In English classic car races you can see almost door-to-door duels on the track between models worth millions. Even at 1000 Miles 2024 we have seen something like this, even though it is “only” a regularity challenge. The protagonists of the dispute, which is becoming popular on the web due to the number of views, were aAlfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS of 1929, bodied by James Young, and a Bugatti Type 51A of the same year.
At the time control there is a misunderstanding between the driver of the Italian car and that of the Alsatian car, which passes outside the lane of the pressure switch. Contact between the two vehicles is avoided by a hair’s breadth, despite the braking with the wheels blocked, on the wet cobbled road, of the “biscione” racing car, whose driver shows great quick reflexes.
The next reaction is angry, with a infinity overtaking when cornering. The resulting pendulum effect is very spectacular, seasoned with stylish smoky trails James Bond and by a sort of liberating gesture towards the Bugatti crew. Luckily there was no crash, but the two historic cars protagonists of the unexpected drama risked a lot, given their cultural and collectible value.
The Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS belongs to a family of vehicles 6 cylinders of the “biscione” (this is the reason for the acronym 6C), which blossomed in 1925, and then evolved over time with various engine sizes and configurations, until 1953. The presentation of the model which served as the basis for the example with bodywork by James Young ( protagonist of the video) took place at the 1929 Rome International Motor Show.
In the SS version (acronym for Super Sports) the performance profile reached the highest levels of the range, also made up of the Normal and Sport configurations. In this guise, its twin-cam engine with 1750 cubic centimeters of displacement developed a maximum power of 64 horsepower at 4500 rpm, which became 85 in the supercharged version with Roots volumetric compressor. Some examples reached even higher levels, reaching 95 horsepower.
In the 1929 Mille Miglia, the Alfa Romeo 6Cs dominated the rankings, with the success of the Spider Zagato of Giuseppe Campari and Giulio Ramponi, and seven cars in the top ten places. I imagine the duels of those years, but I believe that the one immortalized by the video, even if at low speed, was no different.
The other protagonist, actually passive, of the frames was the aforementioned Bugatti Type 51A, which raced in its time in the Voiturettes category. Here the displacement is 1.5 liters, but thanks to the Roots compressor the maximum power is 135 horsepower, for a top speed in the order of 200 km/h. It too, like the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS by Young protagonist of the frames, is taking part in the 1000 Miglia 2024, which celebrates the memory of the legendary “Freccia Rossa”, whose competitive cycle ended in 1957, due to the dramatic accident that occurred to Alfonso de Portago’s Ferrari 335 S.
The dancing began on Tuesday 11 June, with the first stage from Lake Iseo to Turin. Yesterday, the roaring and colorful procession moved towards Lucca. From the Tuscan city, today, the crews of over 400 historic cars will reach Rome. The Eternal City will also be the base for the departure of the fourth stage, scheduled for Friday 14 June, when the “grandmothers on four wheels” will turn off their engines after crossing Bologna. Fifth and final stage on Saturday 15 June, with the return to Brescia, the beating heart of the 1000 Miglia. Here the prestigious classics, together with the “reds” of the Ferrari Tribute 1000 Miglia, can once again be admired by enthusiasts.
