Upon resuming automobile production after World War II, Alfa Romeo continued with the latest development in its pre-war lineup, the 6C 2500. Introduced in 1939, the model featured an increased engine displacement of nearly 2.5 liters, and the Super Sport iteration rode a shortened 2,700-milimeter-wheelbase chassis while being equipped with a triple-carbureted intake. Closed bodywork for these desirable sport saloons was built by Touring with the coachbuilder’s signature lightweight Superleggera technique of welding an aluminum body to a small-diameter tube-frame. Pinin Farina, meanwhile, completed a number of open cars.

In 1949 Touring acquired a Super Sport chassis and clothed it in a more ornate version of the coupe design featuring a tapered rear end, rounded edges along the rocker panels, flatter belt lines trailing from the wheel arches, secondary rear-quarter windows that opened up the luxurious cabin, and distinctive decorative hood lines that emanated from the foglamp areas and curved toward the A-pillars. This car was shown to great acclaim at the 1949 Concorso Internazionale d’Eleganza a Como (the predecessor of today’s Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza on Lake Como, Italy), winning the Gran Premio Referendum (the people’s choice award).

Encouraged by the design’s obvious popularity, Alfa Romeo approved a short run of additional cars among the general Super Sport chassis sequencing, which aptly came to be known as the “Villa d’Este.” Believed to comprise no more than 36 total examples, including a small handful of open cars, the Villa d’Este was built until the end of the model’s production run in early 1952. As a boutique hand-built luxury model, no two examples are exactly alike, lending each car a character of unique one-off individuality. The pinnacle of 6C 2500 production, the Villa d’Este is today generally regarded as the most desirable iteration of Alfa Romeo’s celebrated postwar model, combining capable mechanical performance, luxurious interior amenities, and elegant exterior design.

Claiming celebrity provenance and a high-level restoration by Italian craftsmen, this car is a particularly fetching example of Milan’s rare Villa d’Este. According to the research of marque expert Angelo Tito Anselmi, chassis number 915.914 was delivered in August 1951 to Kosta G.m.b.H. in Hamburg, a German business that initially acquired at least two other examples.

By the early 1960s the Alfa Romeo was exported to the United States, and it was reportedly converted into a drag racer by a Texas-based collector, being fitted with a Corvette engine and side exhaust pipes. In 1964 the 6C was sold to an enthusiast residing in Alpharetta, Georgia, and he went on to retain possession of the car for a remarkable period of five decades.

In 2009 the Villa d’Este was eventually discovered in Georgia in a state of semi-dilapidation by a dealer based in Connecticut, and he quickly purchased the rare treasure as a personal project. Four years later the car was sold to Guy Berryman, the bass player of the world-renowned rock band Coldplay. A onetime mechanical engineering student, Mr. Berryman had evolved into a sophisticated collector of vintage Italian sports cars; he quickly set about a comprehensive restoration, dispatching the car to Italy for an intensive refurbishment by a respected Villa d’Este specialist.

Acquired in 2019 by the consignor, the Alfa Romeo was returned to Italy for further restoration by Rizza Classic in Rome, which was managed by the noted 6C expert Raoul San Giorgi. This work most significantly included reinstalling the numbers-matching engine, number 928.319. The coachwork was refinished in nero, while the interior was re-trimmed in green using correct materials, and proper disc wheels were fitted. Exhibited at the 2021 Salon Privé Concours d’Elegance, the Villa d’Este very nearly won the event, taking class honors before earning the runner-up for the coveted Best of Show award.

Claiming rarity, celebrity ownership provenance, and a painstaking restoration that reunited the car with its numbers-matching engine, this awarded Villa d’Este embodies the pinnacle of Alfa Romeo’s immediate post-war production phase. It is worth noting that the restored car has never been exhibited in the United States, suggesting that a successful American show career might await the next caretaker. The 6C 2500 is furthermore eligible for touring enjoyment on some of the most exclusive events worldwide (including the model-specific Villa d’Este tour and the Mille Miglia Storica), or it may be proudly displayed on the fields of top-shelf concours d’elegance, encapsulating the most highly developed iteration of 6C 2500 production.