1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 C CABRIOLET
Coachwork by Pininfarina
Chassis no. AR1900 01115
Engine no. AR1308 00315

Its factory devastated by wartime bombing, Alfa Romeo did not resume car production until 1947, the pre-war 2500C standing the Milan marque in good stead until 1952. The firm's first all-new offering of the post-war period arrived in 1950. Designed by Dr Orazio Satta Puliga and intended for volume production, the 1900 was the first Alfa to employ unitary construction and - in keeping with the company's sporting heritage - was powered by a twin-overhead-camshaft engine. A four-cylinder unit, the latter displaced 1,884cc and produced 90bhp, an output sufficient to propel the four-door saloon to 93mph. Although ostensibly a humble family conveyance, the 1900 was endowed with sporting credentials which extended beyond its type of power unit, owners enjoying the benefits of wishbone and coil spring independent front suspension and an exceptionally well located live rear axle.

Launched in 1951, the 1900C Sprint featured bodywork by Pinin Farina (cabriolet) and Touring (coupé), both models utilising the 100bhp engine of the 1900TI sports saloon. The Touring-bodied Sprint Coupé attracted such public acclaim that it was subsequently adopted as the basis for all future 'aerodynamic' Alfa Romeo coupés. One direct descendant was, of course, the lovely little Giulietta Sprint in which the family resemblance is immediately obvious.

Chassis No. AR1900 0115 is one of only 88 Cabriolets built by Pinin Farina, of which only some 30 are believed to have survived. As documented in the 'Estratto Cronologico' which records the Italian registration history, the car was registered in the name of its first owner, a certain Gino Lucini, in the Cremona province of northern Italy on 11th June 1953. The price recorded was the princely sum of 3,250,000 Italian Lire. The car changed owner already in August of the same year, this time being registered to a Mrs Maria Luisa Campanini of Cortemaggiore.
She would keep the car until 1965, when she sold it to a new owner, a Mr Sandro Ceolin, again in Cremona. Mr Ceolin decided to convert the car to run on LPG, which again is recorded in the 'Estratto Cronologico'. The car's next custodian, a Mr Rocco Lunardini, passed away in 2003 but his family only parted with it in 2015, when it was found a well-respected specialist in Northern Italy in a barn covered in magazines and cardboard boxes. After lengthy negotiations with the late owner's daughters he managed to strike a deal with them and subsequently sold the Alfa Romeo to the current owner.

The car was found to be complete but has had some modifications done to the area surrounding the rear and head lights. As this is a very rare car and even rarer after 45 years with the same owner, the leading Italian classic car magazine Ruote Classiche dedicated an article to the car in the November 2015 issue prior to its restoration. The owner then commissioned a comprehensive restoration, with professional restoration of the bodywork, a superb retrim in green leather by the interior specialists of La Perfetta in Padua and the overhaul of the mechanical components entrusted to MB, again of Padua in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. As a finishing touch, the original Borrani wheels were restored by the factory itself in the original colour scheme of silver painted spokes and polished aluminium rims. A photographic record of the restoration comes with the car.

Having covered a mere 50 km since the works have been finished, the car presents beautifully in the stunning colour combination of black with a green leather interior and black hood. It is believed that more than € 150,000 had been spent on the car and this classic Alfa Romeo with most elegant Pinin Farina lines is worthy of the closest inspection and is being offered with Italian registration documents, aforementioned copies of the 'Estratto Cronologico' listing the ownership history of the car, as well as a photographic record of its restoration.