A remarkable 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B has taken out a top global honour, winning The Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award for 2025.
One of seven finalists chosen from a list of top concours event winners from the past year, the Alfa stood out among a prestigious field that spanned 70 years of production.
Judged by a panel of renowned automotive designers, enthusiasts, and executives including the likes of Jay Leno, Gordon Murray, Henry Ford III, Fabio Filippini, Gorden Wagener, and several international royal figures, the honour is awarded to the world’s most exceptional classic car for that year.
Eligible after being named ‘Best of Show’ at the 2025 Amelia Concours d’Élégance, the 8C was presented the title at a star-studded event gala event held at The Peninsula Paris hotel on 26 January 26 2026, with international celebrities including the likes of Aussie Nicole Kidman in attendance.
Hailing from the ‘Keller Collection at the Pyramids’ kept in Petaluma, California, the stunning blue Alfa used to belong to renowned collector Arturo Keller who passed away in February 2024, aged 91.
Classis number ‘412028’ is a right-hand drive example wearing bodywork by Stabilimenti Farina. As a 2900B variant, it features a 2.9-litre twin-supercharged straight-eight engine.
This car is believed to have been one of the prototypes for the 1938 Mille Miglia, which Alfa Romeo went on to win. After its creation, it soon went to Giuseppe Farina – the inaugural Formula 1 World Champion in 1950, and son of the coachbuilder’s founder Giovanni Farina.
After taking the top global honour, the Alfa is set to be presented at Rétromobile in Paris from January 28 to February 1.
It managed to beat out six other exquisite vehicles including another Alfa Romeo in the form of a 1934 Tipo B. Other competitors included a 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I, 1936 Mercedes-Benz 500K Spezial Roadster, 1951 Bentley Mark VI Cresta II, 1954 Ferrari 375 MM, and a 1996 Ferrari F50 GT.
