A remarkable 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B has been crowned as the winner of the 2025 Best of the Best Award during a gala ceremony held at The Peninsula Paris ahead of the Rétromobile show this week – where the car will be on display. Six other exceptional finalists were considered for the award, spanning marques and eras from a 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I to a 1996 Ferrari F50 GT.
Eligibility for The Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award is restricted to cars that have already secured major honours at leading international concours events. The Alfa Romeo earned its place following an outright Best of Show victory at The Amelia in 2025, before being selected by an international panel of judges as the finest of the year’s winners.
The 8C 2900B is widely regarded as the pinnacle of Alfa Romeo’s pre-war cars, and while most examples were clothed by Touring, the winning car stands apart as the only 8C 2900B bodied by Stabilimenti Farina. Commissioned by its first owner, Italian racing driver Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina – later Formula One’s inaugural world champion – the bespoke coachwork carries deep personal and historical significance. Stabilimenti Farina was founded by Farina’s father, while styling input from his uncle, Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina, adds further weight to the car’s design lineage.
The Alfa Romeo underwent a sensitive and comprehensive restoration, completed in 1995, before appearing at Pebble Beach later that year. It subsequently returned to Europe, where it was shown extensively at concours events and achieved further distinction by winning the Parade of Elegance at the Monte-Carlo Rally in front of the Hôtel de Paris. Octane readers can look forward to a full and exclusive feature on this particular 8C in issue 274, on sale 25 February.
Christian Philippsen, co-founder of The Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award, described the car as ‘the pinnacle of pre-war performance engineering’, reflecting its combination of rarity, provenance and technical excellence.
Following the ceremony, the winning 8C 2900B will be displayed publicly at Rétromobile in Paris from 28 January to 1 February 2026, offering visitors the opportunity to see the car in person.
