Cars of the 1930s
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Cars 1930-33 Cars 1934-35 Cars 1936-37 Cars 1938-1939 Mercedes-Benz Duesenberg Bugatti French cars Alfa Romeo
Chronology : 1931 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
See also : Cars 1930-33 Cars 1934-35 Cars 1936-37 Cars 1938-1939 Mercedes-Benz Duesenberg Bugatti French cars Alfa Romeo
Chronology : 1931 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
1931 Duesenberg Model J
2011 SOLD for $ 10.3M by Gooding
Captain Whittell was an exuberant American who had preserved his immense fortune by selling his shares just a few days before the financial crash of 1929. Such a character would have some Duesenbergs : he owned no less than six model J's.
At that time, customers bought the chassis and selected the body shop. The choice was great, which gives an infinite variety to Duesenberg vehicles.
The high end was the lengthened Model J chassis (long wheelbase). This huge machine 3.90 m long exceeded by 30 cm the standard (short wheelbase) Model J.
Whittell bought a long wheelbase in 1931 and made it equipped as a coupe by the stylist Franklin Hershey. The result is a surprising example of American Art Deco, including a folding roof that makes this car look like a convertible. The general shape is aerodynamic, anticipating the trend of the automotive design of the later 1930s.
It was sold for $ 10.3M on 20/21 August 2011 by Gooding. Totaling less than 20,000 km, it is in perfect working order.
At that time, customers bought the chassis and selected the body shop. The choice was great, which gives an infinite variety to Duesenberg vehicles.
The high end was the lengthened Model J chassis (long wheelbase). This huge machine 3.90 m long exceeded by 30 cm the standard (short wheelbase) Model J.
Whittell bought a long wheelbase in 1931 and made it equipped as a coupe by the stylist Franklin Hershey. The result is a surprising example of American Art Deco, including a folding roof that makes this car look like a convertible. The general shape is aerodynamic, anticipating the trend of the automotive design of the later 1930s.
It was sold for $ 10.3M on 20/21 August 2011 by Gooding. Totaling less than 20,000 km, it is in perfect working order.
1932 Bugatti Type 55
2016 SOLD for $ 10.4M by Gooding
Reputed to be a traditionalist, Ettore Bugatti was perfectly right to trust his son Jean. The skills of the young man both as designer and engineer certainly saved the brand throughout the economic crisis of the 1930s.
The situation is uneasy. In racing, the glorious Type 35 is no more competitive and its successors Types 51, 53 and 54 do not reach the performance of their Alfa Romeo competitors. Too expensive, the Type 41 La Royale limousine appealed only three customers and its target of 25 units in production will never be achieved.
Fortunately the commercial success is maintained by a deluxe coupé designed in 1929 by Ettore and Jean, the Type 46 nicknamed La Petite Royale. Jean is 20 years old.
The Bugatti brand introduces in 1931 the Type 55 sports car with three factory bodywork options : coupé, cabriolet and roadster. Only 38 cars were made overall.
Designed by Jean, this roadster introduces an increased elegance within the Bugatti range while the top speed is just shy of 180 km/h. In the following year, Jean gets inspired by this avant-garde experience to equip in roadster the La Royale purchased by Armand Esders.
From 1931 to 1936, 14 of the Type 55 chassis are equipped with Jean Bugatti's roadster. One of them made in 1932 was sold for $ 10.4M by Gooding on August 21, 2016, lot 135.
Despite the differentiation between sports and competition models, the car for sale had entered the Mille Miglia in 1932. Piloted by Achille Varzi who was then an official driver to Bugatti, it had to stop after the piercing of the fuel tank by a rock.
This car retained a high level of authenticity. It was completely dismantled for a careful restoration. The original engine and gearbox, replaced by replicas during the re-assembly, are included in the auction lot.
The situation is uneasy. In racing, the glorious Type 35 is no more competitive and its successors Types 51, 53 and 54 do not reach the performance of their Alfa Romeo competitors. Too expensive, the Type 41 La Royale limousine appealed only three customers and its target of 25 units in production will never be achieved.
Fortunately the commercial success is maintained by a deluxe coupé designed in 1929 by Ettore and Jean, the Type 46 nicknamed La Petite Royale. Jean is 20 years old.
The Bugatti brand introduces in 1931 the Type 55 sports car with three factory bodywork options : coupé, cabriolet and roadster. Only 38 cars were made overall.
Designed by Jean, this roadster introduces an increased elegance within the Bugatti range while the top speed is just shy of 180 km/h. In the following year, Jean gets inspired by this avant-garde experience to equip in roadster the La Royale purchased by Armand Esders.
From 1931 to 1936, 14 of the Type 55 chassis are equipped with Jean Bugatti's roadster. One of them made in 1932 was sold for $ 10.4M by Gooding on August 21, 2016, lot 135.
Despite the differentiation between sports and competition models, the car for sale had entered the Mille Miglia in 1932. Piloted by Achille Varzi who was then an official driver to Bugatti, it had to stop after the piercing of the fuel tank by a rock.
This car retained a high level of authenticity. It was completely dismantled for a careful restoration. The original engine and gearbox, replaced by replicas during the re-assembly, are included in the auction lot.
1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300
2016 SOLD for $ 12M by Gooding
Developed in 1931 by Vittorio Jano, the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 supercharged sports model is ahead of its time with its 2,300 cc straight 8 cylinder engine on a stiff chassis. About 188 cars were produced.
An 8C 2300 Monza was sold by Gooding for $ 6.7M on August 15, 2010, lot 117, and for $ 12M on August 21, 2016, lot 128. It had been illustrated in 2010 in the article shared by Sports Car Digest. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This Alfa Romeo is in an original condition which is quite rare for a car from that time, including its matching number engine and a great traceability of the other elements.
The qualifier Monza applied to the short chassis version of the 8C 2300 after a victory in the Italian Grand Prix in the first year of the model in 1931.
The build of many early Monzas had been entrusted to Scuderia Ferrari which was a subsidiary of Alfa Romeo. It is not the case for the car for sale which is a rare factory built of 1933 coachworked by Brianza. It belongs to the third series when the 8C 2300 Monza had become a regular variant with a further shortened frame.
1933 had been a pivotal year for Alfa Romeo.
The 8C 2300 model begins to be replaced by the 8C 2600. Alfa Romeo goes under the effective control of the Fascist government desiring to make it a flagship of Italian industry. The brand does not maintain any more a works racing team despite the great success of the two previous years and a repositionment of the Scuderia Ferrari will be necessary.
An 8C 2300 Monza was sold by Gooding for $ 6.7M on August 15, 2010, lot 117, and for $ 12M on August 21, 2016, lot 128. It had been illustrated in 2010 in the article shared by Sports Car Digest. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This Alfa Romeo is in an original condition which is quite rare for a car from that time, including its matching number engine and a great traceability of the other elements.
The qualifier Monza applied to the short chassis version of the 8C 2300 after a victory in the Italian Grand Prix in the first year of the model in 1931.
The build of many early Monzas had been entrusted to Scuderia Ferrari which was a subsidiary of Alfa Romeo. It is not the case for the car for sale which is a rare factory built of 1933 coachworked by Brianza. It belongs to the third series when the 8C 2300 Monza had become a regular variant with a further shortened frame.
1933 had been a pivotal year for Alfa Romeo.
The 8C 2300 model begins to be replaced by the 8C 2600. Alfa Romeo goes under the effective control of the Fascist government desiring to make it a flagship of Italian industry. The brand does not maintain any more a works racing team despite the great success of the two previous years and a repositionment of the Scuderia Ferrari will be necessary.
1934 Bugatti Type 59
2020 SOLD for £ 9.5M by Gooding
The era when Bugatti was invincible in the Grand Prix is over. Faced with the Alfa Romeo Tipo B supported by the Italian government, the Types 51 and 54 are not competitive. To stop this decline, Bugatti develops the Type 59. Six cars are built in 1934.
The 59 only wins two Grand Prix : at Spa because the Alfa Romeos had a crash and, more deservingly, in Algeria. The traceability of the Grand Prix Bugattis is based on the engines and not on the chassis, and it is impossible to discriminate between the individual cars their participations in the competitions.
These discouraging results could have been anticipated : the 59 is too heavy, too rigid, not powerful enough, with an outdated gearbox and poor brakes. It will not be replaced : following the success of his high-end sports car, the Type 55, Jean Bugatti gives priority to the roadsters.
In 1935 four 59 were sold to English customers. The car with the No. 5 engine undergoes a long series of modifications at the factory. Accustomed to its presence in their premises, the mechanics affectionately nicknamed it Grand-Mère.
Grand-Mère is now a Bugatti 59 Sports, bodyworked as a two-seaters for competitions on French roads where the Alfa Romeos do not come. Driven by Wimille, it achieves many successes in 1937. Significantly, its new chassis had been numbered like a 57, ultimately erasing the page of the 59s.
A great lover of luxury cars and an outstanding patron of the brand, Léopold III of Belgium acquires this one-off 59 Sports in 1938. Rediscovered in the former royal garage in 1967, it remains authentic in the configuration of its delivery by Bugatti to the king.
Grand-Mère was sold for £ 9.5M by Gooding on September 5, 2020, lot 4. Its image at Goodwood in 2012 is shared by Wikimedia with attribution : David Merrett from Daventry, England [CC BY].
The 59 only wins two Grand Prix : at Spa because the Alfa Romeos had a crash and, more deservingly, in Algeria. The traceability of the Grand Prix Bugattis is based on the engines and not on the chassis, and it is impossible to discriminate between the individual cars their participations in the competitions.
These discouraging results could have been anticipated : the 59 is too heavy, too rigid, not powerful enough, with an outdated gearbox and poor brakes. It will not be replaced : following the success of his high-end sports car, the Type 55, Jean Bugatti gives priority to the roadsters.
In 1935 four 59 were sold to English customers. The car with the No. 5 engine undergoes a long series of modifications at the factory. Accustomed to its presence in their premises, the mechanics affectionately nicknamed it Grand-Mère.
Grand-Mère is now a Bugatti 59 Sports, bodyworked as a two-seaters for competitions on French roads where the Alfa Romeos do not come. Driven by Wimille, it achieves many successes in 1937. Significantly, its new chassis had been numbered like a 57, ultimately erasing the page of the 59s.
A great lover of luxury cars and an outstanding patron of the brand, Léopold III of Belgium acquires this one-off 59 Sports in 1938. Rediscovered in the former royal garage in 1967, it remains authentic in the configuration of its delivery by Bugatti to the king.
Grand-Mère was sold for £ 9.5M by Gooding on September 5, 2020, lot 4. Its image at Goodwood in 2012 is shared by Wikimedia with attribution : David Merrett from Daventry, England [CC BY].
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1935 Duesenberg SSJ
2018 SOLD for $ 22M by Gooding
In May 1935 the management of Duesenberg recognizes the commercial failure of their high-end chassis, the Model J released in 1928. EL Cord, boss of the group that owns Duesenberg, launches a project that could save the brand : create the best car in two units to be entrusted respectively to Gary Cooper and Clark Gable. This Duesenberg Special Speedster will be identified from 1951 with the reference SSJ.
The brand's chief designer, J. Herbert Newport, plans to use on a shortened chassis the powerful Duesenberg Special 400 hp eight-cylinder in-line engine under development. The stars give their opinion. An enthusiast about luxury cars, Gary Cooper is appealed by the unprecedented performance of the future model but prefers that this roadster looks like a classic Duesenberg. Newport gives up the idea of a modernist body.
The two cars are provided to the actors in December 1935 for a long-term loan. Cooper's wife, Sandra Shaw, immediately has sent their car back to the factory for changing the color.
Six months later the two stars receive a proposal to buy their car at one-third the price of an ordinary Model J. Cooper accepts. Gable is not interested : he already owns one of the ten units of the Duesenberg JN also produced in 1935.
Cooper and Gable did not make the spectacular use that Cord was waiting for. We do not know when Cooper sold his car. Cord could have anticipated that it is not so easy to use the capricious Hollywood celebrities as advertising agents for luxury cars. Already in 1934 Mae West had refused the project of a SJ Town Car designed especially for her by Duesenberg.
There will be no other SSJ. Its supercharged engine was only used on these two cars and temporarily on the one-off Special ordered by Ab Jenkins to race the land speed record in Bonneville.
Little used, Gary Cooper's SSJ has only 20,000 miles on the clock. It had only two owners since 1949, Briggs Cunningham and Miles Collier. Historian of automotive technology and tall ships, Collier wisely prefers to preserve the old cars rather than to restore them. This SSJ has kept intact its original chassis, engine and body and even has the canvas of its folding roof. It was sold for $ 22M from a lower estimate of $ 10M by Gooding on August 24, 2018, lot 35.
The car is driven and narrated by David Gooding in the video shared by the auction house.
The brand's chief designer, J. Herbert Newport, plans to use on a shortened chassis the powerful Duesenberg Special 400 hp eight-cylinder in-line engine under development. The stars give their opinion. An enthusiast about luxury cars, Gary Cooper is appealed by the unprecedented performance of the future model but prefers that this roadster looks like a classic Duesenberg. Newport gives up the idea of a modernist body.
The two cars are provided to the actors in December 1935 for a long-term loan. Cooper's wife, Sandra Shaw, immediately has sent their car back to the factory for changing the color.
Six months later the two stars receive a proposal to buy their car at one-third the price of an ordinary Model J. Cooper accepts. Gable is not interested : he already owns one of the ten units of the Duesenberg JN also produced in 1935.
Cooper and Gable did not make the spectacular use that Cord was waiting for. We do not know when Cooper sold his car. Cord could have anticipated that it is not so easy to use the capricious Hollywood celebrities as advertising agents for luxury cars. Already in 1934 Mae West had refused the project of a SJ Town Car designed especially for her by Duesenberg.
There will be no other SSJ. Its supercharged engine was only used on these two cars and temporarily on the one-off Special ordered by Ab Jenkins to race the land speed record in Bonneville.
Little used, Gary Cooper's SSJ has only 20,000 miles on the clock. It had only two owners since 1949, Briggs Cunningham and Miles Collier. Historian of automotive technology and tall ships, Collier wisely prefers to preserve the old cars rather than to restore them. This SSJ has kept intact its original chassis, engine and body and even has the canvas of its folding roof. It was sold for $ 22M from a lower estimate of $ 10M by Gooding on August 24, 2018, lot 35.
The car is driven and narrated by David Gooding in the video shared by the auction house.
1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster
2012 SOLD for $ 11.8M by Gooding
After an early great period around 1928 with the 680 S, Mercedes-Benz is positioning more firmly in the luxury car market in 1933 with the 380 and its variant 380K where K means Kompressor. Its 3.8-liter engine is too small and its maximum speed of 145 km/h with the supercharger does not differ sufficiently from its competitors.
With a high intelligence Mercedes-Benz appreciates that the wealthiest customers shall prefer a bigger and more powerful car even if it is much more expensive. The 380 is terminated in mid-1934 to be replaced by the 5 liter 500 and its supercharged 500K which reaches 160 km/h on the road.
In an international perspective the 500s come at the right time. The Cord group fails to balance the budget of Duesenberg, Bugatti's La Royale is an almost total commercial failure and Bentley went bankrupt.
The coachwork becomes gorgeous. The high end is named Roadster, understood as a synonym for Grand Tourer. Mercedes-Benz optimize the bodies by promoting a standardization at their assembly plant in Sindelfingen, but remain responsive to the specific needs of their clients.
On September 3, 2016, Bonhams sold at lot 16 for € 5.3M a 500 K Roadster coachworked in Sindelfingen.
Mercedes-Benz unveiled in 1936 the automotive masterpiece of the 1930s, the 540K Spezial Roadster.
Aesthetically, this two-seater convertible is a wonder due to the skill of Hermann Ahrens and his team in Sindelfingen. Its tapered shape, with the door in alignment of the covers, gives an illusion of lightness that fully compensates the large dimensions of its 5.10 m chassis. It somehow anticipates by eight decades the hypercars of today with the cockpit centered on the chassis.
The weight gain of its open cabin enables a top speed at 185 km/h which is 25 km/h more than a basic 540K in a closed bodywork.
It is the most expensive : 28,000 Reichsmarks, which is 6,000 Reichsmarks more than any other model. This is an advantage because it appeals the elite as a car for prestige and parade, although nothing prevents pushing the performance of this roadster on an Autobahn.
Its engine 5.4 liter with Kompressor makes the 540K the achievement of a technical evolution that will have no successor. The project of a 580K with an increase to 5.8 liters aborted.
Known as a lover of beautiful cars, a Prussian aristocrat named von Krieger bought a Spezial Roadster as early as 1936 for the use of his his two children, but it was to his daughter Gisela, 23, to monopolize it for supporting her social life.
Then came the war. Baroness Gisela hid her car and then went to a reclusive life. After her death in 1989, her wonderful car was retrieved intact, with driving maps, lipstick-stained cigarette butts and silk gloves used by its owner four decades earlier.
Retaining its original equipment, this car of the most beautiful German model of the 1930s, owned and driven by one of the most elegant young ladies of the time, was sold for $ 11.8M by Gooding on August 18-19, 2012. It is illustrated in the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
On October 31, 2007, a 540K Spezial Roadster made in 1937 had been sold for £ 3.9M by RM Auctions, lot 225. The Spezial from the Mann collection was sold for $ 9.7M by RM Auctions on August 20, 2011.
With a high intelligence Mercedes-Benz appreciates that the wealthiest customers shall prefer a bigger and more powerful car even if it is much more expensive. The 380 is terminated in mid-1934 to be replaced by the 5 liter 500 and its supercharged 500K which reaches 160 km/h on the road.
In an international perspective the 500s come at the right time. The Cord group fails to balance the budget of Duesenberg, Bugatti's La Royale is an almost total commercial failure and Bentley went bankrupt.
The coachwork becomes gorgeous. The high end is named Roadster, understood as a synonym for Grand Tourer. Mercedes-Benz optimize the bodies by promoting a standardization at their assembly plant in Sindelfingen, but remain responsive to the specific needs of their clients.
On September 3, 2016, Bonhams sold at lot 16 for € 5.3M a 500 K Roadster coachworked in Sindelfingen.
Mercedes-Benz unveiled in 1936 the automotive masterpiece of the 1930s, the 540K Spezial Roadster.
Aesthetically, this two-seater convertible is a wonder due to the skill of Hermann Ahrens and his team in Sindelfingen. Its tapered shape, with the door in alignment of the covers, gives an illusion of lightness that fully compensates the large dimensions of its 5.10 m chassis. It somehow anticipates by eight decades the hypercars of today with the cockpit centered on the chassis.
The weight gain of its open cabin enables a top speed at 185 km/h which is 25 km/h more than a basic 540K in a closed bodywork.
It is the most expensive : 28,000 Reichsmarks, which is 6,000 Reichsmarks more than any other model. This is an advantage because it appeals the elite as a car for prestige and parade, although nothing prevents pushing the performance of this roadster on an Autobahn.
Its engine 5.4 liter with Kompressor makes the 540K the achievement of a technical evolution that will have no successor. The project of a 580K with an increase to 5.8 liters aborted.
Known as a lover of beautiful cars, a Prussian aristocrat named von Krieger bought a Spezial Roadster as early as 1936 for the use of his his two children, but it was to his daughter Gisela, 23, to monopolize it for supporting her social life.
Then came the war. Baroness Gisela hid her car and then went to a reclusive life. After her death in 1989, her wonderful car was retrieved intact, with driving maps, lipstick-stained cigarette butts and silk gloves used by its owner four decades earlier.
Retaining its original equipment, this car of the most beautiful German model of the 1930s, owned and driven by one of the most elegant young ladies of the time, was sold for $ 11.8M by Gooding on August 18-19, 2012. It is illustrated in the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
On October 31, 2007, a 540K Spezial Roadster made in 1937 had been sold for £ 3.9M by RM Auctions, lot 225. The Spezial from the Mann collection was sold for $ 9.7M by RM Auctions on August 20, 2011.
1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS Coupe
2022 SOLD for $ 13.4M by Gooding
An Italian-born coachbuilder working in Boulogne-sur-Seine, Giuseppe Figoni associates in 1935 with the businessman Ovidio Falaschi. This co-operation allows Figoni to devote entirely to his art, perhaps with some support from the automotive artist Géo Ham.
In 1935 also, Bugatti introduces at the Salon de l'Auto a prototype named "Aérolithe". The quest for obtaining high speed from aerodynamic features have led to a style all in curves, with a semi-spheric cockpit. The catalogued model will be the Bugatti Atlantic, made in three units in 1936.
At the same time, two new high-end chassis appear on the French market : the Type 135 by Delahaye and the T150 by the recently incorporated Talbot-Lago. Each of them is also available in a short wheel base version specifically designed for competition.
Figoni et Falaschi developed for these two types a range of bodies unique in their kind known as Goutte d'eau for the teardrop shape of the inner contour. This rolling work of art with a lowered center of gravity, referred by its carrossier as a faux cabriolet, is indeed contemporary with the culmination of the Parisian Art Déco style.
While a production line is established for the Delahaye long chassis, a very small number of Goutte d'eau were assembled over the Delahaye short chassis, mainly as prototypes or demonstrators.
Only 16 Talbot-Lago chassis were assembled with a Figoni et Falaschi teardrop, in two series. The first series referred as Coupé Jeancart was made of three on the four-litre T150-C SS chassis, one on the three-litre T23 chassis and one on the T150-C Lago Speciale 30 cm longer chassis. C SS refers to the Super Sport Competition short chassis. The model embeds a 4 liter 6 cylinder engine.
Only two Talbot-Lago T150-C SS coupes, both from 1937, have been fitted in period with the spectacular variant of the Goutte d'Eau with fully enclosed front fenders, a feature which is less uncommon on the Delahaye teardrops.
Only one is retaining its original body, with which it won the Prix d'Excellence at the 1938 Concours d’Elegance Fémina in Paris where it had been featured by former cabaret dancer Princess Stella de Kapurthala. Its aluminum alloy coachwork belongs to the second series of Talbot-Lago teardrops, also referred as Modèle New York. This example has a sunroof.
This car was sold for $ 13.4M by Gooding on March 4, 2022, lot 54. It is illustrated in the pre sale press release. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
In 1935 also, Bugatti introduces at the Salon de l'Auto a prototype named "Aérolithe". The quest for obtaining high speed from aerodynamic features have led to a style all in curves, with a semi-spheric cockpit. The catalogued model will be the Bugatti Atlantic, made in three units in 1936.
At the same time, two new high-end chassis appear on the French market : the Type 135 by Delahaye and the T150 by the recently incorporated Talbot-Lago. Each of them is also available in a short wheel base version specifically designed for competition.
Figoni et Falaschi developed for these two types a range of bodies unique in their kind known as Goutte d'eau for the teardrop shape of the inner contour. This rolling work of art with a lowered center of gravity, referred by its carrossier as a faux cabriolet, is indeed contemporary with the culmination of the Parisian Art Déco style.
While a production line is established for the Delahaye long chassis, a very small number of Goutte d'eau were assembled over the Delahaye short chassis, mainly as prototypes or demonstrators.
Only 16 Talbot-Lago chassis were assembled with a Figoni et Falaschi teardrop, in two series. The first series referred as Coupé Jeancart was made of three on the four-litre T150-C SS chassis, one on the three-litre T23 chassis and one on the T150-C Lago Speciale 30 cm longer chassis. C SS refers to the Super Sport Competition short chassis. The model embeds a 4 liter 6 cylinder engine.
Only two Talbot-Lago T150-C SS coupes, both from 1937, have been fitted in period with the spectacular variant of the Goutte d'Eau with fully enclosed front fenders, a feature which is less uncommon on the Delahaye teardrops.
Only one is retaining its original body, with which it won the Prix d'Excellence at the 1938 Concours d’Elegance Fémina in Paris where it had been featured by former cabaret dancer Princess Stella de Kapurthala. Its aluminum alloy coachwork belongs to the second series of Talbot-Lago teardrops, also referred as Modèle New York. This example has a sunroof.
This car was sold for $ 13.4M by Gooding on March 4, 2022, lot 54. It is illustrated in the pre sale press release. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Alfa Romeo 8C Superleggera
Intro
At the time of totalitarianism, motor racing became a major showcase of high-tech know-how. To compete with the Silver Arrows, Alfa Romeo develops a stiffened chassis and an independent suspension with which it equips the Tipo C for the grand prix and the 6C 2300 B for grand touring.
Under the direct control of the Italian government, Alfa Romeo improves the performance of its luxury and sports cars throughout the 1930s by the skill of the engineer Vittorio Jano. The 6-cylinder version (6C) grows in several stages from 1750 to 2500 cc. Aimed at the high end, the 8-cylinder version (8C) is created in 1931 with 2300 cc. Introduced in 1935 the 8C 2900 A targets the endurance racing.
The grand touring model 8C 2900 B is available with a straight 8 engine in two wheel bases from 1937 : Corto and Lungo, 2.80 m and 3 m respectively. It was the fastest commercial car of its time. A racing version averaged 210 km/h over a 80 km section of autostrada.
Alfa Romeo has special relationships with two body shops that offer dissimilar products. A 8C 2900 B assembled by Pinin Farina in cabriolet was sold for $ 4.1M by Christie's on August 28, 1999.
In Milan also, Carrozzeria Touring patented in 1936 its Superleggera technology : after advanced aerodynamic studies, this company offers all-metal bodies, a novelty at that time. Alfa Romeo actively supports this development that will enable its Lungo variant to compete advantageously with the heavy Mercedes-Benz 540K.
In 1937 Touring develops two bodies for the new 8C 2900 B : a spider for the short chassis and a berlinetta for the long chassis. The closed cockpit allows a body made entirely of aluminum unlike the spider which requires reinforcements in steel. For this reason the spider is heavier than the coupe. It will also be built for the long chassis.
The war interrupted this activity. Indeed in 1939 Alfa Romeo is already offering the features that will make the success of sports cars after the war : the open spider from as early as 1931, and the closed berlinetta.
Under the direct control of the Italian government, Alfa Romeo improves the performance of its luxury and sports cars throughout the 1930s by the skill of the engineer Vittorio Jano. The 6-cylinder version (6C) grows in several stages from 1750 to 2500 cc. Aimed at the high end, the 8-cylinder version (8C) is created in 1931 with 2300 cc. Introduced in 1935 the 8C 2900 A targets the endurance racing.
The grand touring model 8C 2900 B is available with a straight 8 engine in two wheel bases from 1937 : Corto and Lungo, 2.80 m and 3 m respectively. It was the fastest commercial car of its time. A racing version averaged 210 km/h over a 80 km section of autostrada.
Alfa Romeo has special relationships with two body shops that offer dissimilar products. A 8C 2900 B assembled by Pinin Farina in cabriolet was sold for $ 4.1M by Christie's on August 28, 1999.
In Milan also, Carrozzeria Touring patented in 1936 its Superleggera technology : after advanced aerodynamic studies, this company offers all-metal bodies, a novelty at that time. Alfa Romeo actively supports this development that will enable its Lungo variant to compete advantageously with the heavy Mercedes-Benz 540K.
In 1937 Touring develops two bodies for the new 8C 2900 B : a spider for the short chassis and a berlinetta for the long chassis. The closed cockpit allows a body made entirely of aluminum unlike the spider which requires reinforcements in steel. For this reason the spider is heavier than the coupe. It will also be built for the long chassis.
The war interrupted this activity. Indeed in 1939 Alfa Romeo is already offering the features that will make the success of sports cars after the war : the open spider from as early as 1931, and the closed berlinetta.
1
1938 berlinetta
2019 SOLD for € 16.7M by Artcurial
The total population of 8C 2900 B Touring berlinettas is five units. The second, built in 1938, is titled 1939, the date of its registration in the United Kingdom. It was used sparingly except for a brief period in the 1950s and was carefully maintained by its successive owners without ever being disassembled.
Remaining since 1976 in a single collection, it was sold for € 16.7M by Artcurial on February 8, 2019, lot 20. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Two other 8C 2900 B berlinettas by Touring were awarded the highly prestigious Best Of Show of Pebble Beach's Concours d'Elegance, in 2008 and 2018 respectively.
Remaining since 1976 in a single collection, it was sold for € 16.7M by Artcurial on February 8, 2019, lot 20. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Two other 8C 2900 B berlinettas by Touring were awarded the highly prestigious Best Of Show of Pebble Beach's Concours d'Elegance, in 2008 and 2018 respectively.
2
1938 Lungo spider
2024 SOLD for $ 14M by Gooding
Eight 8C 2900 B Lungo were bodied as spiders by Touring. Five of them are known to survive.
One of them made in 1938 had been awarded the Best of Show at the 1996 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este after a complete restoration. The engine had been rebuilt in the 1960s.
In 2022 the car with its truck and trailer was stolen in the USA while on its way to be restored. The FBI recovered it largely intact. It was sold for $ 14M by Gooding on August 16, 2024, lot 29. It is illustrated by the auction house in a specific pre sale press release.
One of them made in 1938 had been awarded the Best of Show at the 1996 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este after a complete restoration. The engine had been rebuilt in the 1960s.
In 2022 the car with its truck and trailer was stolen in the USA while on its way to be restored. The FBI recovered it largely intact. It was sold for $ 14M by Gooding on August 16, 2024, lot 29. It is illustrated by the auction house in a specific pre sale press release.
3
1939 Lungo spider ex Mann
2016 SOLD for $ 19.8M by RM Sotheby's
Under the direct control of the Italian government, Alfa Romeo improves the performance of its luxury and sports cars throughout the 1930s. The 6-cylinder version (6C) grows in several stages from 1750 to 2500 cc. Aimed at the high end, the 8-cylinder version (8C), created in 1931 with 2300 cc, is fitted with 2900 cc from 1935. The 8C 2900B is available in two lengths from 1937 : Corto and Lungo.
Alfa Romeo has special relationships with two body shops that offer dissimilar products. A 8C 2900B assembled by Pinin Farina in cabriolet was sold for $ 4.1M by Christie's on August 28, 1999, a great price for that time.
In Milan, Carrozzeria Touring patented in 1936 theSuperleggera technology. Alfa Romeo actively supports this development that must enable its Lungo variant to compete advantageously with the too massive Mercedes-Benz 540K. The war interrupted this activity. Note however that in 1939 Alfa Romeo is already offering the features that will make the success of sports cars after the war: the spider from as early as 1931, and the berlinetta.
On August 20, 2016, RM Sotheby's sold as lot 234 for $ 19.8M the culmination of this evolution : an 8C 2900B Lungo bodied in spider superleggera by Touring.
The authenticity of this car is the result of patient and painstaking work by the best specialists of the brand. The oldest traces of its eventful existence date back to the early 1950s in South America. As often, this car had been dismantled by owners seeking the best combination for their cars in competition.
In 1994, convinced that chassis 412041 and body 2027 may come from the same original car, the collector Sam Mann, passionate about automotive engineering, acquires both. The reassembly proves him right : the positions of the bolt holes are consistent, resulting from the work done by Touring workmen around 1939. Despite the extreme rarity of this model, Mann was able to complete this work by assembling an engine and a fuel pump from the original 8C 2900B series.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's TV and another video shared by RM introducing five vehicles from the Mann collection.
Alfa Romeo has special relationships with two body shops that offer dissimilar products. A 8C 2900B assembled by Pinin Farina in cabriolet was sold for $ 4.1M by Christie's on August 28, 1999, a great price for that time.
In Milan, Carrozzeria Touring patented in 1936 theSuperleggera technology. Alfa Romeo actively supports this development that must enable its Lungo variant to compete advantageously with the too massive Mercedes-Benz 540K. The war interrupted this activity. Note however that in 1939 Alfa Romeo is already offering the features that will make the success of sports cars after the war: the spider from as early as 1931, and the berlinetta.
On August 20, 2016, RM Sotheby's sold as lot 234 for $ 19.8M the culmination of this evolution : an 8C 2900B Lungo bodied in spider superleggera by Touring.
The authenticity of this car is the result of patient and painstaking work by the best specialists of the brand. The oldest traces of its eventful existence date back to the early 1950s in South America. As often, this car had been dismantled by owners seeking the best combination for their cars in competition.
In 1994, convinced that chassis 412041 and body 2027 may come from the same original car, the collector Sam Mann, passionate about automotive engineering, acquires both. The reassembly proves him right : the positions of the bolt holes are consistent, resulting from the work done by Touring workmen around 1939. Despite the extreme rarity of this model, Mann was able to complete this work by assembling an engine and a fuel pump from the original 8C 2900B series.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's TV and another video shared by RM introducing five vehicles from the Mann collection.
