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Uniques Special Ones 2012 – Report and Photos

1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza Alberto Novelli
1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza

The 2012 edition of the Uniques Special Ones was held September 28-30 on the grounds of the Giardino of the Gherardesca located at the Four Seasons Hotel in Florence, Italy.

The third annual Uniques Special Ones event, created and organized by the MAC Group, featured a wonderful selection of 84 vehicles on display in the picturesque Gherardesca Garden in Florence.

The event focuses on ‘unique’ and ‘special’ automobiles that may include one-off rarities, those with famous owners or an interesting race history that sets them apart. A group of judges, consisting of names from the world of design and the automotive industry, carefully scrutinized all the entries using a stringent judging criteria.

Best of Show at the 2012 Uniques Special Ones was awarded to the 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Pinin Farina Coupe owned by Italian collector Corrado Lopresto. The Alfa Romeo proved the most popular with both sets of judges who were together charged with identifying the most beautiful car (from a technical and stylistic perspective) from those taking part in the event.

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“The final showdown included the 1935 Alfa Romeo 6C 2003 Pescara Spider and the 1965 Ferrari Dino 166/206P and the judges debated long and hard to decide the winner,” explained Adolfo Orsi, head of the international panel of judges. “Sadly there could only be one Best of Show and in the end the title went to this spectacular 6C 2500 SS Pinin Farina Coupe which is one of the finest examples of the art of post-war Italian coach building.”

The silver trophy awarded to the Best of Show was designed by Stefano Ricci and was unveiled during the cocktail party to mark the close of the 2012 Uniques Special Ones, held in the Conventino della Gherardesca. Even former U.S. President Bill Clinton, during his short stay at the Four Seasons had words of praise for the event and in particular when he learned that the exhibits included a Ford Mustang and a 1953 Aston Martin DB2 that once belonged to his fellow former President Gerald Ford.

“Uniques has been a great international event organised by an Italian company,” said Sandro Binelli, Chairman of the MAC Group. “The time for internationalisation is now here and we are currently looking at a large number of countries and in particular Russia, Switzerland and the Principality of Monaco. Staging this show abroad and making it a travelling spectacular is in fact a choice that has always been a part of the concept of this event.”

Uniques Special Ones 2012 – Notable Entrants

1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Coupe
Built on the SS short-chassis coupled to the 110-hp three-carburetor engine, this 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Pinin Farina Coupe was ordered by an aristocratic Sicilian family, who retained the car until 1961, when it was exported to England. In 1975 the car was sold to the USA and in 2000 it was bought back to Italy. It is believed to be one of the first cars featuring the twin headlamp configuration.
Chassis number D1
This 1949 Healey Silverstone was the first one built. Chassis number D1 was one of three Works cars prepared to compete in the BRDC International Trophy Race at Silverstone in August 1949. Driven by the famous French driver Louis Chiron, the new car placed sixth overall and fourth in class. Moreover, Healey won the Team Prize and the new model earned its ‘Silverstone’ moniker. Fitted with the 2.4-liter Riley engine, the car was raced until 1952 prior to being destined for full road use.

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1935 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Pescara Spider
The 1935 Alfa Romeo 6C 2003 Pescara Spider was ordered new by Benito Mussolini for his personal use and was specially bodied by Carrozzeria Touring on Mussolini’s request. In 1936 Mussolini had the car raced at the Mille Miglia by the couple Boratto/Mancinelli and in 1939 the car was bought by another member of the Fascist Party. Hidden during the war, in 2005 the car was restored in Italy saving as much as possible its original specification.
1952 Ferrari 340 America Spider
This 1952 Ferrari 340 America Spider, chassis 0196A, was an ex-Works car that raced at the Mille Miglia, Bern Grand Prix, Le Mans 24 Hours and the Targa Florio in 1952. Sold to Italian private driver Piero Scotti and later to Camillo Luglio, the car was raced until 1954, when it was re-bodied by Vignale as a coupe and exported to the USA in 1955. In the late 1990s-early 2000s it was fully restored and returned to the original spider configuration.

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Uniques Special Ones 2012 – Award Winners

Best of Show
1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Pinin Farina Coupe, Corrado Lopresto

Elegance in the Thirties
Best in Class: 1935 Alfa Romeo 6C 2003 Pescara Spider, Luigi Carlini
Originality and Restoration: 1939 Rolls-Royce Wraith Saloon, Saulius Karosas

The Early Sports Cars
Best in Class: 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza, Hugh Taylor
Originality and Restoration: 1930 Bentley 4-Litre Tourer, Richard van Maanen

Early Post-War Italian Coachbuilding Elegance
Best in Class: 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Pinin Farina Coupe, Corrado Lopresto
Originality and Restoration: 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Pinin Farina Coupe, Corrado Lopresto

Moyenne Corniche in the Fifties
Best in Class: 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II Convertible, Paolo Bianchi
Originality and Restoration: 1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud convertible, Mohamed Al-Ahmed AlSabah

Fifties Road Racing Berlinettas
Best in Class: 1955 Ferrari 250 GT Europa, Alessandro Bruni
Originality and Restoration: 1953 SIATA 208 CS Coupe, Jan de Reu

La Dolce Vita
Best in Class: 1961 Jaguar E-Type 3.8 Roadster, Carmen Pintado Engelhorn
Originality and Restoration: 1949 Jaguar XK 120 Roadster, Jeff Lotman

Small Barchettas
Best in Class: 1950 Abarth 204 A, Sergio Lugo Podesta
Originality and Restoration: 1951 Ermini Siluro Sport 1100, Darren Morcombe

Sports Cars of the Fifties
Best in Class: 1956 Aston Martin DB3S, Alejandro Roemmers
Originality and Restoration: 1949 Healey Silverstone, Massimiliano Bontempi

The Hill Climbers
Best in Class: 1965 Ferrari Dino 166/206 P, Andreas Mohringer
Originality and Restoration: 1968 Alfa Romeo T33/2 Spider, Alessandro Carrara

The Swinging Sixties
Best in Class: 1961 Jaguar E-Type 3.8 Coupe, Kurt Engelhorn
Originality and Restoration: 1961 Jaguar E-Type 3.8 Coupe, Kurt Engelhorn

Gentleman’s Small Cars
Best in Class: 1959 Fiat 600 Coupe, Christian Hartmann
Originality and Restoration: 1959 Fiat 600 Coupe, Christian Hartmann

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Uniques Special Ones 2012 – Photo Gallery

(click image for larger picture and description)

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[Source: MAC Group]

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5 Comments

  1. Coverage of these events was excellent, especially the photography.

    For us neophytes, an explanation for the meaning of “uniques”would be helpful. I assume it means a custom or modification of a production vehicle.

    1. Thanks for the note. Much appreciated.

      As best as we know it, the meaning of the title is roughly as follows:

      “one-off rarities, those with famous owners or an interesting race history that sets them apart.”

      It may sound ‘unique’, but that’s a pretty broad stroke if you really think about it.

    2. In this particular case, it defined in the eligibility rules of the event.
      Any car built or surviving in just a single unit, or built or surviving in up to twenty units, or a car made unique by its history, such as sporting palmarés or famous owner or starring in an important movie picture, can be considered for entry in the “uniques special ones” event.
      Please refer to http://www.uniquespecialones.com for the complete set of rules.