1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Third Series Super Sport Spider

No fewer than 26 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS vehicles raced in the 1929 Mille Miglia, of which 25 finished, six among the first ten. The race was won, for the second consecutive year, by Giuseppe Campari and Giulio Ramponi driving a 6C 1750 SS. Additional victories and accolades in 1929 included the Grand Prix of Ireland, the 12 Hours of San Sebastian, and the 24 Hours of Spa Francorchamps. In 1930, the 6C 1750 won the 24 Hours of Spa Francorchamps and RAC Tourist Trophy.

This Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS with Two Seater coachwork by Zagato is one of 52 examples fitted with a supercharger. It is one of the third series examples and would have been the 116th of the third series completed. Built in September of 1930, it was road registered as 36436 MI (a Milan plate) that same month. It was sold by Alfa Romeo to Luca Alessio on March 22, 1932, and remained with him briefly (2 months) before returning to factory ownership on May 27, 1932. Later owners from Italy include Francesco Cherubini, Adolfo Carminati, and James Street. It was then sold to U.K. ownership and given the British license 'AUU 594.' It was then owned by a Mr. Noakes, also of the U.K., who sold it to a British actor named James Robertson Justice.

In November 1952, the Alfa Romeo was advertised for sale in Jack Bond's car dealership, 'Vintage Autos.' The advertisement stated, 'supercharged Grand Sport 2 Seater by Zagato. The engine has just been completely overhauled at a cost of over £200 and has only 150 miles use since. Brand new hood (top) has just been fitted and the whole car resprayed Alfa-red.' 'This Alfa is the late property of a well-known film star' (referring to Justice).

The car's next recorded owner was Mr. Simmons who sold it to Roy Slater. Presumably on Mr. Slater's behalf, the car was advertised by Major W.J. Boddington of Roydon in Essex and sold to British collector Hamish Moffat. While in his care, the car was re-registered with the license plate 'AR 1750.' It is also believed that it was restored by Mr. Moffat and the hood/top tray and the small, hinged luggage compartment was paneled over in a single piece.

The Alfa Romeo later migrated to the United States and into the care of Ed Mayne, William 'Bill' Jacobs of Chicago, and later Bob Fergus. Stanley Wanlass purchased it in the late 1980s and sold it in the early 2000s to the current caretaker.

The car is currently in a highly restored condition with a refurbishment which we believe to date from the late 1980s. The 1,752cc DOHC supercharged inline 6-cylinder engine has a single Solex carburetor and produces 85 horsepower at 4,500 RPM. There is a four-speed manual transmission and four-wheel drum brakes. The front dumb iron is stamped with Super Sport 3rd series frame number, and the rear axle number sits in the sequence of 5th Series Grand Sport 6C 1750s. There is no number on the steering box, suggesting that this may be a new casting.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2023