We recall the 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Villa d’Este: the chic car became a favorite of celebrities like Rita Hayworth and Evita Peron.
In the era immediately before and after World War II, Alfa Romeo coped with the transition from manufacture to series production. At the Concorso d? Eleganza 1949 in the Villa d’Este, a variant of the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 designed by Carrozzeria Touring caused a sensation.
The car was soon offered regularly – as the 6C 2500 Villa d’Este. He inspired numerous celebrities by Prince Rainier III. from Monaco to actress Rita Hayworth to president wife Evita Peron. We remember one of the most beautiful cars from Alfa history , the 6C 2500 Villa d’Este.
The car was not only one of the most beautiful cars of its era, it also marked the transition from hand-made one-offs to modern production. Ugo Gobbato from Treviso was responsible for this. After studying mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Zwickau and doing military service, he became the first director of the Fiat plant in Lingotto.
An international engineer from Treviso
In 1933, Gobbato became director of Alfa Romeo. From the beginning, he focused on efficiency, discarded obsolete machines and streamlined workflows. “Rational production, but not mass production” was Gobbato’s goal. He introduced a clearer hierarchy, precisely defined responsibilities and performance-related salaries.
The reorganization of the Alfa plant in Portello also included the installation of a soccer field. The factory football team Gruppo Calcio Alfa Romeo hired a promising young player named Valentino Mazzola, who later became a famous Italian footballer. In 1939, when the first 6C 2500 was manufactured, he worked at the Portello plant.
The Alfa 6C 2500 presented in 1939 was powered by an inline six-cylinder engine with a displacement of 2.5 liters. It was the further development of the types 6C 2300 and 6C 2300B. The rear suspension was improved for the 6C 2500 and it got hydraulic brakes instead of mechanical ones.
Successful missions in racing
With the increase in displacement by 200 cc, performance also increased. The Supersport version offered 110 hp, which allowed a top speed of 170 km / h. The 6C 2500 made its motorsport debut in 1939 at the 1,500-kilometer race from Tobruk to Tripoli. A variant of the Supersport with fenders integrated into the body was used.
The technical innovations of the 6C 2500 and its sporting success attracted an elite clientele. Production started with the five- or seven-seater Turismo versions as well as the Sport and Supersport variants with short wheelbase. The customers turned to external carrozzerias for the body.
Despite the high price – between 62,000 and 96,000 lire – the response from customers was positive. With the 159 Tipo 6C 2500s sold, Alfa Romeo made about as much as Fiat with the sale of 1,200 508 Balilla vehicles.
In 1943 and 1944, the Portello plant was badly damaged by air raids, Milan was in ruins, and the Italian economy was weak. This made it difficult to resume auto production after the Second World War.
The necessary materials and fuels often had to be bought on the black market. But many components of the last pre-war 6C 2500 model were still available. In 1945 only a few examples of the 6C 2500 Sport could be completed in Portello.
In 1946 production in Portello increased to 146 units, divided into complete cars and chassis, which were completed by external body builders. One of the best known was Battista “Pinin” Farina.
Farina provided a chassis of the 6C 2500 with an elegant convertible body that was to be exhibited at the Paris Motor Show in 1946. As Italy, as a former Axis power, was excluded from the event, Farina parked the convertible in front of the entrance to the exhibition center and brought it to the Place de L’Opéra every evening to present it to the fine company. The plan worked, the success of the convertible was unstoppable.
