"CLASSIC OF THE DAY"
Featuring
GAVIN MCGUIRE
1932 ALFA ROMEO 1750
GRAN TURISMO COMPRESSORE
I
have to open this description by saying that nothing quite prepares
you, no matter how many photographs you have seen, for the elegance
glamour and presence of this car. I suppose this should not be
surprising as the first 1750 Alfa Romeo to carry this “Flying Star”
coachwork, created for Josette Pozzo by Carrozeria Touring of Milan, won
first prize at the 1931 Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance! (N.B. see footnote below for details of its latest show win!). By
the way you can see the origins of this bodywork in Touring designer
Giuseppe Serigni’s earlier work on an Isotta Fraschini which was also
called Flying Star.
Probably the most authoritative book on Alfa Romeo “Tutte le Vetture Dal 1910” - All Cars from 1910 - was written by Luigi Fusi, a long standing Alfa Romeo design engineer who was appointed to establish the Alfa Romeo Museum in Milan (which is well worth a visit if you get the chance). According to his very detailed volume this car, on chassis number 101014946 with its corresponding engine number 101014946, was a 5th series 6C 1750 Gran Turismo Compressore built in 1932.
I gather that it was exported to Australia in 1932 for an English doctor and that in the early 1940s it was damaged in a serious road accident. It was apparently found in the 1970s by an Alfa Romeo specialist called Nick Langford who set about restoring it including having a replacement chassis made using the irreparably damaged original one as a pattern.
The rolling chassis with original engine, gearbox, running gear, brakes and axles was purchased in the mid 1980s by well known old car exponent Werner Oswald who then sold it to a private German collector who continued the restoration work.
All mechanical aspects of the car were overhauled or rebuilt including having a new alloy cylinder head fitted to allow the use of unleaded petrol and extensive work was done on the all mechanics, the electrical system, the clutch, the gearbox, the back axle and brakes etc. etc. There is a comprehensive set of German invoices in the file plus many pictures showing the work in progress.
Tom Bowhill of Cheltenham was then commissioned to build the new body. He had previously restored the original Josette Pozzo Flying Star and had the correct drawings and wooden bucks for this model so was the ideal choice to carry out this important part of the restoration. There is no doubt that he did a superb job as the standard of finish is one the best I have seen for some time. For the record we don’t know for certain what its original coachwork was though Fusi does show pictures of several different Touring bodied 1750 G.T.C. models including the ‘31 Villa d’Este Flying Star spider so its styling is contemporary with its chassis.
As well as the body being a work of art, so is the 6 cylinder twin cam supercharged engine which not only looks good but sounds lovely as well. According to Fusi the supercharger boosts the power to 80 CV at 4,400 RPM compared with the 55 CV of the unblown engine. It is certainly more than enough to give this car very lively performance which, combined with its lovely four speed gearbox, excellent chassis, good suspension, positive steering and brakes make it a genuine pleasure to drive.
It is rare that a supercharged 1750 Alfa comes on the market and we expect there will be very strong interest in it. Given the demand for these cars we trust you will understand that we will be looking for serious buyers who appreciate its market value.
IMPORTANT NOTE The Josette Pozzo "Flying Star" has just won the Best In Show prize presented by HRH Prince Michael of Kent at the recent Hampton Court Concours of Elegance - see http://concoursofelegance.co.uk/bestofshow for a picture and more information.
Probably the most authoritative book on Alfa Romeo “Tutte le Vetture Dal 1910” - All Cars from 1910 - was written by Luigi Fusi, a long standing Alfa Romeo design engineer who was appointed to establish the Alfa Romeo Museum in Milan (which is well worth a visit if you get the chance). According to his very detailed volume this car, on chassis number 101014946 with its corresponding engine number 101014946, was a 5th series 6C 1750 Gran Turismo Compressore built in 1932.
I gather that it was exported to Australia in 1932 for an English doctor and that in the early 1940s it was damaged in a serious road accident. It was apparently found in the 1970s by an Alfa Romeo specialist called Nick Langford who set about restoring it including having a replacement chassis made using the irreparably damaged original one as a pattern.
The rolling chassis with original engine, gearbox, running gear, brakes and axles was purchased in the mid 1980s by well known old car exponent Werner Oswald who then sold it to a private German collector who continued the restoration work.
All mechanical aspects of the car were overhauled or rebuilt including having a new alloy cylinder head fitted to allow the use of unleaded petrol and extensive work was done on the all mechanics, the electrical system, the clutch, the gearbox, the back axle and brakes etc. etc. There is a comprehensive set of German invoices in the file plus many pictures showing the work in progress.
Tom Bowhill of Cheltenham was then commissioned to build the new body. He had previously restored the original Josette Pozzo Flying Star and had the correct drawings and wooden bucks for this model so was the ideal choice to carry out this important part of the restoration. There is no doubt that he did a superb job as the standard of finish is one the best I have seen for some time. For the record we don’t know for certain what its original coachwork was though Fusi does show pictures of several different Touring bodied 1750 G.T.C. models including the ‘31 Villa d’Este Flying Star spider so its styling is contemporary with its chassis.
As well as the body being a work of art, so is the 6 cylinder twin cam supercharged engine which not only looks good but sounds lovely as well. According to Fusi the supercharger boosts the power to 80 CV at 4,400 RPM compared with the 55 CV of the unblown engine. It is certainly more than enough to give this car very lively performance which, combined with its lovely four speed gearbox, excellent chassis, good suspension, positive steering and brakes make it a genuine pleasure to drive.
It is rare that a supercharged 1750 Alfa comes on the market and we expect there will be very strong interest in it. Given the demand for these cars we trust you will understand that we will be looking for serious buyers who appreciate its market value.
IMPORTANT NOTE The Josette Pozzo "Flying Star" has just won the Best In Show prize presented by HRH Prince Michael of Kent at the recent Hampton Court Concours of Elegance - see http://concoursofelegance.co.uk/bestofshow for a picture and more information.
No comments:
Post a Comment