Lot 345: 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Sprint Speciale

Alfa Romeo, Italy's oldest sporting marque, has been building cars since 1910. The company produced some of the greatest pre-war machinery ever to be seen, such as the beautiful 1750 Zagato roadsters, the magnificent Monzas and the mighty P3 Grand Prix cars. With the advent of the 1950s Alfa Romeo was forced to rationalise its production in order to survive financially. Unable to resist the occasional indulgence, however, it still built some exceptional competition and limited edition high performance models. One such car was the Sprint Speciale introduced in 1957, clothed with coachwork that is amongst the most sensuous bodywork ever to emerge from the Bertone design studio. Inspired by the great aerodynamicist Franco Scaglione, the lovingly formed panels reflected the global 1950s love affair with supersonic flight, as well as the passion and the sexiness inherent in all the great Italian automotive designs. In fact, the streamlined, two door, coupe bodywork bore a marked resemblance to some of Alfa Romeo's earlier competition designs, particularly the famous Disco Volante sports-racer. From every angle, delicate curve gave way to subtle sweep. Yet there was nothing flighty or voluptuous about the SS's lines. Rather, it quickened the pulse in the way of a demure woman who reveals previously undreamt of curves. Although the first five or six Sprint Speciales produced were bodied in aluminium rather than steel, all subsequent models were still fitted with an aluminium bonnet and boot lid. Quite apart from great looks, the SS was the performance revelation of its day. Powered by the 1,290cc, twin overhead camshaft, four cylinder Giulietta engine, specially tuned to produce 116bhp at 6,500rpm, it could achieve 124mph, thanks to the combination of a specially tuned motor, a weight of just 875kg (dry) and, in particular, incredible aerodynamic efficiency; way back in 1958, the SS had a drag coefficient factor of 0.27 which is better than just about any modern saloon or hatchback in production today! From 1963 it would be powered by the more powerful, 129bhp, 1,570cc engine from the new Giulia, again mated to a five speed gearbox; otherwise, apart from a 1600 badge on the tail, it remained identical to its predecessor. The fact that the car was virtually hand-built for Alfa Romeo at the Bertone plant, however, together with a price nearly matching that of a Jaguar E Type or Porsche, ensured that the Giulia SS remained a rare sight on the roads of Europe. Only 1,366 examples of the Giulietta Sprint Speciale and 1,400 of the Giulia version were built before production stopped in 1965, of which only a small number were in right-hand drive form. Today, only some 140 of these Alfa Romeos are known to still be in existence. This right-hand drive example was completely restored between 1991 and 1993 by marque specialist Beaulieu Cars Limited, the work including the fabrication of hand-made replacement body panels prior to a bare metal repaint. Finished in red with black interior, this beautiful Alfa Romeo comes with the original green registration book, photographs of the car prior to restoration, a file of invoices relating to the restoration, and a V5 registration document. Offered in good all round condition, this is an extremely rare and much sought-after Italian classic which should have a fresh MoT test certificate prior to auction.