1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 Berlina

Alfa Romeo 1900 Berlina. 1950 - 1954

The Alfa Romeo 1900 Berlina is a four-door saloon built between 1950 and 1954. Replacing the aged Alfa Romeo 2500, this was a remarkably modern car when released, based on an integrated body intended to be mass produced, whilst retaining the standards of manufacture and performance expected of this marque. Suspension, braking and handling were all market-leading: it had independent front suspension with wishbones and coil springs, and a solid rear axle with coil springs, hydraulic dampers and trailing arms. Later, a reaction triangle was fitted. Design was in-house, with mechanical operations supported by the legendary Giuseppe Busso.

The Alfa Romeo 1900 Berlina, officially designated Tipo 1483 and with 1884cc motors of type 1306, were built on the assembly line at Portello. Seven rather sombre colours were offered: five variations of grey, Cobalt blue and Capri blue, and the car was the first that Alfa Romeo built in left-hand drive as a matter of course, except for those designated for specific RHD markets. Just six 1900 Berlinas were built in 1950, the vast majority made between 1951 and 1954. Engine numbering started at 1306*1400 to 1306*8133, but numbering was not consecutive and there was no matching to chassis number.

As was usual at the time, Alfa produced a 1900L model, a rolling chassis designed to allow coachbuiliders the opportunity to create their own designs. Specials were built by various coachbuilders including Bertone, Colli, Boneschi, Pininfarina, Vignale, Lombardi and Farina. Today these cars have a significantly higher value than standard cars and should be valued individually.

Today the Alfa Romeo 1900 Berlina is a rare and collectable classic. Although later versions such as the 1900 C Sprint are much more collectable (and valuable), the 1900 Berlina is now well established as a ground-breaking design for Alfa Romeo. Maintaining one requires a certain level of dedication: few 1900 parts are interchangeable with the later 2600 and Giulia 105-series models and may be expensive.