space frame. A low wind deflector windscreen is fitted, but this could be replaced with two classic looking aero screens. In keeping with the rest of the car, the outside is finished off with 50s style lights and indicators, reminiscent of an old MG or an Austin-Healey.
Since the original Ricciardi was produced for Rick Hardy, Dave Williams has taken over development and production of the cars and has built eight cars with more in the works. A process of evolution has developed the concept to a point where today two versions are being produced. The original Alfa 105 based Ricciardi, and now an Alfetta based version with a torsion bar front end, and a transaxle in the rear. Four of the cars have competed in the Australian Grande Prix Rally over the past few years and these belong to, Rick Hardy, Ian Potts, Rob Marsh and Jim Stratmann. "
