1960' Alfa Romeo Giulietta

Restored in the USA, where it spent most of its life, this very smart example of Alfa Romeo’s Pinin Farina-penned Giulietta Spider (here in more potent and desirable Veloce form) is a recent import into the UK

PRICE £POA
YEAR 1960
ENGINE 1290cc/ 4-cyl/ DOHC/ twin-Weber 40 DCOE carburettors
POWER [email protected]
MAXIMUM SPEED 113mph
0-60MPH 11. 0sec
GEARBOX RWD, four-speed manual
MILEAGE 82, 208 miles
MOT 12 months from sale
CHASSIS NUMBER 1495F 07553
ENGINE NUMBER 1315 31847
COLOUR Grigio Grafite
INTERIOR Red leather
WIDTH 1540mm
LENGTH 3400mm
HEIGHT 1180mm

BACKGROUND
The Giulietta made its debut as an Alfa Romeo model at the 1954 Turin Motor Show, initially as the Sprint 2+2 coupe, with a handsome and sleek design by Franco Scaglione at Bertone. And it wasn’t just great-looking, it also had the substance to go with its style, thanks to Alfa Romeo’s new rev-happy Twin-Cam engine. This 1290cc double overhead camshaft all-alloy motor gave sparkling performance (for the era) and was such an advanced unit that Alfa Romeo would continue using it right the way through until 1994with modifications of course. It genuinely was that good!

The Giulietta proved a runaway success and one year later, it was joined by the Berlina four-door saloon, with a more conventional family car appearance. Things got more exciting again a few months later with the birth of the Spider convertible. This was very sharply styled by Pinin Farina (the change to Pininfarina, with no space, didn’t happen until 1961), who created a lithe and lovely al fresco Alfa. Just for good measure, there was also an estate model, the intriguingly-named Giulietta Promiscua, but very few were built.

Standard form for Giuliettas was known as ‘Normale’, and saw a single Solex carburettor fitted, giving 52bhp. However, for those who wanted a little more, there was ‘Veloce’ spec, which used twin Weber carburettors, a cold-air intake, more aggressive cam profiles, high-compression pistons and other upgrades to boost power to 89bhp. Which in something as lightweight as the Spider meant a very useable top speed of 113mph, and the sprint to 60mph being accomplished in a very tidy 11 seconds.

When the whole Giulietta range was revamped, changing designation from the 750 to the 101 series in the process, the Spider received a longer wheelbase plus some other tweaks. With the launch of the similar-looking Giulia Spider in 1962, boasting a 1. 6-litre Twin-Cam engine, the writing was on the wall for the open-top Giulietta, and it went out of production that year. In total, 14, 300 Spiders were built over a seven-year period, with an additional 2796 being Veloces. They are among the most collectable of the breed today.

OUR CAR
According to the records that accompany this Alfa Romeo, it was dispatched when new over the Atlantic to the Hoffman Motor Company of New York, and sold during March 1960. While not much is known of most of its American life, it was restored out there during 2015 and 2016, which included a repaint in its original Grigio Grafite finish. The engine, transmission, generator and rear end were also rebuilt and the chrome trim was replated. There are invoices for the work done in the file, as well as pictures of the job being undertaken, so any new owner can see just how comprehensive the job was.

The car made its way back over the Atlantic in 2020, albeit to the UK rather than its original homeland of Italy. Since then, it has seen very little use, with a recorded mileage of 82, 208 miles. Thus it remains in extremely good condition, inside and out. All the vital Veloce features are present and correct to prove this is a genuine example of the higher performance Giulietta, for there are some ‘replicas’ around. The speedometer and rev counters read higher than on the Normale models, there’s a blanking plate in the centre of the dash where the choke would be on standard cars alongside the other three switches, the twin Weber carburettors are all present and correct, and the stamped chassis number correctly starts ‘1495F’. The engine number also begins with ‘1315’, as it should.

The paperwork file is a hefty one, and that’s even without a lot of the car’s 20th century American history surviving. However, there is an Arizona Certificate of Title along with a lot of early 21st century invoices and literature including, of course, those all-important restoration details including the photographic record of its rebuild.

BODYWORK
With its renovation in the USA having been completed just six years ago, the Alfa’s external condition is still excellent. The stunning but subtle grey paintwork suits the car’s compact and elegant lines, especially with the contrasting chrome trim.

The exterior is still immaculate; there are one or two marks here or there to show the passage of time, but nothing at all significant, and you need to scrutinise the body closely to find any blemishes at all. A tiny chip in the paint on the right-hand rear wheel arch is the only real imperfection, and something easily rectified.

All the chrome, replated during the restoration, remains very shiny and bright without any tarnishing. Vredestein Sprint Classic 165 HR15 86H tyres are fitted all around, with plenty of life left in them, surrounding silver-painted steel wheels that haven’t been kerbed or scraped. The chrome hubcaps are all in excellent order.

INTERIOR
While the outside may be toned down, the inside is anything but. It’s very bright red leather, with door cards and carpets to match. The latter are protected by black rubber mats with Alfa Romeo branding. There is very little to fault with the basic but still stylish interior. The seats don’t even look as if they’ve been sat in, and the mats have done a superb job of protecting the carpets from any marking. The painted dashboard is free from any scratching while the sculpted dashtop padding exhibits no cracking. All the gauges look like comparatively recent fitments, with no fading to the lettering The plastic steering wheel boss has some minor wear, suggesting it might well be the original item.

All the electrics, controls and gauges function as they should – not always a given on older Italian cars, which can sometimes be a little temperamental with electricity as many owners will testify to. However, this one has been treated to a new custom-made wiring harness as part of the extensive work on it. The centre of the rev counter features an oil pressure gauge, and it gives healthy readings at idle and when underway, whether cold or hot. The cockpit looks to be completely standard; not even a radio has been fitted. The single speaker in the centre of the dash still has its Pinin Farina-branded bar across its middle.

The boot matches the rest of the car in condition, with another Alfa Romeo-logoed rubber mat protecting a practically unmarked steel floor. By the look of the paint on the walls and rear bulkhead, it doesn’t look like the boot has been used to carry anything much since the car’s rebuild (and certainly nothing hard that could cause any damage if moving around). The battery, mounted on the right of the boot, has a quick release terminal so the Spider can be easily immobilised.

ENGINE AND RUNNING GEAR
As with nearly everything else on this Alfa, the engine bay has been well-detailed indeed. There is some isolated mottling on some of the aluminium components, but it’s the usual sort of level you’d expect from an environment that is subjected to high extremes of heat. The grey paint that surrounds the slanted twin-cam motor is very clean and remarkably devoid of any grime. While old ancillaries can often develop surface rust, there’s little of that here.

Everything appears oil-tight, with all fluids at healthy levels, and the wiring and pipework is as it should be, with no evidence of DIY tinkering. The white insulation material underneath the bonnet lid has a tendency to break up over time, but here it’s all completely intact save for some superficial smears of oil, with the added bonus of the chassis and lubrication metal plates on the strengthening crossbars looking practically brand new.

The car starts and runs well, even from cold – its rebuild was obviously to a very competent standard. There are no worrying noises from within, and under acceleration, there’s that most endearing and intoxicating rorty exhaust note that just screams classic European roadster. The twin carburettors do pack quite a punch when prompted, with the Alfa hunkering down under the urgent command of your right foot. The handling is precise and engaging and the brakes very effective, especially for a machine originating from the 1950s. This is a very fun and car to drive; a simple, small sports car that showcases exactly the sort of performance and precision that Alfa Romeo has always been the master of.

SUMMARY
All the hard (and expensive) work has already been done on this Spider – it’s been professionally and painstakingly cosmetically restored and mechanically rebuilt, and little-driven since then. The result is a very desirable and rare Alfa Romeo (remember, only 2796 Veloces were built) that is highly sought after in both the UK and USA and thus commands a considerable premium over its Normale stablemates. It drives just as well as it looks, and now needs nothing doing save for looking after and enjoying. Definitely a car that will make the coming summer – and all other summers after that – a lot more special.

Whilst Greenside Cars Ltd has tried to ensure information and assessments are accurate and complete, we are aware that some errors and omissions may occur from time to time. We are not able, therefore, to guarantee the accuracy of information and cannot accept liability for loss or damage arising from it. We highly recommend that you examine any vehicle to check the reliability of the information supplied. Please contact us for further details, images, or to arrange a viewing of this Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Veloce.