1946 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500

This unique Alfa Romeo was bodied by Pinin Farina in 1946. The three-seat cabriolet features many new innovations like the 'Anti Seismic' steering wheel patented by Mario Revelli di Beaumont, the period's most important Italian designer. It was sold to Giuliana Tortoli of Milan, and she showed it at a concours near Lausanne. The car attracted attention wherever it went and in 1947 it won the Grand Prix d'Honneur at the Monte Carlo Concours. Shortly afterwards the car was sold back to Farina, who used it as his own personal car until it was sold to the chairman of Austin Motors, Leonard Lord, in 1948. He used it as design inspiration for the Austin A90 Atlantic. Also at Austin was Holden 'Bob' Koto, employed by Raymond Loewy but sent to Austin to help design the A90. Upon completion of his assignment he was given the car as a bonus. The car is now freshly restored; the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance was its first showing at a concours since Monte Carlo in 1947.

The Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 was introduced near the end of the 1930's. The 6C name was derived from the engine size, an inline-six while the 2500 represented the engine's cubic-centimeter displacement size.

The engine was a version of Vittorio Jano designed a six-cylinder engine. The 6C was available in a plethora of body styles and wheelbases 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 convertible to a four-seater salon. 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 had interrupted production for many automobile manufacturers. During this time many switched their efforts to support the war, such as building engines for marine and aircraft or by 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 were capable of speeds in excess of 100 mph.

The history of the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 automobiles are extensive. The various designs and body-styles matched with their mechanical capabilities make this one of the finest Alfa Romeos ever produced.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2006

The engine in the 1927 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 was the basis for a series of engines that would eventually define the marque as one of the great manufacturers of the pre-war era. The Vittorio Jano-designed engine was expanded to 1752cc and became the 6C 1750, which, in various body styles and tunes, would become the backbone of Alfa Romeo production from 1929 to 1933. Two additional cylinders were later added, becoming the 8C 2300 and, ultimately, the 8C 2900.

In 1934, Jano introduced a new generation of Alfa Romeo engines, the dual overhead camshaft 6C 2300. The unit had a bore that measured 70mm and a stroke of 100mm. The long stroke gave the engine high torque for drivability. It was given hollow camshafts for superior lubrication resulting in better reliability. There was an improved light alloy cylinder head with chain-driven camshafts. Also adding to the reliability were the seven main bearings, single-piece block, and head castings, plus a dual-level sump that acted as an oil cooler.

In 1939, the bore was increased to 72mm, resulting in the 6C 2500 with 2,443cc displacement. This engine was mounted in brilliant chassis that reflected the company's history in Grand Prix competition. At both the front and rear were an independent suspension with parallel trailing arms at the front and swing axles at the rear. Coil springs could be found in the front, and torsion bars in the back.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2009