Mussolini's magic motor sells for £6million: Legendary Alfa Romeo which was built to beat Hitler can still do top speed of 165mph



Alfa Romeo can still reach 165mph after lying dormat for 40 years



Mussolini commissioned it to beat Hitler's government-funded fleet



Sold at Goodwood Revival Sale near Chichester for £5,937,500

Makes it second most expensive car in Europe after £19m Mercedes W196



It was crafted by Mussolini to do battle with Nazi Germany.



Deep red, shaped like a bullet, with a top speed of 165mph, its force and precision was unrivaled.



Now, decades on, the Alfa Romeo 8C-35 is setting records again after it sold at auction for almost £6million, making it Europe's second most-expensive car.

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Sold: The 'uneconomical relic', here driven by an auctioneer at Goodwood Revival Sale, can still hit 165mph Legendary: The Alfa Romeo 8C-35 cast all other race cars into shadow when it debuted in 1935. Italian star racer Tazio Nuvolari (pictured) made headlines when he spontaneously leaped in after his car broke down half way through a race - and still took the title. The winning motor has now sold for £6million at auction

The Italian Grand Prix contender first hit the tracks in 1935 - under the management of Scuderia Ferrari before they put their own brand to cars.

It was the latest product of a long-standing rivalry between Nazi Germany's racing team and Mussolini's.



In 1933, Adolf Hitler ploughed state funds into the coffers of Mercedes Benz and Audi, who responded with seemingly unbeatable models.

But in time for the Italian Grand Prix, Mussolini commissioned Alfa to launch the 8C-35, and everything changed.

After one race, rivals were shaking behind the wheel.



The groundbreaking car's lucky drivers would routinely leap from fifth place to first in under two minutes.

Immaculate: After 80 years, it is still on top form. For four decades it lay unused in a garage in Buckinghamshire

Wartime: Despite a revamp, the car still retains all of its original features including the gear stick and mirrors

Full throttle: Rivals feared the Italian record-maker, which routinely leaped into pole position from nowhere

A household name of the day, Italian racing legend Tazio Nuvolari, did just that when his own ride - Alfa's sister car - broke down on the second lap of the 1936 Coppa Ciano race.

The pint-sized racer pushed aside the assigned driver Carlo Pintacuda and zoomed into the lead to take the title - and left a media frenzy trailing in his wake.



Yesterday a besotted buyer could not resist making history again by handing over £5,937,500 for the Alfa Romeo 8C-35 at the Goodwood Revival Sale near Chichester.



The offer beat the previous world record for an Alfa Romeo set in 2010, with a motor enthusiast handing over £4,245,118 for the historical vehicle.

Often regarded as uneconomical relics, Alfa Romeos are the holy grail of motors, according to Jeremy Clarkson, who announced on Top Gear that you have to own one to be a true 'petrolhead'.

But after the war, Mussolini's motor spent almost four decades decades unused.



It was bought by wealthy industrialist Dennis Poore who could drive it whenever and wherever he wanted. He often took it for a spin at local hill climb competitions.



But by 1955 he retired it to a barn at his home in Taplow, Buckinghamshire, where it remained untouched until his death in 1987.

Post-war life: wealthy industrialist Dennis Poore bought the car for his own entertainment but soon tired of it

Rivalry: Mussolini commissioned Alfa Romeo to craft the 8C-35 to beat Hitler's government-funded winning fleet



Star racer: It was the headline act in the Ferrari team before they started producing their own Grand Prix cars

It has since undergone a complete restoration and is now in full working order - and it can still hit its top speed.

Doug Nye, a motoring historian for Bonhams, said: 'This car is a piece of Italian automotive artistry. It really is an exquisite thing.



'You feel the vibration of it beat through your chest when you are stood alongside it when it is started up. It has a tremendous presence.'

James Knight, director of Bonhams' motoring department, said: 'Once again Bonhams has been privileged to offer a world-beating motorcar and help it to achieve a world-beating price.



'Selling something like this, one is aware that history is a guest at the auction, due to the car's past, its performance today, and what all automotive enthusiasts will say about the car in the future.

