Pawel Litwinski, courtesy of Bonhams
Pawel Litwinski, courtesy of Bonhams
In the world of car collecting, there are four primary criteria that establish a vehicle’s worthiness: authenticity, provenance, aesthetics and engineering. The exceptional Alfa Romeo offered here resoundingly checks all of these boxes. The history of this incredible Alfa Romeo, chassis 10814356, begins in 1931. According to Angela Cherrett’s Tipo 6C book, 10814356 was completed as a fifth-series Gran Sport Spider, featuring the uprated 1,752-cc supercharged dual overhead cam, all-aluminum engine, an improved braking system and more refined Zagato coachwork than its predecessors. The new Gran Sport Spider was equipped with engine number 10814356 and Zagato body number 987. Baron Philippe de Gunzbourg became its lucky first owner. Philippe de Gunzbourg was from a wealthy Russian family with a background in banking and property ownership. The family moved to France around the turn of the century. The lithe and sporting Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Zagato Spider must have been a perfect fit for this gentleman driver. Philippe’s best racing result was achieved the following year, while owning 10814356, when he, along with legendary racing driver and Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti, piloted an Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 to a 2nd-place finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He sold the car in 1935, to an owner residing in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques region of France. The car remained there until 1940, when it was sold and registered to Hydravions F.B.A., an aircraft manufacturer situated in Argenteuil near Paris. Chassis 10814356 remained in this ownership until June 5, 1944, when it was purchased by yet another French racing driver and motoring enthusiast, Victor Polledry. Polledry, a friend of Luigi Chinetti, raced Alfa Romeos, Aston Martins and later Ferraris at world-class motoring events. By the late 1960s, Polledry sold chassis 10814356 to Monsieur Barriere, one of the designers for the famed Parisian fashion house Courrèges, and the car was then inherited by his son. The totally original and unrestored Alfa Romeo had begun to show its age, and Barriere’s son stripped the paint off in the 1970s but failed to get much further than that. Still in complete and original condition, the car was sold in the early 1980s to yet another French owner, who admired its astounding level of originality and authenticity. The finely aged Alfa Romeo would remain in this collection until 2007. Still untouched, it left France in 2007, when it was sold at the Pebble Beach Auctions. Most fascinating, the hand-painted Zagato body numbers located on doors and compartment decks were still readable more than 70 years after they were applied at Zagato’s workshop. Chassis 10814356 was purchased by a collector from Texas, who set out to find a restoration specialist capable and sympathetic enough to bring the Zagato Spider back to an authentically restored condition while paying special care to preserve the car’s remarkable original features. Noted specialist Gary Okoren of Golden, CO, was chosen for the task, and the restoration process began. To ensure absolute accuracy, the world’s foremost Alfa Romeo historians and specialists were consulted for advice and guidance throughout the process. Okoren finished the running chassis, with an accurate and authentic restoration of all the original factory components. The matching-numbers original engine was rebuilt, as was the gearbox and differential. Brakes, suspension and the original wheels were refurbished as well. The 6C 1750 was then sold in 2010 to the current owner, an East Coast collector with a discerning interest in only the most original and authentic sports and racing cars extant. Chassis 10814356 was carefully transported to New Jersey, where renowned restoration specialist Steven Babinsky and his outfit, Automotive Restorations, set out to complete the restoration of this hugely important pre-war Alfa Romeo. Here the entirely original and complete Zagato Spider bodywork, still showing its hand-painted and stamped 987 body number throughout, was carefully fitted to the frame and refinished in black. All remaining components of the car were restored as needed during this painstaking process, with close attention paid at all times to ensure that the car’s myriad original components remained intact. Four large binders with photos and receipts of the restoration are available for viewing, carefully documenting this $600,000 restoration in exhaustive detail. Chassis 10814356 was completed in the summer of 2012, and was promptly invited to participate in the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Zagato and Alfa Romeo aficionados were delighted for the chance to admire the well-known ex-Baron Philippe de Gunzbourg 6C 1750 once more. In March 2013, chassis 10814356 was shown at the Amelia Island Concours, where it was awarded Best in Class in the highly competitive pre-war Sports and GT class. The prize-winning Alfa was shortly thereafter shipped back to its native Italy, where it successfully completed the 2013 Mille Miglia. The car performed faultlessly on the legendary 1,000-mile rally, and it returned to the concours circuit once more, where it was displayed among 49 other hand-selected motorcars on the banks of Lake Como at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.  

SCM Analysis

Detailing

Vehicle:1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Supercharged Gran Sport Spider, Coachwork by Zagato
Number Produced:372 (all 6C 1750s)
Original List Price:$3,692
Tune Up Cost:$900
Distributor Caps:$750
Chassis Number Location:Right frame rail behind back axle
Engine Number Location:Right side of block
Club Info:Alfa Romeo Owners Club
Website:http://www.aroc-usa.org
Investment Grade:A

This car, Lot 130, sold for $3,080,000, including buyer’s premium, at Bonhams’ Scottsdale, AZ, sale on January 16, 2014.

I was one of the panelists at the SCM Insider’s Seminar held at the Gooding & Company preview in Scottsdale, AZ, in January of this year. My colleagues were Simon Kidston, Carl Bomstead and Steve Serio. One of the topics we were assigned was to discuss the definition of a blue-chip collectible in the vintage-car world. Another was the identification of which four cars we would buy for a personal collection priced at under $50,000, under $250,000, under $1m and under $10m.

When the dust had settled, an interesting fact had emerged: The marque most often included in both the blue-chip and personal collections at various price ranges was Alfa Romeo. There is no doubt that regardless of the relentless slow-motion brand murder currently being committed by the management of the Fiat Group, Alfa has built more legendary cars — or at least more cars that enthusiasts want to own and drive — than any other marque.

A supreme 6C 1750

Near the summit of Alfa’s Mount Olympus is the 6C 1750, and the 6C 1750 that reigns over all its siblings is the supercharged Gran Sport Spider as bodied by Zagato. In any analysis of attributes of value we appraisers make, rarity, beauty, historical importance and provenance are foremost.

That the 1750 is rare, especially compared with modern production volume and rates of survival, is clear. That the Zagato-bodied cars are beautiful is, as far as most are concerned, inarguable. The racing record of the 6C 1750 — particularly the light and durable Zagato-clothed Gran Sport models and their role in the competition reputation of Alfa Romeo — is a matter of historic fact. This particular example also possesses a complete ownership chain back to the first owner, who was titled, talented and well known.

This vehicle is also the poster child for what we should all do with a great car, if we had in equal measure cash, testosterone and prodigious good fortune.

The recipe is simple: Take an important car, send it to the world’s leading restorers for an international-level restoration, win leading concours prizes, ship it to Italy, drive it at speed through the pouring rain in the Mille Miglia Storico, fly your restorer over to clean it up afterwards, and then show it at the Villa d’Este concours. Finally, sell it big at auction. This is simple — not easy, but simple — and that this worked out so well is a tribute to all involved: owner, restorer and the car itself.

A true blue-chip car

In today’s fast-moving, heated marketplace, with records falling monthly, there is another side that gets relatively little attention. There are still a good number of cars offered for sale that seem to have all the ingredients — yet they somehow just don’t come together.

Buyers will pay — and pay dearly — for certain cars at certain times in certain places. The story counts — but it had better be a good story. If the story involves the words “believed to be,” “said to be,” “may” or “it is uncertain that,” chances are great that either the market will take a discount or the car will not sell.

I am not saying that a car must be completely original to be valuable or desirable — although originality will enhance value. If changes have been made, they must be documented, credible and consistent.

As with any blue chip, whether it is a painting, sculpture, time piece or motor vehicle, the name only gets it so far. After that, it must fulfill the basic requirements of any important object that it be true to the creators’ intent and intended use. This car did all that and more, and quite rightly rang the bell in the auction room.

This car is the perfect blend of beauty, history, usability and desirability, the combination of which is the true definition of the best of the best. I would consider this car both well sold and absolutely well bought. ♦

(Introductory description courtesy of Bonhams.)

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