1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 news, pictures, and information

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Zagato Spyder
Coachwork: Zagato

This Alfa Romeo was built in 1931 and was in Switzerland from 1934 until 1959. Chassis repairs suggest the car was wrecked comprehensively, probably in Switzerland, and it's safe to say that at some time the car was raced. While there is no record of this car racing, the Supercharged 6C 1750 Grand Sport Alfas dominated sports car racing from 1929 to 1930.

This Zagato-bodied two-seater spider is typical of the model. A total of 369 Super Sport and Grand Sport 6C 1750s were built. It is powered by a water-cooled, double-overhead-cam, 6-cylinder, 1752 cc, engine coupled to a 4-speed manual transmission. The engine produces 85 horsepower and the supercharged version was capable of 90 mph. The chassis consist of channel-steel, and front and rear suspension by semi-elliptic leaf springs with 4-wheel drum brakes.

Current owner purchased the car in 1993 and a three-year restoration was completed in 1996. Since the restoration, the car has been driven 1,800 miles just for the fun of driving it, according to the owner.

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Zagato Spyder
Coachwork: Zagato
Chassis Num: 10814344

The 6C 1750 GS is one of the most important sports/racing cars from the early 1930's. The twin cam supercharged engine, in combination with the short, light weight chassis, provides a great performing car - even by today's standards. This car sports a Zagato body and a six-cylinder engine rated at 85 horsepower.

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Zagato Spyder
Coachwork: Zagato
Chassis Num: 6C10814356
Engine Num: 6C10814356

In 1927 the 1500cc single overhead cam six-cylinder engine was introduced to the Alfa Romeo stable, and over the next five years would undergo many modifications, updates, and improvements. The following year the engine had been given two overhead cams and an increase in power. By 1929, the displacement had been increased to 1752cc where it would remain through 1932. In total, fewer than 400 examples of the 67 1750 SS and GS cars were constructed.

The heroic capabilities of the engine were first seen in 1982 when Giusepee Campari won the grueling Mille Milgia with the first of the 6C 1500 supercharged Zagato Spyders. From there, Alfa Romeo's domination in the sports car racing scene would continue to escalate. Campari would repeat his victory in the Mille Miglia in 1930, this time with a 6C 1750 Zagato Spyder driven in the 2000cc class. Pirola and Guidotti won their 1500cc class in a 6C 1500. Seven of the top ten places that year were Alfa Romeos.

Alfa Romeo's success in competition continued with their 8C 2300. In 1950 an Alfa Romeo Tipo 159 Zagato bodied car won the first Grand Prix World Championship.

This 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Zagato Spyder is equipped with the superchanged engine that provided 85 horsepower at 4400 rpm. It is from the fifth series of production and wears coachwork by Zagato. It was first registered on August 10th of 1931 in the village of Saint Varent in Southwest France to Baron Phillipe de Gunzbourg. It was given the registration number 493 XL1.

It is believed that Baron used this car in motor racing with several notable successes. On June 5th of 1932 he won the 2000cc class at the La Mothe Ste Heraye hill climb and another class victory on June 12th at the Pumoyen hill climb.

In 1933 the Baron co-drove an 8C 2300 Alfa Romeo to second place at the 24 Hours of LeMans with Luigi Chinetti.

de Gunzbourg owned this car until September of 1935 when it was registered in the department of Basses Pyrenees with registration number 5906 NM2. On May 14th of 1940, ownership passed to the aircraft manufacturing company Hydravions F.B.A. of Argenteuil near Paris and registered 5922YC2.

On June 5th of 1944, the car was purchased by Victor Polledri, a friend of Luigi Chinetti. It was given the Paris registration number 3081RN4. The car would remain in his posession until the late 1960s when it was sold to M. Barriere who used it sparingly until his death. Upon his death, the car passed to his son. While in his son's care, the engine was rebuilt and the Zagato coachwork was stripped to bare metal. Little was done after that; it was sold in the early 1980s to its last owner. The car has been stored, in unrestored condition since that time.

In 2007 it was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, California where it was estimated to sell for $900,000 - $1,200,000. It is rare that an unmolested supercharged Alfa Romeo Zagato Spyder 6C 1750 comes to market. As the gavel fell for the third and final time, the lot had been sold for the sum of $946,000 including buyer's premium.

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Zagato Spyder
Coachwork: Zagato

A Great Car for Competition, Then and Now
In 1929, the legendary Alfa Romeo engineer, Vittorio Jano, designed a supercharged, six-cylinder, sports racing car engine of 1750cc. The Sports models would use a light frame with this powerful 100 horsepower engine, creating a car of truly exceptional capabilities. It was common practice for Alfa Romeo to sell only the chassis, with a coachbuilder adding a body. Zagato and Touring provided the majority for Alfa. Zagato bodies were favored for racing as the Superleggera principle of applying aluminum body panels over a steel framework which saved weight, improving the performance. Of the 2,259 1750's built, only 257 were Gran Sports. Many great racing drivers successfully raced these cars, including Campari, Varzi, Nuvolari and Zehender.

The Sport models would use a light frame with this powerful 100 bhp engine, creating a car of truly exceptional capabilities.

It was common practice for Alfa Romeo to sell only the chassis, with a coachbuilder adding a body. Zagato and Touring provided the majority for Alfa. Zagato bodies were favored for racing because the coachbuilder utilized the Superleggera principle for applying aluminum body panels over a steel framework. This saved substantial weight, improving the performance.

The definitive form of the 1750 was the Gran Sport, and this model was instrumental in making Alfa a dominant marque in 1930's racing, especially at LeMans and the legendary Mille Miglia. This car is from the fifth of six series. Of the 2,259 1750's, only 257 were Gran Sports. Many great racing drivers successfully campaigned these cars, including Campari, Varzi, Nuvolari and Zehender.

This Gran Sport has finished the 1000 Mile Colorado Grand twice, was the oldest car to finish in the 2004 California Mille Miglia, and was most recently entered, with its female driver/navigator team, in the 2007 1000-mile Huron Mille Miglia.

Great for competition 'Then and Now', this Gran Sport is regularly raced by its female owner.

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Zagato Spyder
Coachwork: Zagato
Chassis Num: 10814368
Engine Num: 10814368

This 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spider is a fifth series car fitted with a supercharged dual overhead camshaft engine producing 85 horsepower. It has the streamlined, lightweight coachwork by Zagato and is fitted with four-wheel mechanical drum brakes.

Its very early ownership has been lost to history. In 1934 it was in the possession of Charles E.C. Martin. The next owner, also of the United Kingdom, was Johnny Spindler who used it in competition at the Prescott Hill climb in the early postwar years.
Near the close of the 1950s, the car was in the ownership of a U.S. Navy officer in Norfolk, Virginia. It was sold to Gene Cesari, who sold it to L. Scott Bailey, the founder, editor, and publisher of Automobile Quarterly. The next owner was a resident of Washington, Pennsylvania.

The next owner, in the late 1980s, entrusted Tony Merrick in England to perform a light mechanical and cosmetic restoration, which was completed in 1993. It was used sparingly after the restoration - until it was entered in the 1997 California Mille 1,000-mile run.

It was purchased in 1998 by another individual who enlisted David George to perform a thorough restoration. In 2003, it was purchased by the current owner, who spent an additional $100,000 on a complete engine rebuilt by expert Jim Stokes in England. It was then driven twice on the Mille Miglia Storica with great success.

The car is currently painted in all-black livery with matching black leather interior. It is in impeccable cosmetic and operation condition and one of the very few Pre-War Alfa Romeos still wearing its original Zagato coachwork.

In 2008, this Series V Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, California and was estimated to sell for $1,300,000 - $1,600,000. As the gavel fell for the third and final time, the lot had been sold for $1,320,000, including buyer's premium.

As one of the most successful models of its period, the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750, along with its predecessor the 19500, embodied the functional simplicity typical of the 1930s Italian sports car. With its supercharged performance and elegant coachwork, the 1750 could be described as the ancestor of every GT car ever made. This late Series V model is one of the few 1750s still retaining its original Zagato coachwork. It was driven in competition by several British owners during the first half of its life. It arrived in the United States in the 1950s, and L. Scott Bailey, founder of Automobile Quarterly, owned the car for a number of years. Now carefully preserved, it has been driven on many rallies in recent years.

In 2009, it was on display at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

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.

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