Alfa Romeo has a very rich history. More than 115 years worth (for more on the history of Alfa Romeo please see our post here).
But the golden period for Alfa Romeo in my opinion was the 1930s. It is then when they dominated racing and produced breathtaking road and race cars that were exclusive, technically fantastic and extremely fast. Sure they built some exceptional cars in the 1950s and 60s too – but Alfa had long withdrawn from racing by then and also their cars were not exclusive anymore.
Alfa Romeo dominated racing in the 1930s like no other car manufacturer.
They won the Mille Miglia from 1928-1938 every single year except once! They won the Targa Florio an incredible six times. The Le Mans 24 from 1931-1934 consecutively. No other car manufacture could touch Alfa Romeo in terms of racing dominance in the 1930s. While we will cover some race cars next, this post will focus on the Road cars – which were pieces of Art in themselves. Lets get into it.
Alfa Romeo was known not only for sporty and fast cars – but also extremely elegant ones. First off we have a 6C 2300 sport from 1938. This car was built by touring and even though ‘superleggera’ it was quite heavy at 1380kg producing only 95hp.
The car is a dream. This was Alfa Romeo styling at its best. And once again built by Touring in Milan. Superleggera of course.
The car was sporty as can be seen by the wheels alone. Who said black wheels are a recent phenomenon?!
The car is beautiful from the back to. I love the shape of the exhaust too.
We continue to another dream model also from the 1930s and perhaps my favourite car of this series. The 8C 2900 Lungo.
Based on the highly successful 2900 8C Alfa decided to make a small batch of road cars (only 10 were made). The chassis was slightly shorter than the race car and also bhp was reduced to a still amazing 180 (remember this is 1930s)!
The engine has a straight six and since the car was only 1250kg – the car was capable of fast speeds of up to 175km/h.
Like with the other Alfa’s – this car was bodied by Touring of Milano. The profile of this car is a dream. Aggressive yet elegant. What better combination?!
The car is equally beautiful from the front side profile. The round curves so typical of the 1930s.
The back is almost innocent compared to the front.
Lets move on to the last car of this series. We are now in the 1940s – as can be seen by the more ‘modern’ styling. The 6C Super Sport Villa D’Este.
This car was based on elegance more than sport – it carried only 95 hp and weighed a heavy 1420kg. But it is the details of this car that make it delightful. Like the side exhaust. Once again Alfa Romeo remained committed to exclusivity – only 36 cars were made.
Looking at the cars from behind gives another angle from which to admire their beauty. The color of this V6 Super Sport is devine.
The last shot gives a good overall view of just how beautiful the 1930/40 Alfa Romeo road cars were. They were among the most elegant cars of the era – but yet sporty and very exclusive, evidenced by their limited production numbers.
For the second part on special Alfa Romeo prototypes – see our post here.
For our last post on Alfa Romeo and their racing cars – please our post here.
