From a slick racing machine and a suave drive, the ever elegant yet gutsy Alpha Romeo 1900C SS Berlinetta is a brilliantly crafted piece of automotive ingenuity. From its debut at the 1950 Auto Show in Paris, it was the first post-war model dubbed the 1900. With immense commercial success, introductory models were offered in Sports, Coupe or sedan, powered by 90 horsepower.
About 39 Berlinetta’s were produced and the gents at RM Sotheby’s know a thing or two on this finely developed set of wheels with a great overview below.
Today, the 1900 SS Zagato has evolved into one of the most collectable post-war Alfa’s of all time, a favourite among the discerning collectors who frequent Pebble Beach. Claiming race-bred engineering, exquisite aesthetic design, and rarity, the Zagato-bodied 1900C is simply one of the most dynamic post-war coachbuilt sports cars ever created, and it continues to draw the fascination and respect of Italian design connoisseurs.
This Super Sprint Zagato claims a magnificent restoration to factory standards and a fascinating early life associated with one of Italy’s lesser-known (but best connected) racing concerns, the Scuderia Madunina. According to the records of Alfa Romeo, as well as the research of 1900 authority Peter Marshall and Italian car expert John de Boer, chassis number 01909 was completed on July 29, 1954. As Zagato records indicate a date some months later, it is fair to assume that the Alfa factory information represents the date the chassis was completed and prepared for shipping to Zagato. Michele Marchiano’s seminal book on the coachbuilder, Le Zagato – Fiat 8V, Alfa 1900 SSZ, clarifies that 01909 is the 16th example of the 39 cars bodied as coupes.
Completing assembly at Zagato on April 22, 1955, the Super Sprint was finished in avorio (ivory) paint and sold to SIMAR of Caracas, Venezuela, on March 23. It is likely that the buyer was a proxy for a driver of the Scuderia Madunina, the team that would soon campaign the car in competition.
A year after its introduction, the 1900C was introduced, the “C” standing for corto, or short, so named due to the wheelbase having been reduced from 2,630mm to 2,500mm.
The next iteration for 1951 was the 1900 TI which had higher compression, bigger valves and dual carburettors for an output of 100 horsepower. In 1953 the model evolved a step further with the introduction of the 1900 Super as well as the 1900 TI Super, which had an enlarged 1,975-cc engine with a final output of 115 horsepower mated to a four-speed gearbox.
The ultimate iteration of the 1900 came in 1954 as the 1900 CSS, which was constructed on the shorter 2,500mm chassis with the 115 horsepower twin cam four mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. This was the perfect platform on which coachbuilders like Bertone, Touring, Vignale and Zagato could express their art form. While the standard steel-bodied 1900 S weighed 2,400 pounds, the alloy-bodied Zagato CSS was considerably slimmer at less than a ton. The performance afforded by its larger engine and lightweight construction made the Zagato-bodied 1900 CSS a favourite among racers both of the period and the present day.
115 bhp, 1,975 cc DOHC four with twin Solex downdraft carburettors, five-speed manual gearbox, double wishbone front suspension with coil springs and hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers and live rear axle, Alfin four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.
Founded in 1952 and active in many forms of racing, the Scuderia Madunina was a loosely-knit Milan-based organization that did not formally own any of its cars. All of the Scuderia’s entries were privately owned by their respective drivers, whose membership in the organization allowed them to race under the team’s entrant’s license, thus negating the need for drivers to acquire this license individually from the C.S.A.I. Madunina went on to take hold in Formula Junior racing, winning the championship from 1961 through 1963, and at various points, it included Lorenzo Bandini, Piero Drogo, and Juan Manual Fangio among its members.
One of the organization’s co-founders was Marcello Giambertone, a manager who handled drivers such as Gino Munaron and Fangio. The connection with the famed Argentine racing champion facilitated access to the South American market, and before long, the Scuderia Madunina was fielding chapters in Venezuela and Brazil.
On December 18, 1955, chassis number 01909 was entered under the Madunina banner by Carlos Ruiz Lucero in La Vuelta a la Cordialidad, a 225-mile race between Barranquilla and Cartagena, Colombia, that commemorated a return to cordialities between the two cities. Decorated with #44, the 1900 SSZ finished fourth overall and first in class, while fellow Madunina teammate Juan dos Santos won the race in a Ferrari 250 MM.
Stay dapper,
Robbie – Dapper Lounge
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