At Concours Of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, news broke recently that two one-off Alfa Romeo’s were to be displayed at the event. Displayed among a curated collection of nearly 1,000 rare cars of all ages, a 1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300B and a 1951 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS by Ghia will be displayed for three days only September 4-6, 2020. Alongside the centerpiece display – a collection of the McLaren F1 GTRs that finished 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th at Le Mans 24 Hours in 1995 – these two beautiful Italian automobiles showcase some of the best in contemporary engineering and hand-crafted design.
Concours of Elegance is a prestigious automobile event where vehicles are displayed and judged, deriving from the French term Concours d’Elegance, which means a “competition of elegance.” Dating back to the 17th century, aristocrats would parade horse-drawn carriages in the parks of Paris, fast forward to the present day where the cars now have motors, but the pomp and circumstance still are fresh in the air.
During the 1930s and 1940s, both the Alfa Romeo 6C 2300B and 2500 were among the most expensive cars in the world, with engines designed by one of the great automotive designers of all time, Vittorio Jano. Jano’s ingenious design and groundbreaking engineering helped both amass many impressive race victories at races such as the 1937 Mille Miglia, 1937 Targa Abruzzo in Pescara, 1938 Targa Abruzzo in Pescara and 1950 Targa Florio. Alongside its power on the track, both cars are both beautiful inside and out.
As one of four automobiles built by Swiss coachbuilder Graber in a cabriolet style, the 1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300B is the only one with a Mille Miglia-specification engine and chassis. The car was ordered by Martin Mueller, CEO of Bruggmuehle Goldach and in 2014 underwent a three-year restoration to return it to resemble its original build
Similar to the 6C 2300B, the 1951 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS by Ghia on display is also one of four ever built. It is the only model that has a specially crafted tubular chassis manufactured by Gilco, a renowned as an innovative engineering firm responsible for creating the chassis of the first-ever Ferrari. This particular car had a storied history as SIRCA initially ordered it, found its way to the UK, found its way to America in 2016 via Austria and the Netherlands and its current owners underwent another full restoration with the car in 2016 to take it back to its original specification, which took over two-and-a-half years.
