1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Speciale Coupe

Alfa Romeo introduced the Giulietta in 1954 and fitted it with a downsized 1290cc twin-cam engine, gaining an alloy cylinder block in the process. The original Bertone-styled Sprint Coupé was soon joined by Berlina (saloon) and Spider (open) versions. In 1957, the Sprint Speciale was introduced; the first of the new 101-Series cars. They were built on a slightly shorter wheelbase and again wore coachwork by Bertone. The engine offered a spirited 100 BHP and was mated to a five-speed gearbox. Top speed was in the neighborhood of 125 mph. The SS was small, lightweight, compact, aerodynamically efficient and very powerful its size. In total, just 1,366 examples were produced by the time the model was superseded in 1963 by the 1600cc Giulia version. The new model was outwardly distinguishable from the SS by identifying tail script, different sidelights and a revised dashboard. Between 1963 and 1965, 1,399 examples of the Bertone-bodied Giulia Sprint Speciales were built.

This particular example was delivered new to Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. The original owner was a woman who had a passion for motorsport. It is believed that this car spent the earlier years of its life racing the SCCA circuit on the East Coast around New York City. It was originally paint red; currently it is painted white with ab lack tail, reminiscent of the TZ's of the same era.

After a clutch failure in 1972, the car was taken off the road for good. By this point in history, the car had moved from the East Coast, to Scottsdale, AZ. A replacement clutch was ordered but never installed. The car sat, untouched in a garage, until its original owner passed and it was sold by her estate to the present owner in 2010.

The car currently retains much of its original equipment and fittings. The engine has not run in over four decades, though it is said to turn freely. Thee dark grey vinyl remains in nice shape, while the original red paint shows clearly on the dash.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2014