A VINTAGE car originally designed for racing is a decorated motorsport winner and is headed to auction.
It could be yours for the jaw-dropping asking price of $20 million.
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The 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider is one of five pre-war cars designed by the Italian automaker specifically to win races and win races.
The company’s development took 10 years and Vittoria Jano saw the incredible car cross the finish line several times.
The car has a few Grand Prix wins, a few wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a win at the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio and the 24 Hours of Spa.
He also took first place in the Watkins Glen Road Race.
Read more about Alfa Romeo
The 2.9 liter engine was developed in 1931 and, with an average racing speed of 132 mpg, was one of the fastest racing cars of its time.
Of course the goal was speed, but Carrozzeria Touring saw that it couldn’t outrun other racing cars without Italian flair.
The chassis was built to be incredibly light using steel tubes wrapped in aluminum panels.
Many of the racing cars of the time were made from heavy wood, making the Alfa lighter and easier to handle.
Simon Moore, the author of a book covering the car’s bumper, wrote that “most of these fabulous cars were fitted with bespoke bodies from Carrozzeria Touring, both in closed Berlinetta form and as open spiders”.
He assumed that eight long-chassis Touring Spider versions of the 8C 2900B had already been built, he wrote Robb Report.
The copy auctioned by Gooding & Company is one of five authentic models produced between 1935 and 1936.
Chassis No. 412027 was exported to Egypt sometime in the 1940s by Major Raymond Flower, owner of the Cairo Motor Company.
Shortly after the end of the war, it was sent to Germany to Hans Ernst, a racer – who kept the car until 1953.
The Alfa did not arrive in the United States until 1955.
Once here, it transferred owners several times until it was purchased by Dr. Fred Simeone in the late 1970s.
1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider Statistics
The Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider is considered the best racing car of its time, due to its design, construction and engine.
The specifications of the incredibly rare car are as follows:
- Twin supercharged 2.9-liter inline eight-cylinder engine producing up to 225 horsepower depending on tuning
- Produced between 1935 and 1936
- Four-speed manual transmission, with reverse
- Total weight 2,755.8 pounds
In 1994, Lukas Hüni paid for the car’s complete restoration.
After restoration, it took first place at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 1996, before being sold to Oscar David in 1998.
In 2000, he won first place at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
When David died in 2021, it was sold to a private collector in Florida.
Now, the vehicle will go to auction to go to your next owner at the Gooding & Company auction in Monterey, California, on August 16th and 17th.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
