Alfa Romeo Matta

Alfa Romeo
Matta
Production period:	1952-1954
Class :	Off-road vehicle
Body versions :	Cabriolet
Engines:	Gasoline engine; 1.9 liters (48 kW)
Length:	3520 mm
Width:	1575 mm
Height:	1820 mm
Wheelbase :	2200 mm
Empty weight :	1250 kg

The Matta was an all - wheel drive off - road vehicle made by Alfa Romeo . The official name was 1900 M with the two versions AR 51 for the military and AR 52 for the civilian version, although the two models hardly differed. The abbreviation AR did not stand for Alfa Romeo, but for Autovetture da Ricognizione (German: Spähwagen). The name Matta means “the madman” in Italian. This name was only given to the car later by the market.

The Italian Ministry of Defense wanted a replacement for the American Jeep in the early 1950s and commissioned the state-owned company Alfa Romeo to design a successor. Similarities to the previously released English Land Rover are unmistakable. The Alfa Romeo 1900 served as the technical basis , so the Matta was probably the only off-road vehicle that was equipped with an engine with two overhead camshafts. The vehicle's output was 65 hp, as the compression was reduced compared to the civil 1900 version. A Matta even took part in the Mille Miglia in 1952 .

The development engineer of the car, Giuseppe Busso , did not present his creation in a typical off-road environment, but instead let him climb stairs. In front of a critical audience, he climbed the stairs of the basilica in the pilgrimage site of Assisi with the first prototype on October 5, 1951 .

The Matta was built from 1952 to 1954, 2007 pieces for the Italian military and 154 civilian versions. From 1954 the army switched to the technically simpler and cheaper Fiat Campagnola .

Web links

Commons : Alfa Romeo Matta - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

www.cuorialfisti.com - detailed and illustrated website for Matta (Italian)

Timeline of Alfa Romeo models from 1945 to today
Type	Independent until 1933, then state-owned																																									from 1986 part of Fiat
	1940s					1950s										1960s										1970s										1980s										1990s										2000s										2010s										2020s
	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0
Small car																																																																MiTo (955)
Compact class																																							Arna
Compact class																												Alfasud											33											145 , 146 (930)							147 (937)									Giulietta (940)
Middle class											Giulietta Berlina							Giulia																Giulietta (type 116)							75							155					156 (932)								159 (939)										Giulia (952)
upper middle class																												Alfetta												90				164										166 (936)
upper middle class	...	6C 2500				1900 Berlina								2000 Berlina				2600 Berlina							1750/2000 Berlina										Alfa 6
Coupe										Giulietta Sprint								Giulia Sprint GT														Alfasud Sprint																												GT (937)
Coupe							1900C sprint / super sprint									2000 sprint		2600 sprint					1750/2000 GT Veloce							Alfetta GT / GTV																			GTV (916)												Brera (939)
Cabriolet											Giulietta Spider							Giulia Spider				Spider ("Duetto")																												Spider (916)												Spider (939)
Cabriolet														2000 spider			2600 spider
Sports car								Disco Volante															Tipo 33			Montreal																			SZ / RZ																		8C Competizione						4C
Off-road vehicle and SUV								Matta																																																																	Stelvio (949)
Vans										Romeo												F12 / A12																			AR6
Vans																																		AR8
of joint venture with Nissan Cooperation between Fiat and Saab: identical parts with Fiat, Lancia and Saab models Identical to Fiat or Iveco