1934 Alfa Romeo 6C

Manufacturer: Metropole Classics BV Meubellaan 1 6651KV DRUTEN, NL 0031653328817 http://www.metropole.nl [email protected]

Neither of the original cars survived the years, and yet the story of Jacques de Rham lives on today in a meticulous reconstruction that keeps the memory of his Scuderia Maremmana alive. The young Swiss nobleman's son, only twenty six at the time, founded his racing stable in 1935 in Grosseto, Tuscany, campaigning there an Alfa Romeo P3 and a 6C 1750 among others, both bought from Scuderia Ferrari. In the early months of 1937 he entered two Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 GT Pescara models in various hill climbs, both with Berlinetta coachwork by Touring, but judged the cars too heavy to be truly competitive and sent them to Zagato in Milan for aerodynamic, open Siluro coachwork in aluminium. The result was a weight saving of some three hundred kilograms, with total weight falling below one thousand kilograms, the engines being improved at the same time with new Borgo pistons. Thus equipped, the cars made their racing debut at the Grand Prix de Provence et de Marseille on the Miramas circuit, where Carlo Pes de Villamarina finished first in class, followed by further placings in hill climbs.

The 6C 2300, unveiled at the 1934 Milan motor show, was the latest flowering of a noble line of sporting models that had begun in 1925 with the 6C 1500, the first true expression of the legendary designer Vittorio Jano, whose Grand Prix designs, the P2 and Tipo B, had proved virtually unbeatable at their peak. The newly developed six cylinder engine of 2309cc featured an integrally cast crankcase and cylinder block topped by an aluminium alloy cylinder head, and was offered in two specifications, the Turismo on a long wheelbase chassis and the sportier Gran Turismo on a shortened wheelbase. At its competition debut in the 1934 Giro d'Italia, the racing engines, fitted with twin 35mm Solex carburettors and twin exhaust manifolds, produced more than one hundred brake horsepower, and at the Targa Abruzzo, the 24 Ore di Pescara, three Touring bodied coupés took the first three places, a result that led Alfa Romeo to build a series of sixty Gran Turismo cars under the name Pescara in commemoration of that victory, the direct predecessors of the later 6C 2300 B models that made their debut at the 1937 Mille Miglia.

This car begins with an authentic, matching numbers chassis from a 1934 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 7th Series GT Pescara Berlina with coachwork by Touring, , completely dismantled before the construction of the Siluro body was entrusted to Dino Cognolato of the Carrozzeria Nova Rinascente in Padua, one of the world's most experienced coachbuilders. Working from full scale drawings based on historic photographs, Cognolato built the entire aluminium coachwork entirely by hand, down to details such as the door closures, while the chassis and mechanicals were overhauled and the engine dynamometer tested to a striking output of 119 brake horsepower at 4,500rpm, which combined with the car's low weight of only 989 kilograms results in breathtaking performance. The project took more than four years to complete, and since then this remarkable Alfa Romeo has covered a mere 615 kilometres on the odometer.

Zagato recently invited this Siluro to attend a gathering of Zagato bodied cars to celebrate the presentation of the new Maserati Mostro prototype at the former Alfa Romeo test track at Arese, a recognition that further underlines the standing of this reconstruction. The car is offered with an official certification by Zagato, a Declaration of Authenticity signed by the former president of the National Technical Commission of the Italian ASI, and comprehensive photographic documentation of the restoration and reconstruction work, supplemented by an American certificate of title, the Italian import documents relating to the chassis's importation from Switzerland into Italy, and invoices from specialist Dutch workshops that have maintained and technically assessed the car in recent years. The car is currently based in the Netherlands and presents in a vivid red livery.

With an authentic 6C 2300 GT Pescara chassis dating from 1934, this Siluro falls comfortably within the qualification period for the Mille Miglia storica, a status underlined by this model's direct kinship with the 6C 2300 B that made its debut in the race in 1937, rendering this car eligible for entry into a wide range of prestigious international events.

Contact Metropole Classics for further information or to arrange a viewing of this Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Pescara Siluro.