Fabulous Cars
Some of the most wonderful cars ever created
Alfa Romeo 6C
The Alfa Romeo 6C was named after it's straight six cylinder engine. As was fashionable at the time buyers usually bought just a rolling chassis with the the car finished off by another company. There was a choice of bodywork from various coachbuilders such as Touring Superleggia James Young and Zagato. The 1500cc engine was, however, generally considered to be underpowered.
It wasn't until 1929 when the 1750cc engine was introduced that the 6C really took off. This came with a lightweight chassis, which was designed to be flexible over rough services, and geared steering but it was the engine upgrade that really made all the difference. Although it was meant to be a top-quality sporting road car it very quickly became a favourite of the racing circuits and in the first year of it's introduction it won practically every race it was entered for, including the Ulster TT, Brooklands Double 12, Mille Miglia and the Grand Prix of Spain, Monza, Tunis and Belgium!
In the Mille Miglia, 26 cars competed, of which 25 actually completed the course, displaying excellent reliability; and of the first 10 to cross the line, six of them were 1750s.
In 1930 a 1750 came first in the Mille Miglia again.
In it's day it was undoubtedly one of the best Alfa Romeos ever produced. There were a total of six versions manufactured during a four year production life, each one featuring improvements over the last one. The most basic one, the Turismo 1750, with a single overhead cam, could reach about 68 mph whereas the Super Sport and Gran Sport versions, with double overhead camshafts, could get up to 110 mph with the assistance of a supercharger.
Although production ended in 1930, racing successes still continue for many more years, ample testimony to the car's longevity.
Altogether more than 2,500 of these 1750s were produced, making it one of the most popular sports/racing cars/tourers of the day.
It is still popular yet; in 2011 a 1930 1750 Gran Sport Spyder was offered for sale for an undisclosed sum, but rumoured to be about a million Euros. This was a very cheap price compared to what one in good condition would fetch today!