Vehicle Description
Year 1955
Make Alfa Romeo
Model 1900cSS
Coachwork Carrozzeria Touring
Type Tipo 3 "Five-Window" Berlinetta
Chassis No AR1900C*01879*
Engine No AR1308*00987*
Touring Body No 4297
Production Date August 25th, 1954
Completion Date March 17th, 1955
Exterior Color "Blu Scuro" (Dark Blue)
Interior Color Not Recorded
Destination USA / North American Market
Alfa Romeo 1900 Background:
Alfa Romeo's 1900 series of automobiles were designed by Ing.
Orazio Satta. They were a completely different design and departure
from anything Alfa had built previously. The model made it's debut
in the Paris Motor Show in the Fall of 1950 where it was an
immediate popular and later for Alfa Romeo, commercial success.
The 1900 was the first series of Alfa Romeos built on a
standardized production line and they were also Alfa's first
production car without a separate chassis as well as the first
Alfas offered with left-hand drive steering configuration.
Both a sporting 2-door Coupe and 4-door Sedan were initially
offered featuring an all new 1,884cc, 90 bhp, 4-cylinder, twin cam
engine. The design was spacious and simple, yet quick and sporty.
The slogan Alfa used when selling the new 1900 was "The family car
that wins races", not-so-subtly alluding to the car's success in
the Targa Florio, Stella Alpina, Mille Miglia and other races and
rallies.
Alfa's 1900 was destined for competition success from the moment
they made their debut. They all had independent front suspension
(double wishbones, coil springs (front & rear) and hydraulic
telescopic shock absorbers) and one of the very best live rear axle
designs seen up to that point.
In 1951 the short wheelbase 1900C ("C" for corto (Italian for
short) version was introduced. It had a wheelbase of 2,500mm rather
than the standard 2,630mm standard coupe and sedan. That same year
the 1900TI with a more powerful 100bhp engine was introduced. The
1900TI had bigger valves, higher compression ratio and it was
equipped with twin-carburetors. Two years later the 1900 Super and
1900TI Super (also 1900SS or Super Sprint) with enlarged 1,975cc
engine were introduced. The TI Super with twin carburetors produced
115bhp and featured a 4-speed gearbox with revised ratios but still
using the standard final drive ratio.
Alfa Romeo 1900CSS
The ultimate specification of the 1900 line-up was without question
the ultra-rare "CSS" variant that featured both the shorter chassis
as well as the most developed and best performing engine, gearbox
and revised final drive ratios. Brakes were "alfin" double-leading
shoe, self-adjusting at all four corners with enhanced cooling and
fade resistant features designed in.
Alfa's 1900CSS model also incorporated a fantastically well
designed and thoroughly sorted 5-speed gearbox with full
synchronization on 2nd, 3rd , 4th and 5th gear. The ratios were
carefully selected to match the torque and rpm curve of the high
specification, twin-cam "Tipo 1308" series engine. As a result of
the performance increase and use of a five rather than four speed
gearbox, the standard 4.1:1 final drive ratio was unnecessary. A
taller 3.75:1 unit was instead fitted which allowed for far better
top-speed as well as far less rpm at speed in any gear.
Alfa had always envisioned making the 1900 a platform for various
coachbuilders to express themselves freely. The 1900CSS lent itself
to this end quite successfully and Touring, Pinin Farina, Zagato
and Ghia produced some strikingly beautiful as well as competitive
examples. The standard production 1900s tipped the scales at
2,600lbs while the 1900CSS was significantly less. Less weight
obviously translated to better performance on the track and in the
tours and rallies that favored these nimble coupes. As such, today,
these beautiful "custom coachwork" examples are by any measure the
most sought out by both collectors and racers alike.
AR1900C*01879* Background & History
According to Alfa Romeo's archives, this 1900cSS Touring Berlinetta
was ordered, completed and sold new to the North American market
making it one of just a handful of examples sold new to the States.
Alfa's internal records record a production date of August 25th,
1954 at which point the rolling floor pan and drive-train were
shipped to Carrozzeria Touring in Turin, Italy. While at Touring,
this Alfa was assigned body/job number "4297" which when completd
was a light-weight, all alloy body designated internally as "TIpo
3." Touring designated this type of patented coachwork as
"Superleggera" or simply "Super Lightweight" and bonnet badges with
this designation were fitted on both sides. The Tipo 3 type
coachwork featured a very light "greenhouse" effect and today is
more commonly referred to as the "Five-Window" design. The car was
originally painted dark blue with an un-identifed interior color.
Completion of this Alfa is recorded on March 17th, 1955 at which
point it was shipped to the West Coast of the United States and
delivered to the ordering agent, Hoffman FIAT of 9130 Wilshire
Blvd, Beverly Hills, California. Hoffman FIAT was Max Hoffman's
satellite West Coast Sales and Distributorship for a variety of
different vehicles and a way for him to expand and supplement his
main Park Avenue, New York based distributor and dealership
business of European manufactured automobiles.
The oldest known owner of this Alfa was Mr. Neil McKay, during his
ownership the car wore California "Black and Yellow" plates "LXC
795" which would have been issued sometime after 1963. Ownership
and registration prior to 1963 remains unknown at this time. A
color photo of this Alfa showing the "Black and Yellow" plates
indicates the car had been painted at some point to a dark burgundy
and the bumpers front and rear had been removed early on during the
car's life in the States. McKay is believed to have sold the car
circa 1969 to Bill Biggs.
Biggs offered the car for sale in 1977 and it known to have still
owned it in 1978. It then was sold by Biggs and purchased by Robert
Rajski but by 1983 it has passed onto the prominent collection of
Jack Becronis. His son, Peter then acquired the car and it remained
with him until 1989. During the Becronis ownership years, the car
remained without bumpers and now was painted bright red. It was
then seen and photographed wearing Italian plates "ROMA E57492." It
was photographed wearing these plates and sporting race number
"175" at the Monterey Historic Races in August of 1985. The Italian
plates appear to have been purely cosmetic and not actually
assigned to the vehicle formally at anytime. In fact, sometime
prior to 1983, the car was issued the very famous California "Blue
and Yellow" plates "ALFACSS," There are many famous published and
on-line photos of this Alfa sporting these plates. During this same
time frame, it was featured prominently in Joe Benson's original
1983 Illustrated Alfa Romeo Buyer's Guide and featured again in
subsequent follow-on editions.
In 1989 mostly likely with the assistance of Enrico Ciabattoni's
European Imports, in Temple City, California, this Alfa was sold to
Mr. Mitsuo Hayashi, from Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan. Based on a very
nice documentation album, photos and correspondences he provided,
we understand Hayashi San has owned this Alfa exclusively until our
recent purchase from him and subs...for more information please
contact the seller.
