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Automotive Lifestyle
VINTAGE: Famed Alfa Romeo Flying Star
The beautiful pre-war sports car was built for an Italian fashion model to enter in the Villa d'Este Concours.
Wouter Melissen  | http://www.ultimatecarpage.com  |  Posted January 29, 2012   Milan, IT
Legendary among pre-war Alfo Romeo creations, the Flying Star Slider was first shown at the 1931 Concorso Villla d'Este, where it returned last year. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)
Traditionally, the automobile has been the object of desire for men, but here is the famous Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS Touring “Flying Star” Spider that was created in 1931 for Italian model Josette Pozzo.

The Flying Star's luscious styling was by the Italian design house Touring. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)
A loyal Touring customer, she had just won a major concours with a 6C 1750 GT coupe when she requested the Milanese company to build her a new car for the 1931 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. The result is the legendary Flying Star Spider, which shares its design with a similar Fiat and Isotta Fraschini.

The most recognizable features are the split fenders and the all-white finish. The spectacular machine was very well-received and accordingly was awarded the coveted Coppa d'Oro. Many moons later, the meticulously restored machine returned last year to Villa d'Este and was again awarded prices. A few years earlier, it was shown at Pebble Beach where Alfa Romeo was the featured marque.

Perhaps not as well known as later models, the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 is one of the quintessential Alfa Romeos of its era. First introduced as a replacement for the 6C 1500 in 1929, the 6C 1750 evolved from a relatively simple road car to a very sophisticated racing machine in the five years it was produced. One of the key elements in the progress was designer Vittorio Jano, lured to Alfa Romeo by Enzo Ferrari from his former employer Fiat.

The double-overhead-cam 1,750cc engine became the basis for some of Alfa Romeo's greatest racing efforts. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)
Jano's first design for Alfa Romeo was the 6C 1500, which featured a small six-cylinder engine with a single overhead camshaft. Competition versions of this relatively diminutive Alfa Romeo were quite successful, with a highlighted victory in the 1928 running of the Mille Miglia. At the 1929 Rome Motorshow, the 6C 1750 was introduced. Technically it was almost identical to the 6C 1500, with the enlarged engine as the biggest difference.

First and foremost, the 6C 1750 was intended to carry larger and heavier fixed-head bodies. The first model available, the Turismo, was equipped with a 3.1-meter wheelbase. A shorter-wheelbase version, dubbed Sport, was launched soon after. Significantly, it was fitted with a double-overhead-camshaft engine that would form the base for a series of very successful competition engines. The most powerful version was the Super Sport, which was fitted with a 95-horsepower supercharged engine.
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Wouter Melissen

UltimateCarPage.com

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