Concours D'Elegance Mt. Diablo Country Club, Calif. 1954

Hi guys,

I am looking for any information about this event.
It should have been called as mentioned in the headline:

"Concours D'Elegance Mt. Diablo Country Club, Calif. May 15, 1954"

I have a scan of an Alfa Romeo named "Flying Lancer" that participated there. It had #102 on the hood and on the doors. Further you can find the script "Alfa Romeo Disco Volante 2000 cc" on the side - as far as I can identify this correctly.
It is an open Spider with rhd.

I uploaded the pic there: http://mywebpage.net...nt/aboutme.html

I cannot identify this car as a Disco Volante what the translation of Flying Lancer should mean. First it reminded me of the Zagato-Spider of Bonnier, but this car here has different bodylines.
Also the date 1954 doesn't fit to any of my records.

Any help is appreciated

Ciao Carlo

WOW! I don't know this car at all.

It look somewhat like the Supercortemaggiore 6c3000CM (3500cc) of Fangio, but this car appears to have small tail fins.

I suggest you contact Peter Marshall in England, who runs the International Alfa 1900 series register. The 102 series cars are also "2 liters", but they didn't come out until 1957.

Southern Californians suspect any car numbered 102 is traceable to the Nethercutts. Their collection—um, Collection—can be approached here:
San Sylmar

Under "Library" there are telephone numbers by way of which you can reach the archivists, knowledgeable and helpful.

Frank ess

Frank,

many thanks for the link, I will check this and send an update if they can help.

Stu,

thanks for your response. Can you help me contacting Peter Marshall? I have just read in the thread about the members projects that you are working close together.

I have some additional infos about this car.
There is another photograph showing this car at:

Sonoma Country Airport, Calif. May 14, 1955 with starting-number #8.

Further there is a little mark of the photographer. It's very hard to read because it seems as if he used a very old typewriter.
The word that is the most hard to read is the family name of the owner.
This is what I could read:

"Owner Charles Bonzaghi of San Francisco"

The family name could also read Charles Bozzaghi, Rozzaghi, Razzaghi or so.
I think these are the most Italian-sounding combinations.

Maybe this additional info helps.

Ciao Carlo

Google Charles Rezzaghi and you'll find that he was a Ferrari dealer in San Francisco in the '50s and owned many interesting cars.
I think the B.A.T. 7 passed through his hands at one time.
Anton

Mal Harris, who published the 8c2900 and 8c2300 books of Simon Moore is the official "head" of the 6c2500 register, but it has been inactive for at least 5 years, due to a "parting of minds" with Anselmi, who wrote 6c2500 book.

Peter Marshall has run another Alfa 6c2500 register, and actually started it way before the one mentioned above. Peter has also maintained a 1900 register for years. Peter's e-mail is P.Marshall@broadway.Malyan.com

Charlie Rezzaghi (sp) was kind of the "west coast" Alfa importer in the US in the 50s. Griswald was kind of the "east coast" importer. There was no "official" importer until the early 60s, even though Alfa had an office here from 1954, which acted mainly as a liaison to the US war department!

Now that I think about it, I vaguely remember a Rezzaghi ad in Road and Track or some other magazine with a shot of the nose of the car you picture. The nose is virtually identical to the Colli 6c3000CM Le Mans and MM cars. In the book on Gilco chassis, it mentions a "Alfa powered "special" and shows the tubular chassis, but does not show the coachwork. Perhaps it is this car.

Nethcutt's race number was indeed 102, but Skip, the curator of the collection could not find anything on the Motto bodied Nardi Alfa coupe, which raced under the number 102 on a couple of occassions in Southern California, entered by a William Rowley and/or a Merle Bashore, whom I've never heard of. I'm also not sure exactly when Nethercutt was "assigned" number 102 (or the date of the beginning of Cal Club), and I think it might not have been until after the appearance of the Nardi Alfa coupe and this spider...

Hi guys,

many thanks for your very sofisticated informations

I will email Peter Marshall this thread and ask if this meets his interest.

Meanwhile I checked the Simon Moore article about the Disco concerning Charles Rezzaghi.

"A somewhat similar (to the narrow sided spider) looking car (but with flatter sides) was built up on a modified 1900 chassis by Carrozerie Colli with a 2-litre iron block engine for an Italian driver, a Signor Bellucci of Naples.
This car found its way rapidly to the USA where it was raced during 1954 in SCCA events by Rezzaghi. Then it passed through several hands before being aquired by John Willcock of Ridgefield, Conn. This is not a true Disco."

This seems to make sense, maybe exept for the fact that Bellucci owned this car.
Bellucci owned THE narrow sided spider, the car that is in the Schlumpf museum.

Maybe the Rezzaghi car went immediately to the USA without being used in Europe.
For me the most important question is, if this car is a true Disco Volante.
But as it was built on a modified 1900 chassis, the answere is evident.

The question that should follow now is:

Does this car still exist???


Ciao Carlo

I think the car refered to in the Gilco book was the one built for Bellucci, later owned by Willock...but I do NOT think it was the same car pictured, but I could be mistaken.

Peter Marshall is by FAR the world expert on Alfa 1900 series cars..

The "slab-sided" C52 2 liter "Disco" in "Schlumpf" is yet another car.