Coachwork by Carrozzeria Touring
Chassis number: 915882
Engine number: 928190
Body number: 3442
Specifications:
110po, 2,443 cc dual overhead camshaft
inline six-cylinder triple Carburettor engine,
four speed transmission,
four-wheel independent suspension,
four-wheel drum brakes.
Wheelbase: 106” (2,690mm)
For Alfa Romeo, the 6C 2500 was the swansong of an era.
When it debuted in 1939 as the third series of former Alfa Romeo engineer and designer Vittorio Jano’s legendary inline six-cylinder Alfas, the engineers involved could never have imagined it would signal the end of the line for hand-built Alfa Romeos.
Though Jano was no longer involved in the project, having left the company after a dispute with general manager Ugo Gobatto, his basic designs prevailed. The 6C 2500 replaced the 6C 2300B by increasing the earlier car’s bore to 72mm. The result was a 2,443 cc six-cylinder engine sitting atop a brilliant chassis borne of lessons learned in Alfa Romeo’s numerous racing endeavours. Thanks to engine upgrades and a vastly improved fuel delivery system, the 6C 2500 was the first roadgoing Alfa Romeo capable of 160 kilometres per hour. Additionally, it benefitted from four-wheel independent suspension with parallel trailing arms and coil springs in front and swing axles with torsion bars at the rear.
Alfa Romeo continued its tradition of offering several levels of tuning, starting with the 87-horsepower Turismo, moving up to the 110-horsepower Super Sports, or SS, and culminating in the track-ready Tipo 256 with 120 horsepower. The 6C 2500 was immediately met with praise and success from its hand-selected upscale clientele.
The first project created after the Second World War ended was the factory-offered 6C 2500 Freccia d’Oro, which had essentially the same running gear as the pre-war 6C 2500S with the exception of a column-mounted gear lever and unique aerodynamic styling with a curved tail. Three years later, in 1949, Alfa Romeo introduced the Superleggera fixed-head Berlinetta coupés with coachwork by Touring of Milan. Alfa Romeo chose the name Villa d’Este after this design won the Concours d’Elegance held at this historic resort on Lake Como in northern Italy. The Touring-bodied 1949 6C 2500 Super Sport that enthralled the crowds in 1949 won the Gran Premio referendum – the People’s Choice award. Given that award-winning designs shown at this Concours d’Elegance would almost guarantee buyers, it should come as no surprise that Alfa Romeo and Touring put the design into production. A truly timeless shape, the unique grille treatment continues to grace Alfa Romeos to this day.
A mere 31 Villa d’Este coupes were produced, not including an additional five cabriolets, between 1949 and 1952. The 6C 2500’s demise in 1952 (a couple of racing examples were in produced in 1953) represented the end of hand-built Alfa Romeos.
While each Villa d’Este made is considered a piece of rolling art, no two 6C 2500's produced were completely identical. With a bumperless front end and false bumper slots, this particular Villa d’Este has a unique competition-style appearance. The front fenders feature prominent Marchal lights and supplemental inboard Marchal Le mans driving lamps. Artfully constructed, the resulting shape is at once smooth, harmonious and downright sporty.
First presented to the public as a show car, it was sold to its first private owner in the late 1950s in New York. In July 1973, it was acquired by J. Bertis Terrell, who sold the car to David K. Whalley of Massachusetts. In 1979, Whalley sold the car to Homer Tsakis, a prominent pre and post-war Alfa Romeo collector from New York who partially restored the car and kept it in his private collection, which at the time also included a 300 SL Gullwing, an Alfa-engined Nardi racing car, and two pre-war 6C 1750 GS Zagato roadsters.
In 1989, ill health forced the owner to sell most of his collection, including this Alfa. West Coast restoration specialists Tony Niccosia and John Masuda handled the sale as the car passed to the Fromo Corporation of Japan, in whose capable hands this car received a full nut and bolt restoration to show quality standards in the early 1990s. Upon completion, Japanese baseball star and automobile collector Masayuki Kakefu purchased the car and retained it until 2007. Its current owner enjoyed exercising the car in 2008 in the California Mille, where the car performed flawlessly with exception of several flat tyres.
As proven by its 2008 Californian Mille experience, this 6C 2500 Villa d’Este is an immensely driveable machine, well-suited for continued enjoyment and entry in vintage rallies. Its 2,443 cc six-cylinder engine with three Weber Carburettors starts without hesitation and runs as smoothly as Jano originally intended. What’s more, this automobile retains the elegant appearance of a recently restored automobile with only the occasional evidence of use in the 15 years since restoration was completed. The expertly-applied dark blue paint accentuates a curvaceous, elegant shape, and the dove grey interior provides a striking contrast, accented by a unique steering wheel and mirror treatment.
A coach built Alfa Romeo has always been an object of undeniable appeal, combining legendary performance and exclusivity. The 6C 2500 Villa d’Este presented here combines these attributes of the marque with Touring’s exquisite Superleggera coachwork and Vittorio Jano’s astonishing engineering. With its near perfect provenance, it may well be the ultimate example of its kind.
Chassis number: 915882
Engine number: 928190
Body number: 3442
Specifications:
110po, 2,443 cc dual overhead camshaft
inline six-cylinder triple Carburettor engine,
four speed transmission,
four-wheel independent suspension,
four-wheel drum brakes.
Wheelbase: 106” (2,690mm)
For Alfa Romeo, the 6C 2500 was the swansong of an era.
When it debuted in 1939 as the third series of former Alfa Romeo engineer and designer Vittorio Jano’s legendary inline six-cylinder Alfas, the engineers involved could never have imagined it would signal the end of the line for hand-built Alfa Romeos.
Though Jano was no longer involved in the project, having left the company after a dispute with general manager Ugo Gobatto, his basic designs prevailed. The 6C 2500 replaced the 6C 2300B by increasing the earlier car’s bore to 72mm. The result was a 2,443 cc six-cylinder engine sitting atop a brilliant chassis borne of lessons learned in Alfa Romeo’s numerous racing endeavours. Thanks to engine upgrades and a vastly improved fuel delivery system, the 6C 2500 was the first roadgoing Alfa Romeo capable of 160 kilometres per hour. Additionally, it benefitted from four-wheel independent suspension with parallel trailing arms and coil springs in front and swing axles with torsion bars at the rear.
Alfa Romeo continued its tradition of offering several levels of tuning, starting with the 87-horsepower Turismo, moving up to the 110-horsepower Super Sports, or SS, and culminating in the track-ready Tipo 256 with 120 horsepower. The 6C 2500 was immediately met with praise and success from its hand-selected upscale clientele.
The first project created after the Second World War ended was the factory-offered 6C 2500 Freccia d’Oro, which had essentially the same running gear as the pre-war 6C 2500S with the exception of a column-mounted gear lever and unique aerodynamic styling with a curved tail. Three years later, in 1949, Alfa Romeo introduced the Superleggera fixed-head Berlinetta coupés with coachwork by Touring of Milan. Alfa Romeo chose the name Villa d’Este after this design won the Concours d’Elegance held at this historic resort on Lake Como in northern Italy. The Touring-bodied 1949 6C 2500 Super Sport that enthralled the crowds in 1949 won the Gran Premio referendum – the People’s Choice award. Given that award-winning designs shown at this Concours d’Elegance would almost guarantee buyers, it should come as no surprise that Alfa Romeo and Touring put the design into production. A truly timeless shape, the unique grille treatment continues to grace Alfa Romeos to this day.
A mere 31 Villa d’Este coupes were produced, not including an additional five cabriolets, between 1949 and 1952. The 6C 2500’s demise in 1952 (a couple of racing examples were in produced in 1953) represented the end of hand-built Alfa Romeos.
While each Villa d’Este made is considered a piece of rolling art, no two 6C 2500's produced were completely identical. With a bumperless front end and false bumper slots, this particular Villa d’Este has a unique competition-style appearance. The front fenders feature prominent Marchal lights and supplemental inboard Marchal Le mans driving lamps. Artfully constructed, the resulting shape is at once smooth, harmonious and downright sporty.
First presented to the public as a show car, it was sold to its first private owner in the late 1950s in New York. In July 1973, it was acquired by J. Bertis Terrell, who sold the car to David K. Whalley of Massachusetts. In 1979, Whalley sold the car to Homer Tsakis, a prominent pre and post-war Alfa Romeo collector from New York who partially restored the car and kept it in his private collection, which at the time also included a 300 SL Gullwing, an Alfa-engined Nardi racing car, and two pre-war 6C 1750 GS Zagato roadsters.
In 1989, ill health forced the owner to sell most of his collection, including this Alfa. West Coast restoration specialists Tony Niccosia and John Masuda handled the sale as the car passed to the Fromo Corporation of Japan, in whose capable hands this car received a full nut and bolt restoration to show quality standards in the early 1990s. Upon completion, Japanese baseball star and automobile collector Masayuki Kakefu purchased the car and retained it until 2007. Its current owner enjoyed exercising the car in 2008 in the California Mille, where the car performed flawlessly with exception of several flat tyres.
As proven by its 2008 Californian Mille experience, this 6C 2500 Villa d’Este is an immensely driveable machine, well-suited for continued enjoyment and entry in vintage rallies. Its 2,443 cc six-cylinder engine with three Weber Carburettors starts without hesitation and runs as smoothly as Jano originally intended. What’s more, this automobile retains the elegant appearance of a recently restored automobile with only the occasional evidence of use in the 15 years since restoration was completed. The expertly-applied dark blue paint accentuates a curvaceous, elegant shape, and the dove grey interior provides a striking contrast, accented by a unique steering wheel and mirror treatment.
A coach built Alfa Romeo has always been an object of undeniable appeal, combining legendary performance and exclusivity. The 6C 2500 Villa d’Este presented here combines these attributes of the marque with Touring’s exquisite Superleggera coachwork and Vittorio Jano’s astonishing engineering. With its near perfect provenance, it may well be the ultimate example of its kind.