1950 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500

The Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 was the first non-racing vehicle from the company to exceed 100 mph. It was introduced in 1939 and produced for only a short period before the war halted production, with production resuming at the conclusion of World War II. Thus, it was the company's last pre-war model and its first post-war offering. This was the final Alfa Romeo model to use the Vittorio Jano-designed engine. It was equipped with four-wheel independent suspension with parallel trailing arms and coil springs in the front, and swing axles with torsion bars at the rear.

Alfa Romeo first began using the '6C' name in the 1920s for its road, race, and sports cars, with the '6C' in reference to the six-cylinders of its straight-six engine. The early examples were exclusively bodied by coachbuilders such as Touring, Zagato, Pinin Farina, Castagna, and James Young. An Alfa Romeo-built body was first offered in 1933. Early examples of the 6C were powered by a 1.5-liter (1500cc) engine earning it the name 6C 1500. Displacement size grew to 1,752cc in 1929, giving birth to the 6C 1750. It would prove very successful in competition, within every major race in which it was entered in 1929, including the Grands Prix of Belgium, Spain, Tunis, and Monza, and the Mille Miglia.

The Alfa Rome 6C 1900 was a transition model built in 1933 with under 200 examples constructed prior to the introduction of the 6C 2300 introduced the following year. The 6C 2300 enjoyed a much longer lifespan, lasting from 1934 through 1938, with production reaching 1,630 units, including 760 of the earlier rigid-axle cars and 870 of the 6C 2300 B-model version, which had an independent front suspension and rear swing axle, as well as hydraulic brakes. Next came the 6C 2500 with its 2,443cc engine mounted onto a steel ladder frame chassis with wheelbase sizes of 3,250mm (128 inches) for the Turismo, 3000mm (118.1-inch) on the Sport, and 2,700 mm (106.3 inches) on the Super Sport. Most of the coachwork was provided by Touring Superleggera of Mila.

When World War II came to a close, Alfa Romeo introduced an evolved and more expensive 6C 2500 model. They would also be the last dedicated coach-built Alfa Romeo model. The line included a five-passenger Berlina, a four/five-passenger Cabriolet, a two-passenger Cabriolet, and a Berlinetta coupe with superleggera (super light) coachwork by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan.

The coupe body style was available as a high compression, triple-Weber-carburetor Super Sport or 'SS' model, which rested on a 12-inch shorter wheelbase measuring 106.3 inches. A total of 458 examples of the 'SS' models were built between 1939 and 1951. The 2,443cc dual overhead camshaft inline six-cylinder engine produced 110 horsepower and was backed by a four-speed manual transmission. Hydraulic drum brakes at all four corners provided the stopping power.

The final 6C was constructed in 1952, and the model was replaced by the 1900, the company's first car built entirely on a production line, the first Alfa Romeo offered with left-hand drive, and the first production car without a separate chassis.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2017