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細節
FORMERLY THE PROPERTY OF LORD MONTAGU OF BEAULIEU
c.1930 ALFA ROMEO 6C-1500 SUPER-SPORT (SUPERCHARGED) TESTA FISSA SPYDER
COACHWORK BY ZAGATO
Former UK Registration No. GH 1557
Chassis No. 8513027
Engine No. 8513026
Engine: six cylinder, twin overhead camshaft, fixed head, supercharged, 1,487cc, 84bhp at 5,000rpm; Gearbox: four speed manual; Suspension: semi-elliptic leaf springs front and rear; Brakes: four wheel mechanical drum. Right hand drive.
The 6C series had been founded as early as 1924 when Alfa Romeo engineer Vittorio Jano, perhaps the greatest automotive engineer of his era, 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 what was, by the standards of the time, a very lightweight and nimble handling chassis design. Much experience gained in development of his AIACR World Championship-winning Alfa Romeo P2 Grand Prix car of 1924-30 was built into this production series.
The prototype, initially known as the model 'NR' but subsequently renamed '6C-1500', was unveiled at the Salone dell'Automobile Milano in April 1925, and then reappeared at both the Paris Salon and the London Motor Shows. 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, with many successes achieved in sports category events in 1928 and 1929. Perhaps more significantly, the supercharged 1500 engine developed considerably more mid-range torque than the unblown unit which made it a most effective weapon for racing and hill-climbing, while also doubling as a genuine high performance sporting road car. Some notable results for the 1500 model include 2nd place in the 1928 Targa Florio, 1st in the Mille Miglia and 1st in the 24 hour Belgian Grand Prix for touring cars. For 1929 the 1750 model claimed the majority of wins, but the 1500 still won the Saorstat Cup at Phoenix Park, 2nd in the Tourist Trophy, 1st in the J.C.C. Double Twelve at Brooklands and 2nd at the Belgian Grand Prix.
As competition success was all important to sales, the factory produced a very limited number of special high performance race engines for the works entries. This engine was of a fixed head or Testa Fissa design. This design obviously eliminated any cylinder head gasket problems during long races. It is thought that about six cars were fitted with this engine in 1929/30 on the 1,500 cc model and, using larger valves and higher compression ratios, the horsepower rose by 9bhp over the standard detachable head blown Super Sport. The Testa Fissa engined works cars had numerous victories in many of the major races of the late 1920s and early 1930s. This special run of cars was used by the works and Scuderia Ferrari, and provided seats for most of the famous Italian pilots such as Campari, Nuvolari and Varzi. Even Enzo Ferrari proclaimed the Testa Fissa Gran Sport his favorite among all the varied cars, his own and others, of his experience.
This highly original Zagato bodied Testa Fissa has an unknown early history. Factory records and research by the noted 1500/1750 historian Angela Cherrett have traced the history from April 1931 when the car was sold via Alfa Romeo (British Sales) Ltd. to Patrick Motors of Birmingham. Sales records describe it as 6C 1500 Supercharged and mounted with 2 str Zagato body. The next entry says Thence G.A.R Haseler... and Serviced by Patrick Motors. What is intriguing about this car is that it (or perhaps its Testa Fissa engine) may have been campaigned by the works. The chassis number for this car actually falls in the sequence for a 1930 4th series 1750 Gran Sport model. This fact is noted in the authoritative book Alfa Romeo, A History by Peter Hull and Roy Slater, who recount the known history of this vehicle under the histories of team cars. They continued as follows: It also has the large directly driven blower, usually a feature of the 6C 1750 cars, and a later two seater Zagato body with the vertical grille and front shock absorbers outside the dumb irons. Measurement of the bores has shown it to be a genuine 1-litre with a fixed head engine, believed to be the only example in the United Kingdom. A photo of the line up of the 1750 four seaters during a practice period for the 1930 T.T. shows that No. 9, Campari's car, carried the front number plate GH 1557. The fact that the present GH 1557 has a fixed head engine and a number plate that was bandied about amongst the team cars is evidence that it was a team car at some time. Certainly, this car has raised questions, and several past owners and journalists have offered their opinion that this may indeed have been a works car. Suggestions regarding the car's past have ranged from an ex-Ramponi team car to that driven by Boris Ivanowski and also Campari. If it were true that this car was raced early on in its career, it would undoubtedly have had different and earlier coachwork. If the Testa Fissa engines were solely exclusive to the works cars, as many experts believe, it is quite feasible that the engine was fitted to various cars for different events when specified. It is known that the factory closely guarded their engines and, for instance, it is well documented that the factory retained the Nuvolari 1930 TT winning Testa Fissa engine with the car rebodied and sold with a standard engine. Another interesting element on this Zagato is that the doors are cut away differently (quite acutely) at the rear, which perhaps was done at the request of a competition driver who needed more elbow room. While its chassis numbers date from the 1930 sequence, another common practice for manufacturers was to test prototypes in the year prior to their announcement and again this may have been one such vehicle.
Regardless of whether or not this Testa Fissa Alfa-Romeo has a history prior to its sale date in the UK in 1931, since that time the car has remained outstandingly original and the sequence of owners is well documented. Little is known about the first owner, Mr. Haseler of Solihull, Warwickshire. The second owner was Mr. G. A. D. Smith who owned the car from 1936 to 1938. The only competition result known was that he ran the car at the Inter-Varsity Speed Trials in March 1936 (time 39.3 seconds). Mr. Smith did correspond with Angela Cherrett in the late 1980s and two other letters from Mr. Smith are with the car. The photograph illustrated and supplied by Mr. Smith dates from 1936. In the early post-war period, this 6C 1500 was raced in Vintage Sports Car Club events by the 30/98 Vauxhall enthusiast, George Sanders. Lloyd Firmin, a well known Alfa Romeo authority, owned the car next, before selling it to Lord Montagu of Beaulieu in 1962. The National Motor Museum have confirmed to us that the car had been on exhibit at the Measham Museum, which they owned, prior to them purchasing it. They used it sparingly in such VSCC events as Silverstone and Oulton Park, and when it was not out on duty, they displayed it in their Museum. They then sold it in 1973 to a well known Alfa Romeo collector who brought it to the USA.
We believe that in the late '70s the Alfa passed to David Laemmle of Wiscasset, Maine; he fondly recalls that the car was highly original, ran superbly and sounded great! During Laemmle's ownership, Ralph Stevens inspected the car and wrote an article for the Bugatti Club magazine Pur Sang (issue 16/2 1976) revealing the inconsistencies of its possible early history and asking for readers to write in with any helpful information. In 1980 the car was sold back to the UK, to Mr. Richard Bell who a few years later resold the car back to another USA collector (in about 1983).
In 1993 this same owner decided that the car, although highly original, was somewhat tired and would benefit from a thorough rebuild. A nut and bolt restoration was undertaken over a four year period by David George of D L Coachworks who specializes in early vintage sports cars and has had much experience with Alfa Romeos. David recalls this car as being one of the most original Alfa Romeos he had ever seen. Nearly every panel appeared to be the original Zagato item and many have their original stampings; great expense was spent to save these parts. The only bodywork that was replaced were the two running boards and a panel between the spare wheels and fuel tank. An item that was missing from the car was an external auxiliary oil tank and filler cap projecting from the scuttle (although the bodywork clearly had been welded up) and this was replicated. The complete chassis, suspension and brakes were all disassembled and rebuilt with all parts being magna-fluxed, and naturally all items such as the king pins and bearing were replaced. The engine did not require a rebuild (it is suspected this may have been done in the UK), as upon inspection the shell bearings were found to be new and the crankshaft was micred and found not to be worn. The supercharger and twin Memini carburetors were rebuilt. The car was completely re-wired to the original style, all chrome was redone, with the bodywork stripped to bare metal and then repainted with new upholstery and top also fitted.
The Testa Fissa engined cars are by far the most desirable of the 6C series cars due to their superior performance, racing pedigree and rarity. Only around three 1500 models with this engine are known to exist today. This example has an intriguing history that further research may yet unravel. It has the classic looks of the later, desirable 1750 4th series Zagato Spyder and is perhaps one of the most original surviving Alfa Romeos of this period. It has received an exquisite and meticulous restoration and is certainly ready for show. As an example of the final development of the 6C 1500 Supercharged Alfa Romeo, the car would be an important addition to any collection of sports racing cars. Naturally, it will be a welcome highlight at historic road/racing events. This Testa Fissa is one of the most significant small capacity Alfa Romeos to come on the market in recent years.
c.1930 ALFA ROMEO 6C-1500 SUPER-SPORT (SUPERCHARGED) TESTA FISSA SPYDER
COACHWORK BY ZAGATO
Former UK Registration No. GH 1557
Chassis No. 8513027
Engine No. 8513026
Engine: six cylinder, twin overhead camshaft, fixed head, supercharged, 1,487cc, 84bhp at 5,000rpm; Gearbox: four speed manual; Suspension: semi-elliptic leaf springs front and rear; Brakes: four wheel mechanical drum. Right hand drive.
The 6C series had been founded as early as 1924 when Alfa Romeo engineer Vittorio Jano, perhaps the greatest automotive engineer of his era, 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 what was, by the standards of the time, a very lightweight and nimble handling chassis design. Much experience gained in development of his AIACR World Championship-winning Alfa Romeo P2 Grand Prix car of 1924-30 was built into this production series.
The prototype, initially known as the model 'NR' but subsequently renamed '6C-1500', was unveiled at the Salone dell'Automobile Milano in April 1925, and then reappeared at both the Paris Salon and the London Motor Shows. 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, with many successes achieved in sports category events in 1928 and 1929. Perhaps more significantly, the supercharged 1500 engine developed considerably more mid-range torque than the unblown unit which made it a most effective weapon for racing and hill-climbing, while also doubling as a genuine high performance sporting road car. Some notable results for the 1500 model include 2nd place in the 1928 Targa Florio, 1st in the Mille Miglia and 1st in the 24 hour Belgian Grand Prix for touring cars. For 1929 the 1750 model claimed the majority of wins, but the 1500 still won the Saorstat Cup at Phoenix Park, 2nd in the Tourist Trophy, 1st in the J.C.C. Double Twelve at Brooklands and 2nd at the Belgian Grand Prix.
As competition success was all important to sales, the factory produced a very limited number of special high performance race engines for the works entries. This engine was of a fixed head or Testa Fissa design. This design obviously eliminated any cylinder head gasket problems during long races. It is thought that about six cars were fitted with this engine in 1929/30 on the 1,500 cc model and, using larger valves and higher compression ratios, the horsepower rose by 9bhp over the standard detachable head blown Super Sport. The Testa Fissa engined works cars had numerous victories in many of the major races of the late 1920s and early 1930s. This special run of cars was used by the works and Scuderia Ferrari, and provided seats for most of the famous Italian pilots such as Campari, Nuvolari and Varzi. Even Enzo Ferrari proclaimed the Testa Fissa Gran Sport his favorite among all the varied cars, his own and others, of his experience.
This highly original Zagato bodied Testa Fissa has an unknown early history. Factory records and research by the noted 1500/1750 historian Angela Cherrett have traced the history from April 1931 when the car was sold via Alfa Romeo (British Sales) Ltd. to Patrick Motors of Birmingham. Sales records describe it as 6C 1500 Supercharged and mounted with 2 str Zagato body. The next entry says Thence G.A.R Haseler... and Serviced by Patrick Motors. What is intriguing about this car is that it (or perhaps its Testa Fissa engine) may have been campaigned by the works. The chassis number for this car actually falls in the sequence for a 1930 4th series 1750 Gran Sport model. This fact is noted in the authoritative book Alfa Romeo, A History by Peter Hull and Roy Slater, who recount the known history of this vehicle under the histories of team cars. They continued as follows: It also has the large directly driven blower, usually a feature of the 6C 1750 cars, and a later two seater Zagato body with the vertical grille and front shock absorbers outside the dumb irons. Measurement of the bores has shown it to be a genuine 1-litre with a fixed head engine, believed to be the only example in the United Kingdom. A photo of the line up of the 1750 four seaters during a practice period for the 1930 T.T. shows that No. 9, Campari's car, carried the front number plate GH 1557. The fact that the present GH 1557 has a fixed head engine and a number plate that was bandied about amongst the team cars is evidence that it was a team car at some time. Certainly, this car has raised questions, and several past owners and journalists have offered their opinion that this may indeed have been a works car. Suggestions regarding the car's past have ranged from an ex-Ramponi team car to that driven by Boris Ivanowski and also Campari. If it were true that this car was raced early on in its career, it would undoubtedly have had different and earlier coachwork. If the Testa Fissa engines were solely exclusive to the works cars, as many experts believe, it is quite feasible that the engine was fitted to various cars for different events when specified. It is known that the factory closely guarded their engines and, for instance, it is well documented that the factory retained the Nuvolari 1930 TT winning Testa Fissa engine with the car rebodied and sold with a standard engine. Another interesting element on this Zagato is that the doors are cut away differently (quite acutely) at the rear, which perhaps was done at the request of a competition driver who needed more elbow room. While its chassis numbers date from the 1930 sequence, another common practice for manufacturers was to test prototypes in the year prior to their announcement and again this may have been one such vehicle.
Regardless of whether or not this Testa Fissa Alfa-Romeo has a history prior to its sale date in the UK in 1931, since that time the car has remained outstandingly original and the sequence of owners is well documented. Little is known about the first owner, Mr. Haseler of Solihull, Warwickshire. The second owner was Mr. G. A. D. Smith who owned the car from 1936 to 1938. The only competition result known was that he ran the car at the Inter-Varsity Speed Trials in March 1936 (time 39.3 seconds). Mr. Smith did correspond with Angela Cherrett in the late 1980s and two other letters from Mr. Smith are with the car. The photograph illustrated and supplied by Mr. Smith dates from 1936. In the early post-war period, this 6C 1500 was raced in Vintage Sports Car Club events by the 30/98 Vauxhall enthusiast, George Sanders. Lloyd Firmin, a well known Alfa Romeo authority, owned the car next, before selling it to Lord Montagu of Beaulieu in 1962. The National Motor Museum have confirmed to us that the car had been on exhibit at the Measham Museum, which they owned, prior to them purchasing it. They used it sparingly in such VSCC events as Silverstone and Oulton Park, and when it was not out on duty, they displayed it in their Museum. They then sold it in 1973 to a well known Alfa Romeo collector who brought it to the USA.
We believe that in the late '70s the Alfa passed to David Laemmle of Wiscasset, Maine; he fondly recalls that the car was highly original, ran superbly and sounded great! During Laemmle's ownership, Ralph Stevens inspected the car and wrote an article for the Bugatti Club magazine Pur Sang (issue 16/2 1976) revealing the inconsistencies of its possible early history and asking for readers to write in with any helpful information. In 1980 the car was sold back to the UK, to Mr. Richard Bell who a few years later resold the car back to another USA collector (in about 1983).
In 1993 this same owner decided that the car, although highly original, was somewhat tired and would benefit from a thorough rebuild. A nut and bolt restoration was undertaken over a four year period by David George of D L Coachworks who specializes in early vintage sports cars and has had much experience with Alfa Romeos. David recalls this car as being one of the most original Alfa Romeos he had ever seen. Nearly every panel appeared to be the original Zagato item and many have their original stampings; great expense was spent to save these parts. The only bodywork that was replaced were the two running boards and a panel between the spare wheels and fuel tank. An item that was missing from the car was an external auxiliary oil tank and filler cap projecting from the scuttle (although the bodywork clearly had been welded up) and this was replicated. The complete chassis, suspension and brakes were all disassembled and rebuilt with all parts being magna-fluxed, and naturally all items such as the king pins and bearing were replaced. The engine did not require a rebuild (it is suspected this may have been done in the UK), as upon inspection the shell bearings were found to be new and the crankshaft was micred and found not to be worn. The supercharger and twin Memini carburetors were rebuilt. The car was completely re-wired to the original style, all chrome was redone, with the bodywork stripped to bare metal and then repainted with new upholstery and top also fitted.
The Testa Fissa engined cars are by far the most desirable of the 6C series cars due to their superior performance, racing pedigree and rarity. Only around three 1500 models with this engine are known to exist today. This example has an intriguing history that further research may yet unravel. It has the classic looks of the later, desirable 1750 4th series Zagato Spyder and is perhaps one of the most original surviving Alfa Romeos of this period. It has received an exquisite and meticulous restoration and is certainly ready for show. As an example of the final development of the 6C 1500 Supercharged Alfa Romeo, the car would be an important addition to any collection of sports racing cars. Naturally, it will be a welcome highlight at historic road/racing events. This Testa Fissa is one of the most significant small capacity Alfa Romeos to come on the market in recent years.