Description
THE ALFA ROMEO 6C 2300
'An absolute novelty presented by Alfa Romeo at the 1934 Motor Show in Milan was the latest creation of Vittorio Jano, the six-cylinder intended by the factory and by the designer to claim the heritage of the prestigious Alfa Romeo 1750…' Le Alfa Romeo di Vittorio Jano', Autocritica, Milan, 1982.
Introduced at the 1934 Milan Salon, the Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 was the final flowering of a noble line of sporting models that had originated in 1925 with the 6C 1500. The final series was the first true expression of the enduring design genius of Vittorio Jano, who was the mastermind behind the Italian company's rapid rise to world class status in the mid-2s. His PXNUMX and Tipo B Monoposto Grand Prix racing designs proved virtually unbeatable at the highest level in their heyday, while his family of six-cylinder sports racing cars have gone down in the annals of automotive history as the standard of their time.
The 6's newly developed 2309-cylinder 2300cc engine had an integrally cast crankcase and cylinder block topped by an aluminum alloy cylinder head. Two basic specifications were available: the Turismo model with a long wheelbase chassis and the Gran Turimso models with a shortened wheelbase. In 1934, the 6C 2300 made a promising competitive debut in the inaugural “Giro d'Italia – Coppa d'Oro del Littorio”, a race held in three stages over a total of some 5.687 km. Four open-bodied cars from Brianza were entrusted to the Scuderia Ferrari, which worked closely with Alfa Romeo in the competition department. The engines were equipped with a new intake manifold and two 35 mm Solex carburettors, two
3-into-1 exhaust manifolds, a longer differential ratio, Bosch electrics with a second battery, larger fuel tank, two fuel pumps and the addition of a tachometer. Thus equipped, the engines produced more than 100 horsepower. Alfa Romeo suffered some bad luck during the course of the race as the lead car driven by Marinoni had an accident on the second stage. However, the other three cars had more success, with the Rosa-Comotti car finishing second and the other cars fourth and fifth overall.
However, the model's definitive success came at the “Targa Abruzzo 24 Ore di Pescara” on August 12 and 13, 1934, where three Berlinetta with Touring bodies finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd with the Cortese-Severi car winning against the heavy competition from the Lancia Astura driven by Pintacuda-Brivio, who had won the previous Giro d'Italia, and the two Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 of Tazio Nuvolari and Guy Moll.
Based on this success, Alfa Romeo decided to build a small series of 60 Gran Turismo cars with the mechanical specifications of the racing Berlinetta with different bodies ranging from sedans to open spiders. These cars were named Pescara to record these triumphant racing results. They were the predecessor to the new 6C 2300 B Mille Miglia models with Touring bodies that debuted at the 1937 Mille Miglia.
JACQUES DE RHAM AND THE SCUDERIA MAREMMANA
In 1935, the enthusiastic young son of a Swiss nobleman and landowner by the name of Jacques de Rham founded the “Scuderia Maremmana” Racing Team in Grosseto in the Tuscany region of Italy. Only 26 years old, he had a great passion for everything related to mechanics when he bought his first motorcycles and cars for his racing stable. among them were Fiat and Maserati, but especially Alfa Romeo, which he also bought from the Scuderia Ferrari. He let Clemente Biondetti drive his Alfa Romeo P3, which finished 1936th overall in 4 after first arriving in Rome; De Graffenried drove his 6C 1750 and finished 7th overall with the 8C 2600 during the Mille Miglia.
Jacques de Rham also bought two Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 GT Pescara, one from 1934 and the other from 1935, both with Berlinetta bodywork from Touring.
Went racing in the early months of 1937 in various hilly landscapes. Found that the bodies were too heavy to be successful and had them sent to Zagato in Milan for the fitting of “Siluro type” aerodynamic open bodywork in aluminium, which provided a huge weight saving of approximately 300 kg, for a total weight of less than 1.000 kg. Both cars were finally delivered by Zagato at the end of May of the same year. The engines were also improved with the installation of new Borgo pistons. The cars made their racing debut at the “Grand Prix de Provence et de Marseille” at the Miramas circuit, where Carlo Pes de Villamarina finished first in his class in the third race. Other placings in various hill climbs followed. The history of Jacques de Rham and his Scuderia Maremmana is meticulously documented in an Italian language book by Daniele Cantini.
Unfortunately, both cars did not survive and we owe the reconstruction of this “Siluro” to a lifelong Italian Alfa Romeo enthusiast and collector, who in this case also started with a complete 1934 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 GT Pescara Berlina 7th Series with bodywork from Touren.
THE ALFA ROMEO 6C 2300 PESCARA
This car with matching numbers engine and chassis was completely dismantled and the construction of the Zagato-style Siluro bodywork was entrusted to no less a coachbuilder than Dino Cognolato of the “Carrozzeria Nova Rinascente” in Padua, Italy. It is important to note that Dino Cognolato himself, with his lifelong experience as one of the world’s best coachbuilders, did all of the work! From 1:1 dimension drawings based on historical photographs, to the construction of the aluminum bodies, to designing even the smallest details from scratch such as the door locks etc. The entire project took over four years to complete. At the same time, the chassis and mechanics were overhauled and the engine was tested with a very respectable 119 hp at 4.500 rpm, which in combination with the low weight of only 989 kg propels this stunning Alfa Romeo. This Alfa Romeo 6c 2300 Pescara is provided with an official certification by Zagato, a declaration of authenticity signed by the former president of the National Technical Commission of the Italian ASI and extensive photographic documentation.
