Description
The early 1960s was an era which saw the introduction of many great sports and grand touring cars which later became automotive legends. One example, the Aston Martin DB4 with its lightweight Supperleggera tube frame design by Carrozzeria of Milan, brought fabulous Italian design and construction techniques to wealthy car enthusiasts of Britain. The family man, on a more limited budget could also experience modern Italian design in a new BMC car, like an Austin A40 or Morris Oxford styled by Battista Farina. Triumph also followed the trend, replacing their successful 1950s TR2 and TR3 with the Triumph TR4, sporting a modern body design by Giovanni Michelotti, a prolific designer who styled cars for both Ferrari and Maserati.
In Italy, 1963 saw the introduction of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale Coupé . During its era, this was the road-going Alfa Romeo model to have. This new Giulia series replaced the very popular Giulietta lineup. With its 1570cc twin-cam engine, over 120 miles per hour was possible. The engine featured twin Webber 40 DCO E2 carburettors taken from the Giulia Sprint Veloce and gave the model 112bhp. Impressive Stopping power for the 950KG car was provided by front disc brakes. In total just under 1400 Giulia Sprint Speciale Coupé models were built before the end of production in 1966. The model featured a striking aerodynamic body design by Bertone's Franco Scaglione. Some sixty years on, the Giulia Speciale still represents one of the most gorgeous, desirable and elegant versions of the Giulia. Stylish, sporty and exclusive, this is an Italian design masterpiece, as rare as it is beautiful. It represents the very essence of Italian flair and design from a golden era of Italian car production.
The sensational November 1963 example we offer was sold nine years ago, largely original and unrestored at the Goodwood Revival for £100, 000 to a legendary 1960's British Formula One Driver and aviator, having been previously owned through three generations of one family for four decades. At the time the car was described as having been well looked after, having only required a respray and engine overhaul which were undertaken about 4 years previously. By 2021 a UK inspection by Italian marque specialist DTR based in Surrey revealed that the paint was of low to average quality and that the still original steelwork had considerable corrosion in various places. Although the car met UK MOT requirements for registration in 2016, clearly significant expenditure was now required. Following this inspection, the car was subjected to a major body restoration which included stripping all outer door panels, doors, bonnet, boot, glass, bumpers, lights and all fittings. The car body was then hand stripped to bare metal externally before being braced to ensure structural integrity. The front wings were then cut away along with other panels including suspension supports and inner wings. A and B posts, plus inner and outer sills were removed. The door frames were remade and skins replaced with new fabricated panels as required. The front wings, inner wings, suspension supports and inner/ outer sills were remade along with rear inner wings and repair sections to rear wings. Both front and rear panels and valances were repaired with some sections replaced . Against a budget of 1000 hours of labour, this astonishing restoration took 1280 hours, including priming and blocking the vehicle twice before the repaint. The paint work and meticulous refitting took no less than 160 hours. The gearbox was removed and rebuilt and the carburettors and exhaust were re-sealed . In total this thorough restoration cost £79, 193. Most recently, last year the cylinder head was removed due to the discovery of low compression on one cylinder. The head was machined, skimmed and new valve seats cut before replacing all inlet and exhaust valve guides. The Bosch ignition distributor was also rebuilt and converted back to its original points ignition system. After reinstalling the cylinder head the car was then road-tested and tuned. This took the total invested in the car post purchase to an impressive £81, 226.
The result is a sensational investment-quality Alfa Romeo of impeccable provenance - a true sixties Italian style icon. The car comes with a photo history of the restoration, Milan registration plate, Italian car documents and a very rare original English language owners handbook We have set a sale price, but in one sense, this Alfa is priceless!
