1953 Alfa Romeo Sprint Ghia Supergioiello – ACOW

ACOW is ‘Auction Car of the Week’ in case you were wondering. We had to make it an initialism this week, given that 1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 C Sprint Ghia Supergioiello is quite the name for a car, but that’s okay, because it is quite the car. A stunning, one of believed just three remaining cars designed, bodied and finished by the legendary Ghia. This is more than a car, it is rolling art. A celebration of what can be achieved when there are no restrictions in place, of what pure passion and design can conjure up. It is magnificent.

Built in October of 1953, this car has had a fascinating and somewhat high-octane life. It ran in the first Rally de los Pirineos, it won first in class victory at the Subida a la Dehsa de la Villa held on the 21st of November 1954, it was part of the 1955 Rallye Monte-Carlo, and that is just a small scrape of the surface of this car’s impressive race history. All despite it being a luxury grand tourer at heart. But then, has there ever been an Alfa Romeo that wasn’t ready to compete at the drop of hat? Exactly.

Of course, years of spirited use in a competition setting did take its toll, but worry not, as this fine machine was restored from the ground up to a literal show-winning standard. Having covered just 78 kilometres since the restoration was completed, this 1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 C Sprint Ghia Supergioiello is, in essence, a brand new car today. No nut was left unturned, no stitch was ignored, no paint was thrown without care and considerable forethought. Today, this car is every bit the machine it was when Gumersindo Garcia Fernandez of Spain took delivery all those decades ago.

The interior is a magnificent work of art, a welcoming sea of soft brown leather, a polished wood-rim steering wheel, deep, new carpets, bright and of course fully functional switch gear. Look at the pictures and tell us, honestly, that you can’t smell them? It the kind of place we all wish we could be enveloped in. If you’re the lucky winning bidder, that wish will soon be a reality.

Externally, the body is arrow straight and every panel has been repainted in the original Rame Metallizzato (copper metallic) with such precision that is seems almost liquid. The chrome, the wire wheels and the all-important ‘400’ down the side all add up to the kind of image that the brain simply struggles to comprehend. The lines carefully crafted by Ghia are bold, unforgiving and proud. But they works together oh so well. Again, this car is nothing short of a rolling art piece, but one that rolls under its own willing steam, care of a twin-cam 1.9 engine mated to a four-speed manual transmission.

Cars like this simply don’t hit the market often, so this is a very special opportunity indeed. To own this is, make no mistake, to take on a huge responsibility. But what a fantastic responsibility that is. It’s not going to be cheap, but why would anyone expect it to be. If you like your rare, coachbuilt machines, there can be few as exciting and appealing as this.