1954 Alfa-Romeo 1900M ‘Matta’ Registration Number: 924 XUA ...

Estimate

£18,000 - £22,000

1954 Alfa-Romeo 1900M ‘Matta’

Registration Number: 924 XUA
Chassis Number: AR5101526
Engine Number: AR1307 01633
Recorded Mileage: 14,800 kilometres 

- Well known example, one of three in the UK
- Rare period off roader with 1900cc Alfa-Romeo Twin Cam 
- Mille Miglia eligible

A rare four-wheel-drive machine developed by Alfa Romeo in the early 1950s, the 1900M “Matta” (Italian for “mad” or “crazy”) was built for the Italian military in response to the government’s call for a light reconnaissance and utility vehicle in the mold of the American Willys Jeep and the (then still relatively new) Land Rover Series I. Introduced in 1951, Alfa-Romeo’s offering went by the model name the AR 51 (Autovettura da Ricognizione, or “Reconnaissance Vehicle”), with a civilian variant named the AR 52.

The exotic 1900cc engine used an aluminum alloy cross-flow head, double overhead cams, overhead spark plugs, and hemispherical combustion chambers, common features in high-end race cars, but completely unheard of in off-road vehicles of the time. The Matta’s off-road performance was praised in early military testing, with a climbing ability of up to a 20% gradient, a wading depth of 70 cm (without a snorkel), and the ability to operate at temperatures ranging from –20°C to +50°C.

Though production of the Matta was short-lived and its military contract ultimately went to a competitor, the Matta remains a fascinating example of Alfa Romeo’s mid-century engineering applied to off-road use rather than high-performance sports cars or out-and-out Grand Prix racers. Notably the Matta won its class in the 1952 Mille Miglia, which at the time still included a category for Military Vehicles. Around 2,000 AR 51 models were built for the military between 1952 and 1954, alongside a mere 154 AR 52 units for civilian use.

This late 1954 Matta was first assigned to the Italian army, to later be registered for civilian use in 1969. Arriving in the UK in the early 2000s, the Matta was acquired by a keen engineer and enthusiast who maintained and enjoyed the jeep for a number of years before passing to the current owner more recently. Such is the interest in these rare vehicles that this very example was featured in specialist print magazine Auto Italia. Offered with a valid UK V5C document, this exceptionally rare (one of three known to exist in the UK) Matte is a fantastically usable alternative to the more obvious off-road offerings from the likes of Willys, Ford or Land-Rover.