1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale Coupé
Coachwork by Carrozzeria Bertone
Registration no. Not UK registered
Chassis no. AR 101.21.380576
Engine no. AR 00121.0569

'One of Satta's very remarkable achievements was the creation of a race of modern, mass-produced motor cars which, depending on the model, retain or improve upon the competition-bred thoroughbred qualities of Alfa Romeos of the artisan past.' - Griffith Borgeson, 'Alfa Immagini e Percorsi', 1985.

By the time of the Giulia's introduction in 1962, Alfa Romeo's highly successful 'small car, big performance' formula, begun by the Giulietta in 1954, was well established. The Giulia is one of Alfa Romeo's many imaginative and successful designs produced under the aegis of Dr Orazio Satta Puglia, the company's esteemed Central Director. It was Satta who brought high-volume production to Alfa Romeo with the Giulietta, thereby ensuring the company's future.

The Giulietta range's ultimate incarnation - the Sprint Speciale - had arrived in 1957. Built on a slightly shorter wheelbase than the standard Sprint coupé, which was likewise the work of Carrozzeria Bertone, the mouth-wateringly curvaceous SS came with 100bhp and a five-speed gearbox, while the wind tunnel-developed shape made for an impressive top speed of 125mph. Outwardly almost indistinguishable from the outgoing Giulietta, the Giulia version launched at the Geneva Salon in 1963 boasted front disc brakes and a more powerful (112bhp) and much less fussy 1,570cc version of Alfa's classic twin-cam four. Other notable improvements over the Giulietta version included a redesigned dashboard with additional instrumentation. Only 1,399 of the Bertone-bodied Giulia Sprint Speciales were built between 1963 and 1965, and today this rare model is highly prized by Alfa Romeo connoisseurs.

According to the records held by the Alfa Romeo Archivio Storico, this beautiful Giulia Sprint Speciale left the factory on 23rd November 1963 and was sold on 10th December of that year to its first owner in Piacenza, Northern Italy. Around five years later the car changed hands and was issued with a new Milan number plate. It remained within the same family ownership until some four months ago when it changed hands, passing from the grandson of the second owner to the current vendor.

As the Giulia has always been looked after, it has only required a re-spray and an engine overhaul, which were undertaken approximately four years ago. Since then the car has covered only some 3,000 kilometres. It is described by the vendor as in generally excellent condition and has recently participated at the Tuscany Classics event, where it covered 1,500 kilometres without missing a beat.

A beautiful limited edition Alfa Romeo in the stunning colour combination of dark blue with grey/blue cloth interior, this rare Bertone-styled jewel is offered with Italian registration documents and a (very rare) original instruction manual.