1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS Zagato news, pictures, and information

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Spyder
Designer: Zagato
Chassis Num: 8513033
Engine Num: 8513033

The first race of Scuderia Ferrari was the 1930 Mille Miglia, the fourth running of this epic endurance race. A team of three Alfa Romeo's were entered, driven by Ferrari's partners Alfredo Caniato and Mario Tadini and the political activist and amateur racing driver Luigi Scarfiotti. Scarfiotti drove this elegant and sporty GS Spyder, chassis number 8513033.

This was the latest iteration of the gifted Vittorio Jano's 6C series, a supercharged version of the 1750cc engine. In 1930, the 6C 1750 could be purchased in one of three versions - a naturally-aspirated Turismo featuring a single overhead camshaft, and the 2nd and 3rd series twin-cam Super Sport available with or without a supercharger and the 4th series supercharged Gran Sport.

Both of the supercharged versions were fitted with Alfa-built twin-lobe Roots-type blowers. The difference between the Gran Sport and the Super Sport was the supercharger - the Super Sport has a smaller, geared-up supercharger. The Gran Sport version was driven at engine speed which eliminated the high-pitched supercharger while. The GS produced 102 horsepower at 5000 RPM and fitted into a wheelbase that measured 1.745m. The engine was mounted 15-inches back, in the frame, with a sloping radiator mounted in front.

Chassis number 8513033 was first registered on April 1st of 1930 with the Macerata provincial index 'MC 2012' which it still wears today. It wears a two-seater body which was built by Zagato. Most of the cars clothed by Zagato during the 1920s and 1930s were built on Alfa Romeo chassis.

Two weeks after receiving the car, Scarfiotti drove in the Mille Miglia road race as part of the Scuderia Ferrari Team. His co-driver and mechanic was Guglielmo Carraroli, who had been Enzo Ferrari's riding mechanic since the early 1920s.

The Alfa Romeo 6C 1750's swept the board in the Mille Miglia, with Nuvolari finishing first. The 1500cc version won its class. Even though the Alfa Romeo cars had much success in this race, none of the Scuderia Ferrari cars finished. Scarfiotti cars had been eliminated by a broken leaf spring.

Scarfiotti continued to race his Alfa during 1930 with several significant finished. He placed second overall and first in his class at the Colle di Paterno in July. He placed fifth overall in the Coppa Gran Sasso and fourth in the 12-mile Teramo-Civitella del Tronto hillclimb. Another fourth was earned in the Coppa Pierazzi.

The car returned to the Mille Miglia in 1931 with Scarfiotti at the wheel and under the banner of Scuderia Ferrari. His co-driver and mechanic was Piero Bucci. This time, the car emerged in sixth place overall, in 17 hours, 27 minutes, and 36 seconds. It was just 1 hour and 17 minutes behind the winning SSK Mercedes driven by Rudi Caracciola. It finished three places and 21 minutes ahead of Tazio Nuvolari who was driving an Alfa Romeo 8C 2300.

Scarfiotti sold his 6C 1750 GS back to Alfa Romeo in 1932. It was re-registered 'as new' two months later to the Scuderia Ferrari with two-seat spider bodywork. It was registered to the Alfa Romeo company in Milan on May 18th of that year, but its subsequent history is unclear. It was 'discovered' in Modena in the early 1960s. It was brought to a restoration shop in Florence for re-commissioning. It is believed another restoration was completed by Autofficina Faralli, near Pisa, Italy, in 1999. In 2005, the car came to the United States and has since been part of a collection in Texas.

In 2008, this GS Spyder was offered for sale at the 'Quail Lodge, A Sale of Exceptional Motorcars and Automobilia' presented by Bonhams Auction. The lot was sold for $1,107,000 inclusive of buyer's premium.

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Spyder
Designer: Zagato
Chassis Num: 8513053

The Alfa 6C-1750 followed the 6C-1600 and was produced in six series from 1929 to 1933. In total, 2579 chassis were completed and they became the quintessential model for both amateur and professional drivers. Available in several body styles, most cars were sold as a rolling chassis to be bodied by coachbuilders including Zagato, Touring, Castagna, Ghia, Farina, Pininfarina, Weymann and James Young. The definitive form of the 6C-1750 was the short chassis Supercharged Gran Sport and Super Sport versions of which approximately 360 cars were made.

In competition, the 6C-1750 was quite possibly the most successful car/chassis ever manufactured by Alfa Romeo. In addition to winning the 1929 Mille Miglia, twenty-five out of twenty-six supercharged 1750s completed the 1000 mile course. During the 1930 Mille Miglia, the 1750 would sweep the first four places in the race and would become known for an epic 6C-1750 duel between Nuvolari and Varzi. Nuvolari overtook Varzi in the pre-dawn with his 1750's headlights switched off and continued to win the race with a finishing time of 6 hours 18 minutes 59 seconds (averaging 62.78 mph) making the 6C-1750 the first car to ever complete the 1000 mile Mille Miglia Race averaging over 100 kph. Other victories included the 1929 and 1930 24-Hours of Spa, 1930 Tourist Trophy, several World Speed Records (2000cc class) at Montlhery, France in 1931 (including 1000 kilometers @ 97.1 mph, 4000 Mile Record @ 93.97 mph and 48 Hour Record @ 94.4 mph) as well as winning numerous other Road Races, and Hillclimbs.

The Red Headlight covers (removed at night) served several purposes and were used by most Alfa Romeos competing in the pre-war Mille Miglia Races. Being an open road race, the covers protected the headlights from flying rocks, allowed the cheering crowds to easily identify an Alfa as it approached and could be used to distract non-Alfa competitors turning on those big 12V Bosch lights and tailgating the opposing car.

This particular car won its class in the 1990 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and was also the recipient of Automobile Magazine's 'True Spirit Award' in 2003, for driving from San Francisco, racing in the Historic's and driving home again....all without using a trailer.

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Spyder
Designer: Zagato
Chassis Num: 8513064
Engine Num: 8513064

This 1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Series IV Gran Sport Spider wears coachwork by Zagato. The early history of this car is unknown; it has been in the United States since the late 1960s in the collection of Keith Hellon. It was later purchased by Jackson Brooks of Colorado. At this point in history, the car was dismantled - a restoration was planned but never completed - with its original engine and 80-percent of the original Zagato coachwork. A short time later, it was sold to Tom Perkins, who traded it back to Brooks a short time later. A professional restoration was done; the engine was uprated to 1861cc to accommodate Brooks' intended use of the 6C in vintage racing. A stone guard was added to the front to provide additional protection.

At the Laguna Seca historic meet in 1985, Alfa Romeo was the featured maruqe. This 1750 was piloted by world champion Phil Hill in race to a very impressive fourth place finish overall. A short time later, it graced the lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

In 1986, the car was sold to Art Valdez who participated in the Mille Miglia Storica on three occasions. In the early 1990s, the car was sold to another Californian who showed the car at the 1998 Concorso Italiano.

In 2008, this 6C 1750 Series IV Gran Sport was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company Auction held in Pebble Beach, California. It was estimated to sell for $1,200,000 - $1,400,000. The lot was sold for an impressive $1,265,000, including buyer's premium.

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Spyder
Designer: Zagato
Chassis Num: 8513045
Engine Num: 8513045

The debut of the supercharged sport version of the 6C 1750 Gran Sport came in the third Mille Miglia in 1929. It dominated sports car racing for 1929 and 1930 and repeated its Mille Miglia victory in 1930.

The car is powered by a water-cooled, double-overhead-cam, 1752cc, 6-cylinder engine coupled to a four-speed manual transmission. The competition version developed as much as 102 horsepower at 5000 RPM. This car was so outstandingly successful not because of outright speed - its absolute maximum was 105 mph - but because it was reliable and exhibited superb road handling.

A total of 369 Super Sport and Grand Sport 6C 1750s were built. This Zagato-bodied two-seat spider is typical of the 6C 1750 Grand Sport.

In 1929 the 6C 1750 was created as a replacement for the aging 6C 1500. The name, 6C 1750, was a combination of the six-cylinder engine and the 1752 cc engine displacement. The 1750 continued the strong racing legacy Alfa Romeo had established with their P2 Grand Prix car and the 1500. The design for the Sport editions were simply yet sophisticated. They used a light frame coupled with a small inline-six cylinder supercharged engine capable of producing nearly 100 horsepower.
The 1750 was created in 1929 and produced until 1933, during this time nearly 2500 examples were created. There were six series each achieving a higher level of sophistication over the prior series. As was the case with many manufacturers at the time, Alfa Romeo supplied the rolling chassis and commissioned coachbuilders such as Zagato, Touring, Stablimenti Farina, Castagna, and James Young to finish the body. The result was a wide range of specifications and creativity.

The design was handled by Vittorio Jano, an individual Enzo Ferrari, an employee of Alfa Romeo, had been able to lure from Fiat. Jano had been tasked with designing the 6C 1500 which had been powered by a six-cylinder engine. He was then tasked with designing the 6C 1750 which was debuted at the 1929 Rome Motorshow. It shared many similarities with its predecessor; the biggest difference being an enlarged engine. Because of the larger engine it was capable of being outfitted with larger, heavier bodies.

The first version of the 1750 was the Turismo. The second version was the Sport which sat atop a shorter wheelbase and was given an improved engine. The most powerful and competitive versions of the 1750 was the Super Sport or Gran Sport. In this form they were often campaigned by the factory and privateers in a plethora of sporting events. They were equipped with supercharged engines and sat atop a short wheelbase. Most of the 360 examples received coachwork courtesy of Zagato, mainly because of the lightweight design. Only 44 examples of the sixth series Gran Sport were produced. The Gran Sport was successfully campaigned at events like the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio, and Tourist Trophy where it emerged victorious.

In 1931 the 8C 2300 replaced the Gran Sport. The 1750 Gran Sport is one of the finest sporting examples of its time. The 1750 continued Alfa Romeo's reputation for fun-to-drive vehicles that were competitive and durable.

1930 Alfa Romeo models
Alfa Romeo 6C 1500
Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS