Two exceptional pieces of pre-war Alfa Romeo history are heading to auction this August, as Gooding Christie’s brings a pair of classic-era Alfas from the celebrated Brian Brunkhorst collection to its Pebble Beach Auctions, taking place Friday, August 14 and Saturday, August 15. Both cars carry deep competition pedigree and decades of documented ownership, making them standout entries in what is shaping up to be a strong week for pre-war collector cars.
Leading the pair is this 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Lungo Spider, a matching-numbers example delivered new to Naples and later fitted with masterfully recreated open coachwork by Zagato, the work of acclaimed restorer Dino Cognolato. Over the past four decades the car has passed through the hands of noted Alfisti including the Wilkins brothers, Vojta Mashek, and Hugh Taylor, and it spent more than two decades as a centerpiece of the Brian Brunkhorst collection. Its résumé includes a start in the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and the 8C Tour, and it is documented in Simon Moore’s definitive books on the marque. Gooding Christie’s carries an estimate of $2,500,000 to $3,500,000 for the car, which is set to cross the block this August.
Alongside it is a 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Series III Super Sport, one of only four Super Sports supplied new to British distributor F.W. Stiles and a genuine semi-works competition car built around the desirable Testa Fissa engine and clothed in a Zagato spider body. Piloted by factory test driver Giulio Ramponi, this Vittorio Jano-designed 6C won the 1929 Brooklands Double Twelve outright, and it has since passed through only three private owners since 1961, most recently spending over a decade in the Brian Brunkhorst collection. Gooding Christie’s estimates the car will bring between $1,000,000 and $1,500,000 when it goes across the block at Pebble Beach.
Both cars are part of Gooding Christie’s Pebble Beach Auctions, held Friday, August 14 and Saturday, August 15. Collectors interested in bidding can find the full catalogue and registration details on the Pebble Beach Auctions page.
Shawn Henry 
Eve Nowell