1965 Alfa Romeo 1900 ATL Sport Coupe

The great Italian coachbuilding houses have been sadly decimated since the '60s, unable to face the challenges of a world in which car makers can competently design and produce even their low volume models in-house. Back then, this colourful industry was very much in its pomp, made buoyant by the growing momentum of the Italian economic miracle, its attendant industrialisation, and a wealth of homegrown talent. Nowhere else could you find such a happy blend of artistic and technical skill when it came to styling and fabricating motor car bodywork.

Iginio Alessio, General Manager of Alfa Romeo at the time and a true enthusiast at heart, 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 Coupé and to Pininfarina to create an elegant four-seat Cabriolet and Coupé. The availability of a suitable chassis and power train combined with Alfa's fatherly approach to a number of small design houses, meant that wherever there was a talented stylist and a competent engineer, a sporty, speedy Alfa Special would appear. Most of these would fade away after one or two misguided efforts but ATL (Autotecnica del Lario) were one of the exceptions and survived for nearly twenty years in the city of Lecco in Lombardy becoming known for their good-looking, rapid and nimble little coupés.

This superbly styled Alfa Romeo is currently not UK-registered having just arrived directly from the shores of Lake Como. No factory records from ATL exist, however, there is very little doubt that this spectacular piece of motoring artwork is the product of this talented team of artisans. All the ATL coupés differed very slightly in terms of detail but the 'House Style' is instantly recognisable and no one else created such a distinct design. Our vendor resides on the shore of Lake Como, a stone’s throw from the original ATL workshops, and one or two of the older residents remember the cars well.

The restoration of this particular Alfa Romeo 1900, now finished in a period shade of Verde Inglese (British Racing Green), we are informed, commenced in the 1980s but was mothballed, unfinished until being presented to the present owner on the occasion of his 23rd birthday, at which point the rebuild recommenced. Once completed, it has been used sparingly in its spiritual home.

The chassis is constructed in the 'Superleggera' style consisting of varying diameter steel tubing with boxed in sections to which all mechanical ancillaries are attached. The voluptuous bodywork consists of a hand-formed, thin gauge aluminium body suspended over the birdcage framework. Motivation comes from Alfa Romeo’s four-cylinder,1900cc twin cam breathing through twin Dellorto carburettors offering surprisingly punchy performance and a classic Alfa driving experience.

This vehicle has been brought into the UK under temporary admission. If the vehicle is sold to a buyer in the UK, the seller will settle any import taxes due and obtain a NOVA on the buyers behalf.