Alfa-Romeo 6C 2500 SS Cabriolet - 1949
Coachwork by Pininfarina
It was like a scene from a spy novel. In the early hours of the morning and with a suitcase full of money next to him, Ivan Mahy drove off for a rendez-vous in the village of Deurle, just outside Ghent. The seller wanted no prying eyes to see their transaction. A few months previously, a customer of Ivan’s brother Hans had given him a tip. In a garage, deep in the green Flemish countryside, two classic cars were hidden away. A Ferrari and an Alfa Romeo. One blue and one grey, without a roof. The Ferrari was a 250 GT with Boano coachwork: a prize-winner in its day, but not uncommon. The Alfa Romeo was much more of a rarity: a 6C/2500 SS from 1949. The company had only made 383 of these short wheelbase Super Sports, most of them with Touring bodywork. Its three carburettors and light weight allowed the six cylinders to push the needle on the speedometer up to 150 kilometres per hour, making the Super Sport one of the fastest cars of the 1940s. The ‘find’ in Deurle was the stunning cabriolet version, designed by the celebrated Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina. Only 63 of these two-seaters were ever made and most of them had been lost by the time Ivan Mahy set off for his secret meeting at the end of the 1980s. The Alfa in question had also seen better days. Rain seeping through the garage roof had left rust spots on the elegant lines of its nose and its once gleaming grey flanks were now smeared with layers of dirt. Ivan made an offer for the car. The owner said he would think about it. He did. For months. Out of the blue, he phoned up from France. Mahy could collect the cars, but (of course!) no-one must see him. Discretion was essential. Handing over the suitcase of cash was no problem. Discretely removing the cars was something else. The garage doors were blocked by some large tree branches and an overgrown hedge! After much huffing, puffing and cursing, the Mahy’s finally got their ‘loot’ loaded onto the trailers. Back in Ghent, the Alfa was painted with a sand-coloured primer to stop the rust. Since then, it has remained untouched, still minus its headlights and its front maker’s shield, resting balefully on three wheels in the gloom of the factory hall. Original Borrani wheels, even worn-out ones, cost thousands of euros – far too expensive, in the opinion of the stubborn and parsimonious Mahy, for a car that will never see the light of day. Consequently, it was only on three wheels that the Alfa ‘limped’ into the photo studio for its session, following which it was returned to obscurity in Leuze. A sad end for one of the most magnificent cars ever to come out of Milan.
2.443 cc
6 In-line
105 pk
Mahy - a Family of Cars
09/09/2021 - 31/10/2021
Vynckier Site
Nieuwevaart 51-53
Gent
Belgium
Alfa-Romeo 6C 2500 SS Cabriolet - 1949
Coachwork by Pininfarina
It was like a scene from a spy novel. In the early hours of the morning and with a suitcase full of money next to him, Ivan Mahy drove off for a rendez-vous in the village of Deurle, just outside Ghent. The seller wanted no prying eyes to see their transaction. A few months previously, a customer of Ivan’s brother Hans had given him a tip. In a garage, deep in the green Flemish countryside, two classic cars were hidden away. A Ferrari and an Alfa Romeo. One blue and one grey, without a roof. The Ferrari was a 250 GT with Boano coachwork: a prize-winner in its day, but not uncommon. The Alfa Romeo was much more of a rarity: a 6C/2500 SS from 1949. The company had only made 383 of these short wheelbase Super Sports, most of them with Touring bodywork. Its three carburettors and light weight allowed the six cylinders to push the needle on the speedometer up to 150 kilometres per hour, making the Super Sport one of the fastest cars of the 1940s. The ‘find’ in Deurle was the stunning cabriolet version, designed by the celebrated Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina. Only 63 of these two-seaters were ever made and most of them had been lost by the time Ivan Mahy set off for his secret meeting at the end of the 1980s. The Alfa in question had also seen better days. Rain seeping through the garage roof had left rust spots on the elegant lines of its nose and its once gleaming grey flanks were now smeared with layers of dirt. Ivan made an offer for the car. The owner said he would think about it. He did. For months. Out of the blue, he phoned up from France. Mahy could collect the cars, but (of course!) no-one must see him. Discretion was essential. Handing over the suitcase of cash was no problem. Discretely removing the cars was something else. The garage doors were blocked by some large tree branches and an overgrown hedge! After much huffing, puffing and cursing, the Mahy’s finally got their ‘loot’ loaded onto the trailers. Back in Ghent, the Alfa was painted with a sand-coloured primer to stop the rust. Since then, it has remained untouched, still minus its headlights and its front maker’s shield, resting balefully on three wheels in the gloom of the factory hall. Original Borrani wheels, even worn-out ones, cost thousands of euros – far too expensive, in the opinion of the stubborn and parsimonious Mahy, for a car that will never see the light of day. Consequently, it was only on three wheels that the Alfa ‘limped’ into the photo studio for its session, following which it was returned to obscurity in Leuze. A sad end for one of the most magnificent cars ever to come out of Milan.
2.443 cc
6 In-line
105 pk
Mahy - a Family of Cars
09/09/2021 - 31/10/2021
Vynckier Site
Nieuwevaart 51-53
Gent
Belgium