Our car was extensively raced at Brooklands, reaching 135 mph in 1938. It is in unrestored, original condition.
THESE CARS
The two passenger roadsters of Mille Miglia length (short chassis) were equally successful in the sports car racing as the Monza’s were in Grand Prix racing.
Consistent winners and sports car races of all varieties, including repeated victories in the grueling Mille Miglia, both in the hands of privateers and the great Scuderia Ferrari drivers, they could not
OUR CAR
Simon Moore believes that this car may have been a Works racer or demonstrator because its chassis number relates to 1932 but it did not get registered until June 1933. It raced in the Spa 24 hour race that July and finished 3rd. While they registered it to Alfa, it apparently spent its early days in Holland. It returned to Milano and in the hands of Catullo Lami of Pisa and entered the 1935 Mille Miglia but did not finish. Later it was sold to a Bolognese but it ultimately reached the hands of a Serge Buerger who exported it to the U.K. He left it for dealer Jack Bartlett to sell and in just five days it became the proud possession of Brooklands enthusiast Guy Templer. He used it extensively in racing mainly, at Brooklands.
Later it appeared in the famous “Fastest Road Car” event held at Brooklands which was a challenge to determine which was the speediest road car in England on Brooklands magnificent banked oval track (see 1938 Alfa MM Spider). Templer did not finish, but Delahaye won the two heat race even though our Alfa Mille Miglia Spider (812031) won one heat. After World War II the car was in the hands of Colonel Ronnie Hoare who was the U.K. Ferrari distributor. A wonderful article extolling its beauties appeared in the Motor Sport for February 1951 which referred to a previous article in the Autocar of January 13, 1950. There were two subsequent owners throughout the 1950s.
It was subsequently brought to America by Allen George Dart and sold to the noted cartoonist Charles Addams (of “Addams Family” fame) around 1957. Addams owned it until 1960 when it finally passed on to Ed Bond.
Bond was one of its most enthusiastic owners. He saved every bit of correspondence and wrote extensively about the car. A letter in our file, also quoted by Simon Moore, from Bond transmits his enthusiasm. “They registered her in England in 1933, a modified 2.3 MM Roadster, bored out to just under 2.6 litre. With Monza modifications such as special cams and faster turning blower, plus a special Memini S152 carburetor, her reputed top speed was 135 miles an hour.” In this letter Bond also described some of Templer’s activities during his ownership and also relates communication with Kitty R. Templer, Guy’s widow. She also used the car regularly.
Later on, Bond remarked that he “succumbed to monetary persuasion” and sold the car, but always regretted this. While in the hands of Englishman Mike Villar, it enjoyed racing
When Bond could relinquish her, driver/collector/dealer Peter Gidding’s brokered the sale of the car. “It remains,” Moore said, “basically unrestored and looking a little scruffy but a beautiful original motor car. It has its original Monza type engine, racing cams, and up-geared blower.”
The car sits proudly in our Brooklands exhibit, a reminder of its heyday and the brave souls who undertook such high speeds in a car which must have inspired great confidence, as it still does today.
I would back the Alfa in its Mille Miglia form against any of them – meaning all claimants to the fastest road car title.
Dennis May
