Even as a neglected project car this 1951 Alfa Romeo 6C2500 Villa d‘Este is a heart stopper. First there’s the Touring bodywork and the fantastic, triple-carbureted straight six engine. Then there’s the current bid, which stands at $240,000. For some courageous new owner, though, the project could be worthwhile. Alfa Romeo named this particular model the Villa d’Este after it won the prestigious concours d’elegance and thereafter built approximately just 25 examples. As a result of their fine mechanicals, light weight, aerodynamic bodywork and celebrated styling, the cars are immensely popular and valuable. Should the next owner so choose, this 6C2500 would likely be easily entered into the world’s most exclusive events like the Mille Miglia retro and the Villa d’Este Concours. The only potential danger, of course, is the cost of the restoration keeping the Alfa Romeo from road and show field. Photos show the car to be largely complete with the significant exception of the interior. The bodywork displays front-end damage and numerous dings throughout. Also, a fair amount of expensive and difficult to replace trim — like the bumpers — is missing. The engine and transmission appear to be correct from the included photos but the listing does not say if they are free or not. Inside, the interior is missing and the floor and transmission tunnel show damage and corrosion. Finally, photos taken from underneath show what appears to be a sound, but surface-corroded chassis. With custom, coachbuilt cars, restoration costs easily run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars and this car’s condition gives every indication much will be the same here. That said, these are desirable, highly regarded, and rare, and the opportunity to find and restore one does not come along often. If we were thinking about buying the Alfa Romeo we’d take a look in person with the help of a high-end restoration shop like Paul Russell and Company and proceed only with their blessing. Find the Alfa Romeo for sale here on eBay in Bethel Connecticut with the reserve not yet met at $240,000.
Having been involved in a few restorations myself, I have to say that this is a very challenging project that will definitely take considerable amount of resources, both in terms of money, time etc….
Buyer be aware…
Then again with the right mix of individuals involved, this nightmare can turn into a swan…
With the seemingly unstoppable rise in value of this particular model it is only a matter of time before the asking price looks like a bargain.Having said that,it would be easy to sink half a million dollars into this project.