Simon Moore (1)

Simon Moore's first book, The Immortal 2.9, was published by Parkside in 1986 and met with instant critical acclaim. It won the Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot Award, presented by the Society of Automotive Historians, as the Best Automotive Book of 1986. The book broke new ground for an automotive publication by focussing upon the histories of the individual Alfa Romeo 8C2900 cars of the late 1930s. Several commentators have included The Immortal 2.9 on their lists of the best automotive books of all time. A new edition of The Immortal 2.9 is being released in November, 2008.

Following in the tradition of The Immortal 2.9 — Simon's second book, The Legendary 2.3 — a long-awaited history of the remarkable 8C2300 Alfa Romeo sports and racing cars produced from 1931 to 1934. The Legendary 2.3 chronicles the colorful individual histories of almost all of the 188 cars produced in the 8C2300 series.

The Legendary 2.3
(Page 2 of 6)

The Legendary 2.3 has something for all car enthusiasts: racing fans, admirers of coachwork design, history buffs. The book will also be of special interest to Ferrari enthusiasts, since it recounts the transition of Scuderia Ferrari from a small team sponsored by a few wealthy amateur drivers until it became the de facto Alfa Romeo works racing team. The racing history of each of the Scuderia Ferrari 8C2300 cars is reviewed in detail.

Because the 8C2300 has become such an icon among auto enthusiasts, its story commanded the highest possible production standards. We are confident that we have produced a book worthy of the 8C2300—one which will become a benchmark for future automotive books. We believe that The Legendary 2.3 is the most comprehensive and detailed book ever published about a particular model of automobile.

Here are the lavish specifications of this important work:

962 pages in three volumes, in a sturdy slipcase
Large format (26 x 27 cm) on heavy matte paper
Bonded leather binding and slipcase cover
1,289 black and white photographs in rich duotone
73 full-color photographs
All photographs are spot-varnished
Each chapter of The Legendary 2.3 recounts the exciting "lifetime" of a particular car, where known, from the factory to the present day. Since most of these cars began their lives as sports racing cars, their early racing exploits are prominently featured.

These stories are profusely illustrated with hundreds of photographs contributed by enthusiasts and professional photographers from all over the world. We believe that at least three quarters of these photographs have never been previously published. The photos capture the 8C cars at many junctures during their exciting lives: as front-line race cars in the early 1930s, as forgotten relics after the War, as restored "classics" and as today's ultimate historic racing car. Several photos document the intriguing "as found" condition of newly-unearthed 8Cs before their restorations were begun. Others document important coachwork which has subsequently been removed. Many of the cars have been re-bodied over the years, and Simon has included photographs, wherever possible, of 1930s/1940s rebodies, as well as the original coachwork.

The book also contains a chapter on the technical specifications of the 8C2300, including exploded parts diagrams from the original factory parts catalogue. Another chapter, co-authored by Simon's friend Julian Majzub, reviews the fascinating history of the Triumph Dolomite, which was a thinly-veiled copy of the 8C2300. In fact, this chapter is the most comprehensive review of the Dolomite found anywhere! In a chapter entitled "Remaining Mysteries", Simon recounts rumors and anecdotal information about many missing 8C cars, including photos of many which cannot be identified by chassis number. If you want to find a missing 8C, this is the place to start!

The Legendary 2.3 contains an extensive Bibliography, a 21-page index and five detailed Appendices:

Complete stage times for 8C2300 participants in the Mille Miglia races from 1931 to 1937.
A complete review of the coachwork fitted to the 8C2300 chassis.
Tables showing part numbers for engines, gearboxes, differentials and other major components of the 8C2300 cars.
Notes regarding the research techniques used by Simon in tracing license and registration records to determine the history of most 8C2300 cars.
A table showing all of the Italian license numbers assigned to 8C2300 cars over the years.… (meer)

The Immortal 2.9
The Revised Edition

by Simon Moore

Edited and designed by Malcolm S. Harris
ISBN No: 978-0-9820774-0-5

REGULAR EDITION (Postpaid):
US$295 for USA and Canada
US$340 for other countries
COLLECTOR'S EDITION (Postpaid):
US$395 for USA and Canada
US$440 for other countries

Available November 25, 2008

How to Order




412014, the magnificent McClure Halley car

The Revised Edition of The Immortal 2.9 is finally here! A new edition of this classic motoring book has been anxiously awaited by automotive enthusiasts for many years. First published in 1986, the original edition became an instant classic and established Simon Moore as the world's foremost authority on the history of Alfa Romeo's famous pre-war eight-cylinder cars.

Only 2,500 copies of the first edition were printed and the book has not been available for twenty years. It became a true collectors' item and copies have recently been trading for more than $1,000.

The Immortal 2.9 was hailed as a milestone of automotive literature because it broke new ground by relating the history of individual automobiles and their owners. The Society of Automotive Historians awarded the book its Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot Award as the best automotive book of 1986. The book frequently appears on commentators' lists of the best automotive books ever published.


412030, one of the fabled 1938 Mille Miglia spiders



412006 racing at the Maloja Hillclimb in Switzerland, 1947

Simon's research into the history of the 2.9 cars did not stop upon publication of the first edition. His detective work has continued unabated and the history of these fabled cars continues to unfold. Cars thought to have been lost forever have resurfaced; more of the cars were restored and reappeared in public; some of the historical assumptions in the first edition proved to be inaccurate or incomplete; gaps in the historical record of many cars were filled; and hundreds of "new" historic photos were found. Perhaps most important, the stature of the Alfa Romeo 8C2900 as an icon in the history of the automobile has continued to grow.


At the time the original edition was published, 412012 was thought to
have been lost. It has since been found in California and has been faithfully
restored—one of the great new stories found in the Revised Edition.


Many automotive enthusiasts would now agree with the proposition that the 2.9 Alfa Romeo has become the most coveted pre-war automobile in the collector car community. Along the way, each of these cars has had a fascinating history. Almost all of them had racing exploits, and experienced both admiration and neglect at the hands of their famous owners. Some became the booty of war, others were spirited away to be hidden for decades. All but a few have survived and most have been lavishly restored, to be appreciated and driven by a new generation of automotive enthusiasts. They are among the greatest examples of man's artistic and technical accomplishments during the twentieth century. Yes, they have indeed become immortal — and what stories they have to tell!


Two of the 2.9 botticellas line up for the 1936 Rio Grand Prix.


The Revised Edition goes beyond the scope of the original edition to include information about cars which can be considered derivatives of the 2.9, including Alfa's 12-cylinder sports cars and the S 10 prototypes produced on the eve of World War II. Also included is an extensive chapter about Tommy Lee, the colorful Californian who owned more 2.9 cars than anyone.

Accordingly, the Revised Edition of The Immortal 2.9 is not a reprinting of the old book, nor is it just a rehash of that first volume. It is an entirely new book, with 480 pages, 99 color photos and 401 black and white photos. In all respects, it is more than twice the size of the first edition. Well more than half the photos in the Revised Edition were not in the original book.


The identity of the famous "mystery car" above has stumped Italian car experts for years.
The mystery has now been solved, including a surprising explanation for the car's lengthy bonnet!

Like all books from Parkside, The Immortal 2.9 is produced to the highest standards, using fine matte paper and a bonded leather binding. All photographs are spot-varnished with keylines. All the black and white photos are reproduced in duotone.


Villoresi and Siena stop at a control point in the 1938 Mille Miglia.





The book has been printed in two versions: a Regular Edition and a Collector's Edition. The latter is signed by the author, numbered, and comes in a leather -bound slipcase. The Collector's Edition will be available exclusively by direct mail from Parkside and will be sold sequentially as orders are received.

The Revised Edition of The Immortal 2.9 is scheduled to be released on November 25, 2008. Order your copy now to insure that you will obtain what is destined to become another collectible classic in the annals of automotive literature.

Here are some of the reviews from the automotive press regarding the new revised edition of The Immortal 2.9:

Nick Savage, writing in the magazine of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club:

"In 1986, Simon Moore and his publisher, fellow Alfa enthusiast Mal Harris, produced a ground-breaking volume entitled “The Immortal 2.9.”…

The relatively small print run of The Immortal 2.9 sold out and in the intervening 20 years owners of the book have been gratified (and would-be buyers dismayed) to see the price in the rare-book trade rise to four figures.…Simon was pressed on every side to complete an updated edition, and the revised and considerably extended 2.9 book is now in our hands.

And, oh boy, was it worth waiting for! Two-thirds of the beautifully-reproduced photos are new, as is much of the text.…So much additional information has been revealed by Simon Moore’s assiduous and tenacious research that this is essentially an entirely new book.

This is no dry historical narrative. The words come as from a force of nature, genial, fluent and conversational. If you bought the first volume, you have probably already ordered the second. If not – do it today!

If you do not have the original book, then buy this one before it, too, turns into a book-trade rarity."

Gordon Cruikshank, writing in Motor Sport:

"Hard to believe that it’s over 20 years since I reviewed the first edition of Simon Moore’s history of all the Alfa Romeo 2900s. At the time it set a new mark for depth of research and detail on one single model, but since then Simon has continued to ferret out information on this most rarified of machines. This expanded version [is] double the size – in which half of the historic photos are new and coverage is extended to the later V12 cars…. There are separate chapters on the works racing years, and Moore includes extensive technical detail with drawings, plus brochure shots. The book’s quality is as high as the price…but since you’ll find no other source for such depth on these wonderful cars, this may be one of your indulgences. It’s as close as most of us will get to owning one."

Mark Dixon, writing in Octane:

“Book of the Month”

"For a niche book of this quality and historical value, the price is almost irrelevant."

Mick Walsh, writing in Classic & SportsCar:

“Book of the Month”

"When Alfa guru Moore’s first edition of The Immortal 2.9 was published in ’86, it set the standard for specialist model histories. This 478-pager (twice the size of the original) is much more than a reprint, because Moore has continued to research the stories of the 42 pre-war Italian supercars. ….Following the style of Parkside’s previous 8C triple-volume history, publisher/editor/designer Malcolm Harris has restyled the book with plenty of fresh historic pictures and an expanded colour setion..."

Phil Ward, writing in Auto Italia:

"The first edition of The Immortal 2.9 was…an instant classic with Alfisti, who often referred to it as the best motoring book ever published. With only 2500 copies produced, demand soon outstripped supply and used copies are now fetching over 1000 pounds. This second edition will no doubt achieve similar status as it is, simply, magnificent. Yes, it’s expensive, but then all the best things are – and the print quality and photographic reproduction are excellent. Like all dedicated historians, Simon Moore’s research did not stop with his first edition. He has continued to unravel unsolved mysteries and gather new information which appears in this outstanding second version.… (meer)