1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 Speciale

• Probably built in the Sixties, the car is now UK-registered as a 1953 Alfa 1900
• The chassis consists of light 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 aluminium and is suspended over a steel birdcage
• Powered by Alfa Romeo's classic four-cylinder 1900 twin-camshaft unit derived from the 6C
• Independent suspension with coil spring shock absorbers. Disc brakes all round
• A little tired and in need of some recommissioning
• A unique coachbuilt Alfa special on offer at a fraction of its build cost

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 from 1950 to 1959, the car was simple, yet quick and sporty and, in common with everything else in Italy on two or four wheels, the 1900 was raced and enjoyed 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 carburettors. Two years later the 1900 Super and 1900 TI Super with a 1975 cc engine were introduced featuring two twin-choke carburettors and producing around 115 bhp which was fed through a 4-speed manual gearbox on basic versions and a 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 future 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 magnanimously offered official contracts to Touring to build the sporty 1900 Sprint Coupe and to Pininfarina to create an elegant four-seat Cabriolet and Coupe. The availability of a suitable chassis led many other coachbuilders to build versions of the 1900. Carrozzeria Zagato built a small series of coupes with the unofficial designation of 1900 SSZ, designed for racing, with an aerodynamic lightweight aluminium body and their 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