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Alfa Romeo 6C 2300B Pescara Berlinetta Speciale, Pinin Farina, #813812, 1937

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Significance
Technology
Production
Aesthetics

Location:
Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, 2009

Owner: Pietro Navone | Madrid, Spain

Prologue:

Image Source: Nikon D200 (10.2 MP)

Although these are old photographs, this gallery has long been one of my favorites. The strength of Art Deco design demands proper attention to its details so that the exercise becomes more composition than automotive survey. Early in this project, I did not find that approach so easy, and yet classic Pinin Farina design is an irrefutable force when consumed for the sake of art. I also found the good fortune to spot the car with its owners nearby, who were lovely people. While showing the car to the judges, they took care to notice that I was photographing. I normally like to stay out of the way, but they were positively inviting, which made possible the inside-out shots you see here. For starters, as they and the car hail from the European continent, I find it remarkable to include chassis #813812 in our Alfa Romeo portfolio. But for a cohesive gallery that looks at the automobile as art, over a decade on, I couldn't be happier.

References:

MotorSport Magazine, British Successes on the Pescara Circuit, September, 1935
Bonhams: Included here is the 2015 auction listing for chassis #813812 from Paris in 2015, with information and photographs.
UltimateCarPage: Our favorite megasite profiles this unique 6C 2300B with images from Paris and Villa d'Este.
Carrozzieri Italiani: A more recent sample of survey photos from a source dedicated to Italian coachwork.

A unique car designed with a passionate sense for Art Deco fashion, moulded with the aerodynamic principles of Paul Jaray, Pinin Farina built chassis #813812 for the 1937 Salone dell'Automobile in Milan.

Though predominately a design exercise, #813812 is an Alfa Romeo. And so, shortly after World War II ended, the car competed in a small number of races, the most notable of which may have been the 1949 Coppa d'Oro delle Dolomiti.

Once a show car and sometimes a racer, the post-War era brought upon this Alfa a strange conversion. Around 1954, someone of a utilitarian persuasion transformed chassis #813812 into a pickup truck. At the time, the original motor disappeared in favor of a slightly less-aged, single-carburetor 6C 2500 unit, and then the entire kit was converted to run on methane gas.

This episode illustrates the neglect Michel Dovaz described in response to his detractors, a reference to criticism over the Sleeping Beauties collection, which Dovaz defended by noting how many automobiles he preserved at a time when doing so was not fashionable. He did save many grand cars from this category of wayward fate.

But all was not lost for this Pinin Farina Speciale. By 1992, after old cars once again became fashionable, the Alfa was rediscovered and recognized as the 1937 Milan show car. However, restoration did not commence until ten years later. The present motor is now a correct Pescara specification unit, though not original. Much of the aerodynamic tail coachwork needed refabrication, as well as the ash frame underneath. But the front half of the coachwork had been kept with the car during its pickup truck reconfiguration, as well as the skirted rear fender sections.

The 6C 2300B platform is itself a well conceived example of modern automotive engineering. With the 'B' designation, Alfa Romeo updated the car's box-section chassis with fully independent front and rear suspension—the front uses double wishbones with coil springs over hydraulic shocks, while the rear uses a swing axle setup. Based on the 1934 platform, the Pescara is a select variant, the name given to cars fitted with twin-carb, high-compression motors. These cars competed on the Targa Abruzzo in Pescara, Italy, winning against more powerful competition, hence the demonym. Chassis #813812's origin as a unique Art Deco show car with competition pedigree makes its history all the more enticing, while also representing how old sports cars fell out of favor during the course of the 20th century.

Alfa Romeo would replace the Pescara the same year, 1937, with a short chassis version, uprated at 105 horsepower and clothed in Touring Superleggera coachwork. That car would become the 6C 2300B Mille Miglia.

Art Deco: Classic Era Design Features on the Pinin Farina Pescara Speciale

As surely as the chrome strake signifies some superfluous assignation between art and industrial design, so does this Alfa Romeo serve the arts before transportation. Nine bold lines run from the lower edge of the grille, up over the nose, and along the central hinge of the bonnet. Three chrome strakes diverge on gentle radii across each of the bonnet sides, abbreviating the middle line, before three chrome circles of increasing diameter fill the outside points. Much less of a statement, three stylized chrome lines accent each rear wheel skirt.

A subtle crown graces the front brow of the hood, just above the windscreen. This gentle feature continues the speedline theme established by the chrome strakes, echoed by the split windscreen. A sublime detail, the crown also pairs the more noticeable creases that bound over the front fenders. Down the car's gently sloping fastback body emerges a narrow tail fin. The fin does not extend very far from the car's silhouette, confined to the length of the boot lid, but it is an odd remark upon early aerodynamic ideas. Pressed disc wheels finish the ensemble, creating a car that borrows heavily from the Paul Jaray school of aerodynamics.

The abbreviated front guards divide on either side of the grille, which wouldn't serve much practical use but look stunning for how they leave the grille clear of distraction. Scant running gear also leaves the flanks clear of obstruction to the cabin, a nod to the automobile's modernization as running boards and fenders blend into the body. Here, a set of five chrome strakes ornament the thin boards, three to the front and two to the rear, augmenting the two-piece guards up front.

Color Detail: Notes on Period Alfa Romeo Paint

Chassis #813812 wears a luxurious shade of grey, tinted with a deep teal. The motor bay, block, and steering column wear an antique sea green. Remembering that this is a Milan show car, the pleasantness of mechanical finishes would be of consequence. In this respect, note that the seat on which the bonnet rests when closed is lined with wood.

Cabin Detail: Pinin Farina Interior Appointments

While the car carries the same luxurious paintwork inside, the cabin presents no lack of soft materials. The floors are fully carpeted, and piped along all seams. The seats are finished in a svelte tweed upholstery. Both the interior door panels and the forward bulkhead posts to either side of the dashboard use this same rich fabric, and the craftwork on the door panels looks particularly luxurious.

Last Updated: Feb 13, 2024

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