Video: Can Stunning Alfa Romeo 8C Break $12,000,000 Auction Record?

Under the long nose? A 2,905cc eight-cylinder with twin superchargers and dual overhead cams, 180bhp and offering – according to the lucky devils who have driven one – among the most satisfying drives of any prewar car. So, fancy an Alfa 2.9? You’re in luck…

Yes indeed the car shown here is for sale; announced yesterday (July 22^nd) it will be the superstar lot of RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction in California on 19-20 August, one of five cars in the sale from the collection of Sam and Emily Mann.

Obviously 2.9s being a) rare and b) a gold standard for collectors worldwide, they don’t come up for auction often – RM Sotheby’s says this is the first available so far this century – while the price too promises to be pretty rare. Presale estimates are available for “seriously interested” bidders only (not GRR then…) but unofficially the car is expected to shatter the auction record for a prewar car. And that stands at US$11.77m (for a 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K sold in 2012).

The good news is the new owner of this Italian masterpiece needn’t be coy about using it. After a ground-up restoration in the UK by renowned 2.9 expert Tony Merrick, the 1939 Alfa has lived in the US where since the late 1990s it has covered 12,000 miles. Reflecting on the  car’s sheer usability and refinement, Sam Mann tells us: “It’s the essence of sporty, youth, exuberance, excitement and practicality, and it’s rare you find all those features in one (prewar) car.”

This 2.9 is a 2900B Lungo (long wheelbase) Spider with body by Touring, a spec which lines it up as Italy’s answer to the Bugatti Atlantique, says RM Sotheby’s. It is one of only 12 extant Touring Spiders on the 2.9 chassis.

The auction catalogue is effusive about the car: “The 8C 2900 was not a mere sports car, but the most advanced, modern, and compelling sports car that money could buy. To the gentleman who was accustomed to watching the workings of his Swiss watch or mastering the intricacies of his yacht’s sails, it was a symphony.”

You can see it for yourself at Sotheby’s in New York (corner of York Avenue and 72nd Street) where the car is available for viewing from today. It moves to Monterey in August for the sale during Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance week.

The other Mann Collection cars in the auction are barely less significant:

• An ex Mille Miglia and Tour de France Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione ‘Tour de France’ from 1956 (estimate: US$7-9m).
• An early American rarity in the form of a 1908 “Underslung” 50 HP Roadster, one of only a handful of the potent, well-engineered cars made (US$1.4-1.75).
• Boasting the longest continuous racing history of any Miller, the 1926 Miller Locomobile Junior 8 Special began its track career at Indianapolis between 1926–1929 ($750,000-1m).
• A recreation of “Old Mother Gun” (the Bentley No1 team car which crashed at Le Mans in 1927) the 3-4 1/2 is said to be sorted and ready for road rallying (US$600,00-750,000).

All the cars are featured in the video, with Sam Mann’s commentary on them. And if you don’t know who Sam Mann is…he is one of America’s great enthusiast car collectors. An industrial designer and inventor (shaving gel that doesn’t require water!), Sam and his wife Emily have collected around 50 cars, all marked out by their rarity and design prowess, and every one in concours condition. In the past he has been the only living person to have won four Best of Show trophies at the Pebble Beach concours…

Images courtesy of RM Sotheby's