1966 Alfa Romeo Giulia

The Alfa Romeo Giulia was introduced in 1962 and was nearly indistinguishable from the preceding 1.3-litre Giulietta. First introduced in 1954, the 1.3-liter 750 Series Giulietta established the 'small car, big performance' formula which would characterize the Milanese marque's pursuit going forward. Beneath the bonnet of the Series 101 Giulia was the more powerful 1,570cc, twin-cam, four-cylinder engine with approximately 92 horsepower. The engine was paired with a five-speed manual gearbox, and mechanical specifications included an independent front suspension, coil-sprung live rear axle, and disc brakes all round.

The 1966 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 was available as a Spider, Veloce Roadster, Sprint GT Coupe, Speciale Sport Coupe, a T.I. Sedan, GTZ Coupe, GTC Coupe, TZ Coupe, and a 2+2 GTA Coupe. Power was from a dual overhead cam four-cylinder engine that displaced 95.8 cubic inches and had an aluminum block and head. Horsepower ranged from 105 to 126 bhp.

The production of the Sprint Speciale was handled by Bertone. The Sprint Zagato (the GTZ) fastback coupe had an independent rear suspension and an abbreviated Kamm-style tail in the back.

The Giulietta Sprint Speciale (SS) was announced in 1959 and its styling was heavily influenced by the three dramatic Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica (B.A.T.) show cars built in the mid-1950s. The B.A.T. cars were futuristic studies of airflow management combined with lightweight construction. The Giulietta Sprint Speciale personified these characteristics for competition purposes, but in the end, even the alloy-bodied cars were not sufficiently successful as race cars. This configuration as a GT car was more successful. When the Giulietta became the Giulia, the Sprint Speciale continued, and was produced from 1963 to 196 with approximately 1,400 examples built with the new 1,570cc twin cam engine.

The Giulia Sprint GT was launched in 1963 with four-seater coachwork designed by Bertone's Giorgetto Giugiaro, though this was now manufactured not by Bertone but at Alfa's new factory at Arese. It used the recently introduced 105-Series Giulia TI saloon's five-speed manual gearbox, independent front suspension, coil-sprung live rear axle, and four-wheel disc brakes (except for the early cars). The twin-choke Weber carbureted engine produced 106 horsepower and was capable of around 112 mph. Improvements to the inlet ports characterized the more potent (109 horsepower) engine of the Sprint GTV (a.k.a. GT Veloce) introduced for 1967.

The Alfa Romeo Giulia GTC, available between 1964 and 1966, bridged the gap between the aging Giulia Spider to the yet-to-be-released Duetto. It was a four-seater convertible derived from the Giulia GT, with the conversion of the coupe to cabriolet form performed by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan. The last project carried out by Touring before the firm folded in 1966, work involved strengthening the structure to retain rigidity after the removal of the roof. Additional styling updates included a larger boot, wind-up rear quarter-lights, and a slightly more sloping tail. Approximately 999 examples were built.

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Super, introduced in 1965, had a twin Weber carbureted version of the engine, offering 112 horsepower and backed by a floor-mounted gearshift, along with a host of detail changes including the distinctive badge that gives the model its 'Bollo d'Oro' sobriquet.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2011