Alfa Romeo RL Limousine de Ville chassis 7946

Alfa Romeo RL & RM chassis 7946 is a 1924 RL (Limousine de Ville) bodied by J Farré (Barcelona).

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.

Factory specification

Manufacturer: Alfa Romeo
Model: Alfa Romeo RL & RM
Variant / Type: RL (Limousine de Ville)
Year: 1924

Chassis number: 7946
Engine number: 7946
Gearbox number: Alfa Romeo 4-speed manual
Body number: Limousine de Ville
Coachbuilder: J Farré (Barcelona)

Engine size (as built): 2,916 cc
Engine size (current): 2,916 cc (matching numbers)

Body style / type (as built): Limousine de Ville (custom coachwork)
Body style / type (current): Limousine de Ville (original coachwork retained)

Colour (as built): Unknown
Colour (current): Black (with period-correct detailing)

Interior colour (as built): Caoba wood structure with marquetry detailing; luxury passenger compartment
Interior colour (current): Original coachbuilt interior, preserved and restored

First completed: 1924 (factory chassis)
First delivered: 1924 (rolling chassis dispatched to Spain)
First dealer / destination: Barcelona, Spain
Original registration: BA 2604 (Mallorca)

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

Registry: Alfa Romeo RL & RM/Chassis Registry

Ownership history

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

Registration history

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

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.

Appearances and non-competitive events

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

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

Sources

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