Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Spider Corsa Sperimentale Balena
The individual parts of this car were found in a bedroom in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the 1980s. It is the last of the 8C 2900-series, Alfa Romeo’s fastest and most powerful pre-war sports/racing car.
This ‘Balena’ (whale) was an experimental, streamlined model with a 180 hp engine developed by Gioacchino Colombo. He would later become famous as the designer of the legendary twelve- cylinder Ferrari engine. This Alfa was raced by Carlos Perez de Villa from 1949 to 1951 in Argentina.
The first eleven 8C 2900-series cars were used exclusively for racing by Scuderia Ferrari. These were types 8C 2900A, which took the first three places in the Mille Miglia of 1936, as well as winning the Spa-Francorchamps 24-hours race of that year. Alfa Romeo repeated the Mille Miglia-triumph in the two following years, in 1938 with the 8C 2900B. The B had an extremely rigid chassis, independent front suspension and rear swing axles, enabling it to corner at very high speeds. It was therefore a true ‘super sports car’.