Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GTC, 1931
Alfa Romeo 6C
Alfa Romeo 6C•
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Chassis No.: 101014832
Engine No.: 101014832
US$582,500 USD | Sold
- In the esteemed collection of Alfredo Celli for many years
- Restored in the 1990s by Dino Cognolato and Gianni Trelli
- Former Louis Vuitton Concours Class Winner/Concours entrant Hampton Court UK
- Usable, sporting and practical fast touring, even rally car. Successful MM model in period.
"'The lesser-known 1750 Gran Turismo con Compressore (GTC) of 1931 had chassis characteristics more in common with the eight cylinder 2.3 than the 6C 1750. Outrigged rear springs were also fitted which was a feature of the 8 cyl. Cars". Peter Hull & Roy Slater "Alfa Romeo - A History" (Cassell & Co - 1964) THE ALFA ROMEO 1750 GTC It was in 1923 that Enzo Ferrari, no less, persuaded Vittorio Jano to leave FIAT's racing department and join him at Alfa Romeo. A most gifted and influential automobile engineer, Jano would not only supervise Alfa Romeo's Grand Prix racing program but also design its road cars.
This happy state of affairs resulted in the latter emerging as some of the most exciting and effective of their day, establishing the Milanese marque's reputation for producing sporting driver's cars second to none. Logical derivative of the Tipo 6C 1500, itself directly descended from Jano's all-conquering P2 that had won the World Championship in 1925, the Tipo 6C 1750 arrived in 1929 boasting a derivative of the 1500's six-cylinder engine enlarged to 1,752cc. The 6C 1750 was an exciting fast touring car combining light weight with sparkling performance.
The supercharged 'SS' version, which later evolved into the 'GS' often with iconic Zagato or Touring coachwork, enjoyed numerous racing successes. From 1931 Alfa Romeo offered the 6C 1750 GTC the chassis, axles, suspension, brakes, steering, wheels, half-shafts and gearbox of which were all different to the earlier 6c1750s, and were akin to the contemporary 8C 2300, making the 6C1750 GTC virtually an 8C with a 1750 supercharged engine! Not surprisingly as a result, some of the total production of 159 6C 1750 GTCs that survived have been converted later into 8C 2300 cars - usually with chassis shortened and replica coachwork.
There are VERY few matching-numbers original survivors of the model, still with original coachwork. The 6C 1750 GTC model's sporting career, included a win in the saloon class in the 1931 Mille Miglia (Minoia). Their mechanical longevity has extended far beyond production, which ceased in 1933. THE MOTORCAR OFFERED Throughout the 1920s and 1930s there were two coachbuilders with whom Alfa Romeo shared the closest ties, Zagato and Touring both of Milan. As the brand developed, it was these companies that could interpret the chassis best, and in this period clothed the cars that left the nearby works with the most beautiful coachwork, akin to art forms of elegance.
Touring executed very few "Coupe Royale" bodies on the 6c1750 GTC chassis of which this is possibly the only original survivor - with history known since 1949. Chassis 101014832 is a 5th Series car which as the 32nd car built was delivered in 1931 and was one of only 66 examples supplied that year, in a three-year production run that amounted to 159 units. It is understood to have been sold new in its home country where it survived the war years and first surfaces in collector circles in October 1949 when imported to the UK and registered KXO 590.
An old advertisement on file shows it in substantially the same form as today, to have been offered for sale through Character Cars of Wimbledon for the princely sum of £625 towards the end of 1950, a very high price for the period. The sales pitch notes it to have recently been "repainted, reupholstered and the brightwork replated". Interestingly, that 1950 advertisement shows the car fitted with a rearwards-sloping 8c style radiator, as now fitted. A chain of British owners ensued, Arthur Finch between 1961 and 1962; John Cameron from 1963 to 1970 and possibly the noted collector and racer Hamish Moffatt after that.
In 1983 it returned to Italy to join the collection of the Medici Brothers briefly, before settling in the long-term custody of noted collector Alfredo Celli, who would keep the car for nearly 30 years. In that time, it was registered with the Automotoclub Storico Italiano and received a FIVA Passport. By 1995, it was somewhat tired, and the decision was made for it to be treated to a refreshment, an exercise which led to full blown restoration. The owner was able to enlist the services of Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni, the second generation of the founding designer of Touring.
In the course of the process, it was revealed that the cabriolet top which in the post 1950 had for some time been sealed in a closed configuration, should indeed be fully convertible and it was returned to its original drophead Coupe Royale form. The bodywork and cosmetics were entrusted to Dino Cognolato's esteemed workshops, who carried out the reversion of the coachwork and in doing so were able to reveal its original royal blue and black color scheme, which the car now wears once more.
While the mechanical aspects were handled by the respected engineer Gianni Torelli, whose versatile skills have handled the extremes of high revving dual cam Italian sub 1 liter power units right up to the gargantuan Bugatti Royale of more than a dozen liters. The completion of this work occurred in 1996, after which it was first displayed at the then popular Louis Vuitton Classic at the Parc de Bagatelle in Paris, where its condition was immediately appreciated with a class win of the 'Grandes Classiques des Années 20 & 30'.
After two more decades in Italian ownership during which it continued to be shown and enjoyed some nine years ago it was offered for sale, and the Alfa arrived in the sympathetic hands of a noted connoisseur and long-time 'Alfisti' in the UK, from which it is offered today. Being an aficionado for the brand, and familiar with the aesthetics of these cars, he elected to revert to the canted radiator version more normally seen on the 8-cylinder cars, although the Celli-fitted upright original GTC radiator accompanies the car.
Usability and reliability have benefitted from work in UK by Jim Stokes Workshops (upgraded oil and water pumps and carburetor jet conversion), and Neil Twyman Racing Ltd (re-wring and recommissioning). A longer rear axle ratio (3.9:1 from an 8C) has been fitted instead of the 5:1, and the car cruises very easily in excess of the UK legal limit of 70mph, with a remarkable top speed of about a safe 90mph, all the while being tractable and docile for normal road use in modern traffic. An owner intending more competitive performance could opt for the engine up-grade now available from Jim Stokes Workshops, where 1750 engines now produce similar power to that of the 8c in period.
But the engine fitted is with all original components, including correct Memini carburetor. Gearbox internals conversions from JSWL also are available to obviate the double de-clutching of the original. Although of surprisingly modest capacity for a chassis of this calibre, thanks to the supercharger it has been deemed to give more than adequate performance for modern traffic almost 90 years after it was produced. Testament to its performance and the trust in the car, after considerable delays in shipping the car to the USA earlier this year, the owner had no hesitation in simply driving the Alfa off the vessel from Savannah and straight down to Amelia Island.
That journey was covered in mainly torrential rain, yet the car 'didn't miss a beat', and covered the 130 mile distance in as many minutes! This supercharged Grand Touring supercharged Alfa Romeo offers a wide range of driver options from the Concours lawns to long distance tours, or the Mille Miglia in a comfortable, fully convertible form and inimitable style. Much as it was in period, as Luigi Fusi commented in his reference work on the marque - "This car was in high demand by an elite of amateurs who liked comfort, combined with sport touring features". Or as Henry Ford was reputed to have remarked "When an Alfa Romeo passes by, I raise my hat" !
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Стоимость
2 139 232 AED
