Alfa's first SUV heading COYS' January 2017 Autosport Sale

Officially the nutty Italian was called the AR52, with AR standing for Autovettura da Ricognizione, or reconnaissance vehicle. Alfa designed and built the off-roader in 1952 in response to the Italian army’s request for a postwar Jeep alternative it could call its own.

Alfa came up with a Land Rover-inspired design with independent front suspension, rigid rear axle, four-wheel drum brakes – and the firm’s 65hp 1.9-litre twin-cam engine under the bonnet! When Alfa’s MD saw it he is said to have given it the nickname “Matte”. Or mad.

The government order went to Fiat for its new Campagnola but Alfa persisted and between 1952 and ’54 built 2000 AR52s, most for the Carabinieri but some for private buyers as well.

Perhaps the maddest thing of all is that in 1952 an AR52 took part in the Mille Miglia – and beat the Fiat Campagnola by 42 minutes! One result of that is the AR52 is Mille Miglia eligible today… But where on earth would you find one?

That’s easy: head for Coys auction at Autosport International at the NEC in Birmingham on January 19th where an original AR52 – complete with spade and pickaxe mounted on the back – will be up for grabs, with an estimate of £17-25,000. Coys says it is ready to take on any terrain, including of course the MM re-runs.

The first historic car auction of the new year, the Coys sale also includes a range of interesting competition cars, as you would expect for Autosport International. Two that have caught our eye are the 1964 ex-Roger Ealand multi-championship winning Marcos 1800GT (estimate £40-50,000), and, rather more obscure, the Deep Sanderson 301 coupe.

Designed, built and raced by the late Chris Lawrence, the oddly-named 152mph DS301 racer led the 1000cc class at Le Mans in 1963 until being disqualified in the 20th hour for not covering enough distance. Since then the car has been restored, raced (including an appearance in Revival’s Fordwater Trophy) and is now said to have HTP papers and be ready to race again. Its pre-sale estimate is £60-80,000.

What else is coming up from Coys in 2017

January 14th Grandes Marques sale at Interclassics, Maastricht, Holland. On the same day as Coys Autosport International sale, the Interclassics show is establishing itself as one of the most highly regarded boutique classic car shows in Europe. Lots include everything from a one-owner 1963 Citroen Deux Chevaux (€8-10,000) to a 1978 Porsche 911 Dutch ‘Rijkspolitie’ high speed police car (estimate:  €85-110,000) and a 1956 Austin Healey 100M BN2 Le Mans car with a pre-sale estimate of  €180-220,000.

February 18th Coys at Olympia Fine Historic Automobiles Sale, Olympia, London, in association with Olympia Historic Automobile Fair.

February 18th Coys Classic Sports and Racing Motorcycles Sale, London Motorcycle Show, ExCel, London.

February 25th Coys Historic Motorsport International Sale, ExCel, London.