The Giulia range was introduced by Alfa Romeo in 1962, sharing similar bodies and identical chassis to the earlier Giulietta series. Engine capacity was increased, however, to 1570cc and the gearbox now housed five forward ratios instead of the Giulietta's four.
The increased engine capacity provided 12bhp more, but more significant was the extra torque, allowing for more comfortable and easier driving. Maximum speed was up to 112 mph, which in 1962 was very fast indeed for a 1.6 litre car. Apart from its straight line speed the Giulia was universally praised for its fine handling and road behavior and many were raced with great success.
Alfa Romeo never produced the Giulia in right hand drive, all cars supplied for the UK market being converted by the factory-approved Ruddspeed concern.
The car available today is one of these right hand drive examples. It has been owned by the vendor for six years, during which time much money has been spent to bring it into the lovely condition in which it is now. Some $5,800 was spent at the marque specialist Autodelta on a mechanical overhaul, including a top end engine service, gearbox rebuild, brake system overhaul, suspension rebuild with new shock absorbers, a new clutch and a new stainless steel exhaust system.
Additionally the coachwork has been repainted in Rosso Alfa and overall condition is very good. A short test drive demonstrated no faults and the car is ready to be enjoyed by its new owner.
Supplied with the car is an original buff-colored log book, service bills and the original owner's manual.
{analysis} This Alfa sold for $14,292 at Coys Silverstone, July 25, 1998. To most Americans, post-war Alfa production is represented by the Alfa Spiders, starting with the Giulietta in 1956 and continuing through the Duetto and finally the square-tail models that lasted until 1993.
But in Europe, where high-speed long-distance cruising, and spirited driving on mountain roads is not unusual, it was the Alfa coupes that were the most popular..
Giulia Coupes (pronounced "Julia") are very similar in body style to the earlier Giuliettas, (pronounced Julietta - think Romeo and Juliet) first introduced in 1954.
The Giulia Sprint is the final development of the 101 chassis, before giving way to the 105-series Sprint GT and GTV in 1965. Three-shoe front drum brakes were standard in 1963, with front discs standard in '64. The drum brakes worked quite well but with three leading shoes, were a nightmare to adjust. The five-speed gearbox is a real plus; it allows freeway cruising at reasonable engine speeds. The 1600 engine is a meaningful improvement over the earlier 1300 powerplant. Most likely, the 1600 Sprint existed because Alfa started building the bigger engines before they ran out of Sprint bodies.
All Giulia Sprints were Solex-carburetor equipped Normales, but many owners have upgraded their engines to Veloce specs with dual Webers and hotter camshafts. 1750cc engines will fit with few problems, and give the car tremendous performance.
One of the great attributes of Giulias is the basic simplicity of the car, so that an owner with reasonable mechanical skills is able to keep the car running. Parts are widely available and excellent club support keeps owners together.
This car sold for a high, but market correct price, as it would be hard to restore a car to this standard and not spend more. Good Sprints are hard to find in the U.S., as most Alfisti seem to restore Spiders. Although the US market doesn't appreciate coupes, knowledgeable Alfisti would find this mint Sprint to be an unusually usable period piece.-Jim Schrager.
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