The Mystery of Enzo Ferrari’s 1923 Alfa Romeo RL Targa Florio

While there is no “X marks the spot” for Enzo Ferrari’s specific 1923 

Alfa Romeo RL Targa Florio, historical evidence suggests a strong possibility that parts of it or the car itself exist in plain sight, likely under a different identity.

1. The Survival Paradox

Of the five cars Alfa Romeo entered in the 1923 Targa Florio, only one is officially “confirmed” to survive today. However, the nature of 1920s racing makes the fate of the others more of a puzzle than a dead end:

• Chassis TF 11: This is the most famous survivor, currently in private hands Top Classico. While often associated with teammate Giulio Masetti Kidston, racing teams of that era frequently swapped chassis and engines between seasons. It is possible this unit is a “culmination” of parts from the 1923 fleet, potentially including Enzo’s.
• Exported Survivors: Many RL models were sold as rolling chassis to international markets like Australia and Argentina Scuderia Renania to avoid import taxes Stellantis Heritage. At least one 1923 unit (VIN 7087) was rediscovered in an Argentine backyard in 1994, proving that “lost” factory cars often hide in private collections for decades.

2. Evidence It Might Still Be Out There

To “prove” the car could still exist, we look at the practices of the Alfa Romeo factory at the time:

• Recycled for 1924: Ferrari and his team returned to the Targa Florio in 1924. Historically, factory teams rarely built entirely new cars if they could update and re-body successful units from the previous year. Enzo’s 4th-place 1923 car was a prime candidate for a 1924 upgrade.
• The “Oily Rag” Survivors: There are fewer than 20 surviving RL variants globally Facebook. Collectors often find these cars in “oily rag” condition unrestored and unidentified meaning a chassis sitting in a museum or barn today could be Enzo’s once its serial numbers are fully verified against lost factory ledgers.
• Museum Units: The Museo Storico Alfa Romeo in Arese houses the 1923 winning car (Sivocci’s). Because factory records from this era were often destroyed or incomplete, research continues to surface new provenance for the cars currently on display.

3. Summary of Known Units

The most likely scenario is that Enzo’s car was stripped for parts or sold to a privateer driver in the mid-1920s, a common fate for “obsolete” factory racers that often led them to remote corners of the world where they await rediscovery.