Well known example, one of three in the UK - Rare period off roader with 1900cc Alfa-Romeo Twin Cam - Mille Miglia eligible A rare four-wheel-drive machine developed by Alfa Romeo in the early 1950s, the 1900M “Matta” (Italian for “mad” or “crazy”) was built for the Italian military in response to the government’s call for a light reconnaissance and utility vehicle in the mold of the American Willys Jeep and the (then still relatively new) Land Rover Series I.

Introduced in 1951, Alfa-Romeo’s offering went by the model name the AR 51 (Autovettura da Ricognizione, or “Reconnaissance Vehicle”), with a civilian variant named the AR 52.

The exotic 1900cc engine used an aluminum alloy cross-flow head, double overhead cams, overhead spark plugs, and hemispherical combustion chambers, common features in high-end race cars, but completely unheard of in off-road vehicles of the time.

The Matta’s off-road performance was praised in early military testing, with a climbing ability of up to a 20...