Just for one race appearance
The Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo started with the production of its ‘sei cilindri’ engines in 1925, but did not introduce them to the market until 1927. Alfa Romeo continuously advanced the technology of its engines. The displacement grew from initially 1,487 cc, over 1,700 cc to ultimately 2,443 cc in 1939. The six-cylinder engine – designated with the abbreviation 6C 2500 – with the largest displacement became the showcase project of the 1930s era, which underlined the reputation as a sporting company. Although Alfa offered an own body design beginning from 1933, there were still numerous customers who ordered just the bare chassis only fitted with the engine. The most powerful engine with a performance of 105 hp was downright ideal for a use in racing events and Alfa Romeo was aware of that.
In the spring of 1939, three chassis, each fitted with the strongest standard engine, were delivered to the company ‘Carrozzeria Touring’. The company was commissioned to design and to build a special body for the ‘Mille Miglia’. But due to World War II the event was cancelled short-dated. Instead, the factory took part in a long-distance race in North Africa on March 3, 1939, and won impressively. After this impressive performance Alfa Romeo wanted to confirm and to repeat the success in the annual long-distance race ’24 Heures du Mans’. In order to leave nothing to chance, once again, the company ‘Carrozzeria Touring was commissioned to build a special body with a very low aerodynamic drag coefficient.
As beautiful as the unique Alfa Romeo was, its performance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 17/18 June 1939 was disappointing. The Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS ‘Berlinetta Touring’ – as it was officially christened – driven by the duo Raymond Sommer/ Prince Bira first suffered from problems with the ignition sparks and ultimately left the race with an engine defect.
