I came upon one of the more fascinating restoration stories I’ve ever read recently, centered around a 1938 Alfa-Romeo 2900B Carrozeria Touring roadster. That’s the car you see here, after it was dug out of a hole it was bulldozed into following a shop fire. The story of its recreation was captured by an Australian enthusiast who designed his own tribute to the classic Alfa Romeo sportscar. You can find the full story here on the OziMoto Huntsman kit website, or read below for more.
This is what the Alfa Romeo looked like prior to being burned and buried, when it was owned by a German SS officer who acquired an Alfa Romeo chassis used for racing and had it rebodied by the factory. Shortly thereafter, the officer would disassemble the car and hide it due to the war, and would later re-assemble it only to concede the Farina-bodied car to U.S. officers while out on a drive. The Alfa Romeo was then shipped to the U.S. and later sent to a workshop for restoration.
It was in this shop that the Alfa was trapped in a shop fire in the 1960s. Whether it was buried simply because it was too rotten or due to the SS officer connection is not known. However, the Alfa would be dug up in the 80s by a collector that tracked it down, and the mangled remains you see in the first picture is what would become the car in the final photo. The decision was made to restore it as a genuine competition car given the chassis’ racing history.
The restoration team decided to utilize a body design in tribute to “….the 1938 Mille Miglia winning car driven by Biondetti,” and the final result is just stunning. According to the website http://www.soltanto-alfaromeo.nl, the Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Spider “…is the ultra-light short-chassis (Corto) competition version, with a body from Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera.” Two Alfas took the top two places in the 1938 running of the Mille Miglia, with the tribute car utilizing an straight-eight making 225 b.h.p. It would later go on to sell for $4 million at auction, so be sure to dig up any vintage race cars when you spot them.
A perfect place to use that priceless BMW S14 motor pulled from the lake.
LOL. Excellent.
Its cool but you really can’t call it a real 38 alpha anymore as there is nothing left from the original car, its really a clone or tribute at this point.
It sounds like the original chassis and engine were restored. In the era it was built, the ‘VIN’ was the chassis number…rebodying was fairly common. So a rebody to the original style competition body work seems acceptable.
Sounds nearly like the “ Oh ya! I’d rather burn it and bury it than give it to you “ divorce scenario.
Something is wrong with this story. That looks like the car that was burned and buried in the 1950s in the USA. I think it was David Biggs. There was a 540k Mercedes, Horch and the Harris speedster in the barn that burned.
Gorgeous car. Maybe someone with good instincts about replication … could sell a few of these in an updated version.
I have the drawing needed to do just that but I am focusing on the ALFA FLYING STAR as my first attempt. Easier build, simple glass and I have the drawings. The hard part is not the engine but finding someone to make the proper sized wheels.
It should be returned to the rightful owner.
(Certainly wasn’t the SS officer)
No different than other works of art looted/stolen in wartime.
Too bad for the restorer.
Should have run a VIN-check… //;-)
Maybe I missed it but the SS officer bought the car as an old race car and paid to have it re-bodied. He might be a Nazi, but it sounds like he owned the car legitimately and did not steal it (it was stolen from him if I read all that right). I think the SS officer was the rightful owner until it was taken from him.
I stand corrected.
Find that bill of sale…
The car belonged to David Biggs at the time it burned. Burned along with it was a Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa #0720TR, and a Ferrari 225 Sport Spyder Vignale #0220ED. All three cars were buried on the property. Henry Wessels dug up the Alfa and the Testa Rossa in ’87 The Alfa got recreated with a body it never wore, pre-fire, and the recreating of the remains of 0720TR posed some problems for a couple of other TR’s that were already carrying that same chassis number and claiming their’s were the real one. The 225 has never been found because it is probably now buried under a road.
Burn Finds……………..
……..and what did it cost to restore ?
Typical example: take a scrap of something, replace everything(almost) and call it restored–why not?
Its a shame it burned. Its more a shame the SS officer wasnt inside when it did.
Fore those interested in a replica, behold!
http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/207400/alfa-romeo-1938-inspiration-kitcar
And someone actually bothered to dig it up?????
I’ve seen Porsches, Mopars, and VW Vans bring in bigger bucks in worse condition! Just saying?
neat story