After World War II Alfa Romeo could no longer afford to produce purely the bespoke motor cars that had made the marque famous on both road and track. It was not until 1954 that Alfa found its savior in the Giulietta Sprint, Nuccio Bertone being commissioned to design this small coupe just weeks before its debut at the Turin Show. The resultant shape pleased the eye from any angle, but Bertone's styling for the convertible model was less appealing and the design was passed to Pinin Farina; using a chassis seven inches shorter than the Bertone coupe, the Spider was equally graceful.

The initial 750 Series Giulietta chassis featured independent front suspension with a coil-sprung live rear axle and drum brakes all round. The engine, like the suspension, owed much to Alfa's racing experience, hence the ability of the twin-cam four cylinder to produce 65 bhp from just 1290 cc.

Major changes appeared in 1959 with the 101 Series. Though outwardly similar, the 1290 cc engine was strengthened while the bodies received minor detail alterations. The final change came in 1962 when the renamed Giulia models appeared with five-speed gearboxes and a 92-bhp, 1570 cc version of the twin-cam engine.

This smart Giulia Spider has been prepared for competition and features modified suspension and brakes to provide a firmer ride and more effective stopping capabilities. The car is believed to have resided in Italy from new and now carries FIA papers allowing it to compete in such events as the Coppa d'Italia in which the vendor informs us the car has recently competed. It has a strong engine which we are reliably informed produces in the region of 110 bhp.

Finished in red and white, this exciting racing car should provide an effective and enjoyable entry into historic motorsport.


{analysis} This car sold at Coys' True Greats auction held December 11, 2000 at the Business Design Center in London for $8,508, including buyer's premium.

Sometimes the key to understanding auction catalog descriptions is not in what they say, but what they don't say. For example, the reference to "modified suspension and brakes to produce a firmer ride" and to an engine that "we are reliably informed produces in the region of 110 bhp" really means, "We are told this is a race car, but who knows?"

Nonetheless, a race car purchased at auction can often be a good buy. In this case, the race preparation alone probably equaled the selling price, thereby making the car free. Why was the car thrown into the deal for nothing? Because auctions pander primarily to three groups-high-end ultra-exotic buyers, shiny chrome groupies, and tightwad bottom feeders. Series production cars fitted out to FIA race specs don't appeal to any of these audiences. This "right product in the wrong sales environment" can lead to good deals if you know what you are doing and if the car is properly inspected.

This Alfa Spider adds an interesting twist to our analysis. Spiders are viewed in Europe as touring cars. In the US, with a tip of the hat to Max Hoffman, they are viewed as sports cars. In fact, the Europeans have it right. The Alfa Giulietta/Giulia made its name as a coupe, not as a Spider. (See Alfa Romeo Giulietta da Corsa, Hughes & da Prato, Haynes Publishing, Great Britain, 1989.) Except for Consalvo Sanesi's Spider in the 1956 Mille Miglia, all of Alfa's factory racing cars (such as the SV, SVZ, SS, SZ, TZ and GTA) were closed cars. The same is true for Ferrari (250 series through GTO) and Porsche (356 through 910).

In today's Euro historic racing world, however, organizers are looking for a varied mix of cars in each grid. Who wants to look at 36 real and/or fake Shelby Mustangs filling up a Tour Auto grid? In Europe, Alfa racing Spiders are uncommon. Thus, for many events over here, a Spider may be more likely to be accepted than a GTA. Further, an Alfa Spider like the one described here should qualify for the highly competitive, not to mention fun, Giulietta/Giulia historic race series-a case in which the organizers do want to see a grid full of the same types of cars.

If you know what you are doing, a properly prepared race car can be a very good buy at auction. This is especially true if, before you bid, you factor in the cost of the engine, transmission and suspension rebuild you will probably have to go through before you are satisfied with the car's performance. After all, what you are really buying is a racing shell that hopefully has a lot of safety and go-fast parts bolted on to it. If the car here was prepared, even minimally, to a decent standard and had been raced enough to begin the sorting-out process, then this competitive and easy-to-maintain Spider was a good buy.-Giuseppe Tomasetti

(Historical data and photo courtesy of auction company.)
{/analysis}

Comments are closed.