Miguel Sánchez
Today there are more and more brands that take care of their past. In fact, some of them have seen claiming it as a way to improve their image. In this way, from Peugeot with the e-Legend to Renault with its new electric R5 we see more and more examples of how looking back decades can be stimulating for sales today. Something to which, in truth, we have been accustomed for years thanks to the renewed Mini, Beetle and 500. However, the truth is that this was not at all common back in the sixties. And it is that, after all, even the most historic brands did not have more than a few decades under their belt.
For this reason, the appearance of the Alfa Romeo Gran Sport Quattroroute in 1965. A model made in the image and likeness of the 6C 1750 bodied by Zagato between 1929 and 1933, thus claiming one of the best sports pages of the brand after only three decades after its appearance. Also, At first you might think that we are facing an unofficial replica. Something devised by the mind of a workshop with overtones of doing business satisfying mythomania. Well, nothing could be further from the truth since the Alfa Romeo Gran Sport Quattroroute is a creation of the brand itself. Not surprisingly, it was this company that produced the 92 chassis that would later be dressed by Zagato, hiding the mechanics of a contemporary Giulia TI.
Moreover, although the inspiration came from an article in Quattroute magazine, this replica was sold at Alfa Romeo dealers as part of its offer between 1965 and 1967. In any case, beyond the simple visual appearance, this model guaranteed an interesting sports performance. Obviously, we're not talking about the one that delivered the original 6C with its straight-six engine. But it is one more vibrant than the one offered by the Giulia TI of 1962. Not in vain, this is a vehicle with only 748 kilos. More than two hundred less than those marked by the less heavy versions of that compact sedan. If we add to this the driving in the open air, we have guaranteed strong sensations.
ALFA ROMEO 6C 1750, THE PRODUCT OF A NEW PARADIGM
During the XNUMXs, one of the greatest paradigm shifts in the history of motorsports took place. And it is that, spurred by the desire to go faster and faster, the engines increased the displacement without a final horizon. That is, on the grids of the original grand prix dangerously large and heavy mechanics abounded. A real problem. Well, although the horsepower was positive, everything related to weight, inertia and stopping to refuel could become a headache without a solution.
Thus, when at the beginning of the twenties he was commissioned to replace the Alfa Romeo RL and RM, Vittorio Jano decided to bet on something new. Neither more nor less than a light and efficient design based on the revolutionary P2. One of the best racing cars of its time, sharing an approach with the Bugatti Type 35. That yes, instead of incorporating a supercharged engine with eight cylinders in line, Jano arranged in the 6C a block of six scrupulously atmospheric with a liter and a half of displacement.
However, the 6C was developed through a long saga that, in 1929, reached the 6C 1750. Equipped with a chassis capable of flexing and better absorbing the irregularities of the ground, in this model a certain compromise was reached between sportsmanship – we are talking about a car that won the Mille Miglia the same year it was released – and covering long journeys. Yes indeed, in this sense the last word was given by the bodywork. And it is that, as was common in those years, the chassis was delivered naked along with the mechanics.
At this point, it is easy to understand why the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 can appear to us under such colorful lines. However, the truth is that the Gran Sport dressed by Zagato possibly represent the most canonical vision of this 6C. The one in which they most frequently entered the grand prizes of the moment. Configuring the most successful chapter in the history of this model that, since 1931, lived in the shadow of the imposing 8C. This being the case, it is easy to understand how even more than three decades later, not a few alfists were willing to acquire a replica of that iconic 6C 1750 Zagato.
ALFA ROMEO GRAN SPORT QUATTROROUTE, NEW ENGINES FOR OLD FUR
Taking a first look at the Alfa Romeo Gran Sport Quattroroute there is something that is confirmed by consulting the documentation. It is not an exact replica. Something that is conditioned by the chassis. Tubular and very different in its dimensions from the stringer mounted on the 6C of the XNUMXs. And it is that, in this retro model of 1965, they did not want to make so much a duplicate as a faithful tribute. Furthermore, under the bodywork commissioned by Alfa Romeo from Zagato, the mechanics of a Giulia TI were to be housed.
Launched in 1962, this clearly sporty compact saloon - the acronym Turismo Internazionale gives very clear clues - donated its Twin Cam Bialbero with four cylinders in line and 1.570 cubic centimeters to the Quattroroute. All this to reach 92CV that, with certain adjustments, could go up to 106CV. Furthermore, the suspensions, the transmission and even the steering were also taken from the Giulia TI. Regarding the brakes, due to a greater aesthetic purity in the Alfa Romeo Gran Sport Quattroroute they had a drum instead of a disc. Which, by 1965, already assembled the Giulia unlike the units launched during the first year and a half of production.
With all this, the truth is that the directors of the state-owned Alfa Romeo relied on a better sales figure. Even more so when it is marketed in the wide network of brand dealers. However, the truth is that demand was not especially noticeable. Something in which its price surely interfered. A fact that, at the end of the text, we cannot confirm exactly, although we imagine high since the Alfa Romeo Gran Sport Quattroroute required its own chassis and quasi-artisanal work in the Zagato workshops. However, now that almost sixty years have passed since its presentation, we are facing a more than interesting classic.
Photographs: RM Sotheby's
