Fichetechnique Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport « Figoni Coupé » (1933) Catégorie: Modèle de série: Années de production: 1933: Production: 1 exemplaire(s) Présentation du modèle, précisions, informations

QuestaAlfa Romeo 6C 1750, un esemplare estremamente autentico, vanta una serie di importanti caratteristiche, tra cui una desiderabile posizione molto avanzata nella numerazione del telaio, una storia fatta di competizioni, 64 anni

The origins of the legendary 6C 1750 model can be traced to 1923, when Nicola Romeo hired the legendary engineer Vittorio Jano from rival Fiat to design a successful Grand Prix car. Less than a year later, Jano unveiled the P2 – generally regarded as the first modern Grand Prix car. It was an immediate success, claiming the first manufacturer’s championship for Alfa Romeo in 1925. Following this, Jano’s next task was to design a production chassis with great sporting potential. The result was a series of six-cylinder 6C cars built in various specifications. The rarest and most desirable were the short-chassis Super Sport and 1750 Gran Sport, featuring straight-six engines with dual overhead camshafts, hemispherical combustion chambers, and Roots-type superchargers. Lightweight, with excellent roadholding qualities and reliable power, the 6Cs were among the greatest high-performance automobiles of their day. They often challenged Bugattis and Maseratis of greater displacement and proved victorious. The 6C 1750s won nearly every major sports car race of the day, including the Mille Miglia, 24 Hours of Spa, and Brooklands Double Twelve. According to marque expert Cristián Bertschi’s report on file, this extraordinary 6C 1750, one of the finest examples in existence, and was issued its Certificato d’Origine on March 18, 1931, making it likely just the 11th of the Series V cars built. The Alfa Romeo was sold new on March 20th to privateer racer Sergio Rusca of Milan, who already owned a 6C 1750 Series IV, so his purchase was likely fueled by a desire to have a brand-new car for racing. He and co-driver Giovanni Minozzi entered the 1931 Mille Miglia, and a photo published in a contemporary magazine shows the 6C 1750 in a dark color with race no. 151. They finished an impressive 13th Overall, an outstanding result for a privateer team, behind the great Rudolf Caracciola and Giuseppe Campari and not far behind Tazio Nuvolari, who came in 9th. Twelve of the top 15 finishers were driving Alfa Romeos, and 10 of those were 6C 1750s. Rusca then entered the Alfa Romeo in a race at the Circuito Tre Province in September and again finished well, placing 3rd Overall. In October 1931, the Alfa Romeo was sold to fellow racer Giovanni Restelli of Como, Italy, and he and co-driver Pieri finished 17th Overall at the 1932 Mille Miglia. Restelli then finished 1st Overall at the Bellagio Guello in June, and 4th in Class that July at the Gaisbergrennen in Austria. The Alfa Romeo was then traded among several Italian owners before coming into the possession of Giacomina Vonwiller of Austria in 1935. The Alfa Romeo remained in Austria until around 1966, when it was purchased by pioneering collector and restorer Bill Pollock of Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Pollock was a highly regarded connoisseur whose cars ranged from the finest pre-1900 Peugeots, to chain-driven Chadwicks, Bugattis, Mercedes-Benz, and Alfa Romeos, including this special 6C 1750. He displayed the Alfa Romeo in his museum, the Pollock Auto Showcase, until it was sold to renowned collector John Mozart of Palo Alto, California, in 1983. It remained in Mozart’s famed collection for four years and photos on file show Phil Hill sitting in the car at the Monterey Historics. Prized for its preservation and originality, the Alfa Romeo was subsequently owned by the finest West Coast collectors, including Tom Price and Tom Armstrong. The current owner, a collector of the world’s greatest cars and motorcycles, purchased the 6C 1750 through Mark Leonard of Grand Prix Classics in 2003. The Alfa Romeo was immediately sent to Ivan Zaremba at Phil Reilly & Company, who had already been taking care of the car for some years. Zaremba overhauled the car’s engine and replaced its Series VI gearbox with a correct Series V case. The consignor and his father then brought the Alfa Romeo to the Mille Miglia Storica in 2005, and he was invited back in 2008 as part of the official Squadra Alfa Romeo Automobilismo Storico. A testament to the high regard for this example, the team only featured two other cars, both owned by the Alfa Romeo Museum. The consignor finished the event in an impressive 5th Overall. Next, the consignor won the 1000 Millas Sport in Patagonia, Argentina, in 2005, 2008, and 2015, garnering podium positions in other years. These results are testament to the car’s expert preparation by Phil Reilly & Company, which has restored some of the finest six- and eight-cylinder Alfa Romeos, and the consignor’s driving skill and mechanical diligence. In 2016, the consignor returned the Alfa Romeo to Phil Reilly & Company for a body-off cosmetic restoration. The process was closely followed by the consignor and his advisor, noted historian and Alfa Romeo expert Cristián Bertschi, who documented it with extensive photos. During the disassembly process, the car was taken down to its bare chassis and, according to photographs on file, the original Zagato job no. 913 was found in several places, including trim pieces, where the number was still written in pencil. The numbers were also found on the wooden structure, the doors, and windshield post. Numbers were also found on the hood hinges and each number found on the car was recorded and photographed. The consignor and Zaremba determined during this process that in addition to its original chassis, the car’s body was also highly original, and they believed only the fenders and running boards had been replaced. A 3D fender scan was then taken from chassis 10814356, one of the most original 6C 1750s and a car known to have its original fenders. The Alfa Romeo was sent to the renowned Moal Coachbuilders in Oakland, California, and the scan, among other information, was used to make highly correct fenders and running boards. Since its cosmetic restoration, the Alfa Romeo has been used sparingly and maintained within the consignor’s impressive collection. It is accompanied by two extensive documents by Cristián Bertschi, restoration photographs, records, copies of Mille Miglia documents, and period photos. This wonderful 6C 1750 is highly regarded by many experts for its rare combination of numerous desirable traits. First, it is extremely rare to find a 6C 1750 with such a known, documented history. It is also a sought-after Series V version of the 6C 1750, a model that dominated racing in the early 1930s and was even more successful in this period than the 8C. This Alfa Romeo also finished the legendary Mille Miglia twice and has a known ownership history in the hands of highly respected collectors. Moreover, for the last 30 years, it has been properly cared-for and restored by one of the world’s greatest 6C 1750 experts. These factors, combined with the numerous original Zagato markings and other hallmarks of originality found on the car, elevate it to the very upper echelon of surviving examples. Gooding & Company has known this exceptional Alfa Romeo for many years and is pleased to recommend this offering to the most discerning collector.

bob1fcessais et photos de vehicules de compétition parus dans les revues Accueil Contact Publié le 5 janvier 2017 par bob1fc

LAlfa Romeo 6C-1750 "Gran Sport". Dans Rétro / News rétro. La rédaction. 0. Champion du Monde en 1925 avec la fabuleuse P2 conçue par Vittorio Jano, Alfa Romeo décide d'exploiter

Date 1932 Alfa Romeo 6C-1750 shines at Motorclassica 1932 Alfa Romeo 6C-1750 Without doubt the long-bonnet Alfa Romeos of the 1930s are today among the most sought after collector cars in the world, the 6C-1750 in particular considered one of the most desirable. So it was no surprise that one of Australia’s finest examples owned by Melbourne collector Lawrence Southward would take Best in Show at last year’s MotorClassica in Melbourne. Imported from New Zealand earlier that year,this Italian masterpiece captured the very essence of style and elegance at Australia’s premier classic car showcase for 2018. Read next 1934 Alfa Romeo Tipo B P3 The Alfa’s high-stepping stance conveys a sense of lightness and agility Importantly, this 1932 6C-1750 GranSport figth series Spider retains its original aluminium body by Zagato featuring a disappearing top. Professionally restored in New Zealand, the jet black Alfa stole the show with its intricate mechanicals and fine attention to detail. The post-vintage Milanese sportster had some stiff competition but shone through in the end, taking a class win and then impressing the Best of Show judges including Formula One champion Alan Jones, yours truly, and the design directors of Holden, Ford and Toyota. Read next Holden HT Monaro 2016 Motorclassica winner Elements of this classic sportscar style endured into the 1950s with brands like MG and Morgan The Alfa Romeo 6C-1750 impressed from the moment it was first released. It would win every major racing event it was entered in during 1929 including the Grand Prix of Belgium, Spain, Tunis and Monza as well as that year’s Mille Miglia in the hands of Giuseppe Campari and Giulio Ramponi. It would also take out the Brooklands Double Twelve and the Ulster TT that year while the following year would see it win the Spa 24-hours and other road races and hill climbs. It also repeated its win in the Mille Miglia, this time driven by the great Tazio Nuvolari, this event legendary for his duel with teammate Varzi over the last 600km. Nuvolari would overtake Varzi in the early morning with his headlights switched off eventually finishing seven minutes ahead. Read next 1933 MG K3 Magnette recreation No ground-effects design here, just elegant simplicity Few cars have inspired this writer more than lengthy drives in a 6C-1750 in both naturally-aspirated and supercharged form. Built in six series from 1929 to 1933, the 1750 became more sophisticated over this four-year period, released initially in Turismo form, then in the improved Sport, Gran Turismo, Gran Turismo Compressor, Super Sport and, in its highest performance form, the Gran Sport. Just 257 Gran Sports were built in the fourth, fifth and sixth series on the shorter 2745mm wheelbase. Lawrence Southward’s chassis 10814401 is one of 106 fifth series cars and one of 30 constructed in 1932. Furthermore, it is one of just 25 5-series Gran Sports built with the coveted Zagato Spider coachwork. Large slender-rimmed steering wheels were just right for controlling old school racers Zagato was the favoured coachbuilder for the 6C, specialising in the lightweight Superleggera method of placing lightweight alloy body panels over small-gauge steel framework. But the car’s exemplary performance was due in no small part to the genius of the relatively young engineer Vittorio Jano who had been recruited by Enzo Ferrari in 1923 from Fiat. Ferrari had become a test engineer and driver for Alfa Romeo in 1920 later forming his own Scuderia to race their cars. Jano’s first project was the P2 Grand Prix car which would bring much competition success. By 1926 he had become Alfa Romeo’s head of design and soon set about designing a grand touring car with a brand new overhead-cam six-cylinder engine. The 6C-1500 emerged in 1927 and a year later was developed into the 6C-1500 Sport featuring twin overhead camshafts. The addition of a Roots supercharger in 1929 on the 6C-1500 Super Sport would further boost output however by late 1929 a lift in displacement to 1752cc saw the arrival of the first 6C-1750. The Southward 6C had an interesting first English owner in Rupert Edward Lee Featherstonehaugh, better known as Buddy’, a popular Jazz saxophonist and racer. As part of the Billy Mason Band, Featherstonehaugh was touring Britain’s major cities in 1932 with jazz superstar Louis Armstrong and was enjoying enormous success, the financial rewards enabling him to race Alfa Romeos, amongst others,, along the way. Seats look more than tolerably comfortable Perhaps his greatest success pre-war was winning the 1934 Grand Prix in d’Albigeois in a Maserati 26M owned by Whitney Straight. In late 1934 he would part with the 1932 6C-1750 Alfa to another racing driver, Kenneth Evans. Evans was racing an MG R-Type single-seater at the time, later campaigning ERAs and Alfas, finally selling the 6C in the lead up to the war. Induction system finning provides some intercooler effect It is not known what happened to the 6C-1750 during or immediately post war, however it re-surfaced in England in 1951 and by the early 60s was in the hands of George Gray who also owned the ex-Tim Birkin Alfa-Romeo 8C-2300. With interest growing in pre-war Alfas by 1973 the 6C had been imported to New Zealand by Dale Court then ten years on passed to Lawrence Southward’s father Roy in Christchurch. In Roy’s hands it was campaigned extensively in a number of vintage rallies including the 1991 Pan Pacific Rally in Palmerston North. Lawrence also campaigned the car in a number of events from the age of 17. Attention to detail in providing wiring with period insulation is stunning The Southward family was well known in New Zealand for the 400 car Southward Museum in Christchurch, established by Lawrence’s grand-father Sir Len Southward. After considerable use of the 6C, oil was discovered in its water and the decision was taken by Roy to undertake a comprehensive restoration. However ill health would interrupt the project, while his subsequent passing in 2010 saw the project put to one side. Lawrence reinstated the project in late 2012, sending the car to Bristol Restorations in Upper Hutt where it was brought up to Concours standard over a five-year period. Today, this outstanding Alfa Romeo forms part of an impressive cache of collector cars in Southward’s stable including the oldest car in Australia, which is an 1891 Panhard Levassor featuring tiller steering and hot tube ignition. Mechanical brakes in finned drums were state of the art then Also sharing the rarefied atmosphere of his garage space with the Alfa 6C-1750 is a 1912 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Tourer, a 1927 41/2-litre short-wheelbase Bentley Tourer, 1929 Bentley Speed Six Tourer, 1924 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Saloon and a 1961 Aston Martin DB4 series 4 Coupe. Behind the wheel it’s immediately apparent why the 6C Alfa sportsters were so successful – the vibrant 1750cc straight-six with double overhead camshafts and two inclined valves per cylinder is force-fed from a twin-throat Memeni carburetor by a Roots supercharger running at half engine speed. The engin, with quality aluminium castings and ribbed supercharger, is superbly detailed. It’s a work of art and part of the magic and charm of this Italian sports car. The driver’s wheel is large and, while the car feels initially heavy through the steering, it becomes far more nimble once underway. This is a car that loves to be revved and the further up the rev scale the more its soundtrack becomes intoxicating. At the same time the scream from the supercharger and wail from the four-speed gearbox leaves no doubt you’re driving the next best thing to a full-blown period racecar. With an all-up weight of just 940kg, one can understand why the Alfas swept all before them before the war. Visually, the car’s long bonnet and short tail purveys a powerful sports profile; the relatively long wheelbase ensures the car sits and tracks well on the road, its leaf sprung suspension with strong friction dampers keeping it well controlled and nicely planted on the road. Few post-vintage cars are as satisfying to drive on the open road and it will happily cruise up to 145km/h without any real signs of stress. In Australia, Alfa 6C-1750s are thin on the ground, Gran Sport models in particular, and without doubt the Southward car is one of the best and most deserving of its MotorClassica Best of Show crown. 1932 Alfa Romeo 6C-1750 BODY Aluminium Zagato 2-door sports body on pressed-steel chassisENGINE 1752cc DOHC inline six cylinder with Roots blower and twin-throat carburettor POWER 63kW Est 4500rpm PERFORMANCE Top speed 150km/hTRANSMISSION4-speed manualSUSPENSION Front solid axle with semi-elliptics and friction shocks. Rear live axle with semi-elliptics and friction 4-wheel mechanical drums Classic Australian Family Car Value Guide home page Muscle Car Value Guide home page Japanese Classic Car Value Guide home page Recent auction results Sell your car for free right here Unique Cars magazine Value Guides Sell your car for free right here SUBSCRIBE TO UNIQUE CARS MAGAZINEGet your monthly fix of news, reviews and stories on the greatest cars and minds in the automotive world. Subscribe

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