Car & Classic will be holding an auction next Friday dedicated to a one-off Alfa Romeo ‘Castagna Vittoria’, which was originally built for the 1995 Geneva Motor Show but never produced en masse – quite likely due to its looks.
The model was penned up by Italian designer Gioacchino Acampora. The ambition was to revive Carrozzeria Castagna, a coachbuilding company that appeared in the mid-19th century and shut down in 1954. The base vehicle was an Alfa Romeo 75 a.k.a. Milano, which received an overhaul in the 1990s-era bio design style.
Among other things, the car ended up with an overlong front end, a shorter-looking wheelbase, a remolded body with two doors instead of four, and a gently sloping roof. The headlights were borrowed from an Opel Calibra, the splitter and the air intakes were made larger, and the rear end received a rather bold, futuristic makeover.
In turn, the cabin received a pair of new seats wrapped in dark green leather and artificial suede, while the dashboard was trimmed with wood. The car’s 3.0-liter Busso six-pot continued its work under the hood, pumping out 255 PS (252 hp / 158 kW) to a five-speed manual transmission. The powertrain also enjoyed some upgrades, but they are not detailed in the listing.
The bizarre creation has around 2,500 km (1,550 miles) on the odometer and is reportedly in excellent condition. The auction will be taking place in the UK, and the estimates lie in the area of £125,000–135,000. One has to wonder whether the eccentric-looking car that failed its Geneva show debut 28 years ago can find a true appreciator this time around.