Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Pescara Berlinetta 1935

Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Pescara Berlinetta 1935 by Autocult

A stylish Italian  

The abbreviation 6C in the Alfa Romeo language always stood for high level engine manufacturing. The number six represented the number of pistons and the letter C stood for the word cylinder, to be 100 % correct it stood for ‘cilindri’ – the Italian wording.   For the first time in 1925, this engine concept saw the light of day at Alfa Romeo and was gradually increased to a total displacement of 2.3 liters by 1934.   The chassis of the 6C 2300 was supplied to numerous coachbuilders, so there were a variety of visually different versions. One of them was designed by the stylists at Pininfarina. This unique copy was presented to the public at an exhibition in Milan in 1937. The car featured a state of the art, half-streamlined Berlinetta car body, recognizable by the aerodynamically tapering rear end with the covered rear wheels and the small fin. This design got the name half-streamlined body due to the fact that the front end still featured a proven, ‘old’, and common shape, without any streamlined elements. The airstream whirled around the free-standing headlights and the rounded fenders of the front wheels.   Undoubtedly, the designers at Pininfarina created with this 6C 2300 a visually appealing car, but over the decades more details were forgotten. Thus, it remains unclear why the vehicle was manufactured for the exhibition, who the client was and whether perhaps even a small series of it was planned.