Upgraded Engine: 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale
Alfa’s Sprint Speciale punched above its weight on several metrics. While the 1900 series gave Alfa a toehold in the mass market – where success was a must if the company was to recover from the war – the Giulietta family of sedans and sports cars assured its survival. Though only 1366 Giulietta Sprint Speciales were made from 1959 to 1963, and its engine displaced a mere 1290 cc’s, its stylish looks and refined performance helped propel Alfa’s post-war efforts. Today’s example bears a dash of patina and an engine swap. Araknid78 rustled up this tip for us – thanks for sending along these exotics, Araknid78!
The Sprint Speciale was made in two series – the Giulietta, with production ending in 1963, and then the Giulia, lasting until 1966. The two were differentiated by minor cosmetics and engine type. The early engine, a 1290 cc twin overhead cam four-cylinder breathing through two Weber carburetors, was good for 110 hp. With the Giulia version, the engine was upgraded to 1570 ccs, and output rose to 128 hp. A five-speed manual was standard on both cars. Considering that an early Sprint Speciale tips the scales at only 1900 lbs, the 1570 transplanted into this chassis should make this car fly. On the other hand, it retains the Giulietta’s early drum brakes, whereas a Giulia was equipped with discs in front. The new owner might want to mind that the “whoa” matches the “go”!
The dashboards offer a way to distinguish the two Sprint Speciale series from each other: the Giulietta has a painted dash topped with leather, while the Giulia adds a boundary of leather along the entire lower edge. The round binacle encasing the gauges is a distinctively vintage touch in this early car, too. This example’s upholstery and carpets have been refreshed recently, though its paint exhibits a few cracks and thin spots.
Franco Scaglione at Bertone – responsible for styling Alfa’s fabulous BAT cars – penned these lovely lines, too. The family resemblance is easy to spot, and contributed to a strong upsurge in Sprint Speciale prices from about 2010 to 2015. However, the trend has flattened, and nice examples still hover around $150k. This car sold in 2019 through Gooding & Company for about $75k, and is now scheduled to cross the block on October 12, represented by Broad Arrow. The estimate is $55k to $65k, offering a potentially reasonable price to the collector yearning to own a usable version of the sensational Sprint Speciale.
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Comments
To me, the Sprint Speciale is one of the most beautiful cars ever built.
Very beautiful Alfa
I know next to nothing about Alfa Romeos, but here’s what I think: this is an achingly beautiful car that I would love to own. Born the same year as me. I’m certain it would be quite a pleasure to drive and to caretake, and I could easily see it in my garage (arrivederci, 911SC). This seems to occupy a sweet spot; an exotic that might be maintainable (mostly) on one’s own. In inflation adjusted dollars, the 2019 owner paid over $92k. That seems like quite the hit, but there are so few of these that even one sale can probably impact the market for better or worse. I’m thinking this might be a good deal, particularly if one is looking for a driver that will hold some value.
Well-kept Alfas of this era are easy and relatively inexpensive to maintain. The main thing is no rust and all trim is presnt.
Not everone is convinced that the SS is a great-looking car, but they do command respect.
If there is anything that drives better than an Alfa it’s another Alfa. Beauty!
This seems like a good value way to get something special. For me, the SS has always been enigmatic more than charismatic. Alfa asked Bertone to come up with a race car to beat the unofficial Zagato Giuliettas which were then dominant in 1300cc racing.
The SS failed to do this, overblown and overweight from the start, it developed into a very expensive range topper which didn’t sell very well because of price. 1300cc for E-type plus money! Meanwhile Alfa made the supply of Zagato SZ official and solved the racer problem….
Personally, I would buy the best Alfa Junior Zagato I could find (SZs start at $250K so are not an option).
It’s too bad there weren’t more photos…side or profile views and front and rear quarter views, so we could appreciate those lines.
There are 95 pictures. How many more do you want?
I counted 4 pictures.
Check the grid in the upper right corner of the main picture
Beauty!
Am I mistaken or is there a lil nod to the MB 300 SL there?
Again, a beauty and reasonably priced for what you’re getting!
GLWTS!
Having owned one I liked the steering and the engine note, but disliked the near-the-floor seat squab, and the extraordinarily long doors. I bought it for great looks and traded it for a Deutsch Bonnet HBR5 which I found more technically engaging and better handling.
The early ones had 3 shoe drums in front. When set up right, they’re better than a disc brake. Handling is superb.
If it were in my garage I could sit and just look at it for hours.
I was told I owned the Paris show car Giulietta Sprint Speciale from 1962. It had a different front end with covered plexiglass headlights. A neat car, but I paid around $6,000 for it in 1989. It was sitting in a yard in Poway, California when I bought it.
Lot 113 |
The Chattanooga Auction 2024
12 October 2024
Sold Price:
$72,800