Chassis No.: 1900C10542

Engine No.: 130810553

Location: London, United Kingdom

£89,600 GBP | Sold

115 bhp 1,975 cc dual overhead cam inline four-cylinder engine, five-speed floor shift manual transmission, coil spring and double A-arm independent front suspension, live axle rear suspension with trailing links, coil springs, and hydraulic shock absorbers, four-wheel drum brakes. Wheelbase: 2,500 mm

• Three owners from new

• Concours and tour veteran

• More recent engine and gearbox rebuild

The year 1950 saw major changes at Alfa Romeo’s headquarters in Milano, where a new design by Orazio Satta, the 1900, and a modern new assembly line put the company’s production into high gear. The 1900 made its debut as a unit-body sedan, a first for Alfa, with a new 1.9-litre dual overhead cam engine. Displayed at the 1950 Paris and London auto shows, it was also the first Alfa produced with its steering wheel on the left side.

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Eager to sustain its pre-war sporting image and rich competition tradition, Alfa entered the 1900 sedan in a number of motorsports events, where it performed well. In 1951, Alfa announced a 100-horsepower version of the 1900, which went into the new 1900C Sprint coupé, as well as a cabriolet version. Both of the new body styles were developed on the sedan chassis with a shortened wheelbase. The convertible was created by Pinin Farina, while most of the beautiful coupés came from Carrozzeria Touring.

However, Alfa was careful to make sure that other Italian carrozzeria had opportunities to create styling variations of their own. Thus there were Alfa 1900 coupés bodied by Boano, Bertone, Farina, Ghia and Zagato, as well as Touring. Designed at Touring’s Milan studios by Federico Formenti, the Super Sprint version of the coupé was introduced at the 1955 Paris show and represented the development pinnacle for the series. Its key distinguishing feature was a revised version of the engine, with increased displacement from 1,884 cc to 1,975, a higher compression ratio, twin Weber carburettors and four valves per cylinder. Production of the 1900 sedan ended in 1955, but the Sprint coupé carried on through 1958. Total production volume of 1,796 was small compared with the sedan.

This particular car is thought to have been delivered new on 19 July, 1957 to a Mr. Robert A. Seaux in Gent, Belgium, in the same colours that it wears today. It is believed he owned the car until 1993, at which time it was acquired by Ugo Barone from Livorno, Italy. The vendor, who acquired the car with 100,000 kms, bought the car from Mr. Barone in 2003 and drove it back from Italy without a problem.

Soon after acquisition, the current owner fitted an original wood rim Nardi steering wheel and a set of five new Borrani wire wheels that were built new to original specification. In 2007, the car was invited to participate in the AROC Concours d’Elegance in Detroit followed immediately by the Meadow Brook Concours, which at the time featured Alfa Romeo 1900s. This was followed by a tour of more than 2,550 miles through Washington D.C., Virginia, Ohio and then back through Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Since then the engine and gearbox have been rebuilt and the prop shaft balanced, making it a beautiful car to drive according to the owner.

This beautiful original Alfa Romeo 1900CSS is a lovely car that has been cared for all its life, being sold with its original toll roll and many period spare parts. It would be a fantastic addition to any connoisseur’s collection.

https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/lf11/lots/r149-1957-alfa-romeo-1900c-super-sprint-coupe-by-touring/