The restoration included a repaint that was color-matched to the original hue of the dashboard, 'Bleu Cobalto Scuro'. All mechanical components were disassembled and rebuilt with correct original or NOS parts. The Borrani wire wheels were restored by the 'Borrani Milano Company'. This Super Sprint was completed to concours standards in 2017 and certified by the Automotoclub Storico Italiano, regional representative of FIVA and one of the Italian automotive niches most esteemed organizations.
According to the historic records of Alfa Romeo, the assembly of Chassis No.10473 was completed on March 25, 1957, and it was equipped with Engine No.10471, making this car a correct matching-numbers example.
It was first retailed in June 1957 to Mocar of Lisbon, Portugal, and the 1900 was registered a month later with plates reading MT-26-72, which still adorn this car today. Later, part of a large barnyard-find collection of cars that famously surfaced in Portugal in 2007, this Touring Coupe passed to Italian ownership in March 2011.
The new owner, a member of the Viterbo Historical Car Club and a fervent restoration enthusiast, set about a three-year nut-and-bolt refurbishment, which included a repaint that was color-matched to the original hue of the dashboard, Bleu Cobalto Scuro (Dark Cobalt Blue). All mechanical components were properly disassembled and rebuilt to factory standards with correct original or NOS parts. Every detail was addressed to the fullest degree allowed by the great tradition of Italian craftsmanship, with the Borrani wire wheels, for example, being restored by the Borrani Milano company itself. The Super Sprint was completed to concours standards in 2014 and certified by the Automotoclub Storico Italiano, the regional representative of FIVA and one of the Italian automotive niches most esteemed organizations.
In 1955, Alfa Romeo updated its classic 1900 for one last time, equipping the short-wheelbase 1900C platform with the fast 1,975-cubic centimeter motor from the outgoing TI and SS versions. Known as the Super Sprint, the latest 1900 variant still featured specialized examples of coachwork by 'Zagato' and others, while 'Touring' of Milan continued to build the factory-specified coupe bodywork.
Using their patented Superleggera construction technique, Touring introduced a new version of their prior 1900 coachwork for the Super Sprint, accommodating the shorter chassis with one window per side instead of the outgoing coupes two-window configuration.
The new Touring design was known as the Tipo 4, or three-window coupe, and it eliminated the prior cars rear-fender bulges in favor of straight, streamlined haunches. Fewer than 600 examples of the Touring Tipo 4 Coupe were built through 1958. It was the foundation from which Pininfarina penned their famous Giulietta Spider design, essentially the forefather of the beloved Alfa that remained in production until the early 1990s.
This rare and superbly collectible Alfa Romeo is now ideally prepared for the finest of Concours d'Elegance events or of course to be enjoyed on vintage tours, like the California Mille, Colorado Grand, and Copperstate 1000. With very few miles travelled since the ground-up restoration, you will look long and hard to find a finer example of this rare 1900 SS which would make a sensational addition to any post-war sports car collection or naturally, any serious Alfa Romeo events.
