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Chassis:
Completed just ahead of the 1932 Mille Miglia, chassis 2111037 is believed to be one of the four examples entered by the factory in that year's race. Recent research by 8C authority Simon Moore revealed that 2111037 was indeed the car driven to outright victory in the Mille Miglia by Baconin Borzacchini. Following the race, it was sold to Raffaele Cecchini, who only briefly owned the car. It was then bought and raced by Pietro Parisi in 8C 2300 Monza configuration. It changed hands several times before it was bought by Guido Barsotti in 1936. He used the car until he crashed it at the 1937 Grand Prix des Frontieres at Chimay Belgium. The extensively damaged machine was side aside and its whereabouts remained a mystery for many years.
By 1970, the remains were reportedly traced to Rome and until the late 1970s, they were acquired by Alfa Romeo restorer Aldo Cesaro. There are no pictures of exactly what Cesaro bought but he appeared to have a Monza specification frame, a matching fuel tank and an 8C engine. Using two other 8C 2300 as a pattern, Cesaro set about restoring what he had and recreating what he did not to return the car to 8C 2300 Monza configuration. Once the work was completed, Cesaro campaigned the car in the 1989 Mille Miglia retrospective and would own it for a further decade. Following spells in Dutch and Spanish hands, it was acquired by California-based British racer Peter Giddings. He had the car restored once again, by specialists Auto Restorations of Christchurch, New Zeeland. Giddings regularly raced the car in the second half of the 2010s until his untimely passing in 2019.
From his estate, the 8C 2300 was consigned to the 2021 RM Sotheby's Monterey sale. Further investigation at the time of consigning reveals that the chassis currently fitted is a replacement type. For historic racing, a fresh engine was built by Jim Stokes. Many other major components are original but it is impossible to trace them to any specific car.
Chassis details |
Manufactured in |
1932 |
First owner |
Alfa Romeo |
License plate |
MI 23022 |
Appearances |
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Most recent auction(s) |
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