Incredible $2 Million Alfa Romeo barn find; once owned by Mussolini’s mistress

Photo courtesy RM Auctions

Who doesn’t love a classic with a great story, right? Not just a great story but one steeped within the history of WWII. The above pictured 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C2500 “Superleggera” was gifted by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini to his girlfriend, Cara Petacci, in what would would end up to be a horrifying twist of fate.

In 1945, Cara and her brother decided to step into the very car pictured above (a 2 door sedan) and head out on a risky adventure to meet with Mussolini in Northern Italy, with the hopes of fleeing to Switzerland as asylum seekers. En route, the three were stopped and searched at a checkpoint, at which point both Mussolini and Cara were shot to death and hung upside down at a gas station.  The Alfa Romeo ended up under the possession of a U.S. Army Officer.

“The history of this car certainly gives you something to talk about,” says Peter Wallman, RM Europe’s car specialist. “The Mussolini provenance adds interest, but first you need to be captivated by the 6C’s harmonious shapes, its delightful rear spats and raked grille.”

For many car collectors, this car is truly an owner’s dream due to its unique history and famous owner. Not to mention, the potential is there for taking the restored car back to Italy to compete in Mille Miglia. When the Alfa was transported north bound, it was concealed as a Spanish diplomatic vehicle. From northern Italy, the Alfa Romeo was acquired by Army Air Corps officer Major Charles Pettit, who took it on a joyride or two around the city. It wasn’t until 1949 that Pettit shipped the car home to upstate New York, where he drove it until a failed connecting rod forced the car into a forlorn barnyard hiatus where it would sit for over 20 years.

Fast forward to 1970, when a New York high school teacher, Ron Keno, discovers the dilapidated car in a newspaper ad “for sale” section. It was love at first sight, after all few would find it easy to overlook the car’s history. Here is where it gets even more interesting. Keno managed to contact a man by the name of Franz Spogler, a former Nazi whose job it had been to chauffeur Petacci and Mussolini in the 6C in the last few years of the war. Talk about incredible – this is the stuff classic car lovers’ dreams are made of.

Photo: Keno’s twin boys with the car, as found.

Spogler couldn’t resist seeing the car in person, so he flew to the U.S to meet with Keno and on a walkabout, pointed out a roll of German tools that he remembered being given by German soldiers, in order to fix the Italian sports car during a breakdown. This confirmation of the Alfa’s unique status sped its rise to fame.

By 1999, the car had passed through several owners’ hands and in 2001 and 2002, after having been completely overhauled to racing status at a cost of around $500,000, the Alfa Romeo finally felt the green grass of home as it went on to compete in the Mille Miglia. Remarkably, around 85% of the original body had been saved.

Earlier this month, the Alfa Romeo sold for $2.1 million, at RM Auctions.