ALFA ROMEO 1900 Super Sprint 1956-1959 Photos, engines & full specs

The Alfa Romeo 1900 was known since 1954 as “The family car that wins races” and it was true. Its road holding, speed, and reliability qualities made it the successful model in its displacement category. In 1959, the Italian car-maker launched a better version: the 1900 Super Sprint.

It was the time of pioneering in motorsports. Every car-maker that had a pedigree in racing tried to get its seat back in the arena. Alfa Romeo was one of those companies whose spirit didn't die in WWII and its engineers returned to work willing to prove their abilities. And so they did with the reworked 1.9-liter engine. By enlarging the bore, the displacement was increased from 1884 cmc to 1975 cmc. It was not much, but it was enough to make the Alfa Romeo Sprint become faster. And it was renamed Super Sprint.

The Super Sprint was designed and assembled with Touring Superleggera bodywork. It featured a structural steel chassis and an aluminum body. It was available in three engine variations named Super, Super T.I., and Super Sprint Coupe.

Inside, the curved dashboard was available either with painted bare metal or covered in piano-black or leather. The instrument cluster was installed behind the steering wheel and it was available in several panel trims. The deep bucket-seats were available as an option. While the first series was launched with a steering-column mounted gear-shifter, the second series featured a floor-mounted gear-stick.

The 2.0-liter engine was offered in three power versions, between 90 hp and 115 hp. The later was the most requested on the market. It was mated to a standard 5-speed manual gearbox and due to its overall weight of just 1000 kg (2204 lbs), it was fast and nimble. Unfortunately, it was fitted with drum brakes in all four corners.