When introduced in 1931, the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 established a new benchmark for high-performance sports cars. Designed by the brilliant engineer Vittorio Jano, whose competition cars had already brought Alfa Romeo tremendous success, the 8C combined a supercharged twin-cam straight-eight engine with a sophisticated racing-derived chassis. Sold as a bare chassis, it was bodied by Italy’s premier coachbuilders, including Touring and Zagato, whose elegant creations defined the prewar sporting automobile.
This exceptional long-wheelbase example, chassis 2211086, is among the most distinctive and historically significant surviving 8C 2300s. Delivered to Naples in late 1932, it received unique one-off Spider coachwork by Zagato unlike any other 8C. Although Italian registration records simply describe it as a two-seat Spider, period photographs reveal an unusually sophisticated design featuring cycle-style fenders, dual rear-mounted spare wheels, fold-flat windscreen, streamlined storage compartments, and ingenious concealed occasional rear seating beneath a removable metal cover. The result was a remarkably versatile sporting Spider believed to be unique among all 8C 2300s.
First registered to Vincenzo Russo in December 1932, the Alfa Romeo has intriguing ties to the southern Italian racing community. Research suggests Russo may have acted as a nominal owner for interests connected with noted racing figure Giovanni Rocco, reflecting the complex ownership arrangements often associated with valuable sporting automobiles of the era.
Although apparently never campaigned in competition, chassis 2211086 appeared at the 1933 Sorrento-Sant’Agata Hillclimb, where it was photographed among the competing machinery, confirming its close association with Italy’s vibrant motorsport scene. Following Russo’s ownership, the car was exported to England in 1934 and acquired by enthusiastic Alfisti G.T. “Pat” and Dick Wilkins, who registered it as BGO 883 and used it extensively as a fast road car. It notably served as their personal transport during the Mannin Moar races on the Isle of Man while Dick Wilkins competed in an Alfa Romeo 8C Monza.
Late in 1935, the car underwent its only major transformation when its original Zagato body was replaced by a secondhand Castagna Drophead Coupe body, fitted by Newns Coach Builders in Surrey. Refinished in black, it remained in this configuration throughout the remainder of the prewar period and later passed through several British owners, receiving a Monza-style radiator cowl along the way.
By the early 1960s, the Alfa Romeo had been exported to the United States, joining the renowned Chicago collection of pioneering enthusiast Vojta Mashek. Still carrying its British registration, it became well known among collectors and appeared in landmark publications including The Great Cars by Ralph Stein and Automobile Quarterly. Following Mashek’s death, the car remained with his family for several decades before returning to England under noted collector Hugh Taylor, who sold it in 2005 to Brian Brunkhorst.
When Brunkhorst acquired chassis 2211086, it still wore its 1935 Castagna coachwork. Recognizing the significance of its original one-off Zagato body, he commissioned a meticulous restoration based on surviving period photographs and extensive material preserved in the Wilkins family archives. Following a complete mechanical rebuild by Rick Bunkfeldt, the chassis was entrusted to acclaimed Italian craftsman Dino Cognolato, who faithfully recreated the original Zagato Spider body with exceptional attention to detail. Finished in black with polished brightwork, the completed restoration beautifully captures the purposeful elegance that distinguished the car when new.
Following completion, the Alfa Romeo appeared at prestigious events including the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® and the exclusive Alfa Romeo 8C Tour of the Rockies.
Today, this extraordinary matching-numbers 8C 2300 combines exceptional provenance with one of the most distinctive coachbuilt designs ever fitted to an Alfa Romeo chassis. From its fascinating early history in Naples and connection to Giovanni Rocco’s circle, through ownership by the Wilkins brothers, Vojta Mashek, Hugh Taylor, and Brian Brunkhorst, it has enjoyed an unusually well-documented and carefully preserved existence. Beautifully restored to its original one-off Zagato configuration, it stands as one of the most individual surviving long-wheelbase 8C 2300s.
Documented in Simon Moore‘s definitive research and eligible for the world’s premier concours and touring events, chassis 2211086 represents an exceptionally rare opportunity to acquire one of the most charismatic and historically compelling Alfa Romeos ever built.
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