Chassis No. 915649
Engine No. 923749

Before World War II, Alfa Romeo was at its competitive and engineering peak, with names such as Vittorio Jano, Gioacchino Colombo, and Enzo Ferrari among its ranks designing some of the greatest racing cars of the 20th Century. Jano's ingenious dual-overhead-cam straight-eight engine in the mighty Championship-winning 1924 Alfa Romeo P2 formed the basis for four and six-cylinder inline power plants that would power the firm's sports and road cars well into the 1950s.

Among them was the 6C 1500 powered by a normally aspirated dual overhead-cam inline-six, its Sport variant proving to be as dominant as Alfa's Grand Prix racers including victory at the 1928 Mille Miglia. The 6C's inline-six continued to grow in displacement and see racing success, arriving at its final road-going iteration with the 6C 2500 introduced in 1938. While retaining its pre-war DNA, the 6C would be built until 1952 thanks to improvements including a redesign of the inline-six by Bruno Treviso, a steel ladder frame chassis, independent front suspension, hydraulic brakes, a rear swing-axle, and a range of stunning coachbuilt bodies.

One of the most elegant designs to grace the 6C 2500 was Carrozzeria Touring's graceful post-war Coupé body seen here on chassis number 915649. Distinctively modern with its pontoon fenders and limited brightwork, it also retained some delicate pre-war Art Deco touches including its iconic vertical grille. Sitting atop a short 106.3-inch wheelbase chassis, this particular “SS” Coupe, with its triple Weber carburetor Super Sport-specification 2,443 cc twin-cam six-cylinder engine rated at 110 horsepower, would have been among the most expensive and powerful configurations available in the period. This particular Coupe is also noted for its exclusive “Aerlux” roof treatment—a unique acrylic glass sunroof bestowed on a limited number of Touring designs of the period, providing a bright and airy driving experience. Chassis number 915649 is believed to be one of just 16 Coupes originally fitted with the rare Aerlux sunroof.

This exceptionally restored 1948 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Coupé Aerlux, was completed on 30 April 1948 according to a 2013 letter from Automobilisimo Storico Alfa Romeo archivist Dr. Marco Fazio. Commissioned by John Perona, the proprietor of New York's famed El Morocco nightclub, the car sold on 21 October 1948, in Ivrea, Turin and was subsequently shipped to New York by early 1950. Perona, known for his discerning taste in coachbuilt automobiles and influential position in New York's social scene, retained the Alfa until 1958. It then passed to Thomas Crichton of New Jersey who initiated but never completed a planned restoration, leading to a period of careful storage that extended through its transfer to his son-in-law, John W. Scheetz of Aiken, South Carolina in 1982. The car remained disassembled and garaged in New Jersey for a further three decades before Crichton's daughter, Patricia Kathleen Scheetz, sold the car in July 2013 to Daniel Rapley of Brookfield, Connecticut.

The following year, chassis 915649 was acquired by a Slovakian collector Dusan Vanko who commissioned an exhaustive, multi-year restoration by the renowned specialists at Retromotive. Beginning in June 2014, this comprehensive refurbishment was initiated with the complete separation of the aluminum body from its steel Superleggera framework, allowing for methodical repairs to both structures. The exterior was refinished in an elegant shade of blue that magnificently complements Touring's sophisticated lines, while the interior received a re-trimming in gray leather to mimic the car's original specification as closely as possible.

The technical aspects of the restoration were equally thorough, centered around the complete rebuild of the matching-numbers 2,443cc twin-cam inline-six engine bearing number 923749—recognized by Dr. Marco Fazio of Automobilismo Storico Alfa Romeo to match factory records. The car's distinctive features include its signature acrylic glass Aerlux roof panel, which was precisely recreated during the restoration, along with the characteristic quadruple Marchal headlights of staggered diameter. The interior showcases exquisite detail work, from the rope-chain-style pull straps to the transparent Aster radio speaker grille and the Veglia instruments with their distinctive rope-style bezels, all elements that speak to the extraordinary level of craftsmanship rendered during the restoration.

Following the completion of its extraordinary restoration, the Alfa was acquired by a Czech collector before being imported to the United States in 2023. Now offered with 15 kilometers shown on the odometer since restoration, this exceptional Super Sport, being a documented 1948 example, stands eligible for the world's most prestigious historic events including the Mille Miglia Storica, Tour Auto, and Targa Florio Classica, while its impeccable restoration and rare Coupe Aerlux coachwork would ensure its welcome at the most exclusive concours events worldwide. Accompanied by comprehensive restoration documentation including over 1,200 digital restoration images, this significant early post-war Alfa Romeo combines sophisticated engineering, striking design, and intriguing provenance in a single, meticulously restored package.