Beschreibung:

Formerly owned by Charles E.C. Martin and L. Scott Bailey 1931 ALFA ROMEO TIPO 6C-1750 SUPERCHARGED GRAN SPORT SPYDER COACHWORK BY ZAGATO Chassis No. 10814368 Engine No. 10814368 Black with black leather interior Engine: six cylinder, twin overhead camshafts, supercharged, 1,750cc, 85bhp at 4,500rpm; Gearbox: four-speed manual; Suspension: semi-elliptic leaf springs front and rear; Brakes: four wheel mechanical drum. Right hand drive. The 6C series Alfa Romeo was founded as early as 1924 when engineer Vittorio Jano was detailed "to develop a medium capacity light car with brilliant performance". The great engineer chose the balance and pick-up characteristics of an in-line six cylinder engine and combined them with a very lightweight and nimble handling chassis design. Much experience was gained in the development of his World Championship winning Alfa Romeo P2 Grand Prix car of 1924-30, which was built into this production series. The prototype, initially known as the 'NR' but subsequently renamed '6C-1500', was unveiled at the Salone dell'Automobile Milano in April 1925, and then reappeared at both the major Paris Salon and the London Motor Show. Deliveries to customers of the original single camshaft version commenced in 1927 and the general reception was so enthusiastic that a second series of twin cam variants followed. Many 6C-1500s were employed in competition, supercharged variants doing particularly well in sports category events in 1928 and 1929. The subsequent enlargement of a similar basic engine configuration to the 6C-1750 model involved increases in both bore and stroke from the 1500's 62mm x 82mm to the 1750's 65mm x 88mm, displacing 1,752cc. These engines were offered with or without supercharging, delivering respectively 85bhp or 64bhp at 4,500rpm. Perhaps more significantly, the supercharged 1750 engine developed considerably more mid-range torque than the unblown unit, making it a most effective weapon for racing and hill-climbing, while also doubling as a genuine high performance sporting road car. The 1750 Gran Sport is regarded as one of the finest sports racing cars of its time and its race record, with numerous wins in the Mille Miglia, Tourist Trophy and countless other races in the hands of Nuvolari, Campari and Varzi, is nothing short of legendary. According to the definitive book Alfa Romeo, All Cars From 1910 by Luigi Fusi this striking 'Gran Sport' supercharged model dates from 1931. Based upon the chassis sequence it is the 68th of 76 built in the fifth series that year and comes with the highly desirable Zagato coachwork. This car has an interesting provenance and in 1934 was owned by the famous English racing driver, Charlie Martin. Mr. Martin was an active race driver in the mid 1930s campaigning for several seasons in an ERA, a Type 59 Bugatti and upgrading to a P3 Alfa Romeo which he raced extensively in 1936. While in the United Kingdom, the car was registered AXA 758. Following the war the 1750 passed into the hands of Johnny Spindler and he frequently competed at Prescott Hillclimb from 1947-1950 (see photograph). The Alfa later moved to the US and by the late 1950s it was owned by a Naval Officer from Norfolk, Virginia who sold it circa 1960 to the well-known Alfa Romeo and Bugatti connoisseur, Gene Cesari. Shortly afterwards he sold the car to Mr. Scott Bailey, the founder and long time editor and publisher of Automobile Quarterly . Mr. Bailey recalls that he purchased the car from a professor in Pennsylvania (Gene Cesari) and kept the car for about two years. He later started to strip the car down with the intention of having it professionally restored, however, owing to business commitments the Alfa was very reluctantly sold, indeed he is still regretful to this day! A short while later the car passed through the hands of a collector in Washington, PA. In the 1980s the car was sold to a prominent collector who had the well-known English restorer, Tony Merrick, undertake a fu