1955 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint

Post-war economic development gave a powerful boost to the automotive industry. Mass motorization had begun, and artisanal production methods and limited manufacturing capacity had to give way to the logic of large-scale assembly-line production in order to meet growing customer demand. For Alfa Romeo, this delicate transition coincided with the design and production of the Giulietta, internally identified as the “Tipo 750”. Unusually, the new model was introduced first as a coupé and only later as a saloon. Technical problems delayed the beginning of production compared with the debut originally scheduled for the 1954 Turin Motor Show. The development of the car had been financed through a public capital subscription and was linked to a national lottery in which a car was offered as a prize, making any further postponement of the launch particularly difficult. For this reason, at the end of 1953 Alfa Romeo took the unusual decision to present the coupé before the saloon. The sporting version was intended to strengthen the connection between the new model and Alfa Romeo’s traditional involvement in competition. The original company programme envisaged a coupé based on the saloon’s mechanical components, to be introduced later and produced in limited numbers by Milanese coachbuilders. Instead, the design and development of the coupé proceeded in parallel with those of the saloon. An early prototype created within Alfa Romeo by Giuseppe Scarnati later became known as the “brutto anatroccolo” (i.e. ugly duckling). Coachbuilders such as Zagato and Touring were unavailable, as they were already fully occupied with other Alfa Romeo projects. Rudolf Hruska, who was responsible for the Giulietta programme, therefore sought the assistance of Mario Boano, then involved with both Ghia and Bertone, and enlisted Giovanni Michelotti as a consultant. Franco Scaglione and a very young Giorgetto Giugiaro also contributed to the refinement of the design, much of which was carried out under Boano’s direction. The numerous modifications, while respecting the original volumes, gave the body a pleasing, balanced and unmistakably sporting appearance. This is how the Giulietta Sprint was born. It was officially unveiled as a pre-production model at the Turin Motor Show on 21 April 1954. As was customary for Alfa Romeo, the relatively small 1,290 cc engine featured twin overhead camshafts, and its “roar” remained unmistakably that of an Alfa. The success of the new model was such that the company was immediately forced to revise its production plans. Carrozzeria Bertone had to cope with an unexpectedly high number of orders and subcontracted part of the body construction to specialist Turin panel beaters. The earliest body shells were therefore largely handmade. Automated pressing of the panels began only in 1960. The Sprint bodies were produced in Turin and then transported by car carriers to Alfa Romeo’s Portello plant in Milan, where the engines, mechanical components and interiors were installed. Thanks to a higher compression ratio than that of the saloon and a twin-choke carburettor, the Sprint’s all-aluminium 1,290 cc engine produced 65 hp at 6,000 rpm, enabling the car to reach approximately 160 km/h. The elegant body lines and the price of 1,900,000 Lire also contributed to its success. Although this was not inexpensive in absolute terms, it was still considerably less than the price of the larger and more exclusive 1900 Super Sprint. At first, the Giulietta Sprint was offered in only four colours: Rosso Alfa, Blu Tornado, Bianco Gardenia and Azzurro Capri. Its competition debut came at the 1955 Giro di Sicilia, after which its presence became increasingly widespread in the principal road races, circuit events and hill climbs of the period. The attempt to position the Giulietta Sprint in a more accessible market segment proved highly successful. The Giulietta saloon followed in the spring of 1955, while the Spider was unveiled in the autumn at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Production figures for the Giulietta range quickly became significant: from just 12 cars built in 1954, output rose to 1,415 in 1955 and 1,855 in 1956. The price of the Sprint increased slightly over time, while the car received continuous technical updates. These included the adoption of a revised gearbox with Porsche-type synchromesh in place of the original Borg-Warner system. Production methods and mechanical specifications were later progressively unified with those of the Sprint Veloce. The Giulietta Sprint continued to evolve through several phases. From 1962, the same Bertone body was adapted to the 1.6-litre Giulia mechanical specification and marketed as the Giulia Sprint, while a 1.3-litre version later returned to the range. Production of this body style finally ended in 1965. In total, 24,084 Giulietta Sprint coupés were built, within an overall production of 177,513 cars belonging to the Giulietta family. The model marked a decisive turning point in Alfa Romeo’s history, successfully transferring the marque’s sporting image, technical sophistication and distinctive character into a form suitable for modern series production.

On February 1955, Agostino Di Stefano, a wealthy man from Milan, bought the Giulietta Sprint, chassis n° AR1493*00094* at the Minetti’s Alfa Romeo dealership. He paid the car Lit. 1.903.000. The Giulietta was in red Alfa solid color and it was homologated with the license plate number MI264593 on 25 February; it was delivered on February 26th. The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint, year 1955, chassis n° AR1493*00094* is one of the very first Giulietta Sprint built (date of production 21 February 1955). The Giulietta production began with the Sprint in 1954 with a dozen units produced that year. This car, chassis n° 00094 is considered in fact still a “pre-series” since, from the car chassis number 00996, important changes will be introduced and from 1957 began an even more modified series. The 2nd series dates 1959. Agostino Di Stefano had a real passion for the cars since he was a kid and he dreamed to drive in a race his grandfather’s Bugatti a day. Also he joined in many competitions, although not belonging to any racing team, from 1948 onwards, always with his cars. Because he was 41 years old, he decided to compete in the Mille Miglia with the new little sport car, famous for the handling and light enough to let him to drive for 1624 km in in a quite relaxing way. Chassis n° AR1493*00094*faced the Mille Miglia with race number 233, ranking 130th overall and 13th in class, completing the path in 15h 32’46”. It was the only (successful) participation of Agostino Di Stefano to the Mille Miglia. He also registered in 1951, 1954, 1956, 1957 with other cars, but he never started. Chassis n° AR1493*00094*after a long period of conservation but relative neglect, it was found in 2016 in a state of barn find. Complete, but with many important works to be done. The car has been sold and has undergone a long and deep restoration, completed in 2019, to bring it back to the state of the art. In exceptional condition, the car was recently sold to a new owner. The Centro Documentazione Alfa Romeo historical register also certifies that the actual engine, AR 1315 00186, is original and matching numbers.