Debuting in 1939 as the third series of Vittorio Jano’s legendary inline six-cylinder Alfa Romeos, the 6C 2500 marked both an end and a beginning. It would be both the company’s last pre-war model, and, following World War II, its first post-war offering, with its engineering and styling evolving to meet the times. Accordingly, it formed a bridge between two eras and would come to be the last true coachbuilt, hand-made Alfa Romeo.

More importantly, from a driver’s standpoint, the 6C 2500 was a thrilling ride. It was the first roadgoing Alfa capable of 160 km/h and benefitted from four-wheel independent suspension with parallel trailing arms and coil springs in the front, and swing axles with torsion bars at the rear. No variant was more exciting than the top-of-the-line 6C 2500 SS, with its triple-carbureted engine producing 110 brake horsepower.

According to Angelo Tito Anselmi’s book on the 6C 2500, four cars were originally produced by Carrozzeria Touring to their especially light, dramatic, and appealingly unadorned Spider Corsa design on the competition Tipo 256 version of the 6C 2500 SS, of which the first was the original chassis number 915024. Known as the Torpedino, this car raced for Alfa Corse for the first time at the Targa Abruzzo on 15 August 1939, and with a stylishly dressed Ferdinando Righetti at the wheel, claimed victory. Three more cars with similarly full-figured coachwork then followed for the Alfa Romeo factory team for the 1940 Mille Miglia. Unfortunately none of the original Spider Corsa quartet is known to have survived to the present day, although their influence was long-lasting—inspiring later designs on roadgoing 6C 2500s postwar and the famous Touring-bodied BMW 328s of Mille Miglia renown.

The car offered here is recorded in John de Boer’s The Italian Car Registry as a replica with the same chassis and engine numbers as the lost original Spider Corsa, “bodied in spring, 1989 in Piemonte.” The construction is largely faithful to the original Touring design, differing only in its details. At the time that the Registry was published in 1994, the car was in the ownership of the Fromo Corporation of Japan, which also owned and restored several other significant performance automobiles in this era. It is believed to have been part of the present collection since the early 1990s, and has been largely unshown in that time. The presentation throughout is very tidy and attractive, with comfortable red leather bucket seats, and the engine, equipped with a trio of Weber Tipo 36 carburetors, beckons with the offering of considerable power.

This Alfa offers a fine combination of superb performance, lightweight nimbleness, and stylish beauty, sure to entrance its new owner in events worldwide.