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1900C SS Ghia Roadster
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  Alfa Romeo 1900C SS Ghia Roadster      

  Article Image gallery (6) AR1900C 10098 Specifications  
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Country of origin:Italy
Produced in:1956
Numbers built:1
Designed by:Giovanni Michelotti for Ghia-Aigle
Author:Wouter Melissen
Last updated:May 23, 2009
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Click here to download printer friendly versionShortly after World War Two was over, Alfa Romeo realised the world had changed considerably, and that they had to change accordingly to have a chance of surviving. There no longer was a sufficient demand for the high performance and above all expensive six and eight cylinders Alfa Romeo proudly produced in the 1930s. A new, more affordable car was needed to appeal to a broader audience. To bridge the gap until the new '1900 Berlina' was ready, the Italian manufacturer continued to offer the opulent 6C 2500 for a few more years.

Well aware of the company's excellent reputation, Alfa's head engineer Orazio Satta ensured that the more affordable car was not a step backwards, but in fact a major step forward. Doing away with the traditional separate body and chassis configuration, they developed a unitary construction with the body doubling as a chassis and carrying all the mechanicals. This made mass production a lot easier and did not hamper the performance or handling of the car. It did however took away the ability for custom coach-builders to work their magic on the new Alfa.

Although sporting only four cylinders, the new 1884 cc engine was also not a departure from the Alfa Romeo tradition. Like its predecessors the new engine featured dual overhead camshafts. Despite its modest size, the free revving engine produced 90 bhp, matching the performance of the considerably larger six cylinder engines in the 6C 2500. The new engine was mated to a four speed gearbox, operated by a steering-column mounted lever. The compact power-plant was installed longitudinally in the chassis and drove the rear wheels.

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  Article Image gallery (6) AR1900C 10098 Specifications