‘THE FAMILY CAR THAT WINS RACES’
Largely unknown in the UK, the 1950-’59 1900 skilfully combined modern features with Alfa tradition in a contemporarylooking 80bhp, 90mph five-seater family saloon. It was designed to be built at the rate of 500 a month, and the concept was vindicated in the sales figures: 7600 cars in the first three years (more than the firm had produced in the entirety of the previous two decades) and a total of 17,390 units by the end of production.
Left-hand drive was new to Alfa and there hadn’t been a four-cylinder model for decades, although the 1900’s shortstroke twin-cam was very much in the mould of what Alfa had built in the ’30s, only more efficient and higher revving.
The 1884cc Normale was joined by the TI (Turismo Internationale) in 1951, with a twin-choke Weber that boosted output to 90bhp and took the top speed over 100mph. Two years later came the 1975cc Super and twin-solex TI Super, the latter a 115bhp/112mph car that was among the fastest four-door production saloons available; around the same time all types got a triangulated mounting bracket for the rear axle.
The 1900 Berlina earned a formidable reputation in the 2-litre production saloon class in the mid-’50s. Having retired from Grand Prix racing, and despite the shift in focus to mass-market, volume-production models, Portello was keen to show it had not lost its taste for competition. If the acknowledged excellence of the 1900 put a positive spin on this populist move, its conspicuous success in classic events such as the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio and Carrera Panamericana only burnished its reputation. Outside Italy they were found at closed-circuit events such as the Nürburgring 1000km (fourth in 1953), the Tour de France and the Alpine Rally.
The 1900’s potential for success in the hands of privateers was further boosted by the introduction of more powerful variants. A TI Super won the Touring category in the 1954 Giro d’italia, but the car’s potential had been proven a year earlier when no fewer than 40 1900s entered the 1953 Mille Miglia, resulting in podium-filling class wins. On the 1954 Mille, 21 1900s finished – mostly saloons – resulting in another class victory and eighth overall. A 1900 won the Giro di Sicilia outright in 1954, while a six-car assault on the ’54 Carrera resulted in a 15th overall and first in the 2-litre class.
With the arrival of the lighter, nimbler Giulietta, the 1900’s star began to fade, but it has always been a popular choice on the latter-day incarnation of the 1000 Miglia, with drivers and spectators alike.