Editing Alfa Romeo RL & RM/Chassis Registry/Chassis/RL/7946

= Alfa Romeo RL Limousine de Ville chassis 7946 =

{{ChassisEntry
| manufacturer = Alfa Romeo
| model = Alfa Romeo RL & RM
| variant = RL (Limousine de Ville)
| year = 1924
| chassis = 7946
| engine = 7946
| gearbox = Alfa Romeo 4-speed manual
| body = Limousine de Ville
| coachbuilder = J Farré (Barcelona)

| engine_size_original = 2,916 cc
| engine_size_current  = 2,916 cc (matching numbers)

| body_style_original = Limousine de Ville (custom coachwork)
| body_style_current  = Limousine de Ville (original coachwork retained)

| colour_original = Unknown
| colour_current  = Black (with period-correct detailing)

| interior_original = Caoba wood structure with marquetry detailing; luxury passenger compartment
| interior_current  = Original coachbuilt interior, preserved and restored

| first_completed = 1924 (factory chassis)
| first_delivered = 1924 (rolling chassis dispatched to Spain)
| first_destination = Barcelona, Spain
| original_registration = BA 2604 (Mallorca)

| notes_short = Matching-numbers RL delivered new to Spain; bodied in Barcelona by J Farré; believed unique export to Mallorca; three owners from new.

| blurb = A 1924 Alfa Romeo RL Limousine de Ville, chassis 7946, delivered new to Spain and bodied in Barcelona by J Farré, retaining matching engine and chassis numbers and remaining in three-owner stewardship from new.

| registry_page = Alfa Romeo RL & RM/Chassis Registry
}}

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== Ownership history ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! No. !! Owner !! Location !! Occupation / Notes !! From !! To
|-
| 1 || Juan José Ribas || Barcelona / Mallorca, Spain || Industrialist and entrepreneur; original owner || 1924/26 || Unknown
|-
| 2 || Private collector || Mallorca, Spain || Close associate of current owner || Unknown || Late 1990s
|-
| 3 || Current owner (private collection) || Barcelona, Spain || Acquired late 1990s; part of significant private collection || Late 1990s || Present
|}

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== Registration history ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Registration !! Location !! From !! To !! Notes
|-
| BA 2604 || Mallorca, Spain || April 1926 || — || First recorded registration; Balearic Islands designation
|-
| Spanish Historic Registration || Spain || Later period || Present || Registered as historic vehicle
|}

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== Competition history (period) ==

No period competition history recorded.

The RL was primarily conceived as a high-quality touring chassis, though Sport variants were widely used in racing during the 1920s.

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== Appearances and non-competitive events ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year !! Event !! Exhibitor !! Notes
|-
| Various years || Barcelona–Sitges Rally || Current owner || Participation in historic rally
|-
| Various years || Alfa Romeo exhibitions (Spain) || Current owner || Static displays
|-
| 2006 || Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este || Current owner || Accepted entrant; returned to Italy for event
|}

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== Restoration and mechanical history ==

* Maintained in largely original condition.
* No known rebodying; original J Farré coachwork retained.
* Mechanically maintained and annually serviced.
* Described as mechanically sound with engine running correctly.
* Interior woodwork (Caoba) and marquetry preserved.
* Matching engine and chassis numbers confirmed.

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== Technical specification ==

RL specification (1922–1927):

* Inline six-cylinder overhead-valve engine
* Displacement: 2,916 cc
* Output: approximately 56 bhp at 3,200 rpm
* Magneto ignition
* Single updraft carburettor
* Four-speed manual gearbox
* Open prop shaft
* Live rear axle
* Mechanical drum brakes (two-wheel braking in early examples; four-wheel braking introduced later)

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== Coachwork ==

The chassis was delivered to Spain as a rolling chassis and bodied in Barcelona by J Farré, one of the most respected Catalan coachbuilders of the period.

Features include:

* Limousine de Ville configuration
* Caoba (mahogany) structural woodwork
* Marquetry detailing within passenger compartment
* One-off design executed to customer specification

This is believed to be the only RL delivered new to Mallorca.

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== Historical significance ==

Chassis 7946 represents a rare export example of the Alfa Romeo RL and is likely unique as a factory-delivered chassis to Mallorca.

Its matching-numbers status, continuous Spanish history, and bespoke J Farré coachwork make it a culturally significant example of early international Alfa Romeo distribution.

The car also illustrates the practice of exporting rolling chassis for local bespoke coachbuilding, a hallmark of high-end European motoring in the 1920s.

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== Notes ==

* Exact completion date of coachwork likely 1925; first registration April 1926.
* BA registration prefix corresponds to Balearic Islands region.
* Original exterior colour scheme not definitively documented.
* One of relatively few RLs exported outside Italy during production.

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== Sources ==

* Auction catalogue description (1924 Alfa Romeo RL Limousine de Ville)
* Alfa Romeo Certificato d'Origine
* FIVA Identity Card
* Spanish historic registration documentation