1954 Alfa Romeo 1900

Sold for $412,500 at 2016 Gooding & Company : Pebble Beach.
Sold for $330,000 at 2018 Bonhams : Scottsdale.
The Alfa Romeo 1900 was built on a standardized production line and given a modern unitized body and chassis design. It was the first Alfa Romeo offered with left-hand steering. Through its production lifespan, several variants were introduced, including the 1900C - or 'Corto,' Italian for 'short'. Introduced in 1951, it rode on a 2500mm wheelbase rather than the 2630 mm chassis of the standard sedan and coupe.

This particular example is a 1900C Coupe with coachwork by Pinin Farina. It is one of about 37 examples still known to be in existence. It is believed that Pinin Farina created bodies for around eighty-eight examples of the cabriolet and another 100 for the coupes. This particular example was the 10th from the last to be built.

Its original owner is believed to have been Lady Moira Forbes and Count Theo Rossi di Montelera, Italy. The next owner was Augusto Vessetti, of Celle Ligure, Italy who owned it from 1956 through 1966, selling it to Maurizio Minuto, also of Celle Ligure, Italy. The current owner acquired it from Mr. Minuto in 2015. The car was last licensed for road use during 1966 in Italy, and it currently has just 29,400 km on its odometer.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2016

Sold for $412,500 at 2016 Gooding & Company : Pebble Beach.
Sold for $330,000 at 2018 Bonhams : Scottsdale.
Bombing raids of February 14, August 13, and October 20, 1944 reduced Alfa Romeo to a mass of rubble, with the October raid finally destroying the Portello factory (near Milan). Following the War, Alfa Romeo was prompted to change course and start building cars for the masses rather than continuing to build coachbuilt automobiles for the elite. Nevertheless, the firm continued to offer bare chassis to specialty firms in limited numbers. It wasn't until 1947 when Alfa had finally dug itself out of the damage and began civilian car production.

The 1900 was a milestone car for Alfa Romeo when it was unveiled in October of 1950. It transformed the boutique manufacturer into a major Italian manufacturer, without losing Alfa's traditional identity of excellence and sportiness. There are just 37 Pinin Farina coupes known to have survived, this one has just 29,000 kilometers from new on its odometer and a fully-documented ownership history: its first owner was Lady Moira Forbes, then later owned by a Pinin Farina engineer.