Rare Car Archive

Makes › Alfa Romeo Italy › 8C › 8C 2900B (Touring Berlinetta/Spider) · Coachbuilt Ultra Rare

Alfa Romeo
8C 2900B (Touring Berlinetta/Spider)

Road version of the racing 8C 2900 with Touring (and Pinin Farina) bodies; very small run

Body: Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera
Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B (Touring Berlinetta/Spider) (Wikimedia Commons search)
Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B (Touring Berlinetta/Spider) (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Yanko Malinov · CC BY-SA 4.0
32BuiltIndependently researched
0Chassis documentedin this archive
12SurvivingIndependently researched
Contents
  1. 01Overview
  2. 02Production & history
  3. 03Specifications
  4. 04Colours & options
  5. 05Individual cars
  6. 06Reference

01Overview

At a glance

Built
32 Built
Years
Not yet verified
Engine
2,905 cc / 2.9 LFactory: 2,905 cc
Power
132 kW / 180 PSFactory: 180 PS
Top speed
175 km/hFactory: 175 km/h
Designer
Not yet verified
In this archive
Not yet verified
Surviving
12 (independently researched)

Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.

Why it matters

RM Sotheby's calls the 8C 2900 the most advanced sports car money could buy in the mid-1930s, with independent suspension on all wheels and a supercharged twin-cam straight-eight. Carrozzeria Touring's Superleggera coachwork, on both long and short chassis, is singled out as among the best of the pre-war era, and the auction house likens the Touring spider to the Bugatti Atlantic.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Model rarityUltra Rare 32 · Built1
Specification rarityNot yet assessed
Colour rarityNot yet assessed
Individual rarityNot yet assessed
Historical rarityNot yet assessed
Survival rarityNot yet assessed 12 · Surviving2,3

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

  • Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B (Touring Berlinetta/Spider) (Wikimedia Commons search)Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B (Touring Berlinetta/Spider) (Wikimedia Commons search)
    Photo: Yanko Malinov · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B (Touring Berlinetta/Spider) (Wikimedia Commons search)Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B (Touring Berlinetta/Spider) (Wikimedia Commons search)
    Photo: hoyasmeg · CC BY 2.0

02Production & history

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

What is countedFigureBasisStatus
Total model productionTouring Spiders believed extant, seven of them on the long chassis (RM Sotheby's, 2016); Gooding (2024) cites five genuine long-chassis Touring Spiders 122,3 Surviving examples Independently researched
Total model production8C 2.9 chassis made, approximate ('Only approximately 32 2.9 chassis were made'); about 12 Touring Spiders, seven on the long chassis 321 Factory production Independently researched

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Alfa Romeo's museum lists the long-chassis 8C 2900 B in Touring Superleggera berlinetta form with 180 CV at 5200 rpm, a 4-speed gearbox and a top speed of 175 km/h, and counts 10 cars of that version. Gooding gives the same 180 BHP at 5,200 rpm for a long-chassis spider.

RM Sotheby's states that only about 32 chassis of the 2.9 were made and that every known chassis has been researched by historian Simon Moore, whose book "The Immortal 2.9" documents them. Many cars led several lives: one chassis described by RM was raced in South America with a Chevrolet V8 while its original Touring body was kept separately, and the two were reunited only decades later.

Variants

How each version differs from the standard 8C 2900B (Touring Berlinetta/Spider).

No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

03Specifications

Technical specifications

Engine

Engine familyNot yet verified
Engine codeNot yet verified
LayoutNot yet verified
Cylinders84Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
Displacement 2,905 cc / 2.9 LFactory: 2,905 cc4Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
Bore 68 mmFactory: 68 mm4Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
Stroke 100 mmFactory: 100 mm4Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
Compression ratioNot yet verified
Valvetrain2 valves per cylinder, 2 gear-driven overhead camshafts4Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
Fuel systemTwin carburettors (Weber 42 BS1 per Gooding)4,3Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
InductionTwo Roots-type superchargers4,3Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
Power 132 kW / 180 PSFactory: 180 PS4,3Rating: manufacturerThe museum states CV; RM Sotheby's and Gooding give 180 bhp. Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
Power at 5,200 rpm4Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
TorqueNot yet verified

Transmission & drivetrain

GearboxNot yet verified
Gears44Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
Driven wheelsRear4Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.

Chassis, body & dimensions

ChassisWelded box-section side members and cross members4Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
Front suspensionIndependent, transverse arms, coil springs, hydraulic dampers4Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
Rear suspensionIndependent, longitudinal arm, transverse leaf spring, hydraulic and friction dampers4Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
BrakesHydraulic drum brakes on all four wheels4Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
SteeringNot yet verified
Body constructionNot yet verified
Wheelbase 3,000 mmFactory: 3,000 mm4Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
Length 5,150 mmFactory: 5,150 mm4Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
Width 1,770 mmFactory: 1,770 mm4Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
Height 1,500 mmFactory: 1,500 mm4Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
Front trackNot yet verified
Rear trackNot yet verified
Kerb weight 1,250 kgFactory: 1,250 kg4Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider. The museum does not say whether dry or kerb weight.
Dry weightNot yet verified

Performance

Maximum speed 175 km/hFactory: 175 km/h4Figure from the museum page for the 8C 2900 B Lungo (Berlinetta, Touring Superleggera); the same long chassis carried the Touring spider.
0–100 km/hNot yet verified
Fuel tankNot yet verified

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

04Colours & options

Factory colours & interiors

Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Factory options & codes

Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

05Individual cars

Chassis register

Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Competition history

Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Auction & sale history

Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

See one in person

Museums where an example of this car can be seen.

No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

06Reference

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Touring bodies used the Superleggera method: a framework of thin hollow steel tubes covered with aluminium panels, with fabric between the two to prevent electrolytic corrosion. On the long-chassis spiders documented by RM and Gooding, chassis, engine and body each carry their own number (for example chassis 412041 with engine 422042 and body 2027; chassis 412027 with engine 422031). Because many chassis were rebodied, rebuilt or separated from their bodies, RM stresses that identity rests on Moore's research and specialist inspection, for instance of freehand-drilled screw holes unique to each Touring body.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

  1. 1
    1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider by Touring – RM Sotheby's Monterey 2016 Level B
    • 32 8C 2.9 chassis made, approximate ('Only approximately 32 2.9 chassis were made'); about 12 Touring Spiders, seven on the long chassis
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  2. 2
    1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider by Touring, Monterey 2016 Level C RM Sotheby's
    • it is believed that only 12 are Touring Spiders, seven of which are on the long chassis
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  3. 3
    1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider, Pebble Beach 2024 Level C Gooding & Company
    • One of Only Five Genuine Long-Chassis 8C 2900B Touring Spiders
    • Twin Weber 42 BS1 Carburetors
    • Twin Roots-Type Superchargers
    • 180 BHP at 5,200 RPM
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  4. 4
    8C 2900 B Lungo Level A Museo Storico Alfa Romeo
    • 8 cilindri in linea (Dettagli vettura)
    • 2905 cc (68x100 mm) (Dettagli vettura)
    • 2 valvole per cilindro, 2 alberi a camme in testa con comando a ingranaggi (Dettagli vettura)
    • Alimentazione a 2 carburatori (Dettagli vettura)
    • 2 compressori volumetrici (Dettagli vettura)
    • 180 CV a 5200 giri/min. (Dettagli vettura)
    • 4 marce + RM (Dettagli vettura)
    • Trazione posteriore (Dettagli vettura)
    • Longheroni e traverse a scatola saldati (Dettagli vettura)
    • ruote indipendenti, bracci trasversali, molle elicoidali (Dettagli vettura)
    • braccio longitudinale, balestra trasversale (Dettagli vettura)
    • Idraulici, a tamburo sulle 4 ruote (Dettagli vettura)
    • Passo: 3000 mm (Dettagli vettura)
    • lunghezza: 5150 mm (Dettagli vettura)
    • larghezza: 1770 mm (Dettagli vettura)
    • altezza: 1500 mm (Dettagli vettura)
    • Peso 1250 kg (Dettagli vettura)
    • Massima velocità 175 km/h (Dettagli vettura)
    Accessed 2026-11-12

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