1953 Alfa Romeo 1900C Series 1 by Touring

This stunning 1953 Alfa Romeo 1900C, chassis AR 1900C 01311 with matching numbered engine, is one of 650 first series cars built between 1951 to 1953 by Carrozzeria Touring and one of only 8 RHD cars. In period the 1900C was known as the “family car that wins races”, and in 1952, an incredible 37 Alfa Romeo 1900’s took part in the Mille Miglia to great success driven by legendary pairings such as Fangio/Sala, Carini/Bianchi and Sanesi and Griffini. These cars are now eligible for many of the most prestigious events including Mille Miglia, Californian Mille, Colorado Grand, Gran Premio Nuvolari and Coppa Oro Dolomiti

The first series were built with style over riding commercial restrains. Considered the most attractive as a result, it has body lines similar to Touring’s other famed car of that era, the Ferrari 166 Barchetta. Styling continues throughout with unique door handles and a simple yet elegant interior. Subsequent series were scaled back and built to a budget to ensure the model was a commercial success!

Automobilismo Storico Alfa Romeo confirm that chassis 01311 was originally delivered on 27^th March 1953 to Scansano, Grosseto, Italy. The first owner, Luigi Bandi was a well-known Alfisti having previously owned an 8C and a 6C2300B. Records show the car staying in Italy until the late 1960’s before re-emerging in Germany in 1982 when bought by Daniel Graser. It passed through another German owner before coming to the UK.

The car has just come out of a comprehensive three year £175,000 restoration overseen by Alfa Romeo 1900 expert Peter Marshall. The body was brought back to bare metal and it is a sign of how well the car had been kept that it needed little work before being painted in Grigio Metallic. Peter helped source many hard to find parts that would have been seen as upgrades in period including the Nardi floor shift conversion mated to the rare 1900 5 speed gearbox, period Abarth twin carburettor manifold, period correct Solex 40PAI carburettors and a Nardi steering wheel.  The engine was rebuilt and performance increased from a standard 90 bhp to 130 bhp making this ideal for historic rallies. The car sits on a set of immaculate Borrani wheels.