Second episode of the online documentary “Storie Alfa Romeo”: Iconic Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 looks to the future and dominates its era

– In the 1930s, the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 not only won racing, it also won design awards.
– With an excellent power-to-weight ratio and perfect weight distribution, the Tipo 6C 1750 laid the foundation for a technological strategy that Alfa Romeo still follows today.

April 13, 1930, shortly after 5 a.m. The silence on Lake Garda is broken by the sound of the engine of an Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spider Zagato, traveling at 150 km/h - with the headlights off. At the wheel is Tazio Nuvolari from Mantua, nicknamed "Nivola." Next to him is co-driver Gian Battista Guidotti, chief test driver at the Alfa Romeo Portello plant.

This moment in the fourth edition of the Mille Miglia, the most demanding road race of its time with a length of around 1.600 kilometers, is the origin of a myth. Alfa Romeo factory driver Achille Varzi and co-driver Carlo Canavesi seemed to be heading for a sure victory. But their team-mates Nuvolari and Guidotti, who had been in second place until then, came up with a daring idea. Their only hope of beating their rivals was to take them by surprise. So they turned off the headlights.

Dawn broke. After Lake Garda, the route led through flat land towards the finish in Brescia. Suddenly Varzi and Canavesi heard the echo of another engine. Too late. Before they had realized what was happening, they were overtaken by an identical car.

Nuvolari's plan worked, and he won the Mille Miglia in 1930. His average speed was 100,45 km/h. This was the first time that the winner's average speed exceeded 100 km/h - on largely unpaved roads. A record that made the front pages of newspapers across Europe.

Varzi was stunned to finish second, around ten minutes behind. Giuseppe Campari, another Alfa Romeo works driver, came in third, ahead of Pietro Ghersi. All four drove the Tipo 6C 1750. And they were not alone. A total of eight examples of Alfa Romeo's latest racing car took places in the top eleven of the overall ranking.

The Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 underlined its dominance in the same year with triple victories at the 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps/Belgium and the Tourist Trophy in Belfast/Great Britain. The Tipo 6C 1750 was clearly the fastest car of its time.

The Alfa Romeo 6C series

Vittorio Jano became Technical Director at Alfa Romeo in 1926, and the Tipo 6C was his first development. Jano's task was to design "a light car with high performance" that would win races and admirers, but also conquer new customer segments.

The Tipo 6C showed the structural simplicity and sophisticated technology that would become typical of Vittorio Jano's designs. In addition, the Tipo 6C offered another advantage that would prove to be Alfa Romeo's specialty: extremely high specific power. Jano had an amazing talent for conjuring up high horsepower figures from relatively small engines. He implemented the strategy that is now known as "downsizing". He developed engines with a displacement of around one liter - for commercial vehicles, for example - or two or three liters for luxury models. Alfa Romeo vehicles already had a perfect power-to-weight ratio at that time - and were therefore the fastest.

Technological innovations

This technological strategy resulted in a series of vehicles that became legendary. Jano's predecessor, Giuseppe Merosi, had already developed an innovative engine for the 1914 Grand Prix racing car - which was never used due to the First World War - that would influence Alfa Romeo's future engine design. Merosi's GP engine had two overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and dual ignition.

With the Tipo 6C 1900 (1933), the Tipo 6C 2300 (1934) and the Tipo 6C 2500 (1939), Alfa Romeo introduced further innovations. These included independent suspension and a chassis with welded rather than riveted components to increase torsional rigidity. Sporty driving characteristics and superior roadholding became key elements of Alfa Romeo's special brand DNA.

The Tipo 6C 1750

The Alfa Romeo 6C 1750, which was presented at the Rome Motor Show in January 1929, marked the full maturity of the series. The six-cylinder in-line engine was a further development of the Tipo 6C 1500. The 6C 1750 engine type was manufactured in various versions: with single or double camshaft, with and without supercharging. The power range extended from 34 kW (46 hp) in the Turismo version to 75 kW (102 hp) in the Tipo 6C 1750 Gran Sport with a cast-on cylinder head. In this special version, of which very few were produced, the cylinder head and crankcase consisted of a single block. This eliminated the need for a seal between the two components, which was particularly prone to burning out in supercharged engines. The weight of the Tipo 6C 1750 Gran Sport was only 840 kilograms and it reached a top speed of 170 km/h.

The engine was not the only factor that made the Tipo 6C 1750 a masterpiece of automotive innovation. It also featured a mechanical braking system, with large drum brakes operated by a linkage. The pressed steel frame was perfectly balanced and extremely rigid, and the axles were reinforced. The leaf springs were placed outside the bodywork rather than under the sides. The low centre of gravity allowed high cornering speeds. The fuel tank was set further back to achieve greater weight on the rear wheels and improve weight distribution. In keeping with Alfa Romeo's philosophy, all the technical innovations were applied to both the racing cars and road cars in the range.

The more races the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 won, the more the model's impressive reputation grew. From the moment it went on sale, the Tipo 6C 1750 was responsible for a remarkable increase in sales. Between 1929 and 1933, 2.579 units left the Portello factory. The largest market was Italy, but sales also went well abroad, particularly in Great Britain and the Commonwealth. This success was particularly extraordinary given the contemporary status of the automobile as an elite product. In Italy, for example, the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 cost between 40.000 and 60.000 lire, depending on the version - about seven times the average annual wage.

The Era of the Coachbuilders

The Alfa Romeo 6C was not only ultra-fast, but also beautiful. This success was largely due to the so-called Carrozzerias. True artists worked in these external studios. They combined the crafts of saddler, bodyworker, painter and upholsterer under one roof. The Carrozzerias employed stylists who left their mark on the early era of the automobile.

Until the 1930s, it was common practice throughout the automotive industry to only manufacture the rolling chassis, i.e. the frame with the engine, transmission, drive and chassis. The customer bought this chassis and also commissioned an external body builder to complete the car. The bodies produced in this way according to the customer's individual wishes were practically unique and tailor-made. Alfa Romeo had been manufacturing cars in Portello since 1910, but the company's own body shop was only opened in 1933. For a while, both variants - manufacturing the chassis alone and complete vehicles - existed in parallel in Portello.

The Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 offered almost unlimited possibilities for the renowned carrozzerias, especially in northern Italy. The exceptional mechanical and technical basis was ideal for combining with elegant bodies. This resulted in some of the most beautiful models of the time, designed by the best stylists and bought by society celebrities.

The Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS Touring “Flying Star”

The "Flying Star" was one of the most famous examples of the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750. Built by the Carrozzeria Touring under the direction of Felice Bianchi Anderloni specifically to take part in the Concours d'Elegance at Villa d'Este in 1931, it was as irresistible as its owner. Josette Pozzo was a millionaire, model and very famous. Her personal Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Spider was a unique creation, a jewel of originality, elegance and attention to detail.

The "Flying Star" was painted completely white, including the underbody, wheel spokes and steering wheel. Of course, the leather of the seat covers was also white. The only exception was the dashboard in contrasting black. The convertible, designed by Carrozzeria Touring, had new proportions and surprised with elegant Art Nouveau details. A striking example is the elongated fenders at the front and rear, which cross under the doors without touching.

And the result of the 1931 beauty contest at Villa d'Este? The Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS Touring "Flying Star" won the Gold Cup for the most beautiful car. Josette Pozzo herself accepted the award, stunningly dressed in a matching white outfit.

Press contact:
Anne Wollek
Phone: +49 69 66988-450
Email: anne.wollek@fcagroup.com

© Photos: FCA Group