Launched for 1950, Alfa Romeo’s successful and versatile 1900 series included 854 examples of the high-specification 1900C SS, with the “C” denoting its sporting, short-wheelbase chassis and “SS” declaring its competition-oriented specifications. The 1900 also benefited from the deft touch of Europe’s top designers and coachbuilders, often featuring bold designs that profoundly influenced automakers on both sides of the Atlantic. Named after the primarily Italian-speaking Swiss city, this late-production Alfa Romeo 1900C SS Coupe Lugano is the exceedingly rare and handsome product of the Ghia-Aigle coachworks, delivered new by Alfa Romeo as a telaio nudo (bare frame) chassis to the coachbuilder.

Believed to have been designed by a young Giovanni Michelotti, the car offered here is one of as few as seven Alfa Romeos bodied in this style by Ghia-Aigle. The chassis was completed in February 1957 and delivered to the local Swiss Alfa Romeo distributor in Lugano on March 21, 1957. Following the addition of coachwork, the Alfa Romeo remained in Europe for most of its existence, including for an extensive restoration, which was performed in Bergamo, Italy in 2017. Work included attention to the engine, gearbox, clutch, and brakes, documented by restoration invoices and photographs on file. Handsomely presented and fascinating throughout, this extremely rare coachbuilt Alfa Romeo will certainly captivate all onlookers wherever it goes.

*Please note that this vehicle is titled 1959.