1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B

Model History

Auction sales research

Specifications

Body styles and Chassis Data

Exterior Photos

Berlinetta Coachwork: Touring Chassis Num: 412035   The 8C 2900B was Alfa Romeo's most prestigious grand touring car of the 1930s. Only 33 examples were ever completed for road use, and most were bodied by Carrozzeria Touring. The body on this car was unique; one of six privately commissioned Berlinettas, it was used in several advertisements by Alfa during the period. Based on the successful motor sports engineering of the 2900A, this road version of the 2900B featured a 180 bhp 8-cylinder engine with dual superchargers and twin overhead camshafts installed on a box-type chassis with all-around independent suspension. This car won the first Watkins Glen Grand Prix in 1948, when it was owned and drive by Frank Griswold. It was more recently owned by David Cohen for 25 years; he used it in local rallies in East London, South Africa, before moving it to Vancouver, Canada. The Alfa Romeo 8C2900B was an elegant blend of advanced styling and engineering. It was the most technically advanced and sophisticated sports car of its era. The men responsible for this model were engineer Vittorio Jano (designer of Alfa Romeo's P-Series Grand Prix racers and road-going sporting models) and body stylist Felice Bianchi Anderloni (founder of the coachbuilding firm Carrozzeria Touring in Milan). With the help of chief designer Aquino Gilardi, Anderloni helped pioneer Superleggera (super light) body construction. Instead of using heavy frames and rigid axles like so many other competitors, Alfa Romeo employed an intricate latticework of lightweight but rigid steel tubes that formed the framework for the elegant, hand-fashioned aluminum body shell. Shapes were tested by attaching felt strips to the body and the car was photographed while moving to record how wind flowed over and around it. This Berlinetta (Italian for 'sports coupe') has a sharply raked windscreen, fastback roof, and teardrop-shaped rear fenders. In total, Alfa Romeo built just thirty 8C2900s on two wheelbase sizes. This car sits on the longer-wheelbase version (the long were known as 'lungo' while the short were 'corto') and has unusual bonnet-side louvers that extend into the cowl scuttle, extended front fenders, and distinctive slotted rear spots (fender skirts). Powering this car is a slightly detuned 2.9-liter Alfa Romeo competition powerplant that has 16-valves, dual overhead cams, and a supercharged inline-8. It produces 180 horsepower in this form, while the competition motors were rated at 220 horsepower. The wheelbase measures 118 inches, top speed is achieved at around 115 mph, and there is a four-speed manual transaxle.

Auction Sales Information

Event	Group
Portland Art Museum	The Cars
58th Annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance	J3 - European Classic Closed	Best of Show : Best of Show Most Elegant Award Winners : J.B. and Dorothy Nethercutt Most Elegant Closed Car Trophy Class Awards : Class J-3 European Classic Closed Special Award Winners : Elegance in Motion Trophy

 

	1957 Maserati 300 S Chassis: 3072 Engine: 3055		1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Chassis: 3729GT
	1949 Ferrari 166MM Chassis: 0010M		1957 Ferrari 250 TR Chassis: 0666
	1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Chassis: 2211080		1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300
	1934 Alfa Romeo Tipo B P3 Chassis: B50005 Engine: 50005		1954 Austin-Healey 100-4 BN1 Chassis: BNL 154983
	1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Chassis: 0422MD