Makes › Alfa Romeo › 1900C › 1900C SSZ (Zagato) · Coachbuilt · 1954–1958 Ultra Rare
Alfa Romeo
1900C SSZ (Zagato)
Zagato competition coupés on the 1900 Super Sprint.
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 39 Built
- Years
- 1954–1958
- Engine
- 1,975 cc / 2.0 LFactory: 1,975 cc
- Power
- 85.8 kW / 117 PSFactory: 115 hp · converted
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Body
- Zagato
- Designer
- Zagato
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The SSZ is the lightweight Zagato-bodied competition version of the 1900C Super Sprint, built in a short run of roughly 39 coupes. It paired the Milan coachbuilder's aluminium body with the most powerful 1900 mechanicals and became a regular entrant in Italian road races such as the Mille Miglia. Auction houses describe it today as one of the most sought-after post-war Alfa Romeos.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model production1900C SS Zagato built | 391,2 | Factory production | Registry reported |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
Elio Zagato, an enthusiast of motor sport, saw the shorter-wheelbase 1900C chassis as a good base for a lighter and more aerodynamic body. By September 1954 Zagato had completed the first aluminium-bodied car with Plexiglas windows, which his Sant Ambroeus racing friend Vladimiro Galluzzi raced. Alfa Romeo's experimental department head Consalvo Sanesi then recommended a limited production batch.
Zagato built about 39 berlinettas and two spiders, almost all before mid-1956. As many as six cars started the 1955 Mille Miglia, and Joakim Bonnier won the 2-litre Sverige Grand Prix in August 1955 in one. One catalogue puts the saving over the competing Touring body at about 100 kg, thanks to the aluminium panelling.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard 1900C SSZ (Zagato).
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Tipo 13083 Independently researched |
| Layout | Not yet verified |
| Displacement | 1,975 cc / 2.0 LFactory: 1,975 cc3 Independently researched |
| Bore | 84.5 mmFactory: 84.5 mm4Base 1900 Super Sprint figure from the museum page. |
| Stroke | 88 mmFactory: 88 mm4Base 1900 Super Sprint figure from the museum page. |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Twin carburettors3 Independently researchedGooding states Solex 40 PII carburettors; RM's 2016 lot says Weber carburettors in its specification line yet mentions a correct set of Solex carburettors included in the sale. |
| Power | 85.8 kW / 117 PSFactory: 115 hp · converted3 Independently researchedAuction-house statement; RM Sotheby's also states 115 bhp (S2, S3). The museum lists 115 CV at 5500 rpm for the base Super Sprint. |
| Power at | 5,200 rpm3 Independently researched |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Gears | 53 Independently researched |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Independent, double A-arms, coil springs, hydraulic dampers5 Independently researched |
| Rear suspension | Live axle with trailing links, coil springs, hydraulic dampers5 Independently researched |
| Brakes | Four-wheel finned aluminium drum brakes3 Independently researched |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Materials | Aluminium-alloy body with Plexiglas windows6 Independently researched |
| Wheelbase | 2,410 mmFactory: 95 in · converted6 Independently researched |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Cars are built on the 1900C chassis, with chassis numbers in the AR1900C series (examples quoted in lots include 01845, 01909 and 01915) and a Tipo 1308 engine carrying an AR1308 number. The body is aluminium with Plexiglas side and rear windows, and a bulged bonnet with vents or inlets covering the raised carburettor manifold. One catalogue notes a car that had been fitted with a later Alfa Romeo 2000 engine before a correct 1900C unit was reinstalled, so the engine number should be checked against factory records. Registers and the Zagato history by Marchiano are cited for matching individual chassis numbers to the coupe production list.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
- 1
-
2
Alfa Romeo 1900C SSZ (Zagato) – Ultimatecarpage.com Level C
- 39 1900C SS Zagato built
-
3
1955 Alfa Romeo 1900C SSZ (Amelia Island 2023) Level C Gooding & Company
- 1,975 CC Tipo 1308 DOHC Inline 4-Cylinder
- Twin Solex 40 PII Carburetors
- 115 BHP At 5,200 RPM
- 5-Speed Manual Gearbox
- 4-Wheel Finned-Aluminum Drum Brakes
-
4
Museo Storico Alfa Romeo collection page: 1900 Super Sprint (Touring), base model Level A Museo Storico Alfa Romeo, Arese
- 1975 cc (84,50x88 mm)
-
5
1955 Alfa Romeo 1900C SS Coupe Zagato (Amelia Island 2017) Level C RM Sotheby's
- independent front suspension with double A-arms, coil springs
- live-axle rear suspension with trailing links, coil springs
-
6
1955 Alfa Romeo 1900C SS Berlinetta by Zagato (Arizona 2016) Level C RM Sotheby's
- aluminum-alloy body with Plexiglas windows
- Wheelbase: 95 in.
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