1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Touring Coupe

• Most Excellent Closed Car, Pebble Beach Concours 1998; 2012 Quail Motorsports Gathering: Best Pre-War Alfa

• Superleggera aluminum body, one of Italy’s greatest grand touring cars of the 1930s

• Audrain Museum’s logo car, nicknamed Alfie!

In a time when automobiles were exotic and often idiosyncratic creations, the products of Alfa Romeo were finely crafted works of art, elegant in conception and executed with due regard to combining function with exquisite form. The product of artisans, each of whom took pride in the performance, reliability, quality, execution, and appearance of his separate creation, the 6C Alfas reflected the overall responsibility of engineer Vittorio Jano, who continually tested, evaluated, and improved their performance until they met his high, and growing, standards.

Alfa Romeo-made supercars that represented the height of artistic, automotive and technological prowess. Many high-performance cars that existed at the time could not match the performance standards set by the 6C 2500. The 6C was the last and fastest, of Alfa’s famous six-cylinder cars, capable of reaching speeds of 100 miles per hour thanks to a lighter body, increased engine capacity and improved fuel flow. The 6C demonstrated Italy’s technology and competitiveness on Europe’s racecourses.

Alfa Romeo was always on the cutting edge of new automobile technology. They pioneered one of the first electronic fuel injection systems and were the first to use a double overhead cam in a road car. Alfa Romeo was one of the first manufacturers in history to produce their automobile bodies in exotic and custom-crafted "Superleggera," or super light bodies, drawing attention to the company’s focus on simultaneous achievement in performance and exquisite coachwork, and were nearly unbeatable on the track.

Debuting at the 1925 Milan Auto Show, the 6C 1500 set new standards for lightweight, high-performance road car. The 6c 2500 was originally designed by Vittorio Jano and was reengineered by Bruno Treviso to have a 2443cc displacement, improved cylinder head and a 7:1 compression ratio. Unfortunately, the company fell into financial trouble, was scaled down, and eventually absorbed by Fiat.

The 6C 2500 on display is a Sport Berlinetta model. It is one of only 13 of this variety that were custom built by Carrozzeria Touring using their Superleggera (super light) manufacturing technique. It had extensive restoration work from 1994 to 1998, including an engine rebuild. It was imported into the United States by Earl Potter, of Chicago, IL in 1962. It was later purchased by Mr. John Jumer of Elkhorn, WI and Chicago in 1965. In 1990, the Alfa was acquired by Charlie Morse and Malcolm Harris, a world-renowned Alfa Romeo expert, who commissioned a restoration carried out by several Seattle-area craftsmen beginning in 1994, and it was finished just before the 1998 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Mr. Harris was personally involved with the disassembly and reassembly work, and over 1,500 of his own hours were invested in this masterpiece. So intensive was the body-off restoration that the chassis was completely disassembled and every piece was refurbished to concours quality. The results of the restoration were recognized by a Second in Class Award as well as the Most Elegant Closed Car Award at the 1998 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

Specifications

• Engine: Cast iron straight-6, naturally aspirated, DOHC, 2 valves per cylinder

• Power Output: 95 bhp @ 4,600rpm

• Top Speed: Approximately 96 mph

• Body/Frame: Aluminum (Superleggera by Touring) over a steel box frame

• Suspension: Independent front suspension and torsion-bar-sprung independent rear suspension

• Brakes: Large hydraulic drum brakes with aluminum cooling fins

• Weight: 3800 lbs

Awards

• 1998 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance: 2nd in Class, Most Excellent Closed Car

• 2004 Kirkland Concours d'Elegance: Most Elegant Closed Car

• 2004 Ironstone Concours d’Elegance: Most Elegant Closed Car

• 2012 Quail Motorsports Gathering: Best Pre-War Alfa

• 2021 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance: Founders’ Choice Award

• Exhibited at Savoy Automobile Museum December 5, 2023 - March 31, 2024