1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Spider Veloce

Footnotes

Sporting elegant coachwork designed and built by Pininfarina, the 1.3-litre Giulietta Spider was a huge success and continued virtually unchanged in 1.6-litre Giulia guise when the latter joined the Alfa line-up in 1962. Launched at the Monza Autodrome on 27th June that year, the Giulia was the work of a design team headed by one of the greatest of Italian automobile engineers, Dr Orazio Satta Puliga, who had been responsible for all the post-war Alfa Romeos. A bonnet air scoop, necessary to clear the larger engine's taller block, readily identified the new model. The capacity increase boosted maximum power of Alfa's classic twin-cam four from 80 to 92bhp and the car's top speed to 109mph (175km/h). Reliability was likewise enhanced and the larger engine was noticeably smoother and less fussy. A five-speed gearbox was standard on the Giulia 1600 Spider, which remained in production until replaced by the Duetto in 1966. Towards the end of production, in 1964, the up-rated Spider Veloce was introduced, which came with the Sprint Speciale's 129bhp engine installed, making it the fastest of the mainstream production Giulias. Described by Cars Illustrated as "probably one of the most delightful small sports cars which will ever be produced", the Giulia Spider is certainly one of the most attractive Alfa Romeos of its day and remains highly regarded now, especially in its ultimate Veloce specification.

According to the accompanying Certificate of Origin issued by Alfa Romeo, this stunning Spider Veloce left the factory on 4th May 1964 and was sold to its first owner in the province of Ferrara on 31st July of that year. The original colour combination is recorded as grey with a red interior.

In 1989 the car belonged to Giovanni Sartori, a gentleman driver and grandson of Ing. Nicola Romeo, who raced with the Milan-based Scuderia Sant Ambroeus. Reportedly, this car's engine was prepared by the well-known race-car tuner, Baggioli. The Alfa has formed part of the vendor's exclusive private collection since 2017. Finished in red with black interior, the car is offered with Italian registration documents: the aforementioned Certificate of Origin; and an ASI homologation certificate.