The Bring-A-Trailer, online auction for this incredibly rare and beautiful Alfa Romeo is now live. You can access the auction directly using this link:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/194...
In early 1948, Carrozzoria Touring offered their “Ville d’Este” Berlinetta body with a removable clear center roof section known as the “Aerolux” model. A total of 16 of these are known to have been completed with the first 15 having the upgraded “Super Sport” performance configuration and the final example completed as a regular “Sport” model. The first was completed very late in 1948 with the majority being completed in 1949 and the last in 1950. It was no longer offered as a catalog model in 1950.
Chassis No 915649:
This is the very first Touring Aerolux model completed and it was assigned chassis No 915649. The chassis itself was completed by Alfa Romeo on April 30th, 1948 and commissioned by the flamboyant first owner, an American / Italian expatriate named John Perona, whose real name was Enrione Giovanni Perona. The body was finished by Touring on December 30th, 1948 and the car delivered in early 1950 but not before being photographed and shown in a variety of well-known period photographs.
Perona along with Argentinian immigrant and fairly well-known race car driver, Martín de Alzaga gained fame when they opened their famous “speakeasy" El Morocco at 154 East 54th Street, in the middle of the block between Lexington Avenue and Third Avenue in Manhattan in 1931. Two years later, with the end of prohibition, the club became even more famous, being the go-to spot for an endless number of celebrity film, dance and performance stars as well as politicians and a known number of under-world figures.
The club was famous for its blue zebra-stripe motif, designed by Vernon MacFarlane with help from the El Morocco’s in-house and official photographer, Jerome Zerbe. Perona and de Alzaga loved the publicity as well as the money the club earned them and while they were never known to actually be part of the Italian mob, they never shied away from photographs with known figures who were and likely felt empowered by others believing they were part of the same circle.
After the war, the club and others like it lost some of their pre-war charm and while it was still profitable, its heyday in the limelight was largely over. Perona and de Alzaga continued to live life large with fabulous homes and frequent travel to South America, Europe and especially Italy were both maintained residences. Martín de Alzaga was a true “gear-head” and was known to have a variety of vehicles over the years as well as some fairly quick racing cars.
de Alzaga was a member of the official Bugatti team in the 1923 Indianapolis 500, he also raced in that year’s Italian Grand Prix, at the wheel of a Miller 122. He failed to make the placings in either event, but in 1924, driving a 4.9 Sunbeam, won the Coupe de l’Autodrome at Miramas near Marseilles, leading from start to finish.
It is likely that he had some influence on Perona’s decision to have Alfa Romeo commission one of the newly offered “Aerolux” models. In any case, the car was with Perona in the States and photographed in front the the El Morocco club sometime in 1951. Perona’s passion for high-profile vehicles continued later that year with his purchase of a Ferrari 340 America, s/n 0142/A with Berlinetta coachwork from Carrozzoria Ghia.
In 1953, Perona lusted after another Italian creation, this time a Cadillac Series 62 Coupé with unique coachwork also from Carrozzeria Ghia, one of two completed using similar bodies with the other going to Perona’s film star friend, Rita Hayworth.
In the meantime, Perona kept his Alfa for a few more years until it was purchased in 1958 by Thomas Crichton, a New Jersey resident who drove it for just two years before disassembling and storing the car in 1960 pending a restoration that would never take place until many years later.
This Alfa has now been fully restored, carefully maintained but little used during the current ownership and never shown publicly.
This is the very first of 16 “Aerolux” models completed and it is verified to be all matching numbers. It would be a prime candidate to show at Ville d’Este, Pebble Beach, Amelia Island and any number of similar such shows and events as well as and endless number of historic touring and rally events such as the Mille Miglia, Targa Flora, Tour Auto etc…
Kind regards and best of luck,,
Bill Noon
Phone 619 840 7811
Email [email protected]
Website www.symbolicinternational.com
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