6C 2500 Alfa Coupe and Roadster updates

As you probably know (or at least we hope you do) Paul Wilson will be formally introducing his Alfa 6C 2500 coupe at the Larz Auto Museum in Brookline, Massachusetts on November 30 – only 9 days away! He will not only present the car itself but provide a very interesting show about how the design developed and the techniques of construction. Click here for more information on Paul’s presentation at Larz Museum. This week we asked Paul tell us about the latest status on both the coupe and roadster. In addition, we have some photos taken by Paul’s friend, Mark Bennett. So take it away, Paul….

Story by Paul Wilson

It’s hard to believe, but after 48 years, my 6C2500 coupe is essentially done. The speedometer cable was modified for the later gearbox, and isn’t yet installed. The gas gauge doesn’t work. I’ve only driven it a cautious mile or two. But it’s very, very close.

The 6C2500 roadster isn’t far behind. Some interior details need finishing. I cracked the windshield clamping the misfitting top frame to it; both that and the top itself will need more work. (Making the top was an adventure, that I’ll tell about in VT.) But delays on the engine are the big problem. First it went to a shop that did nothing for two years. Then it went to another that’s made progress, but still isn’t finished after four years. I’ve also been waiting three years for a steering wheel. Once everything is back, it shouldn’t take more than a few months to put together.

Working alone, I’m impatient that jobs take so long. But they do get done. It’s when others are involved that progress actually stops. Slipped deadlines have added many years to these projects. Alas, this is a nearly universal experience of most of us with old cars. Working on them always presents unexpected problems, of course. I have some sympathy with professional restorers. But delays are frustrating.

VT readers will already know the basic story I’ll tell about at the Larz Anderson event, how I built the Alfa bodies. But telling it in a quick 45 minutes clarifies the evolution of my approach. I started by grafting together pieces from other cars, then gradually developed a system that lets me design and build custom coachwork with great flexibility and minimal expense. I’m taking a fender form with a sample sheet metal panel so people can examine it closely and touch it.

I’ll also give some background on coachbuilt cars, because many won’t realize that most high-end early automakers didn’t make the bodies for their cars. Alfa had Touring and Zagato, Duesenberg had Murphy and Rollston, Ferrari had Vignale and Farina, and so on. The body was something separate. So putting another body on my Alfa (replacing its original Ghia body), doesn’t mean it’s no longer an Alfa. It’s a rebodied vintage car, an unusual category that’s nevertheless well established in some circles.