A rare Alfa Romeo that is expected to set a record for a pre-World War II automobile sold at auction at more than $15 million (USD) goes on display in New York before upcoming sale.

SHOWS: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (JULY 21, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

1. VARIOUS OF 1939 ALFA ROMEO 8C 2900B UP FOR AUCTION

2. IAN KELLEHER, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF RM SOTHEBY'S WEST COAST DIVISION

3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) IAN KELLEHER, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF RM SOTHEBY'S WEST COAST DIVISION, SAYING:

"This is a personal favorite of mine, the 1939 Alfa Romeo is one of the grandest pre-war cars ever built. It combines an absolutely spectacular design in terms of its coachwork, this is lightweight aluminum coachwork by Touring, which is an Italian coach builder, they would call that Superleggera, and with that coachwork and an eight-cylinder dual overhead cam, twin supercharged engine that develops approximately 180 horsepower, you can achieve speeds in excess of 100 miles an hour in this car. This was a car that was designed to be a race car but then clothed in very light weight coachwork so that you basically could do anything you want with it. You can race it, you can take it out at night, it's the best of both worlds in that respect, and the embodiment, in a lot of ways, of what pre-war Italian manufacturing in the classic car world, was about."

4. ALFA ROMEO SIGN

5. SUPERLEGGERA SIGN

6. GAS CAP

7. INTERIOR OF CAR

8. SIDE VIEW OF EXTERIOR OF CAR WITH WHEEL

9. FRONT GRILL OF CAR WITH ALFA ROMEO SIGN

10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) IAN KELLEHER, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF RM SOTHEBY'S WEST COAST DIVISION, SAYING:

"The Alfa Romeo is brought to us by a very long term collector. He's been in their husband and wife family ownership for over 20 years and it's one of five cars that we're offering on their behalf at Monterey and this is something something that they have toured in this car for thousands and thousands of miles, so it isn't just a thing of beauty, stagnant and sitting here, this is actually a car that has traveled several thousand miles on vintage car tours around the world. I think it's important to note that as beautiful as it is, it's even more exciting and more fun to drive."

11. VARIOUS OF ENGINE INSIDE CAR

12. ALFA ROMEO SIGN WITH LOGO

13. VARIOUS OF CAR

14. VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF SOTHEBY'S

STORY: A preview at Sotheby's in New York City on Thursday (July 21) showcased a rare 1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B, which is expected to fetch in excess of $15 million (USD) at auction.

"This is a personal favorite of mine, the 1939 Alfa Romeo is one of the grandest pre-war cars ever built," said Ian Kelleher, managing director of RM Sotheby's West Coast division. "It combines an absolutely spectacular design in terms of its coachwork, this is lightweight aluminum coachwork by Touring, which is an Italian coach builder, they would call that Superleggera, and with that coachwork and an eight-cylinder dual overhead cam, twin supercharged engine that develops approximately 180 horsepower, you can achieve speeds in excess of 100 miles an hour in this car. This was a car that was designed to be a race car but then clothed in very light weight coachwork so that you basically could do anything you want with it. You can race it, you can take it out at night, it's the best of both worlds in that respect, and the embodiment, in a lot of ways, of what pre-war Italian manufacturing in the classic car world, was about."

The current record for any pre-war car at auction is $11.7 million for a 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster sold in 2012.

The 1939 Alfa Romeo is the pre-war equivalent to the Ferrari 250 GTO, according to Kelleher. A red 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta set the world record in 2014 for the most expensive car sold at auction, going for $38.1 million.

The car is one of five on offer from the Sam and Emily Mann Collection, which will be up for auction in Monterey, CA from August 19-20.

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