Alfa Romeo 1900C SS – Zagato

Zur besseren Übersicht

Es gibt da auf radical diese sehr, sehr ausführliche Geschichte zu den Alfa Romeo 1900, hier. Sie hat allerdings den grossen Nachteil, dass sie unterdessen ziemlich unübersichtlich geworden ist, schlicht und einfach zu lang. Und deshalb haben wir beschlossen, zuerst einmal den Zagato-«Millenove» eine kleine Sammlung zu widmen. Das haben sie auch verdient, denn sie sind schon sehr aussergewöhnlich. Wir wollen hier auch gar nicht seitenweise Erklärungen schreiben, die Bilder sprechen sicher für sich.

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Chassis-Nummer: 01909

Auktion: RM Sotheby’s, Phoenix 2016, Schätzpreis 1’400’000 bis 1’800’000 Dollar, nicht verkauft.

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Chassis-Nummer: 01915

Auktion: RM Sotheby’s, Amelia Island 2017, zugeschlagen für 1’100’000 Dollar. Dann: Gooding & Co., Amelia Island 2023, Schätzpreis 1’500’000 bis 2’000’000 Dollar, angeboten mit folgendem Text: «Completed in March 1955, this 1900C SS Zagato, chassis 01915, was originally finished in the elegant color scheme of Grigio Metallizzato (Metallic Grey) with green upholstery, and equipped with engine no. 1308.01048, which remains in the car today. According to Automobile Club d’Italia registration records, this Alfa Romeo was sold new via dealer Franco Venturi to Sergio Bettoja, a young Roman driver who raced under the nom de course “Pegaso.” Bettoja had been named the Italian University Motorsport Champion in March 1955 and wasted no time putting his SSZ to good use, entering it in the grueling Giro di Sicilia that April. Later that month, he sold the Alfa Romeo to fellow Roman driver Vittorio Randaccio, who had previously entered a Fiat 1400 and a Lancia Aurelia in the Mille Miglia. Continuing this tradition, Randaccio entered his new SSZ in the XXII Mille Miglia, where it appeared as race no. 503, featuring a centrally mounted spot lamp. Although he failed to finish that year’s competition, Randaccio entered the race again in 1956, with his Alfa Romeo now repainted a lighter color and wearing race no. 335. The SSZ subsequently passed through two Italian owners and was sold, in 1959, to Captain Richard P. Hall, a US Navy commander stationed in Europe. An avid car enthusiast, Capt. Hall imported the Alfa Romeo into the US and kept it at his home in Garden City, New York, until 1962, when he replaced the aging 1900 with a new Jaguar E-Type. The car’s next owner, Marvin Katz, drove the SSZ for about a year before a road accident lightly damaged the left front fender, leading it to be placed in static storage. In 2001, the long-hidden Alfa Romeo was sold to Arthur Leerdam, a Dutch-born Alfa Romeo enthusiast living in Florida. During his ownership, the minor body damage was repaired and the SSZ received sympathetic mechanical attention, returning it to the road for the first time in four decades. In 2003, Mr. Leerdam exhibited the largely unrestored Zagato-bodied Alfa Romeo at several East Coast concours d’elegance, earning the Spirit of the Mille Miglia Award at Amelia Island and Judge’s Choice at Winter Park. The SSZ remained in Mr. Leerdam’s ownership until 2013, when it was sold to noted Chicago-based collector Joe Hayes».