Engine No. AR 1315 32444

In 1955, the Giulietta Sprint was outclassed by the Porsche 356 during the Mille Miglia, finishing 3rd in class and prompting Alfa Romeo to significantly improve the performance of the model by reducing weight and increasing the power output. The resulting Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce dominated the 1,300-cc class at the 1956 Mille Miglia, taking four of the top six places. Finishing 15th Overall and 3rd in class that year was the then 26-year-old Swede, Joakim "Jo" Bonnier. So impressed were Alfa Romeo with his performance that he was gifted an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce "Alleggerita"-translating to lightened-finished in Azzurro Nube (Cloud Blue) the very same car offered for sale here. Bonnier would, of course, go on to compete at the highest level of motorsport in Formula One and continued to have a highly successful career in sports car racing throughout the late 1950s, the entire 1960s and into the 1970s until his untimely passing at Le Mans in 1972.

Introduced at the Turin Motor Show in 1954, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Coupe, penned by Franco Scaglione at Bertone, was a supremely elegant motorcar and suited perfectly the requirement for fast but economical motoring in post-war Italy. Although elegant and possessing many of the attributes required for competition, the Giulietta was ultimately underpowered and overweight. To address these problems Alfa Romeo first turned their attention to the twin-overhead camshaft 1,290-cc four-cylinder engine. Internally the compression ratio was raised from 8.5:1 to 9.1:1, larger valves were employed together with more exciting camshaft profiles. Externally the single Solex carburetor was replaced with two twin-choke Weber 40 DCO 2 units, and the inlet manifold was designed for better airflow. Power increased from 80 horsepower to 90.

With the enhancement in engine power dealt with, Alfa Romeo turned to reducing weight, and for competition-minded owners, produced around 600 Alleggerita examples. The Alleggerita featured Plexiglas rear and side windows, the latter being slide operated to avoid the necessity for window winding mechanism. Together with the lights, the windows were surrounded by lightweight aluminum trim. In terms of bodywork, lighter steel was used for non-lead bearing panels, and aluminum was again employed for the doors, bonnet, boot lid, and bumpers. The spartan interior featured thinner seats, and lacked conveniences like a glove box, sun visors, sound proofing, or a rear seat. Even the doors had fixed arm rests and net pockets for storage. Overall, the combined measures yielded a weight saving of roughly 70 kilograms. Further performance enhancements included a floor-shift gear lever and a 65-liter fuel tank with the option of an 80-liter tank for endurance racing. Aside from class dominance at the Mille Miglia, the Alleggerita Alfa Romeos claimed class wins at the Tour De France, Nürburgring 1000 Kms and outright victory in the Alpine Rally, to name but a few.

This example, chassis number 02508, was completed on 24th July 1956 and delivered two days later to Stockholm, Sweden, according to Museo Storico Alfa Romeo records. It was gifted new to Jo Bonnier, part of the wealthy Bonnier family, who were the Swedish importers for Alfa Romeo. Bonnier campaigned the Alfa Romeo with considerable success during the late summer of 1956, contesting three of northern Europe's premier GT 1300 events. The car's racing debut came at the Coppa Inter-Europa at Monza, followed two weeks later by its most celebrated triumph at Berlin's AVUS circuit, where Bonnier exploited the Veloce Alleggerita's reduced mass and added power to outclass his GT 1300 rivals, securing a class victory. A fantastic period photo on file captures 02508 on the steep banking of the AVUS circuit wearing start number 99. The season concluded that October with Bonnier's last competitive outing in the Alfa at the Rome Grand Prix at Castelfusano.

Following Bonnier's initial racing campaign, the car found its way to fellow Swede Olle Rehnvall in 1958, who immediately integrated chassis 02508 into the Swedish motorsport scene. Early outings at the Västkustloppet (Skrea) and Kanonloppet (Gelleråsen) yielded solid top‑ten placings, as Rehnvall familiarized himself with the Veloce. By season's end, he had translated that familiarity into outright class victories, claiming a trio of consecutive wins in September and October at Gelleråsen and Skarpnäck. After another impressive campaign in 1959 including multiple top-ten finishes and a further victory, Rehnvall's mastery of chassis 02508 peaked in the winter of 1960, when he captured the Swedish national ice‑racing championship in the Turist 1300 category after a string of triumphant lake‑frozen events, and later added the track title to his résumé with further top‑step results on tarmac circuits. Securing a further four podium finishes in 1961, chassis 02508's dual championship success under Rehnvall's hand cemented its reputation as one of the most accomplished Alleggerita examples of its era.

The car remained in Sweden until 2012 when it returned to Italy and was fully restored over a two-year period. The original engine had long since been replaced, perhaps no surprise given the competition history of the car. The current engine, number AR 1315 32444, is reported to be a correct-type 1,290-cc Sprint Veloce unit from 1957. Post restoration, the Alfa Romeo was acquired by Alain de Cadenet, a famous Alfisti and, of course, ex-Le Mans racer and team owner during the 1970s and '80s. A great loss to the motoring world, Alain passed away in 2022 and his cherished Alfa Romeo subsequently joined the current caretaker.

Of the circa 600 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce Alleggerita produced, it is thought that only around 10 percent are known to have survived. No doubt all are desirable, but this example with previous Formula One ace ownership and competition use in period, must surely be one of the most exciting examples to have survived. The very fact that Alain de Cadenet selected the car for his personal collection is telling as to the quality of the car and its provenance. Eligible for a plethora of top-flight events such as the Mille Miglia Storica, Tour Auto, and Le Mans Classic, the new owner will be able to enjoy the Alleggerita Alfa Romeo's enhanced performance and lightweight construction to the maximum in historic events all over the world.

Jo Bonnier

Joakim "Jo" Bonnier was a prolific racing driver and the first Swede to both race in Formula One and win a Grand Prix. A works driver for the likes of Maserati, BRM, and Porsche, he competed in the sport's top category between 1956 and 1971.

As was commonplace at the time he also competed at the front of sports and GT racing and was a 13-time starter at the Le Mans 24 Hours with a best result coming alongside Graham Hill in 1964 in a Ferrari 330P3 where the duo finished 2nd overall. Tragically in the 1972 running of the race, he was killed when he crashed a self-entered Lola T280.

Earlier in his career and on his way up through the ranks, Bonnier owned and raced numerous small-capacity Alfa Romeo's and competed across Europe in events such as the Mille Miglia. Cutting his teeth in such machines allowed him to forge a reputation which then led to him becoming one of the most recognized and respected names of the period.