1952 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500

The Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 was introduced near the end of the 1930's and came equipped with a Vittorio Jano-designed six-cylinder engine. The '6C' was in reference to the number of cylinders while the '2500' represented the engine's cubic-centimeter displacement size.

The 6C was available in a plethora of body styles and wheelbase sizes and was produced during two different times in history. Most of the coachwork was handled by Touring of Italy or by Pinin Farina. The body styles ranged from coupes and convertibles to four-seater saloons. In 1939 Alfa Romeo introduced the SS version, a short-wheelbase model, dubbed 'SS' for Super Sport, that had a high-compression 6C engine rated at 105 horsepower. It was the top-of-the-line 6C model that married style and performance together to create the perfect road-going vehicle.

World War II interrupted production for automobile manufacturers as they focused their attention on supporting the war effort, many building engines for marine and aircraft or producing vehicles that were suitable for wartime. When Alfa Romeo resumed production, their vehicles were similar to those they had offered in 1939. The main difference was that Alfa Romeo now bodied the cars themselves rather than providing the rolling chassis for custom coachbuilders to body. The designs had become standard but they were still based on sketches and designs produced by coachbuilders such as Pinin Farina and Touring. Pinin Farina built exclusive bodies such as the Cabriolet. These vehicles were elegant and stylish and had a price tag that matched. Touring built the Coupes which became known as the Villa d'Este in 1949 after winning the famous Concours d'Elegance Villa d'Este. When outfitted with the Superleggera, meaning lightweight, bodies they were capable of speeds in excess of 100 mph.

The engines were similar to the Jano-designed six-cylinder power plant, capable of producing 110 horsepower. Independent suspension was installed to soften the ride while improving performance and handling characteristics. A four-speed manual transmission was similar to the one used prior to the onset of the war.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2005