In the summer of 1955, Pinin Farina were supplied with an Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM racing car upon which they were given carte blanche to create a state-of-the-art design concept.
The 6C 3000 CM had been Alfa Romeo’s works sports racing car for the 1953 season. It replaced the Touring designed C52 ‘Disco Volante’ which suffered from extreme lift. As a result, the C52 never raced in its original body style.
Half a dozen 6C 3000 CMs were constructed: four Berlinettas followed by a pair of Spiders. One of the open top cars (chassis 00127) had won the Merano Supercortemaggiore in the hands of Juan Manuel Fangio and the other (00128) was the car given to Pinin Farina.
The gift from Alfa Romeo was part of a wider contract that included a commission to design and build bodies for Alfa’s pretty two-seat production model – the Giulietta Spider.
At the time, Pinin Farina had a reputation for more reserved coachwork than the likes of Bertone and Ghia. To alter this perception, Pinin Farina used chassis 00128 to create the radical Superflow 1. The stunning machine then starred at the Turin Motor Show between late April and early May of 1956.
Following its Turin debut, the Superflow 1 was reconfigured into the Superflow 2. It would appear alongside a similarly aero-inspired new Ferrari (the 410 Superfast 1) at the Paris Motor Show in October 1956.
| Engine | |
| Configuration | Straight 6 |
| Location | Front, longitudinally mounted |
| Construction | cast-iron block, light alloy head |
| Displacement | 3,495 cc / 213.3 cu in |
| Bore / Stroke | 87.0 mm (3.4 in) / 98.0 mm (3.9 in) |
| Compression | 8.2:1 |
| Valvetrain | 2 valves / cylinder, DOHC |
| Camshaft | Chain driven |
| Fuel feed | 6 Weber Carburettors |
| Aspiration | Naturally Aspirated |
| Power | 275 bhp / 205 kW @ 6,500 rpm |
| BHP/Liter | 79 bhp / liter |
| Drivetrain | |
| Body | steel |
| Chassis | steel tubular spaceframe |
| Front suspension | double wishbones, coil springs, hydraulic shock absorbers, anti-roll bar |
| Rear suspension | DeDion axle, oblique arms, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers |
| Steering | worm-and-wheel |
| Brakes | drums, all-round |
| Gearbox | 5 speed Manual |
| Clutch | Dry, single plate |
| Drive | Rear wheel drive |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase / Track (fr/r) | 2,250 mm (88.6 in) / 1,310 mm (51.6 in) / 1,310 mm (51.6 in) |
| Fuel tank | 110 Litre (29.1 Gallon US / 24.2 Gallon Imperial) |
| Performance figures | |
| Top Speed | 250 km/h (155 mph) |
