Information
- Eligible for the Mille Miglia.
- As a prewar car, it has the advantage of having a front position in the starting grid.
- Matching numbers.
- It is supposedly a one-off car.
- It is most likely the car exhibited by Castagna at the 1934 Salone di Milano.
- A highly performative car. To simply street drive or to winningly race with it.
- Extra two double-barrel carburettors and manifold.
- The car comes from an outstanding private collection
Certifications and Statements
ASI.
Documents
Registration and Italian license plates in order.
Eligibility
ASI.
Documents
Registration and Italian license plates in order.
Eligibility
- Mille Miglia. Eligible.
- Giro di Sicilia. Eligible.
- Targa Florio. Eligible.
- Goodwood Revival. Eligible
- Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti. Eligible.
- Vernasca Silver Flag. Eligible.
- California Mille: Eligible.
- Nürburgring Classic. Eligible.
- Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Eligible.
- Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Eligible.
- Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille. Eligible.
- Concorso d’eleganza Villa D’Este. Eligible.
Provenance
The model
In the early 1920s, Vittorio Jano received a commission to create a lightweight, high-performance vehicle to replace the large and heavy RL and RM models. The Alfa Romeo 6C was a range of road, race, and sports cars produced between 1927 and 1954. The "6C" name refers to the number of cylinders of the car's straight-six engine. Bodies were made by coachbuilders such as Castagna, James Young, Pinin Farina, Touring and Zagato. From 1933 a factory Alfa Romeo body, built in Portello, was also available. The car was introduced in April 1925 at the Salone dell'Automobile di Milano as the 6C 1500, since the 2-litre formula that led Alfa Romeo to win the Automobile World Championship in 1925 changed to 1.5-liter for the 1926 season. The production started 1927, with the P2 Grand Prix car as a basis. The more powerful 6C 1750 was introduced in 1929 in Rome. The car featured a top speed of 95 mph (153 km/h), a chassis designed to flex and undulate over curved surfaces, as well as sensitive geared-up steering. It was produced in six series between 1929 and 1933. The base model had a single overhead cam; Super Sport and Gran Sport versions had double overhead cam engine (DOHC), and a supercharger was available. Most of the cars were sold as rolling chassis and bodied by coachbuilders. The 1750 quickly gained a reputation for winning. In 1933, the last year of the 1750 production, the new Alfa Romeo 6C 1900 version was introduced, with displacement brought to 1917 cm³ and with a light alloy head, introduced. To satisfy the market request for a car with high performances, but at a lower price, Alfa Romeo introduced a new car at the Salone dell’Auto di Milano in 1934: the 6C 2300, designed to replace the 6C 1750 and its 6C 1900 derivative. Despite the chain of successes, the 8C 2300s remained designated for races and did not even appear in the sales catalogue. The 6C 2300 sports debut was at the 1934 Giro automobilistico d’Italia. But at the 24 Ore di Pescara, three Gran Turismo cars with bodywork by Carrozzeria Touring won the first three places, and so, after the race, Alfa Romeo began to sell the model under the new name “Pescara”. The 6C 2300 was available as Turismo and Gran Turismo. The Gran Turismo version had better performance and also foresaw the reduction of the wheelbase (2920 mm), proposing once again the dimensions of the 6C 1500 Sport and 6C 1750 Gran Turismo. Except for the reduction in length, the chassis was identical to that of the Turismo model and was not distinguished by particular technical innovations. Production was limited to 1934, and the chassis of all Gran Turismo versions numbered from 700101 to 700635. A total of 1.606 specimens of 6C 2300 were produced, including the nude chassis for the coachbuilders and complete cars. The Alfa Romeos were absolute leaders in the history of the Mille Miglia, and the various 6C models participated with real squadrons, led by the most talented racing drivers of the time. The Mille Miglia years of the 6C 2300 were four. The debut was in 1935 when a specimen led by Franco Cortese placed 8th overall. At the 1936 Mille Miglia, three out of four 6C 2300s entered ranked 9th, 11th and 13th overall. Ercole Boratto, Mussolini's driver, drove the last one. The 6C 2300 were also the only ones registered, in that year, in the " Classe oltre 2.000 cc senza compressore" and, therefore, they were 1st, 2nd, 3rd in class. In 1937, the 6C 2300 ran the Mille Miglia with ten specimens of the various versions, best result: Ercole Boratto, 4th overall. In 1938, the 6C 2300 ran the Mille Miglia with 12 specimens of the multiple versions, best result: Franco Cortese, 9th overall.
The car
The 1934 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300, chassis no. 700212 is a Gran Turismo Cabriolet Royal by Carrozzeria Castagna Milano and is from the first series of 6C 2300, retrospectively called 6C 2300 A. A passionate collector of vintage cars located the car in Argentina at the end of the 70s, and then imported it to Italy in 1980. The car was most likely bought initially by an Italo-Argentine and had an Argentine plate BSA510200 (probably from the province of Buenos Aires). The 6C 2300 GT, chassis no. 700212, is the only known "Cabriolet Royal Castagna" existing today. The model was presented at the 1934 Salone di Milano at the Castagna stand. From the black and white photos of the era, we can see a pale coloured car that could be the car at auction; in fact, it is not clear how many specimens have been built, maybe just one: no other specimens have ever been seen. The advertising pages of the Castagna bodywork of the time, on the other hand, depict exactly this car.The collector, who found the car in the 70s, later sold it to another renown collector. The 6C 2300 GT, chassis no. 700212, is part of a selected group of cars from his collection. The body built by Ercole Castagna is in the shape of an elegant convertible, with exceptional finishing and detailing. It has tilting glass both on the front and the rear and has an elegant and proportionate designed soft top, with an original but complex system of frame and joints for opening and closing. With the “6C 2300s A,” Ala Romeo became to pay great attention to improved aerodynamics in the bodywork. The chassis no. 700212 is equipped with an additional kit with two SOLEX double-barrel carburettors and dedicated manifold, instead of the single standard double-barrel carburettor. The dashboard features an indicator of the speed limits of all the gears and a watch smaller than usual. Completely original, the car was patiently restored in the mechanics and the bodywork in the early 1980s. Today, despite the years of restoration, it is in good conditions and functions excellently. The chassis no. 700212 has participated, over the years in various events, many with the RIAR. To name some of them: the 14th Rally Alfa Romeo Città di Ferrara in 1989, the Alfa Romeo Trophaeum Club in 1990, the control con Mario Righini at the Panzano castle in 1992, the 50th AFRA anniversary in Settimo Milanese, in 1996, the event The RIAR in Poland in 2001 and the Coppa Milano-Sanremo in 2005. The most significant event was, perhaps, the Trofeo di affidabilità Alfa Romeo Milano-Capo Nord in 1989 (documented by the images from a video), brilliantly faced and overcome. The 6C 2300 GT, chassis no. 700212 was registered in Italy in 1991, with plates MI6U2724. It is ready for re-enacting competitions and the main concourse of elegance.
State of the Art: Old restoration, in good condition and working order. Matching numbers.
In the early 1920s, Vittorio Jano received a commission to create a lightweight, high-performance vehicle to replace the large and heavy RL and RM models. The Alfa Romeo 6C was a range of road, race, and sports cars produced between 1927 and 1954. The "6C" name refers to the number of cylinders of the car's straight-six engine. Bodies were made by coachbuilders such as Castagna, James Young, Pinin Farina, Touring and Zagato. From 1933 a factory Alfa Romeo body, built in Portello, was also available. The car was introduced in April 1925 at the Salone dell'Automobile di Milano as the 6C 1500, since the 2-litre formula that led Alfa Romeo to win the Automobile World Championship in 1925 changed to 1.5-liter for the 1926 season. The production started 1927, with the P2 Grand Prix car as a basis. The more powerful 6C 1750 was introduced in 1929 in Rome. The car featured a top speed of 95 mph (153 km/h), a chassis designed to flex and undulate over curved surfaces, as well as sensitive geared-up steering. It was produced in six series between 1929 and 1933. The base model had a single overhead cam; Super Sport and Gran Sport versions had double overhead cam engine (DOHC), and a supercharger was available. Most of the cars were sold as rolling chassis and bodied by coachbuilders. The 1750 quickly gained a reputation for winning. In 1933, the last year of the 1750 production, the new Alfa Romeo 6C 1900 version was introduced, with displacement brought to 1917 cm³ and with a light alloy head, introduced. To satisfy the market request for a car with high performances, but at a lower price, Alfa Romeo introduced a new car at the Salone dell’Auto di Milano in 1934: the 6C 2300, designed to replace the 6C 1750 and its 6C 1900 derivative. Despite the chain of successes, the 8C 2300s remained designated for races and did not even appear in the sales catalogue. The 6C 2300 sports debut was at the 1934 Giro automobilistico d’Italia. But at the 24 Ore di Pescara, three Gran Turismo cars with bodywork by Carrozzeria Touring won the first three places, and so, after the race, Alfa Romeo began to sell the model under the new name “Pescara”. The 6C 2300 was available as Turismo and Gran Turismo. The Gran Turismo version had better performance and also foresaw the reduction of the wheelbase (2920 mm), proposing once again the dimensions of the 6C 1500 Sport and 6C 1750 Gran Turismo. Except for the reduction in length, the chassis was identical to that of the Turismo model and was not distinguished by particular technical innovations. Production was limited to 1934, and the chassis of all Gran Turismo versions numbered from 700101 to 700635. A total of 1.606 specimens of 6C 2300 were produced, including the nude chassis for the coachbuilders and complete cars. The Alfa Romeos were absolute leaders in the history of the Mille Miglia, and the various 6C models participated with real squadrons, led by the most talented racing drivers of the time. The Mille Miglia years of the 6C 2300 were four. The debut was in 1935 when a specimen led by Franco Cortese placed 8th overall. At the 1936 Mille Miglia, three out of four 6C 2300s entered ranked 9th, 11th and 13th overall. Ercole Boratto, Mussolini's driver, drove the last one. The 6C 2300 were also the only ones registered, in that year, in the " Classe oltre 2.000 cc senza compressore" and, therefore, they were 1st, 2nd, 3rd in class. In 1937, the 6C 2300 ran the Mille Miglia with ten specimens of the various versions, best result: Ercole Boratto, 4th overall. In 1938, the 6C 2300 ran the Mille Miglia with 12 specimens of the multiple versions, best result: Franco Cortese, 9th overall.
The car
The 1934 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300, chassis no. 700212 is a Gran Turismo Cabriolet Royal by Carrozzeria Castagna Milano and is from the first series of 6C 2300, retrospectively called 6C 2300 A. A passionate collector of vintage cars located the car in Argentina at the end of the 70s, and then imported it to Italy in 1980. The car was most likely bought initially by an Italo-Argentine and had an Argentine plate BSA510200 (probably from the province of Buenos Aires). The 6C 2300 GT, chassis no. 700212, is the only known "Cabriolet Royal Castagna" existing today. The model was presented at the 1934 Salone di Milano at the Castagna stand. From the black and white photos of the era, we can see a pale coloured car that could be the car at auction; in fact, it is not clear how many specimens have been built, maybe just one: no other specimens have ever been seen. The advertising pages of the Castagna bodywork of the time, on the other hand, depict exactly this car.The collector, who found the car in the 70s, later sold it to another renown collector. The 6C 2300 GT, chassis no. 700212, is part of a selected group of cars from his collection. The body built by Ercole Castagna is in the shape of an elegant convertible, with exceptional finishing and detailing. It has tilting glass both on the front and the rear and has an elegant and proportionate designed soft top, with an original but complex system of frame and joints for opening and closing. With the “6C 2300s A,” Ala Romeo became to pay great attention to improved aerodynamics in the bodywork. The chassis no. 700212 is equipped with an additional kit with two SOLEX double-barrel carburettors and dedicated manifold, instead of the single standard double-barrel carburettor. The dashboard features an indicator of the speed limits of all the gears and a watch smaller than usual. Completely original, the car was patiently restored in the mechanics and the bodywork in the early 1980s. Today, despite the years of restoration, it is in good conditions and functions excellently. The chassis no. 700212 has participated, over the years in various events, many with the RIAR. To name some of them: the 14th Rally Alfa Romeo Città di Ferrara in 1989, the Alfa Romeo Trophaeum Club in 1990, the control con Mario Righini at the Panzano castle in 1992, the 50th AFRA anniversary in Settimo Milanese, in 1996, the event The RIAR in Poland in 2001 and the Coppa Milano-Sanremo in 2005. The most significant event was, perhaps, the Trofeo di affidabilità Alfa Romeo Milano-Capo Nord in 1989 (documented by the images from a video), brilliantly faced and overcome. The 6C 2300 GT, chassis no. 700212 was registered in Italy in 1991, with plates MI6U2724. It is ready for re-enacting competitions and the main concourse of elegance.
State of the Art: Old restoration, in good condition and working order. Matching numbers.
Exhibition
Literature
- Stefano d’Amico, Maurizio Tabucchi, Alfa Romeo – Le vetture di produzione dal 1910, Giorgio Nada Ed., Milano 2007
- Fabio Morlacchi, Stefano Salvetti, Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 - 6C 2500, Fucina, Milano
- Luigi Fusi, Enzo Ferrari, Griffith Borgeson, Le Alfa Romeo di Vittorio Jano, Autocritica, Italia 1982
- Stefano d’Amico, Registro Italiano Alfa Romeo 1962-2004, Edizioni RIAR, Italia 2004
Specialist Notes
Condition report
To request a Condition Report, please contact automotive@finarte.it
The department will provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Please note that what Finarte declares with respect to the state of conservation of the objects corresponds only to a qualified opinion and that we are not professional conservators or restorers.
We urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. We always suggest prospective buyers to inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition during the exhibition days as indicated in the catalog.