1952 Alfa Romeo 1900C

Many of the well-established and prominent companies of the pre-war era were devastated by World War II, with factories being bombed, personnel being imprisoned, assets confiscated for the payment of reparations, and material and labor shortages. Alfa Romeo's Portello factory was heavily bombed during the war, and due to the peace treaty barring the production of aero-engines, many of the machine tools were destroyed. Alfa Romeo was determined to pick up where it had left off, and used left-over parts from pre-war models to assemble by hand until stocks were depleted. Struggling to return to profitability, production was switched to mass-produced small vehicles.

The 1900 was the first modern Alfa Romeo and was a very important model that began the transformation of the company from a builder of racing cars and a handful of ultra-expensive road cars each year to a true manufacturer. It was a humble family conveyance introduced in 1950 and produced through 1959. Designed by Orazio Satta, the 1900 was Alfa Romeo's first car built entirely on a production line and first production car without a separate chassis. Additionally, it was the first Alfa Romeo to be offered with left-hand drive.

The 1900 was intended for volume production but endowed with sporting credentials. Its twin-overhead-camshaft engine displaced 1,884cc and produced 90 horsepower, and the suspension consisted of wishbones and coil springs at the front and an exceptionally well-located live rear axle. Alfa Romeo's period advertisements described the 1900 as 'The family car that wins races.' Performance took a big step forward in 1951 with the introduction of the short wheelbase 1900C ('C' represented corto, Italian for 'short'), and the 1900 TI gained a more potent 100 horsepower engine with larger valves, a double carburetor, and an increased compression ratio. The 1900 Super and 1900 TI Super of 1953 were fitted with a 1,975c engine, with the TI Super having two double carburetors and developing 115 horsepower.

The 1900 was the final Alfa Romeo chassis to be offered in quantity to the carrozzerias, and an impressive number of designs and shapes resulted from these partnerships, including the B.A.T. Alfas by Bertone. Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera built the 1900 Sprint Coupé, and Pinin Farina built a four seat cabriolet and coupe. Carrozzeria Zagato built a small series of coupés with the unofficial designation of 1900 SSZ. Other coachbuilders included Boano, Colli, Stabilimenti Farina, Boneschi, Ghia, Ghia-Aigle, Bertone, Vignale, and Worblaufen.

Many of the coupes were formed from aluminum, while steel was often used for the sedans. Coupes were commonly offered as three-window or five-window depending on the side glass configuration.

Mechanical Specification
The Alfa Romeo 1900 Berlina was offered with a 103.5-inch wheelbase, an overall length of 173.2 inches, 58.7 inches tall, and a width of 63 inches. The Sprint and the 1900C had a 98.4-inch wheelbase, an overall length of 173.2 inches, a width of 64.2 inches, and a height of 53.1 inches.

The 1,884cc four-cylinder engine had a 3.3-inch bore, a 3.5-inch stroke, and produced approximately 80 to 90 horsepower, depending on configuration. The 1884cc engine powering the 1900TI produced 100 horsepower. The 1,975cc powering the Super produced 90 horsepower and the TI Super with two double carburetors developed 115 horsepower.

The 1900 would be the final Alfa Romeo model to utilize the company's classic valve-adjusting mechanism, with the valve spring retainer being a two-piece unit, with matching serrated faces.

The transmission was a 4-speed manual on basic versions and a 5-speed manual in Super Sprint version. Four-wheel drum brakes provided the stopping power. The front suspension was independent with coil springs while the rear live axle had trailing arms and coil springs.

Production
Production of the 1900 at the company's Milan plant continued until 1959, with a total of 21,304 examples built, including 17,390 saloons. Around 800 examples were the Touring-bodied Sprint 2+2, 39 were Zagato's SSZ (plus two Spyder versions), 100 examples were Pinin Farina coupes, 88 were Pinin Farina cabriolets, and around 48 examples were Victoria Cabriolets by Stabilimenti Farina. Several one-off (or low production - less than 4) examples were built.

Alfa Romeo 1900 C SS
The Alfa Romeo 1900 C SS rested on the short wheelbase platform and was powered by a racing specification engine paired with a gearbox that used revised final drive ratios to match the power curve of the twin-cam Tipo 1308 engine. The five-speed manual unit had synchronized second, third, and fourth gears. Alfin's self-adjusting brakes kept the car in the driver's control.

by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2024