1951 Alfa Romeo 1900

This Alfa Romeo 1900 Berlina was first registered in 1951, chassis n. AR190011035. Its beating heart is a "1900" DOHC engine with an aluminium head and hemispherical combustion chambers, fuelled by a Weber 36DO5 carburettor and with a power output of 80HP. This refined product of Italy's automotive industry could let the 1900 reach a top speed of 150km\h without sacrificing its comfort. The two benches could sit six occupants’ thanks, in part, to the peculiar position of the shifter which sat on the right of the steering column instead of the more common floor mounting position.

Finely restored, this Alfa Romeo is a testament to post WWII Italy: modern if not futuristic, fast and quite elegant. After more than 70 years this car still offers viscera emotions, whether the driver wishes to imitate Nino Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio's F1 championship winning efforts of 1950 and 1951, respectively, both achieved on board of Alfa Romeo's 158 and 158 machineries, or if the goal is to be gently cuddled while touring around the countryside.

The Alfa Romeo 1900 we offer comes in grigio touring and is in almost impeccable conditions for its age, thanks in large part to the full restoration it underwent. The front would be at home in a period film, with the stylish front shield embellished by the iconic AR badge, and the front split grilles that sparkle thanks to their chrome finish. Both the front and rear bumpers are in like new conditions, so is the upper chrome ornament that adorns the car's curvy bonnet. The parking lights are equally stunning and fresh and so are the orange side indicators that, thanks to their lively orange colour, offer some contrast to the bodywork's grey paint.

The same can be said about the rear, where the wide chrome bumper fills the lower portion of the bodywork, leaving the more discrete taillights with the task of filling the truncated rear wheel arches.

The windows, just like their gaskets and the roof gutters, are perfectly in line with this restoration's level and so are the steel wheels with chrome centre caps that, shod with white sidewall tyres complement this car's image rather tastefully.

The interior of this 1900 represents the Italian answer to many American luxury cars of the era. The dashboard, which is paint matched to the bodywork, has a minimalist design and has a semi-circular tachymeter with what was once considered to be a futuristic font to show the speed. Aside from this essential item, and an odometer, there are two lonely warning lights: one for the voltage and one for the water temperature. Embedded in a rectangular, recessed case, sit an oil pressure gauge and a fuel level indicator. This instrument cluster is well preserved, aside for some minor blemishes and wear signs on the chrome bezels. The radio and the rest of the switches are equally well kept, again aside from some physiological minor cracks and yellowing of the Bakelite they are made of.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said about the steering wheel, which is made of the same frail material: while it keeps its elegance intact, overall, the two spoke unit with a chrome horn lever is cracked and partially worn. This contrasts with the rest of the meticulous restoration this car underwent.

The bench seats, the door cards and the window rollers and the rest of the interior is, on the contrary, a huge selling point for this particular Alfa Romeo and the quality of the restoration and care that went into preserving them makes one quickly forget about the steering wheel. The rear trunk is in almost pristine condition and the carpeting seems almost unused and is free from dirt and blemishes. The spare tyre, which was restored as well and shares its colour with the car's bodywork, is firmly attached to the right of the cargo space. The rear suspension anchor points appear to be in great shape and the fuel cap, hidden in the trunk so as to not disturb the car's lines, is in equally good conditions.

Alfa Romeo, cuore sportivo some would say. From a mechanical point of view the Alfa Romeo 1900 isn't too far removed from this sporty philosophy. The monocoque chassis is in great shape and shows no apparent signs of crash damage. The suspension compartment is still efficient and its set-up is as refined as this car's beautiful lines: The front wishbones with hydraulic dampers and an anti-roll bar keep the front well connected to the road and the steering is precise thanks to the steering box. Even the rear live axle, with its aluminium trailing arms, is surprisingly advanced considering how it was equipped with hydraulic dampers instead of leaf springs despite the car being mass produced. The drum brakes are well dimensioned and in good condition and still stop the car sufficiently well.

This car's beating heart is, undoubtedly, the 1884cc engine, which was designed as an undersquare unit so to improve low range torque and improve the car's driveability. The aluminium head houses two camshafts connected to the crankshaft thanks through a chain, the engine block is made of cast iron, unlike its prototypes, in order to improve the unit's reliability and reduce the number of vibrations transmitted to the chassis, with an obvious increase in comfort for the occupants.

The engine was designed by Giuseppe Busso and, in this case, sits in a clean engine bay and probably has most of its original 80hp, although pushing this kind of car to its top speed of 150km\h is a different story now that we're all used to much more modern cars.

Aside from some minor oil leaks, which are to be expected after all these years, the engine sounds fine and the single choke 36mm Weber carburettor is well kept and tuned, just like its mushroom shaped air filter. The 4 forward gears gearbox is quite precise, as long as the driver remembers the shifter's location!

The simple wiring mirrors the conditions of the car and some parts of it seem to have been recently replaced. The same can be said about the radiator and the various hoses which are still soft and capable of travelling for many miles.

Our 1900 Berlina, probably sold abroad in 1951, was acquired by Nuova Sider Camuna in 1981, near Brescia. A private collector from the same city purchased it in 1990 who sold it again in 2014 to an enthusiast from Vicenza who sold it again in the same year to "Old Classic Export srl". The last owner, a collector from Padova, bought it from the aforementioned company 2016 and took good care of it ever since, as the pictures clearly show.

The 1900 Alfa Romeo, in its Berlina form, is without doubt an interesting car given its history and even its role as a starting base for many coachbuilders who still wanted to tailor cars to their owners' taste. This particular example is well restored and is still enjoyable on the road as much as it is when looking at it, perhaps when parked amongst its equally old peers.

The general conditions are good and given the car's integrity it could be an excellent base to further complete the restoration, perhaps by changing the steering wheel should the new owner choose not to live with it or with the added water temperature Gauge which was probably installed in the 90s.

Price estimate for this Alfa Romeo 1900: € 37.000 - € 45.000

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located in the province of Padua, Italy. To arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our “Frequently Asked Questions”.