Despite a rocky recent ride, Alfa Romeo stirs the
emotions of car fans like few other brands. Its racing history, and cars like
the 1921 G1 you see here, are why. RM Sothebys will be auctioning this 1921 G1
in Phoenix, Arizona next month, where it’s expected to sell for around US$ 2
million.
Well, it’s the last working example of the
first Alfa Romeo sold to the public, back in the USA after a prolonged stint in
Australia. Alfa Romeo competes with BMW and Audi nowadays, but it was chasing a
very different market in the ’20s. The G1 was meant to battle with cars from
Rolls-Royce and the new-defunct Hispano Suiza brand, with a luxurious interior
and powerful (for the time) inline-six engine.
The 6.3-litre engine was reportedly designed with
input from Enzo Ferrari, and produced 70 Hp of power and 293 Nm of torque for a
138 km/h top speed. It was a successful racer, winning the production class of
Coppa del Garda, but didn’t find favour with the public.
Post-war Italy was politically and economically
unstable, and buyers didn’t have the money to spend on an extravagant, thirsty
automobile – and if they did, they certainly didn’t want to show it. Rather
than trying to sell to an unwilling market, Alfa exported all 50 examples of
the G1 to Australia.
Chassis 6018 was bought by a prominent Queensland
businessman, who went bankrupt shortly afterwards. Rather than let his prized
Italian stallion fall to creditors, he hid the car on his farm, where it
remained for 25 years. It wasn’t discovered until the late 1940s, well after
his passing, at which point it was used as a paddock runaround.
When the rear axle failed, the engine was used to
power a water pump on the farm. The car’s remains were discovered by Aussie Alfa
Romeo enthusiasts in 1964. Those enthusiasts set about a 10-year restoration
project, combining parts from another G1 with new Torpedo-style bodywork. It
won the 1977 Queensland Classic Car Concours and 1978 Millie Miglia Memorial
Run, topping 138km/h at one point.
