Lot 381: 1964 Alfa Romeo Sprint Giulia Speciale Coupé
Coachwork by Bertone

By the time of the Giulia’s introduction in 1962, Alfa Romeo’s highly successful ‘small car, big performance’ formula, begun by the Giulietta in 1954, was well established. The Giulietta range’s ultimate incarnation - the Sprint Speciale - had arrived in 1957. Built on a slightly shorter wheelbase than the standard Sprint coupé, which was likewise the work of Carrozzeria Bertone, the mouth-wateringly curvaceous SS came with 100bhp, a five-speed gearbox and a top speed of 125mph. Outwardly almost indistinguishable from the outgoing Giulietta, the Giulia version boasted front disc brakes and a more powerful (112bhp) and much less fussy 1,570cc version of Alfa’s classic twin-cam four. Just 1,399 of the Bertone-bodied Giulia Sprint Speciales were built between 1963 and 1965, and today this rare model is highly prized by Alfa Romeo connoisseurs.
Manufactured on 1st April 1964, this left-hand drive example was supplied new in France via Société Francais Alfa Romeo and first registered on 20th April 1965. The car is believed to have spent its entire life in Paris before coming to the UK a few years ago. It was purchased by the vendor, for showroom display, and registered here in March 2004 having been re-sprayed earlier in the year. New door rubbers were fitted at the same time, while other recent servicing has included fitting a new clutch, crankshaft main oil seal and anti roll bar bushes. The odometer displays a total of 39,200 kilometres (approximately 24,343 miles), the vendor’s belief that this is almost certainly a genuine figure being supported by the condition of the unmolested grey cloth and blue vinyl interior. Finished in white, the vehicle is offered with current MoT, road fund licence to March 2005 and Swansea V5.