1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale Berlinetta
With the introduction of the Giulietta in 1954, Alfa Romeo established the 'small car, big performance' formula which would characterise the Milanese marque's finest offerings from then on. Alfa's classic twin-cam four was downsized to 1,290ccc for the Giulietta, gaining an alloy cylinder block in the process. The original Bertone-styled Sprint Coupé was soon joined by Berlina and Spider versions, and then in 1957 came the model now recognised as the ultimate Giulietta - the Sprint Speciale – which was the first of the new 101-Series cars. Built on a slightly shorter wheelbase than the standard Sprint, and again the work of Bertone, the mouth-wateringly curvaceous 'SS' came with 100bhp on tap, a five-speed gearbox and a top speed of 125mph. Compact, aerodynamically efficient and very powerful for its size, the SS proved highly successful in 1,300cc class racing the world over. A mere 1,366 had been produced by the time the model was superseded in 1963, and today this rare Giulietta variant is highly prized by Alfa Romeo connoisseurs.
Bonhams will be offering this example at their upcoming Amelia Island auction on the 9th March. For more information on this and other vehicles at the sale, click on the link below. Photos courtesy of Bonhams.