Alfa Romeo Guiletta Sprint Veloce 750E Alleggerita Bertone
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Automobilhersteller : |
Alfa Romeo |
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Modell: |
Guiletta Sprint Veloce 750E Alleggerita Bertone |
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Jahr: |
1956-1957 |
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Art: |
Coupe |
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. Spider benefitted from simple and elegant coachwork designed and built by Pinin Farina. In 750 series form, the Veloce Spider came with an up-rated engine that was equipped with dual Weber carburettors and could produce a healthy 90 brake horsepower, which was 10 horsepower higher than the standard engine. The Giulietta Veloce enjoys the honour of being the best performing and most developed open variant of the 1300 line.
Sprint Veloce Alleggertia racing in France. The appearance of the Sprint Veloce was inevitable. Creating an even faster version of an existing sports car to take racing was standard practice among auto makers who raced in the 1950’s.Mechanical modifications included the use of magnesium for the oil pan and intake manifold, as well as a special tachometer to denote their 6,600 rpm redline. A larger 21-gallon fuel tank for long-distance racing was also fitted, which necessitated some modifications to the car’s handbrake cable mechanism. Whilst each of the largely hand-built Alleggerita models was slightly different from the next, they were all designed to maximise the relationship between power and weight. The Alleggerita was notably more responsive and sharp to drive than the standard Giulietta Sprint Veloce, or Normale, and it immediately proved itself to be a serious contender on closed courses.
It is believed that fewer than 600 lightweight examples were assembled, one of which was delivered to Alfa Romeo’s Swedish office for Formula One racing driver Joakim “Jo” Bonnier. Notably, during the mid and late 1950s, the Bonnier family was the official Alfa Romeo importer in Sweden. Bonnier defied his wealthy family’s wish for him to become a doctor by entering into the world of Formula One in 1956 at the Italian Grand Prix. Whilst it’s unclear whether his start at Monza in September inspired him to acquire the Giulietta Sprint Veloce Alleggerita offered here, the timing is notable.
Bonnier, who raced in both Formula One and various sports car competitions, was a quintessential gentleman’s racer of the 1960s. He campaigned this Azzuro Nube Alfa Romeo in several races in 1956, including at the Berlin Grand Prix at AVUS, where he won his class. This SV is also believed to have been driven by Swedish champion Olle Rehnvall in competition during the early 1960s.
This seems to be especially true of the Italians who perfected this approach to car building. You can almost imagine the scene after Alfa debuted the Giulietta Sprint in the racing world only to be beaten by Porsches in the same class.
