Garage Find: 1960 Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale
I don’t think it takes knowing Italian to know that Speciale translates into Special and boy is this Alfa Romeo the definition of the word! Not only is the Giulietta Sprint Speciale design absolutely beautiful, but it’s also incredibly aerodynamic with a drag coefficient of just 0.28. With fewer than 1,400 ever built, these Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica inspired Sprints are quite rare and valuable. This one is a partially restored project, with a bulk of the work having already been completed. It’s being offered here on eBay in Washington, Connecticut without a reserve and a current bid of $33k.
While you might expect to find a V12 or some other high output Italian engine, the SS was actually powered by a small twin-cam 4-cylinder. This 1300cc engine was pulled from the standard Giulietta, but was tuned to produce 100 horsepower. It might not sound like much, but between the relatively low weight and how slick the car is, it allows for a top speed over 100 mph. The seller states that this car’s engine has already been rebuilt, but the pictures would suggest that it’s in pieces and still in need of a fair amount of work. A closer inspection is definitely in order to see what condition the major components are in and to ensure that everything important is still present.
We don’t get a good look at the interior, but from this photo, we can see it’s been taken apart. The dash appears to be present though and in decent shape. It would be good to see what condition the upholstery is in, as that can get pricey to replace. The seller states that all of the glass is present, but that the windshield is badly cracked. That piece of glass is available, but the side and rear glass would be a huge challenge to locate, so hopefully, those pieces are all in good shape.
I’ve long been an Alfa Romeo fan, so this one is incredibly tempting! Yes, it needs a massive amount of work and $33k isn’t cheap for a big project, but fully restored it will be worth a considerable amount of money. More importantly, though, it will be an exquisite driving machine. Given the styling and character, I’m honestly surprised these cars aren’t worth more! If this one’s body is solid and the paintwork as nice as it appears in pictures, I think it would be worth every penny of the current bid. How about you?
Auctions Ending Soon
2002 Subaru Impreza WRXBid Now2 days$333
1975 Chevrolet Corvette ConvertibleBid Now2 days$4,000
1964 Ford F-100 Camper CustomBid Now2 days$2,000
2006 Jeep Wrangler SportBid Now4 days$10,500
1974 Datsun 260ZBid Now6 days$750
Comments
Makes me sad when I see a project this far along where the owner either passes or doesn’t have funds or the time to finish. Beautiful lines and color and hopefully someone can see it to the end.
Tempting
These are 6 figure cars when done.
I thought they quit making the Giuletta sprint speciale in 59. Need to check with Fusi on the build date.
It does have the correct DCO3 carbs, those alone are worth around 5k. I hate them and prefer DCOEs but they are correct.
Now to conteplate
A Friend of mine had one parked outside of his auto repair shop.
There was a “crash” noise,& the kid delivering for a local auto parts place
walks through the door.My Friend said “Tell me you didn’t hit the Alfa”.
The kid silently shook his head “yes”.
After calling the kid’s boss at the parts store,my Friend was told –
“Don’t worry,we’ll take care of it”.
Of all the cars he could have hit….
Looks from the front kinda like those Batwings that recently hammered for millions.
Good luck to whoever takes this on.
Sprint Speciale is the production outcome for those BAT shapes and was originally envisioned by Alfa as a racer to beat the Zagato SZ, but too heavy, so never could. It just became a very expensive flagship model.
Long way from getting sold at current bid.
This is not a Giulietta it’s a Giulia. My brother drove one for years.
No I think it is a Giulietta and not a Giulia.
The Giulietta SS was made up until 1962 with the Giulia SS beginning production in 1963.
The Giulietta used DCO3 carbs and had a 1300cc engine, which this car has, and the Giulia has the much better DCOE’s and a 1600cc.
Looking at the chassis and engine number in Fusi’s book and the Sprint Speciale registry shows that this is actually a 1961 build and it was built around July of 1961. I am fairly certain there is a typo in the VIN number on ebay and it should be 177160 and not 171160 as the later does not exist. Also the vin’s for Giulia SS was 380### with the first one being 380001 and is in the Alfa Romeo museum and with a build date in early 1963 and the last one 381401 with a build date September of 1965.
This one is certainly a Giulietta.
Robert Roberge,
Once again, I am in total agreement with you. It’s also why it can be a Giulia, and not a 1960 Giulietta.
Bill & Robert, how about more detail as to why you disagree with Kevin. We’re all here to learn something.
Kenn,
I now believe Kevin has more knowledge about these than I do.
I stand by what I said about my bro’s vehicle, it was a Giulia but I don’t recall the year. Obviously Kevin is privy to more info than I have and I stand corrected about this particular vehicle.
Is that a Matta in the background?!? (Not something you see every day…)
This listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available.
Although these cars are out of my price league, I would have to agree that they will be worth much more at some point.