Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Turismo Ministeriale

The 6C model series brought Alfa Romeo the best possible reputation in the 1930s. While sporty offshoots were successful at races, luxurious saloons and convertibles were also available. For these, the plant offered the extended Turismo chassis with ladder frame and gear lever on the center tunnel, to be fitted either internally or by external coachbuilders. In the years 1939 and 1940, 81 examples of the 6C 2500 Turismo with the six- or seven-seater Ministeriale body were built in the in-house Carrozzeria Alfa Romeo, depending on the customer’s wishes. According to current knowledge, only two of these vehicles are still known to exist. RM Sotheby’s is currently offering one of them in an online auction.

According to brand historians, this 6C with chassis number 914.073 is the last car built in 1939 and was first registered on January 2, 1940. Interestingly, the original engine, which is still in use, was not built until the beginning of 1940 according to some factory documents. But it is possible that the vehicle documents were already issued and submitted for registration while the car was still in the final stages of production. The exact whereabouts of this Alfa Romeo during World War 2 are unclear. However, in 1946 it was re-registered in Milan for the then owner Gian Antonio Cornaggia Medici Castiglioni, a late representative of the famous Medici family. In the same year he sold the 6C 2500 to the Comptoir International company in Rome. In 1950, Princess Donna Laura dei Principe Ruspoli, another representative of an old Italian noble family followed as owner of this vehicle. After she died in 1960, her family kept the car for another decade.

Fernando Cartozzi became the next owner in 1970 and passed the Alfa Romeo on to his nephew four years later. Altogether this 6C 2500 Turismo Ministeriale remained in the same family for 48 years. During this time the rare vehicle appeared in more than 80 national and international films, including ‘L’intervista’ by Federico Fellini, ‘Malèna’ with Monica Belluci or ‘Fade to Black’ with Christopher Walken. The Alfa can also be seen very briefly in the nine-time Oscar-winning film ‘The Last Emperor’. It was also shown in Italian TV shows. The Cartozzi family sold the car, which has never been completely restored, in 2018. Since then it has been part of a collection in Tilburg, the Netherlands. Over the years the paintwork has been repaired in various places and three years ago the upholstery fabrics for seats, door panels and headliner were renewed. The dashboard, carpets, Fergat hubcaps and Carello headlights are still original. Thanks to a FIVA car pass, the 6C can be registered for various events, including the Mille Miglia. RM Sotheby’s expects between 160,000 and 200,000 €.

Images: RM Sotheby’s