At a RM Sotheby's auction in Arizona which took place last January 25th, one of the rare Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Villa D'Este Coupé changed hands for the considerable sum of half a million dollars, a 'jewel ' mechanical and style rightly considered one of the most beautiful cars of the post-war period.
This car, perfectly restored by the specialist Cappa of Milan, is one of 36 examples built on the Super Sport chassis by the famous Carrozzeria Touring using the Superleggera construction which included external aluminum panels welded to a small diameter tube frame.
According to the information contained in the historical file, this 6C 2500 Villa d'Este chassis number 951.891 was delivered on 12 December 1950 to the Alfa Romeo distributor in Lugano, Switzerland and subsequently exported to the United Kingdom in 1958.
Photo story Villa D'Este, perfect fusion between Alfa sporting DNA and Touring elegance - Photos - Ansa.it
In 1977 it was found in a collection in Texas, with a move in the early 1990s to Contemporary Classics, an American specialist known for having long been the owner of the two Nardi Blue Ray show cars.
Subsequently, this Biscione jewel returned to Italy, later arriving in the hands (or rather in the garage) of a well-known fashion and design entrepreneur.
Finally, the return to the United States to a famous collector of Italian cars, and in particular of very valuable Ferraris (he owns 24).
For its refined design - we read in the description from Rm Sotheby's that accompanied the auction - the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport was rightly acclaimed and won the last edition of the Grand Prix Referendum (i.e. the public vote) in 1949 in what was then known as the Concorso Internazionale d'Eleganza a Como.
It is not surprising that this victory made Alfa Romeo and Touring decide to propose a limited edition (initially 25, then increased to 36) of a variant of the 6C 2500 Super Sport called Villa d'Este, like the large and refined hotel where it took place competition.
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