The only Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM (Competizione Maggiorata) Pininfarina Superflow IV made has resurfaced in Europe, set to appear at one of the continent's premier conours events.
The one-off Alfa will be shown for the first time in the UK during the Chubb Insurance Concours d’Elegance.
Italian design house Pininfarina evolved four prototype designs of this car, ending with this Superflow IV.
“For Salon Prive to be chosen as the first Concours event in the UK for this illustrious and influential car to be shown is a huge honour,” said Event Managing Director & Concours Chairman, Andrew Bagley.
“It’s one of the most important Alfa Romeos of its era, and a large part of the marque and Pininfarina’s history.”
Famous for picking up silverware with Juan Manuel Fangio driving the 1953 Mille Miglia (above), the Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM Colli Coupe was a car built for endurance racing.
Just eight Works examples were made in 1953, two of which were handed to specialist coachbuilders Boano (for Argentine President Juan Peron) and Pininfarina. Both have now been converted for road use.
The Afla Romeo set to go on display is 6C 3000 CM (chassis 00128) that went to Pininfarina.
During its time at the Italian-based coachbuilder it was given four different design adaptations, culminating in its current guise, known as the Superflow IV.
The first iteration, known as the Superflow, was launched at the 1956 Turin Motor Show.
Plexiglass was a fundamental part of the car’s original design and overall appearance: the front wheels were covered in the material, doubling up as headlight covers, and the hinged ‘gullwing’ sections on the roof were also made from Plexiglass.
When the car was evolved into Superflow II, the body was repainted from its original colour of white with a black stripe to red with a white stripe.
Pininfarina’s styling evolved too, include a sharper nose made from steel and all Plexiglass apart from the headlight covers, which were removed.
In 1959 at the Geneva Motor Show, the third design was shown and dubbed the Spyder Super Sport or Superflow III. It featured an open roof, but without the original nose and the headlight covers, which were removed.
Fast forward to 1960, the car’s fourth and final design was displayed at the 1960 Geneva Motor Show.
The Coupe Super Sport Speciale or Superflow IV was an amalgamation of all the best features of its previous versions.
Returning for the Superflow IV was the use of Plexiglass, this time on the domed roof as well as the headlight covers.
The car could be used as a Coupe and a Spyder, thanks to the fact that the panels were not hinged but could slide down and back underneath the rear window.
The car’s story is a timeline of design and influences of the Fifties and Sixties. Throughout its evolution the aim remained the same - to wow the public at every event and location it visited. Something the Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM Pininfarina Superflow IV achieves does to this day.
