page_title: Alfa Romeo 6C
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Alfa Romeo 6C / 6C 2300 (1934–1938) / Aerodinamica Spyder / History
caption_attribution_description: Alfa Romeo Aerodinamica Spider 1935 at Goodwood 2011
context_page_description: The Alfa Romeo 6C name was used on road, race, and sports cars produced between 1927 and 1954 by Alfa Romeo; the "6C" name refers to the six cylinders of the car's straight-six engine. Bodies for these cars were made by coachbuilders such as James Young, Zagato, Touring Superleggera, Castagna, and Pininfarina. Beginning in 1933 there was also a 6C version with an Alfa factory body, built in Portello. In the early 1920s Vittorio Jano received a commission to create a lightweight, high performance vehicle to replace the Giuseppe Merosi designed RL and RM models. The car was introduced in April 1925 at the Salone dell' Automobile di Milano as the 6C 1500. It was based on the P2 racing car, using a single overhead cam 1,487 cc in-line six-cylinder engine, producing 44 horsepower. In 1928 the 1500 Sport was presented, which was the first Alfa Romeo road car with double overhead camshafts.
context_section_description: Between 1935 and 1937 the Jankovits carried out the construction; a "rolling chassis" could be registered in Fiume (number plate: 2757 FM) tested, and subsequently modified.
  The No.700316 6C 2300 Tipo Turismo straight-six engine placed behind the driver was Alfa Romeo: 2,309 cc, iron block, light alloy head, chain-driven dual overhead camshafts, spur gears, wet sump lubrication.
  The Jankovits fitted exhaust pipes of equal length and improved intake of air to reduce the pressure drop. Later the engine was upgraded with three dual Weber 36 D 04 carburettors, a configuration used on the 6C 2500 SS of 1939.
  The transmission was the 4-speed gearbox from the 6C 2300, mounted with a Hardy disc behind the engine originally fitted, which they removed. A differential unit from a Lancia Lambda was later fitted instead. A unique pre-selector gear change system was also developed. The clutch was hydraulically assisted.
  The ladder chassis was made by Alfa Romeo for the central-mounted engine, with straight rails from front to the rear end of the car; it was numbered 700316 in accordance with the engine number.
  The final suspension was all-independent, with "silent bloc" bushes;
  at the front it consisted of double wishbones, with a thick sheet steel (4 mm) upper wishbone, lever-arm Houdaille hydraulic dampers, longitudinal torsion bars, and lower location through a transverse leaf spring; at the rear it had swing axles and radius arms, with a transverse leaf spring and longitudinal torsion bars.
  Steering was worm and sector with Hardy disc.
  Brakes used a two-circuit hydraulic system (two fluid distributors and two master cylinders, one for the front and one for the rear), Lockheed-type duplex brakes with 17-by-2-inch (432 mm × 51 mm) drums all round. An equaliser was fitted, which could avoid overbraking by changing the distribution of braking force between the front and rear brakes during driving.
  5.50–18 racing crossply tyres were mounted on Alfa Romeo 18-inch Rudge-type wire wheels.
  The aerodynamic shape of the car was designed by Oscar Jankovits, probably inspired by contemporary aerodynamic theories such as Paul Jaray's,and built at the Jankovits' garage between 1935 and 1937. It was a barchetta with central driving position and fully integrated wings (pontoon styling). The bodyshell was streamlined to minimise turbulence in the air flow, fully enveloping the underbody and integrating door handles and lights.
  A horizontally mounted radiator made it possible to design an exceptionally low front profile for a pre-war car.
  Air inlets were positioned in zones of high air pressure, and hot air outlets from the engine and brakes in areas of low pressure.
  Top speed was in excess of 140 mph (225 km/h).
  During the Second World War the completed prototype remained hidden in the Jankovits' garage in Fiume. After the war the Jankovits, in need of money, had to sell their car to an Anglo-American officer.
  On Christmas Eve 1946, with a temporary registration document, Gino Jankovits drove the Aerospyder through the closed border into Italy causing a border shootout. Then the Alfa disappeared for about 30 years until it was rediscovered in England. In 1978, well-known Alfa Romeo historian Luigi Fusi put the then-owner of the car in contact with the Jankovits, and tried to buy the car for the Alfa museum. The acquisition failed, but the prototype had been painted blue, and then green as this was the original colour. The car still has its original licence plate and registration documents.
caption: The Aerodinamica Spyder at the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed
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