Chassis No. 119760

Engine No. 8613410

In 1923 Alfa Romeo secured the services of Vittorio Jano, a young engineer who had shown considerable promise at the successful FIAT equip during the early 1920s. Recruited by none-other than Enzo Ferrari, Jano's immediate task was to design a Grand Prix car to rival the Fiats. This he did, with the creation of the Alfa Romeo P2, a car that was to win the inaugural Automobile World Championship driven by the likes of Campari, Varsi, and Antonio Ascari.

As well as the cars designed specifically for racing, Jano was also given the job of designing 1,500 and 1,750 cc, single and double camshaft six-cylinder sporting production cars. Although ostensibly produced as road cars, the proving ground for these cars was in motorsport and thus these six-cylinder or "6C" Alfa Romeos enjoyed considerable success in sports car races both in the hands of private individuals and works drivers. The first of the six-cylinder cars had been produced in 1928, but it was the addition of a roots-type supercharger in 1929 that enhanced the performance of the engines and allowed the cars to achieve their legendary reputation as serious competition cars. Accolades achieved by the 6C variants include overall victory at the Mille Miglia, victory at the Spa 24 Hours together with victories at the Irish Grand Prix and Tourist Trophy races. These outright victories were augmented by numerous class victories in a racing career that lasted from 1928 until 1933 and paved the way for the all-conquering and inimitable 8C Alfa Romeos.

This Alfa Romeo was acquired via Neil Twyman from well-known and respected "Alfisti" and Alfa Romeo 8C collector Hugh Taylor in 2008 in project/rolling chassis form. Twyman were given the remit by Sir Clive Martin to rebuild the car in the style of the Alfa Romeos used by the works to race in the Targa Florio events in period. The chassis and much of the running gear was original to a long-chassis GTC variant with various major components such as the engine and gearbox also sourced for the project. During the restoration the chassis frame was heavily rebuilt and shortened to a wheelbase length to suit the project. Invoices on file for circa £500,000 demonstrate the enormous care and attention taken by Twyman to not only build a reliable car but also a supremely accurate representation of the Targa Florio cars with such details as a clutch cooling inlet as per the works cars. Furthermore, the performance is quite exceptional, especially given the lack of weight due to the scant bodywork.

Effectively, fresh from restoration, this impressive 6C 1750 cc supercharged Alfa Romeo, in the style of the Targa Florio racers has been tested in competition with the car ably piloted by Neil Twyman in VSCC events such as the Goodwood sprint and the April Silverstone meetings. Thoroughly sorted, the Alfa Romeo is an excellent candidate for racing, touring and rallying on the continent and the new owner will benefit from the decades of Alfa Romeo experience injected into the project by Neil Twyman Limited.