1951 Alfa Romeo 1900 C Sprint

Alfa Romeo 1900 C Sprint, 1951 - 1954

The Alfa Romeo 1900 C Sprint is a coupe and cabriolet that was built between 1951 and 1954. It was based on the chassis of the standard 1900, but shortened by 13cm, (the letter 'C' usually assumed to stand for 'Corto' or short) and used the same 1884cc engine, although now uprated by 20hp and Weber 40 DCA3, 40 DCL3 or 40 DCZ3 carburettors were fitted. The car was driven through a four-speed gearbox.

As with many cars of the era, the bodies were coachbuilt. Touring built the majority of the coupes, the earliest with elegant, slim bumpers, doors that extended down to the sills, inset side lights and door handles that were almost flush with the body. Later cars had larger bumpers, conventional doors and overriders. Pininfarina built most of the cabriolets, an elegant four-seater with leather upholstery, although Castagna, Ghia, Colli and Boneschi also built variants of the car.

The model was given the designation tipo 1484 and the motor 1308. Chassis numbering started at 00051 and ended at 1653, with engine numbering starting at 1308*00001. From chassis 1654 the cylinder capacity was increased to 1975cc and the gearbox uprated to include a fifth forward gear. Most 1900 C Sprints were produced in 1952 and 1953; just one was built in 1951 (a Touring coupe in 'hazelnut' metallic for Juan Manuel Fangio) and 12 in 1954.

Today the Alfa Romeo 1900 C Sprint is a very desirable classic. Due to the coachbuilt nature of the cars and relative rarity of 1900 models, parts can be very difficult to find and restoration costs high.