Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 915080
Engine No. 923882
The third series of Vittorio Jano's legendary run of inline
six-cylinder Alfa Romeos, the 6C 2500 bridged the gap between the
late prewar and early postwar years, and was advanced in both eras.
It featured four-wheel independent suspension with parallel
trailing arms and coil springs in front, and swing axles with
torsion bars at the rear. With its triple-carbureted 110 horespower
engine, the most prestigious and potent 6C 2500 SS - for Super
Sport - could achieve 160 kph, the first roadgoing Alfa Romeo
capable of that feat. Examples of the model were fitted with
stunning coachwork for both road and track and were very successful
on both - it is one of the best-performing and most beautifully
bodied Italian automobiles of their generation.
Alfa Romeo faced a new challenge for the 1940 Mille Miglia, where
new regulations had eliminated the eight-cylinder models that had
been all-conquering in recent years. As a result the factory set to
work developing the Tipo 256, a full-bore competition version of
the roadgoing 6C 2500 SS, of which 30 examples were produced by
Scuderia Ferrari. One of these chassis was bodied by the renowned
Carrozzeria Touring as a fascinating streamlined coupe, aptly
dubbed the Berlinetta Aerodinamica. Remarkably low and sleek by the
standards of the time, it featured fenders nearly fully integrated
into the lines of the coachwork, an incredibly modern feature for
1939, as well as a close-coupled and rounded greenhouse with a
vee'd windshield and angled side windows. Compared to the plebian
Fiats and even some of the grander automobiles seen on Italian
roads during this era, it was a veritable spaceship.
The basic shape of this car, relatively subtle though it may be
compared to French coachwork of the period, was earth-shaking; it
would influence not only the coupe bodies produced on postwar 6C
2500 chassis, but also the essential shape of most of the early
prewar grand touring coupes produced in Europe. These included the
first closed Ferraris and, most pointedly, the Aston Martin DB2,
whose styling bears an utterly remarkable resemblance to the
Berlinetta Aerodinamica, especially in the shape of the roofline
and the doors with their prominent external hinges. Generations of
fast European automobiles owed something to Touring's creation,
probably one of the most quietly influential body designs of the
last century.
Prince Bira of Siam and Raymond Sommer, two of the best-known
drivers of the era, shared the Berlinetta Aerodinamica for the 1939
24 Hours of Le Mans, though it did not finish - certainly not due
to any lack of talent behind the wheel. It reappeared again at the
1940 Mille Miglia, now driven by Count Carlo Felice Trossi, the
revered aristocratic Italian sportsman best-remembered for his
iconic Mercedes-Benz SSK, and Ascanio Lucchi. The car finished
eighth overall, with the seven cars ahead of it including four
other Touring designs - including the winning BMW 328, with styling
not dissimilar from the Alfa, which was testament to the bodywork's
wind-cheating abilities and Touring's abilities to help craft a
winner. Afterward, the original Berlinetta Aerodinamica, like so
many of these racing cars built in the last months before the war,
was never seen again, likely feeding the munitions machine and,
accordingly, utterly disappearing into the past.
The chassis of this particular car was reportedly discovered in the
late 1980s or early 1990s in Eastern Europe, reportedly carrying an
original 6C 2500 engine and later replacement cabriolet coachwork.
It was subsequently dealt to Heinz Jasper of Wuppertal, Germany. In
1994, a new Italian owner brought the car to the renowned craftsman
Dino Cognolato of Carrozzeria Nova Rinascente of Vigoza. In
Cognolato's hands, the Alfa began its restoration, but with a new
design from the annals of history - a body that would be the full
realization of the original Berlinetta Aerodinamica.
The chassis was reportedly well-preserved, with its side rails and
cross-members intact save for the differential support, which had
been modified and relocated rearward to fit a non-original
differential. As part of the restoration the chassis was carefully
restored by Cognolato to its original configuration, and a correct
prewar Alfa Romeo rear end was purchased and reinstalled.
To ensure that the car would be worthy of its inspiration, the
project was undertaken with the participation of Touring scion
Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni, who proved access to the
coachbuilder's original records, supervision for the creation of
full-scale design drawings, and his explicit blessing for the work
prior to his passing. Indeed, this was the last automobile whose
construction Anderloni took part in. The body was built to the
original style, with an inner Superleggera frame of small-diameter
steel tubing, wrapped in featherweight aluminum panels.
Construction of the car was finished to an even higher standard
than the original, as it was completed without the stress and
material limitations of those months before the full onset of World
War II in Europe. Admittedly the restoration was "better than new,"
but beautifully so, and Anderloni's authorization of it is spoken
for by the signed plaque visible on the dashboard.
Much of the restoration had already been completed when the car was
sold to another collector, Mark Gessler, then of Potomac, Maryland,
in 2003. Cognolato finished the details of the coachwork and
applied the magnificent interior finishes and trim, while Nino
Epifani, of the renowned Epifani Restorations, was charged with
completing the project, and rebuilt the mechanical components.
With the work completed, the extraordinary Alfa Romeo was debuted
at the 2008 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, then was driven by
Mr. Gessler on that year's Colorado Grand. It went on to be shown
at St. Michaels and to undertake demonstration laps at the 2009
Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. In 2010, following the completion of
its brief show and rallying career, it was acquired by the Academy
of Art University and has remained well-kept as one of the
centerpieces in its collection for well over a decade. Its
restoration remains magnificent, with the paintwork and interior
both still in nearly fresh, outstanding condition, and the quality
and fine detailing of its construction are both beyond
reproach.
Suitable for any number of historic rallies worldwide, on which it
will be a most appropriate and thrilling mount, or for astonishing
crowds at concours events, the famed Alfa Romeo Berlinetta
Aerodinamica proudly lives again and is today offered to a new
caretaker. It represents some of the most advanced engineering, of
both chassis and bodywork, of its era, as well as the superb work
of two generations of Anderlonis at Carrozzeria Touring.
