The Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Best of Show at Pebble Beach
By: conceptcarz.com
The Pebble Beach Concours really likes the Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B. The Alfa Romeo 8C was probably one of the most technically advanced, modern, and compelling sports car that money could buy in the 1930s. In 2008 an Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B Corto Touring Berlinetta owned by Jon and Mary Shirley won Best of Show honors. This year, the judges award top honors to a 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta owned by David Sydorick.
Mr. Shirley's 2008 Pebble Beach Best of Show Alfa Romeo 8C is a Berlinetta (Italian for 'sports coupe'). It 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.
Mr. Sydorick's 2018 Pebble Beach Best of Show Alfa Romeo 8C is also a Berlinetta. It is an 8C 2900B Lungo Berlinetta with Superleggera coachwork. It was revealed to the world at the 1937 Milan Auto Show and at the 1938 Berlin Motor Show. It was also featured in many period magazines and in the Alfa Romeo sales brochure, where it was called the 'Coupe Leggero.' It differs from the later 8C 2900 Berlinettas by having a more steeply raked aerodynamic front grille and no running boards. The car is believed to have remained in Germany through the 1950s. It was brought to the United States in 1956. It was first restored in the 1990s and was named Most Elegant Closed Car at the 2001 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The current owner has now restored the car to its 1935 Berlin Motor Show specification.
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