1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale in Amelia Island, FL

Chassis No. AR1012000338
Engine No. AR00120 00790
Body No. 37340

Introduced in 1954, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta was available as a sedan, a coupe called the Sprint, and an open-top Spider. After a few years on the market, a Bertone-designed coupe was developed to push performance and aerodynamics further than the existing Sprint coupe.

The Giulietta Sprint Speciale, nicknamed "SS," traces its roots to the Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica (B.A.T.) concept cars created by Franco Scaglione at Bertone in the 1950s. These cars featured some of the most revolutionary aerodynamics of the era, with one B.A.T. concept reportedly achieving a drag coefficient of just 0.19-the lowest of any car at the time.

The very first prototype of the Giulietta SS was unveiled in 1957 at the Turin Motor Show. The production version was presented on 24 June 1959 at Monza, powered by a 1,300-cc aluminum four-cylinder engine fed by two Weber carburetors and paired with a five-speed manual transmission. Delivering around 116 horsepower, it was more than enough to propel this ultra-light two-seat coupe to nearly 125 mph.

According to a copy of its Alfa Romeo Certificato di Origine, this Giulietta Sprint Speciale was delivered new in the U.S. in 1961, finished in Bianco Gardenia. Presented for public sale in 2017, the listing noted that the car had undergone a complete restoration a few years earlier, finished in dark blue over two-tone red and gray upholstery, which it still retains. The description also noted that the car had a convincing appearance of authenticity, with what seemed to be the original serial number plates, body and chassis stampings, and the original engine still under the hood.

More recently, the Sprint Speciale received a major overhaul in 2023 at F40 Restoration in Portland, Connecticut, for $23,000, which included a workshop rebuild of the engine, transmission, clutch, timing chain, water pump, and replacement of the exhaust system. Portions of the engine bay were also refinished. This Sprint Speciale is offered with its original toolkit, jack, and spare wheel.