Lot 343: 1932/199 Alfa Romeo 8C 2600 Spyder Corsa Evocazione

Individuality had been a hallmark of Alfa Romeo from the earliest days and when Nicola Romeo took over the company in 1918 this became even more the case. Competition soon came to the fore; by 1929 Scuderia Ferrari had been set up to run Alfa Romeo's racing programme with Ferrari being assisted by engineer Luigi Bazzi and designer Vittorio Jano. Alfa Romeo thus became a major force in competition and successes increased due in no small part to Jano's genius. Jano was to complement his competition work with some exceptional road cars, the first being the 6C 1500 Turismo of 1927; this was followed by the twin camshaft Sport model also available in supercharged Gran Sport guise. It lacked power, though, and in 1929 the 6C 1750 was announced in Turismo, Sport and Gran Sport specifications, all with normally aspirated engines. Soon after the ultimate supercharged Super Sport and Gran Sport models appeared, rapid machines capable of 100mph and vivid acceleration as demonstrated by Nuvolari and Guidotti's win in the 1930 Mille Miglia. Mated to a four-speed gearbox, the 1,752cc six cylinder engine produced 85bhp while semi-elliptic suspension and automatically adjustable shock absorbers ensured fine roadholding. A natural development of the 6C, the 8C 2300 was born of the need to improve performance in an increasingly competitive market for sports cars. Even though the new car was powered by a straight eight cylinder engine, it retained the six cylinder's bore and stroke and simply achieved its 2,336cc capacity by the addition of two extra cylinders; the block comprised light alloy 'half blocks' divided in two and the cylinder head used the same configuration, while the supercharger was situated on the engine's right-hand side. As with the 6C, the 8C was produced in numerous short and long chassis versions with either Spyder, Monza or Le Mans coachwork. Initially power output was 142bhp at 5,000rpm, rising to 180bhp at 5,400rpm in the Le Mans model; in the single seater 8C Monza power would rise from 165bhp to 178bhp at 5,400rpm. Again as with the 6C, the 8C proved itself to be an enormously competitive car with Tazio Nuvolari taking victory in the 1931 Mille Miglia and Earl Howe/Tim Birkin outright honours in that year's Le Mans 24 Hours. One of two 8C Evocaziones (the other being a Monza) Coys is proud to offer, this 8C Spyder Corsa was the result of an idea developed by the father of the vendor while strolling along the beachfront in Valencia. Maserati expert Peter Shaw would work closely with him on a project that would that would take five years to reach fruition. The chassis for both cars was cold-formed by hand, negating the expense for specialist tooling, a labour intensive process that produced an extremely accurate copy of the original chassis, with the differences between the two types of chassis being accommodated accordingly. The floors of the cars are wooden and correctly clad in rigid aluminium and the bodies for each are handmade and produced to the highest quality; indeed to such a standard that it would be hard to find finer craftsmanship. First the wooden and steel framework had to be completed and then the aluminium tail, cockpit, bulkhead, bonnet, radiator cowlings and wings; the painting process then lasted for weeks as each layer was meticulously rubbed down prior to application of the next. The cockpits proved to be one of the difficult areas to recreate due to the complexity of such items as the switchgear, clocks and pumps but this has again been achieved with total accuracy down to the last detail. The clocks themselves are all original, though refaced, having been sourced from specialists, as is the switchgear, while the complex pumps were manufactured from scratch. Such attention to fine detail was also applied to the electrical wiring, including ensuring it was distributed and terminated exactly as with a period 8C. Another example of this perfectionism is the steering wheel which has been manufactured with the correct ebonite cladding for the steel framework, requiring complicated formulations, cast preparations, colour matching and curing procedures to achieve the correct result. Underneath, the front axle was manufactured from cast steel and then machined and although a difficult process, it was nothing to compared to recreating the rear axle which, in tandem with the torque tube and ancillary items, turned out to be one of the problematical tasks of the whole project. For this a set of form tools had to be manufactured to the same standard as that required for high volume production, a process that took a whole year to complete. As for the brake hubs and shoe assemblies, these were painstakingly machined and fabricated Engine build was carried out by the well known Jim Stokes Workshops which has a long history of working with historic Alfa Romeos and a reputation for high quality workmanship. The engines for both 8Cs were bored out to the more favourable 2,600cc to achieve the maximum possible power output within what would be acceptable in terms of originality. While the distributor bodies were sourced from specialists, their caps had to be moulded from scratch, as did the clutch assembly. The gearboxes proved far more difficult, requiring casting, fabricating, forming and machining and finally heat treating, another process that took many months to complete; similarly, detail work such as the gearlever gate, gearlever and gear knob all became a labour of love. Turning to the propshafts, these, due to the absence of working drawings, could only be manufactured once the correct length could be measured after the engine, gearbox and back axle were in place. Similarly, the exhaust manifolds and systems could only be manufactured once the engine was installed in the chassis. It was the carburettors, however, which proved the most complicated in this area. For these Jim Stokes had to put much work into recreating authentic examples identical to the originals, but it would be impossible to tell the results from the genuine articles. All of the above details just some of the many obstacles encountered during the painstaking path that was crucial to working on a project of such magnitude. They also highlight the incredible level of attention to detail, perfectionism and professionalism of all those involved. This simply superb 8C Spyder Corsa was finally ready to be driven in anger in 1999 and, like the 8C Monza also on offer, such is the sheer level of craftsmanship which has been put into its creation and execution that it really is impossible to detect even the tiniest difference to the original article. Similarly presented in the correct shade of red paintwork and with the cockpit lavishly trimmed in the finest black Connolly leather, this car has also only been exercised at VSCC meetings and on track test days where it too, unsurprisingly, has demonstrated the highest levels of performance, roadholding and handling. Ready to exercised in earnest on both the road and track, and eligible for countless historic events throughout the world, this represents an exceptional opportunity to acquire an all time great, classic Alfa Romeo competition car at an exceptional price way below the considerable cost of its creation. Again offered in one hundred per cent excellent condition and exquisite down to the finest detail, another chance for the Alfa Romeo aficianado such as this is unlikely to be repeated.