Alfa Romeo introduced the Giulietta in 1954. In 1957, the Giulietta Sprint Speciale (SS) made its debut at the Turing Auto Salon; the first of the new 101-Series cars and as a more luxurious version of the popular Giulietta. It was modelled after Franco Scaglione's three futuristic B.A.T. show cars, that were done between 1953 and 1955. One of the most amazing qualities of this design is its aerodynamics. It has a drag coefficient of only .29, the same as a Corvette C6, particularly low even by today's standards.
The Giulietta Sprint Speciale was small, lightweight, compact, aerodynamically efficient and very powerful for its size. It was built on a slightly shorter wheelbase than its saloon counterpart, and again wore coachwork by Bertone. With the 1290 cc engine and 100 hp (75 kW) of power, top speed could reach 124 mph (199.516 km/h). 5-speed manual gearbox. Drum brakes are at all four corners. In total, just 1,366 examples were produced by the time the model was superseded in 1963 by the 1600 cc Giulia version. (conceptcarz.com & wikipedia)
The Giulietta Sprint Speciale was small, lightweight, compact, aerodynamically efficient and very powerful for its size. It was built on a slightly shorter wheelbase than its saloon counterpart, and again wore coachwork by Bertone. With the 1290 cc engine and 100 hp (75 kW) of power, top speed could reach 124 mph (199.516 km/h). 5-speed manual gearbox. Drum brakes are at all four corners. In total, just 1,366 examples were produced by the time the model was superseded in 1963 by the 1600 cc Giulia version. (conceptcarz.com & wikipedia)
Giulietta Sprint Speciale (1957-63)
1957 Giulietta Sprint Speciale Prototype
Chassis AR10120*00001 Launched at the 1957 Turin Auto Show, this is the very first of three Giulietta Sprint Speciale prototypes between 1957 and 1959. Compared to the subsequent production models, it lacks the typical Alfa Romeo grille and is constructed entirely from aluminium. it has been meticulously restored to its 1957 Turin Auto Show configuration. The work was completed in time for the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. (ultimatecarpage.com)
(Photos from ultimatecarpage.com)
Giulia Sprint Speciale (1963-66)
Before the Giulia Sprint Speciale came into production, there was a prototype by Bertone of a replacement for Giulietta SS, named Giulia SS Prototipo, but the new shape did not enter production and the new generation Giulia SS was carried with an unchanged Giulietta SS body.
The 1,570 cc engine with Weber 40 DCOE2 carburetors delivered 112 hp (84 kW) of power. Most Giulias SS had disc brakes at front wheels. An easy way to distinguish the Giulia SS from the Giulietta SS is by the dashboard. The Giulia has a leather underside with the glovebox at a different angle than the main fascia. The dashboard in the Giulietta is sloping and painted in one colour without a leather underside.
On the exterior, the new Giulia SS was distinguishable from the Giulietta SS by the identifying "Giulia SS" tail and side scripts, and different sidelights. Between 1963 and 1966, 1,399 examples of the Giulia Sprint Speciales were built. (conceptcarz.com & wikipedia)
The 1,570 cc engine with Weber 40 DCOE2 carburetors delivered 112 hp (84 kW) of power. Most Giulias SS had disc brakes at front wheels. An easy way to distinguish the Giulia SS from the Giulietta SS is by the dashboard. The Giulia has a leather underside with the glovebox at a different angle than the main fascia. The dashboard in the Giulietta is sloping and painted in one colour without a leather underside.
On the exterior, the new Giulia SS was distinguishable from the Giulietta SS by the identifying "Giulia SS" tail and side scripts, and different sidelights. Between 1963 and 1966, 1,399 examples of the Giulia Sprint Speciales were built. (conceptcarz.com & wikipedia)
(Photos from conceptcarz.com, autowp.ru, rmauctions.com,
commons.wikimedia.org & petrolicious.com)
