Alfa Romeo Giulietta (1954)

Lore & Background

The first Giulietta introduced was the Sprint 2+2 coupé at the 1954 Turin Motor Show, designed by Franco Scaglione at Bertone and produced at the coachbuilder's Grugliasco plant. Owing to overwhelming demand, the earliest Sprints were hand-built by Alfa Romeo with bodywork from Bertone and interior and electrical components from Ghia; approximately 200–1000 pre-production cars were made with numerous differences from later production cars. In 1956, the competition-oriented Sprint Veloce arrived, with weight reduced from 852 to 780 kg through measures including sliding plexiglass windows and removal of chromed hubcaps. It used two horizontal twin-barrel Weber 40 DCOE3 carburettors, an electric Bendix fuel pump, and a raised compression ratio of 9.5:1, producing 90 PS at 6,500 rpm. A Confortevole version with wind-down plexiglass windows and chromed hubcaps was also built, with around 200 examples. In June 1958 the Giulietta Sprint Series II was presented at Monza, with exterior modifications by Giorgetto Giugiaro including a finer front grille and full grilles flanking the openings. The Sprint was discontinued at the end of 1962 in favor of the Giulia Sprint, but returned in early 1964 as the Alfa Romeo 1300 Sprint, built until late 1965.

Reader's Guide

The Giulietta series established Alfa Romeo in the 1.3-litre class and became a significant model line, with 177,690 units produced across multiple body styles. The Sprint Veloce and its competition variants, including the Sprint Zagato (SZ), achieved notable racing success: the SZ helped Alfa Romeo secure victory in the 1.3 litre class of the International Championship for GT Manufacturers in 1962 and 1963. The Sprint Veloce claimed the first three positions in its class at the 1956 Mille Miglia. The Giulietta Sprint Speciale, with its aerodynamic body designed by Franco Scaglione, and the aluminium-bodied Sprint Zagato built by Zagato for competition, demonstrated the platform's versatility. The series was succeeded by the Giulia in 1962, though the 1300-engined Giulietta returned as a lower-cost option until 1965. The Giulietta's production run and its many variants—from the Berlina saloon to the rare Promiscua estate—underscore its role as a foundational model for Alfa Romeo's post-war identity.

Did You Know?

• The Sprint Veloce used sliding plexiglass windows and lacked chromed hubcaps to save weight.
• The Sprint Zagato (SZ) had an aluminium body and helped Alfa Romeo win the 1.3 litre class of the International Championship for GT Manufacturers in 1962 and 1963.
• Only 91 examples of the Giulietta Promiscua estate were built by Carrozzeria Colli.