Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B ‘Balena’: return to splendour

By Mick Walsh

| 20 Jun 2025

Classic & Sports Car – Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B ‘Balena’: return to splendour

With a streamlined body designed by a legendary Ferrari engineer, the Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B Corsa Sperimentale broke wartime cover when tested at high speed along deserted Italian autostrade.

Even a royal took a turn at the wheel before chassis 412043 was stashed away in secret storage.

After its post-war sale to South America, this Latin sensation finally began its competition career and was swiftly nicknamed ‘Balena’ by Argentine race fans.

The English translation – ‘Whale’ – is unflattering, but now that this unique car has been authentically restored, with its original body reinstated, it is turning heads once again.

The Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B ‘Balena’ wears the marque’s early-style badge on its nose

Upon its UK debut at 2024’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, many enthusiasts even judged the Spider beautiful.

The transformation evokes the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale The Ugly Duckling, and the final Alfa Romeo 8C-2900 is now a star exhibit of the Louwman Museum in The Netherlands.

The origins of this fascinating design date back to a body drawing dated February 1941 and signed by Gioacchino Colombo, whose long and illustrious engineering career with Alfa Romeo started with the P2 when he was aged 21 and working under Vittorio Jano.

Among his impressive credits were the Alfetta, 308, 312 and 316 Grand Prix racers before he moonlighted to design the first Ferrari V12.

Under the Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B Corsa Sperimentale’s bonnet hides the engineering sculpture of Vittorio Jano’s straight-eight

Designing a sports-racer during wartime, when Alfa Romeo’s priorities were aircraft engines and trucks, seems surprising, but after a German car won the 1940 Mille Miglia, Italian leader Benito Mussolini possibly sent a heated directive to create a new challenger.

The in-house body appears to be inspired by Bugatti’s Type 57G ‘Tank’, which had dominated the 1937 Le Mans.

Details included folding aeroscreens, twin horizontal spare wheels and a removable side panel for access to the Weber carburettors mounted under the superchargers.

A mysterious detail of Colombo’s drawing is the inclusion of two rear elevations for the option of single or twin exhaust outlets.

‘Several classic hunters recalled being shown the parts stored around the owner’s home, including the bedroom and closets’

The coachwork was eventually built at Alfa Corse around a spare 8C-2900 long chassis, which was ready for autostrada testing on the Milano-Como section in September 1941.

With a higher axle ratio fitted, the 1130kg (2491lb) Spider clocked 219.5kph (136mph) at 5300rpm.

During testing, the 19-year-old King Michael of Romania turned up while on a visit to Alfa Romeo.

After a high-speed ride with Spanish chief engineer Wifredo Ricart, he was invited to drive the prototype.

The Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B ‘Balena’ has a wide, spacious cockpit with aircraft-style seats

Story has it the newly recrowned royal was so impressed by the prototype’s performance that he ordered an 8C-2900 (chassis 41039) with a saloon body by Touring.

The shy young monarch was fascinated by engineering, particularly aviation, and later wrote to Alfa reporting his disappointment with his new 8C saloon’s performance due to the heavy bodywork.

No doubt the dramatic motorway blast with Ricart had built up his expectations.

Following Italy’s disastrous East African campaign, Alfa Romeo had more pressing government work during this dark era, and after testing the newly finished lightweight roadster was put into storage, safe from Allied bombings and inquisitive troops.

The Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B ‘Balena’ has a spare wheel housed in its tail

With the return of peace, Alfa began the challenging company rebuild.

The Italian economy was in a depressed state and, with factories in ruins from bombing raids, any opportunity for extra income or a food trade was eagerly grasped.

Argentina was a good market for exotic sports cars, particularly rapid 8C-2900s, and two were sold to South America.

The first to be taken out of secret hiding was the Corsa Sperimentale, which was shipped from Genoa to Buenos Aires.

A post-restoration drive of the unique Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B ‘Balena’ reveals the beauty of its original shape

Other than a few test runs, and with no racing, chassis 412043 was pretty much factory-fresh.

The second to leave Italy was the fabulous 1947 Mille Miglia-winning Touring coupé, chassis 412036.

The Balena’s buyer was Carlos Pérez de Villa, a wealthy amateur who raced during the early 1950s.

Although the main bodywork remained original, several detail modifications were made, particularly to the front.

The Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B ‘Balena’ was stashed away during WW2, before it went to South America

The narrow, vertical grille opening was changed to a wider Alfetta style with inset spotlights.

The original, pearl-shaped headlights were replaced by conventional round lamps, repositioned lower and inset into the nose.

Other detail changes included changing the stylish full-width ’screen to a single, aviation-style pane just for the driver.

The rear wheel spats were taken off, no doubt for easier wheel changes.

The Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B’s original 412043 chassis plate on the grey-painted scuttle

Although a pre-war design and more than 10 years old, the Whale remained competitive, but Pérez de Villa found it a handful on tighter tracks, particularly against nimble Maseratis and local Specials.

The privateer finished third at the Rosario street circuit, but down the fast coastal straights at Costanera in 1951, the Whale was still capable of setting the fastest lap as its supercharged power and wind-cheating shape gave it the edge.

The ageing Alfa Romeo was also entered in the 1951 Buenos Aires Grand Prix against a pack of early Ferraris, Jaguar XKs and the winning Allards, but Pérez de Villa retired on the 10th lap.

The Argentine also raced the Touring coupé in local events.

The long-chassis Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B ‘Balena’ has a dramatic profile, with original rear spats

Some reports state that the Balena was involved in an accident, but during the later restoration no repairs were discovered.

For decades it was hidden away in a dismantled state in Buenos Aires.

Several classic car hunters in the 1980s, including American Ben Moser, recalled being shown the car’s parts stored around the private home of one Señor Iriarte, including in the owner’s bedroom and closets.

Eventually, Jorge Macome and Lucio Bollaert did a deal and the Alfa headed back to Italy when acquired by collector and Formula One patron Count Vittorio ‘Gughi’ Zanon.

The Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B Corsa Sperimentale’s twin blowers suck the fuel mixture through a pair of Webers

Prior to its first rebuild, Alfa Romeo historian Luigi Fusi discovered an original body drawing signed by Colombo, while back in Argentina Vicente Alvarez searched out rare competition pictures for further reference.

Although much of the original bodywork survived, Zanon commissioned a Turin coachbuilder to make a new shell.

All the original sections were saved, and thankfully the chassis wasn’t shortened to create a more valuable Touring Spider.

The Alfa was eventually finished in ’89, when the by then ill Count Zanon decided to sell it through Dutch dealer Rudy Pas of Classic Car Associates.

The tall gearlever sprouts from the Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B’s H-gate

In September it caused a sensation when demonstrated at a Dutch Alfa Romeo Club meeting at Zandvoort.

The Whale was eventually sold to English Alfisto Chris Mann, who only kept it for a short period before consigning it with Brooks’ Les Grandes Marques auction in Monaco.

The distinctive Alfa Romeo was sold to Evert Louwman for his superb Dutch museum, then based in Raamsdonksveer before the stunning facility was relocated to The Hague.

This Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B’s cabin is filled with ornate Veglia instruments and simple switches

Evert has always loved driving his vehicles and the Balena is no exception. After a mechanical refresh, 412043 competed in the 1000 Miglia retrospective three times, in 1996, 2001 and 2002.

Three years later Evert shipped the Alfa Romeo to Seattle for a 1200-mile road rally to Monterey before it was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Evert has a healthy relationship with the factory museums, and as a result Alfa Romeo was happy to loan its sensational Le Mans coupé, chassis 412033, for a special display at his museum.

For the first time in 70 years, these two unique Two-Nines were presented together, allowing enthusiasts an opportunity to compare the streamlined ideas of Giovanni Anderloni and Colombo.

The Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B ‘Balena’ has an expansive tail and pronounced side vents

Dutch Alfa authority Raoul San Giorgi has been involved with the rebuilds of many of Evert’s collection.

The shape of the one-off Alfa had always bothered this self-confessed perfectionist.

“I kept telling Evert that visitors just walk past it because it looked so ugly, but he wasn’t interested in a major restoration,” says Raoul.

“Then while restorer Dino Cognolato was visiting the collection, he also told Evert that it looked awful. That was the catalyst we needed, and the project got the green light.”

While researching the car, Raoul discovered much of the original body in the museum’s storage: “I never knew it had survived and we even found the original grille. The first restorer showed great foresight to save it all.”

The Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B Corsa Sperimentale’s original panelwork was found in storage and painstakingly restored

Cognolato’s son, Paulo, began drawings for a new wooden buck, aided by Colombo’s original 1:25 plans and further rear sketches discovered by Raoul in the Alfa archives: “Studying these plans I spotted two holes in the tail.

“When we investigated the original inner bodywork, we found a welded-up hole for a second exhaust exit.

“Maybe this wartime car had been tested with a V12 in its spare lungo chassis.

“Three of these Colombo-designed S10 engines were later saved by Mario Righini and it would have made a fantastic specification for the Whale, but we couldn’t justify the large extra cost.”

This Alfa Romeo was sent to The Netherlands to be repainted in its original colour

Ever the perfectionist for authenticity, Raoul went to great lengths, right down to the paint: “We found the original colour inside the old panels and, because it’s now very difficult to use cellulose in Italy, we transported the rebuilt body back to Holland for painting.”

The engine was sent to English specialist Jim Stokes for a rebuild while Raoul focused on the chassis details, including remaking the missing fuel taps and petrol tank.

“Evert was very involved, and every six weeks we’d fly down to Milan to visit Cognolato to follow progress,” he recalls.

“The first body’s proportions were all wrong, but with revitalised original sections refitted to the new subframe, it made a world of difference to the design. The body weighed just 650lb [295kg] and could be easily lifted off the chassis.”

Gioacchino Colombo’s 1941 drawing for the Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B Corsa Sperimentale

With the original grille restored and authentic 1940 headlights sourced, the look of the Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B Corsa Sperimentale was transformed – it clearly didn’t deserve its Argentine nickname.

Once ensconced in the tight, tubular-framed seat, the hoodless interior is surprisingly spacious for a prototype sports-racer.

The twin Veglia gauges are identical to the coachbuilt Two-Nine road cars but the rest, with minimal switches, exposed grey panels, rubber mats and tall levers, has the aura of a fighter plane.

With the transaxle set-up there’s only the encased propshaft to intrude on the floor.

The Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B ‘Balena’ has an aircraft-style racing fuel filler

Behind the cockpit is the sunken fuel-filler cap, an evocative aeronautical detail that was fitted to every Alfa racing car from the P2 to the Tipo 33s.

Sitting low behind the wraparound, full-width ’screen, with hands grasping the wide, three-spoke steering wheel and the long, blood-red bonnet stretching expansively ahead, it’s easy to conjure those first tests on the deserted autostrada in 1941.

How the young Romanian king felt isn’t recorded, but the performance must have blown his mind.

This was the McLaren F1 GTR of its day.

‘Alfa Romeo had more pressing work during this dark era, and after testing the new roadster was put into secret storage’

With the clockwork-toy-style key pushed in and the starter thumbed, the supercharged straight-eight is unleashed.

A short push on the centre throttle confirms its eager response, with the twin-cam’s exotic mechanical timbre underscored by the blower clamour.

The steering is super-light, telegraphing great feel as you turn the narrow 19in wheels.

Matching such light precision is the short action of the tall gearlever across the H-gate, which even with long linkages to the transaxle is impressively precise.

The Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B ‘Balena’ has aeroscreens to direct air up and over the cabin

But, as with all 8Cs, it’s the engine that is the star feature.

Above 3000rpm it delivers extra punch, the smooth mid-range accompanied by that crisp roar.

Through Goodwood’s shaded, flint-walled esses, the exhaust rasp sounds extra special and down the finishing straight it pulls like an FS Gruppo 691 locomotive.

The all-independent suspension, with its tricky transverse-leaf rear bolted tighter, now handles progressively, and the lungo chassis rides the bumps well.

The Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B’s worm-and-sector steering inspires bravery in corners

The lightweight and slippery profile might not match the glamour of its coachbuilt siblings, but wouldn’t it be fascinating to test the Balena and the Le Mans coupé in a wind tunnel?

Both represented the swansong of the supercharged straight-eight as Alfa Romeo focused on four and six cylinders under Orazio Satta Puliga.

The Two-Nine had a last hurrah in 1947, when Clemente Biondetti gunned a 10-year-old Touring coupé sans blowers to victory around wartorn Italy in the first post-war Mille Miglia, but had Alfa Romeo entered the Whale it would have been a very cold, wet ride.

Images: James Mann

Thanks to: Evert and Queenie Louwman (louwmanmuseum.nl), and James Wood

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