Azam Auctions

9. 1937 Alfa-Romeo 8C-2900
1937 Alfa-Romeo 8C-2900 - £2.28m - Courtesy of Christie’s Images Ltd. 2005
Sold at Christie’s, California, in August 1999. The Immortal 2.9 is the title of Simon Moore’s 1987 book detailing the complete history of some 30 cars that many consider the greatest prewar sports car. The now out-of-print book will set you back $400 to $500 if you can find a copy. The car, with the right provenance and racing history, will cost you between $2 million and the $4 million as this one fetched. Rarely do any 2.9s appear at public auction. This 2.9 Alfa had an impressive race history, coming in third at the 1939 Mille Miglia. As one critic said, “For those who appreciate the arts of mechanical design and coach building, the 2.9s are indeed the modern counterparts of a Bernini sculpture or a Rembrandt.” Christie’s, at the auction house’s prestigious Sunday Pebble Beach Auction, published a separate 45-page hardbound book describing this car. All this “for arguably the best car in the world,” according to the late Lorin Tryon, noted collector car authority and co-chairman for many years of the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance.