Until recent years when it started making SUVs, Alfa Romeo made only sportscars and sedans from the time it was established in 1910. However, there was a very brief period 70 years ago when it made a 4×4 vehicle which, like such vehicles of other manufacturers in that period, resembled the American Jeep. However, it was the Land Rover that the Alfa Romeo designers used as the basis for their vehicle.
For Italian armed forces
The model was the 1900M AR51 and around 2,000 units were produced between 1951 and 1954 for the Italian armed forces and police. All were equipped with a 1.9-litre 4-cylinder DOHC petrol engine (from the 1900 Berlina) and it had a transfer case for 4-wheel drive.
‘AR’ did not refer to the brand name but meant ‘Autovettura da Ricognizione’, Italian for ‘reconnaissance car’. The AR51 was also nicknamed ‘Matta’, which is Italian for ‘mad’ (or ‘mad old woman’!) and it is believed that it got that name because of its capabilities that allowed the engineers to do crazy things with it.
Like the Jeep, the AR51 also had a civilian version (AR52) but only 154 units were produced. Some are still in existence and 7 years ago, RM Sotheby’s in the UK listed a unit with a value of around £30,000 (about RM178,000).
