1949 ALFA ROMEO 6C

THE ONLY EXAMPLE DELIVERED TO AUSTRALIA

MOST OF US have heard of an Alfa Romeo 4C, the uber-cute two-seater that was launched to much acclaim a few years ago. So, is a 6C just a bigger version? Well, yes and no.

This gem harks from a very different era in the history of Alfa Romeo, when its primary business was hand-building luxury cars. That business model wasn’t sustainable, and the company in the 1950s turned its attention to mass production with the first Giulietta Sprint.

This car hails back to the pre-war hand-built era, but in fact is a post-war version of the 6C. It’s a 1949 6C 2500 Sport Freccia d’Oro (Golden Arrow) and is one of just 680 made. Just one was sold in Australia, out of Sydney, and that’s this car.

Anyone more used to modern Alfas gets an immediate shock at the sheer size of the car – it’s a big four-seater and has enormous presence.

The inline six designed by Vittoria Jano was famously used in competition in a few different models over the decades.

This car had a mechanical rebuild some five years ago and has been used as a classic events car since.

It’s not in perfect cosmetic order, as the various owners over the years have clearly decided it should be driven rather than polished. However it seems to be in very solid and complete working order.

It’s currently being offered by Oldtimer in Queensland at $300k.