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1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta

Alfa Romeo quickly returned to automobile production after World War II ended, but it was not until 1950 before a new design became available. Dubbed the Model 1900, it was a unit body sedan powered by a twin overhead camshaft 1,884cc four-cylinder. All previous Alfa Romeo automobiles had been largely hand-built, while the 1900 was the first Alfa Romeo model built on a real production line, which helped production increase almost tenfold.

1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta photo
Spider
Chassis #: AR1495*03083
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Auction entries : 1
Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint
Alfa Romeo's second new postwar design, the Giulietta, was introduced in 1954 and came equipped with a dual overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine with a displacement size of 1,290cc. It was a unibody 2+2 coupe called 'Sprint' and was designed by Franco Scaglione at Bertone and produced at the coachbuilder's Grugliasco plant near Turin. Early examples were hand-built by Alfa Romeo with bodywork provided by Bertone, and the electrical and interior components were courtesy of Ghia. As few as 200 and as many as 1,000 of these 'pre-production' examples were constructed in this manner.

Giulietta Body Styles
A four-door saloon Berlina was introduced in April 1955 at the Turin Motor Show and a two-seat Giulietta Spider by Pinin Farina arrived in mid-1955. The Berlina was particularly popular, with nearly 193,000 examples built in eleven years.

The Giulietta T.I. (Turismo Internazionale) was introduced in 1957 as a more potent version of the Berlina, with styling updates to its hood, rear lamps, and dial lights. The Giulietta Promiscua was a station wagon built by Carrozzeria Colli and ninety-one examples were built. Carrozzeria Boneschi also produced a limited quantity of station wagons dubbed the Weekendina.

1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta photo
Spider
Chassis #: AR00106-00512
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Auction entries : 2
Two limited-production joined the standard models in 1957, the Sprint Speciale and the Sprint Zagato. The former was a long-tail coupe bodied by Bertone and the latter was a short-tail version by that Milanese coachbuilder.

Giulietta Production
A total of 39,057 examples of the Berlina, 92,728 of the TI, 14,300 of the Spider, and 24,084 of the Sprint. An additional 3,058 examples were Sprint Veloce and 2,796 were Spider Veloce.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale (SS) (Tipo 101.2)
The Turin Motor Show of 1957 played host to the debut of the Giulietta Sprint Speciale. Designed by Franco Scaglione, it was constructed by the same team at Bertone that was responsible for the three Alfa Romeo B.A.T. (Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica) prototypes between 1953 and 1955. A second prototype with more conservative bodywork, was exhibited in Geneva in 1958. The second prototype formed the basis for the production of the Giulietta SS.

1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta photo
Spider
Chassis #: AR1495*01864
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Alfa Romeo intended the 'SS' as an exclusive version of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint and 1,366 examples were produced through 1962. The early prototypes were built of aluminum, while production examples had steel bodies on a short-wheelbase Giulietta chassis.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce Zagato (SVZ)
Zagato re-bodied a Giulietta Sprint Veloce that Carlo Leto di Priolo crashed during the 1956 Mille Miglia. Its lightweight and aerodynamic coachwork quickly excelled in competition, leading to an additional sixteen to eighteen examples. These versions are known as the SVZ. A highly tuned, 116-horsepower version of the Giulietta engine was complemented by the coupes lightweight construction and aerodynamic form. It was devoid of non-essential items and Perspex was used for the side windows.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato (SZ) (Tipo 101.26)
Privateers and the Alfa Romeo took notice of Zagato's SVZ, as they often rivaled GT cars of far greater displacement. Impressed by their work, Alfa Romeo contracted Carrozzeria Zagato to build a limited run of factory-sanctioned racing cars.

1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta photo
Spider
Chassis #: AR 1495.00991
Engine #: AR 1315.40953
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Auction entries : 1
The SZ or 'Sprint Zagato,' was introduced at the 1960 Geneva Motor Show and intended as a special version of Alfa Romeo's Giulietta more suited for competition. They had a short-wheelbase platform of the spider and fitted with a full-synchromesh five-speed gearbox, the Tipo AR120 engine, and finned aluminum drum brakes. Minimal, lightweight, and aerodynamic aluminum hand-built coachwork wore virtually no ornamentation and Plexiglass was used for the windows. The interior contained two tube-frame seats, vinyl upholstery, and a three-gauge instrument binnacle.

Approximately two hundred and seventeen examples of the Sprint Zagato were built. Approximately 187 had the original design with a rounded rear, while the final thirty (as many as 46) had a longer Kamm-style rear end (and front disc brakes). The original round tail design was known as the 'Conda Tonda' (round tail), and the Kamm design was referred to as the 'Coda Tronca' (truncated tail).

The Alfa Romeo SZ was instrumental in securing a victory in the 1.3-litre class of the International Championship for GT Manufacturers in 1962 and 1963.

Carrozzeria Zagato
Ugo Zagato founded Carrozzeria Zagato in 1920 after an apprenticeship in Cologne and working for Corrozzeria Varesina in Italy. The shop was based in Milan, and the first project used a Fiat 501 chassis. Subsequent bodies were built on Fiat, Bianchi, Diatto, and Itala chassis. To help sustain the business, the young company also made aircraft parts.

1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta photo
SVZ Sprint Coupe by Zagato
Chassis #: AR149304458
Engine #: 1315
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Auction entries : 2
The lightweight sports bodies they created were formed from aluminum, including the memorable Alfa Romeo 6C roadsters of the late 1920s and early 1930s. With war on the horizon, Zagato built truck cabs for Isotta Fraschini until his plant was bombed in 1943. A new factory was established in 1946, and with the assistance of his eldest son, Elio, Zagato began building coupe and spider bodies for Fiat.

Zagato re-kindled its relationship with Alfa Romeo during the mid-1950s, creating bodies for the 1900 SS and the Giulietta Sprint Zagato coupes.

Giulietta Mechanical Specifications
Both the Berlina and Sprint rested on a 93.7-inch wheelbase platform, while the Spider had a shortened 88.6-inch wheelbase. The Berlina was the longest of the three, with a length of 158.8 inches. The Sprint measured 156.7 inches in length and the Spider at 153.5 inches.

1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta photo
Spider
Chassis #: AR 1495.02134
Engine #: AR 1315.41926
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Auction entries : 1
The front-engine, rear-wheel-drive Giulietta used unibody construction and was suspended at the front by control arms, with coaxial coil springs and hydraulic dampers. The rear suspension was comprised of coil springs, hydraulic dampers, and a solid axle. Nearly all Giuliettas used hydraulic drum brakes; the final SZ examples had front disc brakes.

Giulietta Engine
The Alfa Romeo Giulietta was powered by a Twin Cam straight-four-cylinder engine with an aluminum alloy engine block, cast iron inserted sleeves, and hemispherical combustion chambers. It had a 2.91-inch bore and 2.95-inch stroke, with a total displacement size of 1,290cc. A pair of timing chains drove the double overhead camshafts, acting on two valves per cylinder. A crossflow design was used for the aluminum alloy cylinder head.

The Berlina had one downdraught single-choke and 7.5:1 compression, resulting in 52 horsepower at 5,500 RPM. Output rose to 61 bhp in 1961 following revisions to the engine and the installation of a new exhaust system.

1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta photo
Sprint Coupe by Bertone
Chassis #: AR 1493E*04347*
The Giulietta T.I. had a downdraught twin-choke with 8.5:1 compression and produced 65 bhp at 6,100 RPM (73 bhp in 1961 following the engine revisions).

Veloce
Veloce in Italian means 'fast.' Thus, 'Veloce' represented a higher specification of the Giulietta. A pair of side-draught twin-choke carburetors and higher compression (9.1:1) helped boost output to 90 bhp at 6,500 RPM. This was a significant improvement over the original engine's output of 52 bhp at 5,500 RPM. The Sprint Speciale and Sprint Zagato had slightly higher (9.7:1) compression and produced nearly 100 bhp at 6,500 RPM.

Styling Updates
1959
Alfa Romeo introduced styling revisions to its Giulietta Berlina in 1959 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. These updates were significant enough to change the type designation for all models from Tipo 750 and 753 to 101. Noticeable updates were made to the front, with recessed headlights, a new grille with chrome frames and two horizontal bars, and more rounded wings. In the back, the previous rounded rear wings were replaced by larger tail lights on vestigial fins.

1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta photo
Spider
Chassis #: AR149501529
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Auction entries : 1
The interior received a new cloth interior and a more organized dashboard layout. A strip speedometer had two round bezels on either side, and on the T.I., it had a tachometer and oil and water temperature gauges.

Mechanical updates were minimal, with relocating the fuel pump from the cylinder head to a lower position below the distributor. The previously exposed fuel filler cap was moved from the tail to the right rear wing, under a flap.

The 'Normale' retained the small round lamp with no decorations, but the T.I. was given a front side repeater mounted in a small spear.

1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta photo
Sprint Coupe by Bertone
Chassis #: AR1493/E 04159
Engine #: AR1315 30598
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Auction entries : 2
1961
In the Autumn of 1961, Alfa Romeo introduced a second styling update for both the Normale and T.I.versions. The front square mesh side grilles were now pieced together with the center shield, and the rear was given larger taillights. The previous bench seats were replaced by individual seats, and storage nets were on the seatbacks.

A new exhaust system and updates to the engine boosted output to 61 horsepower for the Normale and 73 bhp for the T.I.

The Giulietta's Replacement : The Alfa Romeo Giulia
Alfa Romeo introduced the Giulia in June 1962, and production would continue through 1978. Power was from a light alloy twin overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine similar to that of the earlier Giulietta in 1.3-liter and 1.6-liter versions. Depending on the configuration, output ranged from 80 to 110 bhp.


by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2023

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Related Reading : Alfa Romeo Giulietta History

The 1954 Alfa Romeo Giulietta was an important vehicle for the Company, because it was the first offering since World War II that truly resembled the racing-inspired vehicles Alfa was capable of producing. The vehicles were mass-produced, a first for the company. The Giulietta came in various body styles including the Spider, Sprint, TI, and Veloce. The vehicles were built with the engine in the....
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1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Vehicle Profiles

1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta vehicle information
Sprint Coupe

Coachwork: Bertone
Chassis #: AR1493/E 04159
Engine #: AR1315 30598
1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta vehicle information
SVZ Sprint Coupe

Coachwork: Zagato
Chassis #: AR149304458
Engine #: 1315

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