Reunioni Famiglia! (Post #173)

Chassis *01915* (Gooding & Co.)

A very unusual event is set to occur during the first week of March. Two of The Alfatross' siblings are scheduled to go to auction during Amelia Concours Week. Chassis no.*01915* will be offered at auction by Gooding & Co. and RM Sotheby's will offer chassis *01955* on March  4.

The Alfatross will be very interested in the results of these auctions which may even happen on the same day. As the chassis numbers indicate, they are very closely related to each other and to The Alfatross. Chassis *01915* was manufactured on February 25, 1955 and *01955* was manufactured on February 22. The Alfatross was manufactured a little later on December 11, all within 10 months of each other. It is a very small family. Nineteen Series 2 1900 SSZs were made in 1955.  Of those, only about 14 can still be accounted for. 

I have referenced *01915* several times in this blog over the last 10 years and seen it in person on two occasions. The Alfatross and *01915* crossed paths more than once and helped each other during their respective restorations over the last two decades. The Alfatross loaned *01915* its left front grille frame so reproductions could be fabricated to replace the lost originals. *01915* reciprocated by loaning The Alfatross its intricate thermostatic mechanism that opens the shutters in front of the radiator so I could replicate it.

Chassis *01915* has a lot going for it: 

• Billed as "The ultimate Alfa Romeo of its era" 
• Entered twice in the Mille Miglia in 1955 and 1956. 
• Restored to Concours condition by one of the premier shops in the US.
• Numbers matching

Chassis *01955* may not be a concours candidate, but presents well and has appealing credits of its own: 

• Said to be numbers matching
• Finished 38th overall in the 1955 Mille Miglia 
• Long-term ownership at the Blackhawk Collection
• Owned and raced by Vincenzo Fornasari

Chassis *01955* (RM Sotheby's)

*01955* competing in the 1955 Mille Miglia

Chassis *01955* was originally created with a flat roof, but a double-bubble roof was added some time afterward. It also has an unusual single hood scoop. Its lengthy race history, documented by John de Boer, includes running in the 1955 Mille Miglia (car #415) finishing 38th overall. 

*01955* Engine Bay

Typically, racing enhances a car's reputation, but degrades its condition.  Although the body of *01955* appears to be in good condition, the interior and engine bay have been highly modified over the years for racing. 

The coincidental auctioning of these two vehicles on the same day is particularly intriguing because although the cars are closely related, they have led very different lives, which explains the difference in estimates of what they might bring at auction ($800,000-$2,000,000). Inevitably, they will be compared. Each is remarkable in its own way and will be attractive to buyers for very different reasons. 

*01955* Cockpit.