Alfa Romeo 1900 Companion

A Note About Peter's Corner...Back when Joost still had a website, we were blessed with monthly musings by 1900 guru Peter Marshall, and Peter has agreed to re-start Peter's Corner on some schedule that suits his workload. Here's the first one...

April, 2022...Bits and Bobs...
Prompted by a discussion between Joost, Bob, Dan, Giuseppe and I, about non-standard lights that have been fitted to various 1900s, I thought it might be of interest to say what original 1900 lights might be found on some other cars …and expanded that to electrical generally. It is not always going to be helpful, e.g. to know that something is fitted to a Testa Rossa Ferrari because one seldom (ever?!) comes across one that has been trashed, but a Fiat 600 is another matter ~ even if all cars 60 years old are now collected.

In random order:

Rear light, 1^st series 1900 Berlina, 1^st series 1900C Touring Tipo1 & Tipo2, 1900 Pinin
                     Farina coupé and cabriolet
                       • Some Ferrari 166 and Moretti, Stabilimenti Farina Lancia Aurelia
                       • Good repro available
                       Lenses as for early Fiat 500 but the rims are spun on and will need cutting
                       and/or other careful work

Rear light, 1900CSS Touring Tipo 3

• Ferrari Testa Rossa, Dual Ghia ? (one of which used 2 pairs)
• Lenses (with reflectors) Good repro available

Rear light, 1900CSS Touring Tipo 4

• Some early Giulietta Sprint but not the two-lens of the earliest ones

Front parking/indicator light, 1900 application as above
• interchangeable amongst 1900s.
• Good repro available

Front parking/indicator light, 1900CSS Touring Tipo 3
• Some Lancia Appia

Front parking/indicator light, 1900CSS Touring Tipo 4
• Early Giulietta and Giulietta sprint

Fog lights, 1900CSS Touring Tipo 3
• Lancia Aurelia B20 GT. Fiat 1100 TV, caution needed because some are
round, but only some are slightly oval as the Tipo 3

Fog lights, 1900 Primavera
• Fiat 1900 Granluce

Front headlight glasses. These need some care. Usually Carello, but Marchal are
                         likely to have been fitted to cars sent new to France or special order.
                         Early are plain vertical fluted. Later have CARELLO across the centre,
                         and some project about 12mm with fine fluting on the edge. Primavera
                         headlights have an additional parking light bulb within the lamp.
                       • L ancia Aurelia

Front headlight glasses, Matta
• Alfa Giulietta

Fascia lights, 1900C and 1900CSS
                       • Alfa Giulietta. To be strictly correct, most (certainly for early 1900s)
                                     electrical items have a screw/holed brass lug for attaching wiring and
                         not bullet or spade connectors

Under-hood light, 1900C Touring, Tipos 1 and 2
• Alfa 2600 similar

Pull switches, etc. Lucas, even if the knobs are NOT

Toggle Switches, 1900C and 1900 CSS
• Fiat 600

Main fuse box and cover,
                       • 1900 Lucas (early should have their small, less than 10mm diameter
                          logo on the cover.
                       • Later and repro are without)

Indicator and brake light control box, on pre *10000* 1900C/CSS are by Carello.
                       • Aurelia use them too
                       • Lucas made a similar box fitted to many English cars with combined                          stop/tail/indicator lights with a single bulb having twin filaments
                       • Holden make equivalent repro ones.

Windscreen wiper motor, Touring Tipo 1–3,Magneti Marelli TGE 30
• similar also used on Fiat 600

Windscreen wiper motor, Touring Tipo 4 are Lucas so no great problem

Distributor, Some 1900s Magneti Marelli S71- and S73-
• Various Alfa Giulietta

Dynamo (Generator),
                                   (Pre *10001* 1900CSS, these are Magneti Marelli DN22- with an eccentric
                        pulley).
                       • Lancia Aurelia B20 use them too
                       Post *10000*, they have a concentric pulley, so that Lucas can be used
                        but believed not be original for European market

Starter Motor, Most early 1900s have Magneti Marelli MT 23-. The later have
Bosch which has an extra support to the rear
• Maserati 3500GT use MT 23 -