1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 Specialé

In 1950, Alfa Romeo introduced their latest Saloon at the Paris Motor Show. Available initially with two or four doors it was the first Alfa assembled totally on a production line and was fitted with their new 1,884 cc, 90 bhp 4-cylinder twin cam engine. Designed by Orazio Satta, and produced from1950 to 1959, the car was simple, yet quick and sporty. In common with everything else in Italy on two or four wheels, the 1900 was raced and had great success in the Targa Florio, Stella Alpina, and other competitions.

In 1951, the short wheelbase 1900C (c for corto - short) was introduced and was joined by the 1900TI with a more powerful 100 bhp engine with bigger valves, a higher compression-ratio, and twin carburetors. Two years later the 1900 Super and 1900 TI Super with a 1975 cc engine were introduced. The TI Super had two twin-choke carburetors and produced around 115 bhp which was fed through a 4-speed manual on basic versions and 5-speed manual in the Super Sprint. All versions had drum brakes, independent front suspension, and a live rear axle.

Iginio Alessio, General Manager of Alfa Romeo at the time, was concerned for the viability of the independent Italian coachbuilding industry as the arrival of the unibody chassis design was threatening to put the 'Carrozzerie' out of business. Consequently Alfa gave official contracts to Touring to build the sporty 1900 Sprint Coupé and to Pininfarina to build an elegant four-seat Cabriolet and Coupé. The availability of a suitable chassis led many other coachbuilders to build versions of the 1900. Carrozzeria Zagato built a small series of coupés with the unofficial designation of 1900 SSZ, designed for racing with an aerodynamic lightweight aluminium body, and Zagato's trademark double-bubble roof.

One-off specials were numerous from the famous Bertone 'BAT' series of aerodynamic studies to an infamous sci-fi like Astral Spider designed by Carrozzeria Boneschi for Rafael Trujillo the dictator of the Dominican Republic. There was a Barchetta or "Little Boat" made by Ghia-Aigle in Lugano, Switzerland and designed by Giovanni Michelotti at the request of a wealthy Italian who had two passions: his mistress and 'Riva' boats, so consequently the car was extremely curvaceous with no doors!!

This unique Alfa Romeo powered sports coupe, we belive however cannot confirm that it was built by ATL ( Autotecnica del Lario) in the city of Lecco in Lombardy in the mid-sixties.

This stunning car looks to have been developed largely along the lines of the Alfa Romeo 2000 Sportiva Prototype built by Alfa Romeo in 1954, with styling cues from other notable Italian 50's & 60's Grand Touring cars. The chassis consists of varying diameter steel tubing with boxed-in sections to which all of the mechanical ancillaries are attached. The voluptuous bodywork is hand formed in 12/10 gauge aluminum and is suspended over a steel birdcage like the patented Touring Superleggera method on the Maserati 3500GT or Aston Martin DB Series. The suspension is independent on all four wheels with coil spring shock absorbers, together with front disc and rear drum brakes and lovely period wire wheels.

The engine is Alfa Romeo's classic four-cylinder 1900 twin-camshaft unit derived from the 6C, and these are superb compact engines that have plenty of kick. This operatic engine coupled with the lightweight build of this car makes for an undeniably rapid sports car and with its well spaced 5-speed gearbox and ballerina-like sense of poise, it's a delight on twisty Targa Florio style roads.

Reminiscent of the iconic coachbuilt GT sports coupés of the 50s and 60s, the stunningly executed lines of this car are every bit as good as anything created by Alfa Romeo at the time.

This is a truly unmissable opportunity to acquire a unique car that is a celebration of the essence of Italian creativity in metal. Offered at a realistic estimate when you consider the cost of more mass-produced contemporary aluminum replicas and coachbuilt cars of the era, this example is an eminently affordable work of art.