Alfa Romeo Super Flow III

Vehicle Overview

The Alfa Romeo Super Flow III is a concept automobile designed and built by Carrozzeria Pininfarina in 1959, based on the Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM chassis. It is the third installment in the Super Flow series, a progression of experimental show cars that explored themes of aerodynamic efficiency, futuristic styling, and advanced body construction. The project was a continuation of Pininfarina’s design research conducted in collaboration with Alfa Romeo, utilizing retired competition chassis from the early 1950s. The underlying chassis, numbered 1361.00128, was originally constructed in 1953 as part of Alfa Romeo’s limited-production 6C 3000 CM (Competizione Maggiorata) series, developed for international sports car racing. Following its competitive use, the chassis was provided to Pininfarina for reconfiguration as a concept vehicle. It had already served as the basis for earlier Super Flow designs, including the original Super Flow (1956) and Super Flow II (1957), which were subsequently reworked and restyled to become the Super Flow III. The Super Flow III was unveiled at the 1959 Geneva Motor Show. In contrast to its predecessors, which featured closed coupé body styles with distinctive rear fins, the Super Flow III adopted an open spider configuration. The design emphasized clean, flowing lines with prominent front wheel arches, a tapered tail, and Plexiglas canopy panels that could be opened or removed—anticipating the dramatic forms seen in future Italian sports cars. Notably, the car lacked the exaggerated tailfins present on earlier versions, reflecting an evolving aesthetic direction. Mechanically, the Super Flow III retained the 6C 3000 CM’s inline-six engine, a 3.5-litre power unit producing approximately 275 horsepower. The drivetrain included a five-speed manual transmission and advanced suspension for its time: double wishbones at the front and a De Dion axle at the rear. The Alfa Romeo Super Flow III remains significant in automotive design history for its role in shaping the visual language of 1960s Italian sports cars, including its influence on the production Alfa Romeo Spider launched in 1966. As a concept vehicle, it exemplifies the fusion of advanced engineering and stylistic experimentation characteristic of postwar Italian design.