To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' Miami event, 27 - 28 February 2025.

• One of approximately nine similarly styled examples, and the only one built on the long-wheelbase 1900L chassis
• Unique aluminum alloy coachwork designed by the noted Giovanni Savonuzzi
• Retains matching-numbers engine
• Exhibited at the 2006 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
• A rare coachbuilt Alfa Romeo ideal for touring or concours display

Carrozzeria Ghia created lightweight alloy bodies for only a handful of Alfa Romeo 1900 coupes in the mid-fifties, at a time when the Turin-based design house experienced a creative renaissance, turning out a fascinating array of concept cars, one-offs, and unique production models. Perhaps most unique among these Alfas is the 1900L Coupe offered here, likely the first of at least nine similarly styled cars that were sometimes badged as Ghia Specials, and the only one built on the model’s long-wheelbase chassis.

Giovanni Savonuzzi, the noted automotive stylist behind most of Ghia’s influential mid-century projects, devised the light alloy coachwork for these models, no two of which were exactly alike. Their shared overall design featured curved front bumperettes, bulbous fenders with protruding headlamps, squared wheel-well openings, a wraparound front windscreen that fed into an airy canopy, and delicate rear fender fins. The design seems to work best on the long-wheelbase chassis, which provides greater aesthetic balance and precludes the more awkward proportions of the short-wheelbase models, with their longer front and rear overhangs. As such, this singular example on the lungo chassis stands out as perhaps the most attractive of Savonuzzi’s Ghia-bodied Alfa Romeo coupes.

Dispatched to Ghia in April 1954, this Alfa Romeo 1900L received coachwork in Bleu Marino and was delivered three months later to a buyer in New York. While very little is known of the 1900L’s interim history, by 2006 the car was owned by a resident of Sacramento, California, who presented it at the 2006 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Later acquired by a respected dealer on the East Coast, the Alfa Romeo was sold in October 2016 to the previous owner, who retained it until 2024.

In addition to being equipped with a rare column-mounted five-speed factory gearbox, the Alfa Romeo retains its numbers-matching type 1306 engine, further enriching the car’s authenticity. Already having benefited from a prior restoration in red paint over gray leather, it was further recommissioned in January 2025.

Ideal for collectors of coach-built Alfa Romeos or enthusiasts of Ghia’s seminal design output of the 1950s, this car would make a strong candidate for touring use, while claiming design provenance worthy of museum display or concours exhibition.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/mi25/.