Alfa Romeo 6C 2500

Overview
Manufacturer	Alfa Romeo
Production	1939 to 1953
Body and chassis
Class	Sports
Layout	Factor or Coachbuilt
Powertrain
Engine	2.5L Six Cylinder
Transmission	Four-speed manual

 

 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Built: Milan, Italy, from 1939 to 1953. The Alfa Romeo factories suffered badly from Allied bombing during the Second world War. This, and the fact that Italy's economy was in a completely shattered state, meant that the famous Milanese firm were in no state to introduce new models in the late 1940s. During the war, however, a trickle of 6C 2500s had continued to be built, and it was with this model that Alfa faced the postwar years.

The origins of the 6C 2500 lay in the 1930s. The six-cylinder engine, with its familiar Alfa twin-cam valve gear, had been introduced in 1934 for the 6C 2300 range which effectively replaced the 8C 2300 sports models, while the chassis had first appeared for the 6C 2300B of 1935. The chassis was a good example of European 1930s thinking, for it featured independent front and rear suspension. Rear suspension was by what Alfa called 'Auto-Union/Porsche swinging axle with longitudinal torsion bars', while the front suspension used trailing arms with a transverse link operating a vertical coil spring.

The 6C 2300B became the 6C 2500 in 1939 by the simple expedient of a larger cylinder bore (72mm. instead of 70mm., 2443cc instead of 2309cc), which was necessary to look after the increased bulk and weight of the bodies becoming available by that time. Postwar production, therefore, centred on the 6C 2500 models from 1945 to 1950, after which the 1900 model arrived, though the 6C 2500 continued to be available until 1953.

Many of these cars were conventional touring cars, but two derivatives which qualify for inclusion here were the Sport (90bhp, sold in cabriolet or spider gUiseYand the Super Sport (110bhp, sold in two-seater coupe or spider forms) models. Although these were desirable cars, and in the context of postwar Italy they were also useful for competitions, they were heavy and bulky, and could only be considered as stop-gaps before recovery had progressed so far for the true postwar Alfas to appear. This did not stop Alfa introducing a true postwar derivative of the type in 1947, which they called the Freccia d'Oro ('Golden Arrow'), for which incomplete chassis were supplied to specialist coachbuilders such as Touring, Pininfarina, Boneschi and others. For this model the bodies were welded to the frames, and the gearchange was on the steering column.

The total number of postwar Sports built was nearly 1300, of which 680 examples were 'Golden Arrow' types, while there were nearly 400 Super Sports. The peak years for 6C 2500 Production were 1948 and 1949, after which the 1900 began to take over. However, 35 cars were built in 1952, and the last 34 were delivered in 1953.

Specification

Engine and transmission: Six-cylinders, in-line, with twin overhead camshaft cylinder head. Bore, stroke and capacity 72 x 100mm., 2443cc. (Sport model): Maximum power 90bhp (net) at 4600rpm. (Freccia d'Oro model): Maximum power 90bhp (net) at 4600rpm. (Super Sport): Maximum power 110bhp (net) at 4800rpm. Four-speed manual gearbox in unit with engine. Spiral bevel final drive.
Chassis: Front engine, rear drive. Separate pressed-steel chassis frame, with box section sidemembers, and cruciform bracing. Independent front suspension by coil springs, transverse and trailing links. Worm and wheel steering. Independent rear suspension by swing axles and longitudinal torsion bars. Front and rear drum brakes.
Bodywork: Coachbuilt, by various Italian coachbuilders, or by Alfa Romeo, in coupe, cabriolet or Spider forms; Super Sport in two-seater layout, other models with four or five-seater bodyshells.

Typical dimensions: Sports Cabriolet, length 17ft. Oin.; width 5ft. Ilin.; height 4ft. 1lin. Supersports Coupe, length 15ft. 0.3in.; width 5ft. IOin.; height 4ft. 1lin. Unladen weights (approx): Super Sport 30851b. , Sport 30201b.'
Freccia d'Oro 34201b.

Performance:  Manufacturer's claims, 96mph maximum speed (Cabriolet Sports), 102mph maximum speed (Coupe Supersports).