Model story

Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta (series 750 and 101) was a compact automobile manufactured by Alfa Romeo from 1954 to 1965. The Giulietta was introduced at the Turin Motor Show in 1954 and almost 132,000 were built in the Portello factory in Milan. The Giulietta used an Alfa Romeo Twin Cam engine of 1290 cm³ straight-4, with a light alloy cylinder block and an alloy cylinder head with twin overhead camshafts.

The first Giulietta model was a coupé, the Giulietta Sprint, introduced in late 1954. This was followed by a saloon in spring 1955 and in mid-1955, the open two-seat Giulietta Spider, featuring convertible bodywork by Pininfarina. In 1957 more powerful Berlina version, called Giulietta TI (Turismo Internazionale) was presented with minor cosmetic changes to the hood, the dial lights and rear lamps. Next new version of the Giulietta debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1959. The series number this time was changed from 750/753 to the 101 series.

In 1961, the TI version was upgraded to 74 bhp (54 kW). With this new engine, the car could reach a speed of almost 160 km/h. Production of the standard Berlina continued until 1963, whilst the TI continued for one year more. Production figures for Spider were 14,300 units.

The Giulia Spider, Sprint and Sprint Speciale introduced together with the Giuliasaloon in 1962 were rebadged and updated versions of earlier Giulietta models (series 101), now with a 1.6 litre instead of a 1.3 litre engine.

Alfa was one of the first manufacturers to put a powerful engine in a lightweight car for mainstream production. The Giulia weighed about 1,000 kilograms. The car was equipped with a light alloy twin overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine, similar to that of the earlier Giulietta models range. Engine capacities offered were 1.3-litre (1,290 cm³) or 1.6-litre (1,570 cm³). Various configurations of carburetors and tuning produced power outputs from about 80 to about 110 bhp (55 to 75 kW). Almost all Giulias made had a 5-speed manual transmission. Giulias were noted for their lively performance among sedans of that era, especially considering the modest engine size. The popular Super version with the twin carburettor 1.6-litre engine had a top speed of 170 km/h. 0 to 100 km/h took about 12 seconds. This performance was better than many sports cars of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Easiest to distinguish from a Giulietta is the Spider, which featured a bonnet bulge to clear the slightly taller 1600 engine. The Sprint coupe was also available for a short time with the 1.3 litre engine as the Sprint 1300 - essentially a Giulietta Sprint with a different name. Most models were discontinued in 1964.