1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Coupe

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Coupe wore coachwork by Bertone. It was first introduced at the 1954 Turin Motor Show. Power was courtesy of a 1.3-liter, all-alloy version of Alfa's twin-cam four-cylinder engine which had been designed by former Ferrari engineer Giuseppe Busso. A more powerful Veloce version followed, available in both Sprint coupe and spider form in 1956. A small number of lightweight, or Alleggerita, versions were built. Aluminum was used for the hood, trunk lid door skins, bumpers, and headlight bezels. The oil pan and intake manifold were also from aluminum. Sliding Plexiglas side windows, and removal of the rear seat and sound-deadening materials were also utilized to reduce weight as possible. Over 150 pounds were saved over the standard Sprint Veloce.

This particular Giulietta Sprint Veloce Alleggerita was delivered new to a buyer in Austria, where it raced in various competitions beginning in 1958. Among its accomplishments was a 1st-place finish in the International Autorennen at Flugplatz Aspern on May 15th of 1958 with Anton Steffan driving. Mr. Steffan also raced in the Salzburg-Gaisbergrennen that same year, as well as the International Flugplatzrennen Klagenfurt in September 1960. In August of 1958, Helmut Perco drove the Giulietta at the Flugplatz Zeltweg.

After 1960, its history is not fully known. The current owner found the car in a privateer's racing livery in Italy in the late 2000s or early 2010s. In 2016, the car was given a ground-up restoration to concours standards. The work took over a year to complete. Less than 50 miles have been put on the odometer since the vehicle's completion. In 2017 the car acquired the ASI certification and gold plate, as well as a FIVA A3 ID card.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2018