1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 CS Coupe

Alfa Romeo introduced the Model 1900 in 1950 at the Paris Motor Show and these were the company's first assembly line-built model. Designed by Orazio Satta, the 1900 used unitary construction, which allowed coachbuilders to re-body it. The underpinnings were modern and offered plenty of performance, with a twin-cam, inline four-cylinder engine, an independent front suspension, and a live rear axle. Period advertising declared it as 'the family car that wins races.'

This particular example wears a silver exterior over a two-tone interior. It is one of 650 first-series examples built from 1951 to 1953 featuring the 'C' (for 'corto' or short (wheelbase)) chassis and 2+2 coupe bodywork from Carrozzeria Touring. Its 1,884cc Tipo 1308 dual overhead camshaft inline four-cylinder engine is fitted with a single twin-choke Weber 40 DCA carburetor and delivers 100 horsepower at 5,500 RPM. There is a five-speed manual gearbox and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

This example was sold new in Torino. In 2009, it was purchased by Dutch car collector Dr. Paul F. Schouwenburg, and by Leo Schigiel of Florida in 2019. The car remains in largely original, well-preserved condition. It received sympathetic mechanical and cosmetic work from MCW van der Meij.

In 2019, the car participated in the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance where it was placed in the Postwar Preservation Class.

By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2023

Designed by Orazio Satta, the Alfa Romeo 1900 was produced from 1950 to 1959. It was Alfa Romeo's first production car built without a separate chassis and on a modern production line. Alfa Romeo built five variations of the 1900 specifically for independent coachbuilders, including the Sprint.

This example is one of 289 Alfa 1900 Sprints built in 1953 and one of around 70 bodied by Carrozzeria Touring in Milan. It's one of the first series cars with the longer doors, lower roofline and small rear window. The car has had seven previous caretakers, all in Europe. It was found in Germany in January 2019, still in very original condition, and brought to the United States.