1955 Alfa Romeo AR 51 'Matta'

Thankfully for us, the vendor has described his journey to restore this vanishingly rare vehicle to Auto Italia magazine, in whose March 2026 edition - which comes with the car - you will find an in-depth write-up of the 5-year project.

He believes that this ‘Matta’ was still on active service in some branch of the Italian military until the early 1970s, although the car came with no military records to definitively determine that.

The vendor is the former owner of an engineering company and is no stranger to restoring classic vehicles.

He tracked down and bought this AR51 in Italy. He was relieved to find that the ladder chassis was absolutely sound, solid and free of rot. 

He was rather less relieved to discover the scale and nature of the restoration work that would unfold over the next 5 years, a period during which he says the AR51 “kicked and fought all the way”.

He was helped immensely by being able to call upon the advice, knowledge and expertise of Enrico Checchinato, who “literally wrote the book on the Alfa Matta”. 

In the vendor’s own words, “From the A-pillar back, everything is new, apart from the seats & floor (they're original), and almost everything needed to be fabricated.”

Being as rare as teeth on a particularly endangered breed of hen, the job of hunting down parts for the AR51 took a great deal of time and effort, with much of the detective work taking place on eBay.

The soft-top hood was located in Italy; the starter button with a built-in lamp, it transpired, was also fitted to the even rarer Maserati 3500, but could be had at a price; a set of new old-stock Carello trafficators, in their boxes, was found in Switzerland; the hugely complex wiring loom (double wired to facilitate use of the vehicles ‘war lights’) was replaced; the engine and gearbox were stripped down and rebuilt; and a new set of armoured-plate sills (which provide a lot of structural strength) were sourced and fitted. 

Fortunately, many of the vehicle’s rubber seals were still being manufactured and were therefore readily available.

The slightly faded Alfa Romeo badge at the front has been in place since the day this vehicle left the factory.

We have driven this fabulous car and can report that it starts, goes and keeps going as you would want and expect.

There’s no power steering, so you’ll need to up your spinach intake for low-speed maneuverings. 

And you’ll need to eat sacks of the stuff if you’re planning on using the clutch a lot. 

We knew it was probably on the heavy side when our photographer came back on his hands and knees after shooting the car.

And the brakes? Well, it’s got some, but we’d advise getting on them a good mile or so before you’d need to in a modern car.

It’s all part of this vehicle’s unique charm.

This vehicle was built to withstand the worst that could be thrown at it. 

Everything is solid, tough, built-to-the-hilt and gloriously functional. 

It’s a work horse, not a show pony, and is therefore about as atypical of Alfa Romeo as you could possibly imagine.

The bodywork is straight, true and free of any dinks, dents or damage that we can discern anywhere. 

The shut-lines are consistent and even, if a little ‘military’ in their execution.

The doors swing shut with satisfying weight and heft.

All 6 wheels (four on the axles, one on the bonnet, one behind the front seats) are in fine order and are shod in Security 6.00 – 16 ML 914 rubber, all of which looks to have many miles and years of active service left in it.

The beige fabric top is unchallenged by any nicks, tears or holes that we can see. 

It fits well and all of its attendant studs, screens, straps, ropes, hooks, clasps and hasps are present, correct, functional and beautifully finished.

The attention to detail on the exterior is very impressive - from the various spot-lamps, running-lights (normal or ‘war’) and trafficators to the headlamp mesh grilles, the towing rope wrapped around the front bumper, and the pick-axe and shovel attached to the rear.

The lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings all appear to following the same script as the rest of the vehicle in terms of quality, condition and preservation.

And we love the Mille Miglia decal because it’s sure to get everyone scratching their heads and consulting Google.

Unsurprisingly, the interior of this purpose-built military vehicle is spartan, focussed and functional.

You’ll need to look elsewhere for burr walnut picnic tables or soft-close cup holders.

As far as we’re aware, everything is period correct and authentic, with the emphasis being on preserving originality wherever possible.

The simple dashboard has just three basic gauges in addition to the speedo/odo, and every time you look at them, the ‘Benzina’, ‘Acqua’ and ‘Olio’ scripts will remind you that you’re in an Alfa Romeo, not a Jeep or a Land Rover.

Everything in the front cabin is in very good order and the only exception to that rule are a couple of holes to the brown vinyl cover on the passenger-side seat squab. 

There is a jerry can in its designated place between the front seats and, behind it, a spare wheel.

The green-painted rear is beyond reproach.

In the middle, between the bench seating, is a large storage box which contains various ribbons, rosettes and other accolades won by the vehicle at shows and events. 

There’s also a long tube of evidently military provenance on which is written, ‘Bomba Leggera’ or ‘Light Bomb’. 

We didn’t open it.

The engine bay is in first-class condition and is the ideal showcase for Alfa’s fabulous engine which, with its twin overhead camshafts, was miles ahead of its competitors, most of whom didn’t have so much as one overhead camshaft. 

Everything looks to be in its right and proper place, and it’s all clean, dry and evidently in very good order. 

The undersides of the car are equally clean and look to us to be possessed of oodles of structural integrity.

This vehicle was found on an Italian farm in 2019 and brought to the UK to begin the process of restoring it as a vehicle to be used and enjoyed, not as a museum piece. 

The work carried out included, but is by no means limited to, the following.

• Body stripped completely and media blasted to bare metal
• Chassis, front wings and front panel needing no repairs
• New fabricated rear wings, rear panel, seat boxes, front floors (including armour plating to footwells), sills and ‘A’ posts.
• Underside panels stone chipped, epoxy coated and painted.
• Engine totally stripped and rebuilt by Midland Speed shop, dyno tested before installation (dyno sheets in folder and video in photo file)
• Dry sump lines replaced
• New oil pressure gauge and sender
• Gearbox, transfer box and front and rear differentials stripped
• New 2d gear synchro, new clutch and release bearing fitted, all seals and gaskets replaced
• Radiator re-cored, new hoses and fan belt
• Rubbers for screen, door seals, rear seat area, steering grommet, etc, replaced from OEM supplier
• New canvas roof from Italy
• Seats re-upholstered
• New transmission tunnel leather and canvas cover, lever dust seals, correct aluminium instruction plates for gear box, speed guides, etc
• Steering: new ball joints, steering arm, steering box stripped, and new seals fitted
• Electrics: new period matching loom (double wired for ‘war lights’), dynamo rebuilt, new voltage regulator, plug leads, coil, distributor and rotor arm.
• NOS Carello trafficators, rear light clusters, start switch, front side lights and ‘obscura’ lamp - all correct switches and instruments sourced and fitted
• Brakes: new master cylinder, re-shoed drums skimmed including transmission hand brake - all lines replaced
• Fuel: NOS carburettor, lines all new, fuel tank media blasted and sealed, new sender unit
• Tool roll and jack and (very rare) starting handle.

It comes with an Alfa Romeo Classiche ‘Certificato Di Origine’ and some original ‘Ministero Dei Trasporti’ documentation, all of which should (according to the seller) make registering this eligible vehicle for the Mille Miglia rather simpler should you feel so inclined. 

It also comes with some manuals and handbooks, photographs of the vehicle pre- and during restoration, a clear HPI report, a V5C, and a rather handsome, leather, Alfa Romeo document wallet.  

We confess that when this vehicle turned up at our Oxfordshire HQ, few if any of us knew what it was.

Now, we’re very glad we’ve made its acquaintance.

This is an exceptionally rare example of a truly ground-breaking vehicle.

It was years ahead of its time and was ultimately only undone by its cost, which was a reflection of the vehicle’s technical sophistication and complexity.

The vendor really doesn’t like over-restoring vehicles and, although this AR51 has won first-prize at concours events, it has been restored to be a working, usable, enjoyable thing, not some exhibit in a hermetically sealed display case.

We applaud him on everything he has done.

We thoroughly recommend this extraordinary vehicle to all bidders, with the caveat that you should be prepared to spend many, many hours patiently replying to comments such as “Is it a Land Rover?”, or “Why has that Jeep got an Alfa badge on it?”

We really like it. 

We’re confident to offer this fine 4x4 for auction with an estimate of £25,000 - £35,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.