The Alfa Romeo 1900 M (better known by its nickname Alfa Romeo Matta, meaning "mad") is a

four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

utility vehicle A utility vehicle is a vehicle, generally motorized, that is designed to carry out a specific task with more efficacy than a passenger vehicle. It sometimes refers to a small truck with low sides. Types of utility vehicles Military light u ...

produced by

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

car manufacturer

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." ...

from 1951 to 1954. Developed on request of the Italian

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

, it was made in both military (AR 51) and civilian (AR 52) versions.

History

The AR 51 (''Autovettura da Ricognizione'', "Reconnaissance Car") was the result of the request of a light

reconnaissance vehicle A reconnaissance vehicle, also known as a scout vehicle, is a military vehicle used for forward reconnaissance. Both tracked and wheeled reconnaissance vehicles are in service. In some nations, light tanks such as the M551 Sheridan and AMX-13 have ...

for use on paved, unpaved and mountain roads. A civilian version, the AR 52, was later developed from the military AR 51; several variants were made, adapted for use in agriculture, firefighting, and road maintenance. The Matta was built from 1952 to 1954, with 2,007 military AR 51s for the

Italian Army "The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law" , colors = , colors_labels = , march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...

and 154 civilian AR 52 units produced. In 1954, the Italian army abandoned the AR 51 and switched to the

Fiat Campagnola The Fiat Campagnola is a heavy-duty off-road vehicle produced by Fiat. Production started in 1951 and it was upgraded in 1974. It was inspired by the Willys Jeep. Fiat 1101 "Campagnola" (1951-73) Civilian models Fiat 1107 "Nuova Campagnola" ...

, which was mechanically simpler.

Specifications

The Matta was powered by a 1884 cc

twin cam An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...

, 8-valve

inline-four engine A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the ...

with

dry sump A dry-sump system is a method to manage the lubricating motor oil in four-stroke and large two-stroke piston driven internal combustion engines. The dry-sump system uses two or more oil pumps and a separate oil reservoir, as opposed to a conve ...

lubrication. The

cylinder head In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head (often abbreviated to simply "head") sits above the cylinders and forms the roof of the combustion chamber. In sidevalve engines, the head is a simple sheet of metal; whereas in more modern ov ...

was

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

and featured

hemispherical combustion chamber A hemispherical combustion chamber is a type of combustion chamber in a reciprocating internal combustion engine with a domed cylinder head notionally in the approximate shape of a hemisphere (in reality usually a spheric section thereof). An en ...

s, while the

engine block In an internal combustion engine, the engine block is the structure which contains the cylinders and other components. In an early automotive engine, the engine block consisted of just the cylinder block, to which a separate crankcase was atta ...

was

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

. Output was at 4,400 rpm.

Gallery

File:Alfa-Romeo-1900M mod.jpg, File:Alfa romeo geländewagen.jpg, File:Alfa Romeo 1900 M AR 52 000 1952-1954 frontleft 2010-03-13 A.JPG, File:Alfa Romeo 1900 M AR 52 000 1952-1954 backleft 2010-03-13 A.JPG,

References

Bibliography

External links

* http://www.alfamatta.co.uk/
Italian registry website
{{Alfa Romeo Post War Matta Off-road vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Military light utility vehicles Military vehicles of Italy 1950s cars Vehicles introduced in 1952