1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 B Corto Spider

Alfa Romeo enjoyed a very successful career on both the road and the track. After encountering the inevitable financial difficulties, it was bailed out by the state. Instead of being directed to downsize and build saleable automobiles to generate cash flow, Italy did the unthinkable and directed Alfa to build racing machines to showcase Italy's technology and competitiveness.

In 1915, Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, along with its chief engineer, Giuseppe Merosi, came under the control of Nicola Romeo. After World War I, Merosi designed the RL. A sports version soon followed, and it went on to win the Targa Florio, the Circuito di Cremona, and the Coppa della Consuma in 1924. It was also a commercial success, with over 2,600 examples built between 1922 to 1928. After the RL came the P1, a Grand Prix design that came with a 1,990 cubic-centimeter dual overhead camshaft six-cylinder engine. It failed to show the same competitiveness as its sibling.

Nicola Romeo tasked a young employee named Enzo Ferrari to help create the groundwork for a successful Grand Prix program. Ferrari was successful in his mission, along with the help of engineer Vittorio Jano. Jano began work on a new GP car, the 1987cc cubic-centimeter supercharged dual overhead camshaft eight-cylinder P2, which won its first race at the Circuito di Cremona in 1924. It later went on to dominate Grand Prix racing through 1925.

At the 1925 Milan Auto Show, Alfa Romeo introduced the 6C 1500, which set new standards for lightweight, high-performance road cars. Unfortunately, its production was delayed for over a year due to another round of financial problems, during which Nicola Romeo ceded control of his industrial complex to an Italian state-owned organization, the Istituto di Liquidazione.

The 6C 1500 was introduced with a single overhead camshaft, though Jano had provided for a twin-cam head in the original design, which was introduced in 1928, followed by the slightly larger 1752-cubic centimeter 6C 1750 in 1929. The next evolution of the 6C was introduced in 1934 - the 6C 2300 - and had nearly twice the displacement of the car it succeeded. Powering the 6C 2300 was a 2309cc engine that featured a one-piece crankcase/cylinder block and an aluminum alloy cylinder head. Camshaft drive was by a combination of roller chain and gears. The engine was designed to be powerful without the complication and expense of superchargers. In 1938, the 6C 2300B was introduced, raising horsepower even further.

The chassis was built around a boxed section frame rails and featured a fully independent suspension. The brakes were composed of large drums with aluminum cooling fins shrunk around them.

6C 2300B Corto Spider in the style of Touring
This Alfa Romeo wears coachwork in the style of Touring. It is believed that the car was delivered new as a short chassis saloon. In the 1980s, it was rebodied with this new coachwork, which includes a number of Touring design trademarks, including the slotted rear fender skirts and the rakish dipped chrome body molding.

At the time, the car was in Europe. After the re-body, the European owner toured the car extensively at various events, including the Mille Miglia retrospective.

Mr. Bill Jacobs later imported the car to the United States and set upon restoring it. He had the car finished in the period-correct dark red color. The car had been originally fitted with a single carburetor but was upgraded to the dual carburetor setup that was normally found on a 2300B Mille Miglia chassis.

Ownership later passed from Gene Ponder to the present owner.

In 2012, the car was offered for sale at RM Auction's Scottsdale Auction. It was estimated to sell for $500,000-$700,000.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2013