1952 Alfa Romeo 1900C Berlinetta

The Alfa Romeo 1900 was the company's first all-new offering in the post-war period and was designed by Dr. Orazio Satta Puliga and intended for volume production. This was also the first Alfa to employ unitary construction. In keeping with the company's racing heritage, the 1900 was powered by a twin-overhead-camshaft engine. In the front was a wishbone and coil springs independent suspension setup with a live axle in the back.

The 1900 Sprint, launched in 1951, wore bodywork by Pinin Farina (cabriolet) and Touring (coupe). Both styles were powered by a 100bhp engine of the 1900TI sports saloon. The Sprint Coupe offered sporting performance with a 2+2 seating configuration. In June of 1954, the engine was enlarged to 1975cc and the model was renamed as the 'Super Sprint.'

This particular example is a 1st Series Alfa 1900 Sprint that was delivered new to Acireale, Italy on January 9, 1953. The car remained in Naples until 1962 when it was purchased by Freeport, Maine-based enthusiast Robert Doucette. Doucette kept the car for the next 42 years before selling it to English collector Robin Otto in 2004.

Later in the car's life, the car was treated to a complete restoration which took four years to complete. After the work was completed, Mr. Otto used the car for three years before selling it to the current owner.

The car wears Superleggera aluminum coachwork by Touring which is finished in dark blue. The interior is finished in grey hides with matching cloth inserts. There is an Autovox radio that is fitted in the center of the dash. The car rides on four painted Borrani wire wheels which is kept in the driver's control via drum brakes. The 1884cc dual overhead cam inline four-cylinder engine is fitted with twin Weber carburetors and offers nearly 100 horsepower.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2015