1935 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Pescara Spyder

“La bella figura” means presenting the best face to the world. Mussolini wore tailored uniforms and was equally attentive to his cars

by Donald Osborne

By the early 1930s, Alfa Romeo was accumulating silverware and losing money in seemingly equal measure. It was rescued by the state-backed I.R.I. (Institute for Industrial Reconstruction). To attract new customers while maintaining the marque’s sporting credentials, the 6C 2300 was launched at the 1934 Milan Motor Show. Successor to the iconic 6C 1750 and stopgap 6C 1900, it was powered by a clean-sheet 2,309-cc DOHC straight-6 engine available in three states of tune, the most powerful of which developed 95 hp at 4,500 rpm.

To celebrate its victory in Pescara’s Targa Abruzzo and Coppa Acerbo, Alfa Romeo sanctioned the production of just 60 6C 2300 Pescara chassis, all of which shared the same 2,925-mm wheelbase and potent twin carburetor engine. Chassis 700635 was supplied new to Benito Mussolini on August 10, 1935. A long-term supporter of the Milanese marque, who once described it as a “national jewel,” the fascist dictator owned twelve Alfa...