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Not
so many decades ago, the 8C2900B was thought of as the “last of
the classic Alfa Romeos,” even as the later 6C2500s languished
in obscurity. Then, beginning in maybe the 1980s, the 6C2500 was
rediscovered and, as collectors quietly added 6Cs to their
collections, it was the 6C2500 that acquired the “last of”
moniker.
Could
the same thing be happening today with the 1900-series Alfas,
especially in the guise of the Sprint and Super Sprint coupes and
convertibles? (As with its predecessor 6C2500, the sedans are
generally overlooked in this scenario.)
After
World War II, Alfa Romeo chose to adopt a more modern name for the
6C’s successor rather than continuing with its historic “C”
nomenclature, which would have resulted in a more-classic
“4C1900” designation. This seemingly minor detail, along with
the dowdy, Plymouth-esque appearance of the 1900 berlina, may have
contributed unfairly to the near-invisibility of the 1900 over the
years. But, like the 6C2500s before it, Alfa 1900s are showing up
in the garages of serious car collectors all over the world.
The
1900 Sprints (and, to a lesser extent, Super Sprints) are not
really “modern” Alfas in the sense of the Giulietta and later
cars. Unlike those successors, with their high-volume unibody
construction, mostly floor-mounted gearshifts, disc wheels and
factory-only coachwork (except for a handful of
competition-oriented Zagatos and, arguably, Bertone’s Sprint
Speciale), 1900 Sprints and Super Sprints had, like the 6C2500,
wire wheels, column gearshifts, used the 6C-style valve adjusters,
and were available in a variety of alternative different bodies,
even convertibles, from specialist carrozzeria. While these were not necessarily bespoke
or custom-ordered cars, these “series-customs” were available
to the buyer who wanted a special 1900, something which was no
longer possible with the post-1900 Alfas. In
fact, the 1900 may have been available in a wider range of
alternative bodies even than the earlier 6C2500! The standard
coupe body, "Sprint" or "Super Sprint" by
Carrozzeria Touring, was built on a semi-unit tub supplied by Alfa
Romeo to other coachbuilders as well, upon which they fabricated
their own custom creations.
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"Standard"
Touring coupes
Series I or Tipo1 Sprint by
Touring (long door)
Series I or Tipo2 Sprint by
Touring (short door)
Series II or Tipo3 Super Sprint
by Touring
Series III or Tipo4 Super Sprint
by Touring
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The
exterior design of the of the Series I Touring coupes was
obviously derived from the 6C2500 “Villa d’Este” coupe, and
a comparison
bears that out.
Even more classic-like is the
1900’s driving experience, an instantly-endearing characteristic
which cannot be gleaned from photos or specification sheets. The
1900 “experience” is an evolution of classic, prewar driving
characteristics, characteristics that were probably embedded in
the Alfa Romeo way of building cars over the prior decades of 8Cs
and 6Cs, and which would not be rooted out so easily until the
Giulietta came along.
And instead of the “all-of-a-piece” feel of the Giulietta and
its follow-ons, driving or riding in a 1900 Sprint or Super Sprint
easily recalls the more vintage feel of a 6C or 8C Alfa. Much more
so than in its successors, when you’re in a 1900 you know that
you’re conducting an assemblage of parts, each doing it’s own
thing somewhat in concert with all the rest. You have more of a
sense of conducting a living, breathing mechanical beast. What
driving experience could be more classic than that? |
