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: AR1900C 01845

Auktion: RM Sotheby’s, Paris 2025, Schätzpreis 800’000 bis 1’000’000 Euro, weitere Informationen folgen.

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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».

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Chassis-Nummer: 1955

Auktion: RM Sotheby’s, Amelia Island 2023, Schätzpreis 800’000 bis 950’000 Dollar, verkauft für 775’000 Dollar, angeboten mit folgenden Informationen: «The car offered here is that which was originally delivered to Dr. Vincenzo Fornasari, a favored Zagato customer who had also acquired a Maserati A6G/54 bodied by the firm. The Alfa was driven by his son, Luigi Fornasari, a well-known Italian sportsman of the period, in several Italian races, including completing the 1955 Mille Miglia, 11th in class and 38th overall. It finished 3rd in class and 11th overall in Bolzano-Mendola, 1st in class and 11th overall in Aosta-Gran San Bernardo, and 2nd in class and 5th overall in the Stella Alpina all in that same year. By 1959 the Alfa had moved to the United States, and that year was advertised in a West Coast sports car magazine by Ernie Mendicki of Oakland, California, a well-known performance dealer, enthusiast, racer, and collector of the time. Subsequent owners reportedly included Jim Keown of Monterey. Later, in the 1970s, the car was vintage-raced by then-owner Jim Cesari of Palo Alto quite extensively, most prominently in events at Sears Point where it competed against other well-known California enthusiasts. It was subsequently sold in the 1980s, moving through owners in Texas and Switzerland, and competing in the Targa Florio in 1986 and the Mille Miglia Storica in 1987 with owner Ugo Piccagli. It was acquired some time ago by the consignor’s collection, and it is now offered out of long-term ownership. The car wears an older restoration with much evidence of use on the track since its completion, but is still charming and attractive throughout. At some point in the early 1970s, the classic and iconic Zagato “double bubble” roof, not originally used on first-series models such as this one, was added to the roofline». Und schon wieder: RM Sotheby’s, Monterey 2024, Schätzpreis 700’000 bis 900’000, die Informationen oben dürften noch die gleichen sein.