As soon as BangShift web geek Michael Julian from Route2Media sent me this one, I laughed my ass off. Not only because he was being funny, but also because I knew that Brian would want this little sucker in a big way. It’s not really a “Jeep”. It looks like one sorta, but it’s actually a 1953 Alfa Romeo AR51 Matta. That means Jeep in Italian. And this one is a super bitchin survivor that we want. Bad.
See, it’s funny because Michael likes Alfa Romeos. So it has become the standing joke that Michael will pop off with some Alfa comment that will make everyone laugh. So his email to me about this Ebay Find was simply titled “If you are going to own a Jeep…”, and then the first line of the email was “Why not make it an Alfa…”. Typical Michael. But in this case he’s right.
I think this thing is ultra cool, and sounds like some of the features are really trick for the time. It’s tiny, and yet seems to be super capable. Like we needed something else to add to the list of cars we would own. Damn you Michael.
The AR51 Matta features a 64 horse, 90 lb ft, 1900cc DOHC, Dry Sump Equipped engine, 4 wheel drive, drum brakes, 4 speed trans with dual range transfer case, and independent front suspension. It’s a tiny little thing too. The track width is just 51 inches, with an 86 inch wheelbase. It weighs 2755 lbs, and will go 65 mph. 2007 AR51’s were produced for the Italian Army between 1952 and 1954. The AR52, civilian version, is even more rare at only 154 produced.
Check it out and buy it. Nobody you know will have one. The link for the original Ebay Ad is below.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO EBAY AND BID ON THIS BITCHIN LITTLE AR51.
