Hosted on a frozen lake nestled among the peaks of the Swiss Alps, it’s no surprise that this Bond villain-esque setting attracts some world-class machinery every year in February as The ICE St. Moritz returns to town. 2025’s edition of the concours is turning out to be one of the most awe-inspiring instalments to date, and above all, the car that has our jaws frozen to the floor is this incredible 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS Spider Aprile brought by the Lopresto Collection.
Its story begins at the dawn of the 1920s, when Alfa Romeo entrusted Vittorio Jano with the creation of a lightweight yet rapid vehicle to replace their heavy RL and RM Models. The fruit of his labour was unveiled in 1925 at the Salone dell'Automobile di Milano, dubbed the 6C 1500 after its 1.5-litre straight-si, designed to make this new Alfa sports car eligible to compete in the Automobile World Championship which required engines of that displacement. However, by 1929 a more powerful variant emerged in Rome, renamed the 6C 1750, which brings us to the gorgeous example you see here.
Enter Giovanni Battista Aldo Barabini of Genova, who had been shopping for a new sports car in 1931 and landed upon this incredible 6C 1750 Gran Sport — the fastest variant — which boasted a supercharged dual overhead cam engine, a shorter wheel base, and spider bodywork by Zagato. With 85 horsepower on tap, it could hit a top speed of 145 km/h, making it one of the fastest automobiles of its era. The first owner didn’t keep the car for long, though, and after several changes of ownership this 6C returned to Alfa Romeo before being purchased by Dino Carabba in 1933. The following year, Mr. Carabba entered the Varese-Campo dei Firori, where he and his Alfa put on an admirable show, finishing fourth in class and eleventh overall.
The car’s life in the following few years isn’t fully documented, but it is understood that it most likely continued to compete in minor races, and changed hands three times before being sold to the body shop of Giuseppe Aprile of Savona in August 1938. Thought to have been damaged prior to its arrival, it received a wonderful makeover with a new body penned by Count Mario Revelli de Beaumont, who was responsible for numerous other beautiful machines of the era.
Shortly after its metamorphosis was completed, Aprile sold this Alfa to a local enthusiast, who carefully stowed the car away during World War II, continuing to care for his six-cylinder masterpiece until 1956. Its next owner cherished this stunning Alfa, keeping it under his care for a very long time, during which it was very rarely seen while remaining in the region of Liguria.
Remarkably unchanged and original to this day, this incredible 6C was treated to a two-year restoration that — with the aid of the Politecnico of Milano University — recreated the exact shades of white and blue from its original colour scheme following its Aprile makeover.
Since re-entering the public eye in 2012, this one-of-a-kind Alfa Romeo has been championed by the Lopresto Collection, raking in too many concours awards to mention, ranging from Pebble Beach to Villa d’Este. Now we’re ecstatic to see it perform snow pirouettes on the frozen surface of Lake Saint Moritz as it prepares to woo the judges at The ICE this weekend!
Photos by Rémi Dargegen
