1956 Alfa Romeo 1900

Alfa Romeo initially built its reputation using large, expensive, and exclusive models during the pre-World War II era, but the pioneering 1900 of 1950 charted a bold new course for the Italian marque. Using a thoroughly modern design and construction methodology, the 1900 featured unibody engineering and production-line assembly. For the Milanese automaker, however, the advent of mass production did not mean a one-size-fits-all future, as they continued to offer the 1900 chassis to coachbuilders who created a variety of uniquely compelling machines.

Alfa Romeo chose the 1950 Paris Motor Show to introduced its new 1900 model, named in recognition of its new 1,884cc four-cylinder twin-cam engine. It had a bore of 3.3-inches and a stroke of 3.5-inches, a cast-iron block and aluminum head, solid valve lifters, five main bearings, and delivered approximately 80 horsepower. The engine was backed by a fully synchronized four-speed manual transmission with column shift controls. The wheelbase measured 103.5-inches for the Berlina four-door sedan and was joined by a 98.5-inch platform for the 1900C ('c' for corto - Italian for short) Sprint Coupe and 2+2 Cabriolet which were introduced in 1951. Touring produced the 1900C Coupe bodies and Pininfarina was responsible for the cabriolets. The engine in the 1900C had a higher compression ratio of 8.0:1 (compared to the standard 7.5:1) and a two-barrel carburetor (the standard had a one-barrel carb) and delivered 100 horsepower at 5,500 RPM. Alfa Romeo would continue to extract more power from the two-liter engine, eventually culminating into 115 horsepower for the SS (Super Sprint) with its five-speed manual transmission. Stopping power was provided by drum brakes. The independent front suspension used double wishbones, coil springs, and hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers. In the back was a live axle setup.

The 1900 TI four-door sedan soon joined the 1900 family, bringing with it a twin carbureted version of the engine and dual exhaust pipes. A Super Primavera coupe wearing the taller sedan profile arrived in 1955. The 1900 Super and 1900 TI Super were equipped with the 1,975cc engine with the TI Super using two double carburetors resulting in 115 horsepower.

The Alfa Romeo 1900 remained a part of the company's catalog until 1959 with a total of 21,304 units eventually built, including 17,390 examples of the saloon. The 1900 was updated a final time in late 1955 and was henceforth known as the Super Sprint. The key distinguishing feature of the 1900C Super Sprint was a revised version of the engine, with increased displacement from 1,884cc to 1,975cc, a higher compression ratio, twin Weber carburetors, and four valves per cylinder.

Touring offered a new version of its prior 1900 coachwork for the Super Sprint, with one window per side rather than the outgoing coupe's two-window configuration. This new Touring design was known as the Tipo 4, or three-window coupe. The prior car's rear fender bulges were eliminated in favor of straight, streamlined haunches.

Several coachbuilders produced one-off and limited production designs on the 1900 'canvas' including Bertone, Touring, Zagato, Ghia, Castagna, Vignale, and Pinin Farina. Between 1951 and 1958, Alfa Romeo built five different chassis variations of the 1900 unibody for the coachbuilding market. Touring received the contract to build the 1900 Sprint Coupe and Pinin Farina was responsible for the four-seat Cabriolet and Coupe. The Zagato-designed 1900 Super Sprint came with a tuned version of the standard engine. Zagato also built a small series of coupes suitable for competition, unofficially designated '1900 SSZ', with lightweight aluminum and aerodynamic bodies, and Zagato's trademark double-bubble roof.

Among the one-off creations built atop the 1900 platform was the Bertone BAT series of aerodynamic studies.

The 1900 was one of the last Alfa Romeo models to be fitted with the bespoke custom coachwork of the great Italian carrozzerie.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2021