1960 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint

Our car is a cosmopolitan little number. It left the factory in 1961 and little is known about its first 26 years suggesting, perhaps, that it remained in its motherland until around 1987. The Sprint hits the radar again at that point by being exported to the USA. Over the next 33 years the car passes through the hands of five US based owners. At some point during this period our car underwent a thorough and highly professional restoration, seemingly addressing every aspect of the car.

The last of these US owners was a privately held, 240 car collection called the Elkhart Collection based in Indiana. The collection’s history sadly ended in bankruptcy and our little Sprint was auctioned off as part of a $44M sale conducted by RM Sotheby’s in 2020. At this point the car recrossed the pond to arrive in the UK and into the care of its current owner.

Franco Scaglione, who penned the Sprint’s delicate yet sporty design, started his association with Bertone in Turin in 1951. Before he was charged with creating the Sprint, he was able to cut his teeth on some other iconic Italian designs. These included the futuristic, Jetson-esque Abarth 1500 Biposto and the utilitarian Fiat 1100 with its unibody construction.

This Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint is presented in bright “Rosso Corsa” paintwork. It seems clear that this was professionally applied during the earlier restoration, and it presents very well today. It seems thickly and evenly applied and exudes a deep shine. The red hue is surely the best one to help highlight Mr Scaglione’s fine work.

The front-end treatment of the Sprint is especially attractive and recognisable with its three separate, chromed grill pieces. The centre, vertically orientated of these proudly wears the Alfa Romeo roundel. The base of this grill fits neatly into a centre notch in the deeply chromed front bumper.

The compact rear end of the car is equally well presented. This time the chrome bumper wraps around the rear wings and features a similar centre notch. This one houses the boot lock, and the twin numberplate lights stand proudly either side. A charming, chromed original boot handle is present, which is almost aircraft shaped with a small Alfa badge on its “nose.” There is an area of cracked paint noted at the right-hand edge of the boot aperture. The owner reports that the fit of the doors may need addressing and that the rear windows don’t currently secure fully.

Light lenses, front and rear, and cabin glass all looks to be in a fine original condition. All the correct badges and trim pieces appear to be present and correct. These include the gold-coloured Sprint items, the Bertone badges and the delightful, chromed surrounds for the front wing mounted indicator lenses.

Our car rests on 10-hole, pressed steel wheels in a 15-inch diameter. These are centred in the correct, chromed Alfa Romeo badged hub caps. Both wheels and caps present in an excellent condition overall with no blemishes noted. The wheels are shod with a matching, new-looking set of Michelin XZX tyres in a 165 SR 15 configuration.

The Sprint’s interior is simple and relatively minimalistic by today’s standards but all the better for it. Despite that it manages to be achingly stylish in a way that only the Italians can seem to master. Upholstery is a mix of self-patterned grey, woollen fabric and black vinyl.

The compact seats feature fabric centres paired with black vinyl bolsters. They are in great condition overall. Behind the seats is a useful luggage shelf where back seats probably once were. The removeable wooden bases are finished in grey carpet that matches the remainder of the cabin. The side panels are a mixture of the self-patterned fabric and black vinyl. Surface mounted speakers are cut into these. The rear panel is fabric finished and the wooden shelf panels can be removed to reveal the original body cavity and paintwork.

The dashboard is predominantly finished in body colour painted steel with a black vinyl top panel. The three-gauge instrument binnacle features a black painted back panel to help quell reflections. The original Veglia gauge set bears Alfa Romeo branding with the tachometer taking the top-centre position. The owner reports that the fuel gauge can play up a little. These gauges sit behind the original three split spoke steering wheel. The spokes are polished alloy which are surrounded by a slender Bakelite rim.

A number of other controls are scattered across the painted dash. A lovely, original Becker push button radio is fitted. There is plenty of other period detail to drink in, too. This includes the delightful “Carriozzeria Bertone” metal sill finishers, Alfa Romeo embossed pedal rubbers and dashboard mounted, “D” shaped rear-view mirror.

The boot houses the petrol filler cap, full-sized spare wheel and battery. It is trimmed with a fitted rubber protective mat.

The engines of classic Alfa Romeos are often the primary source of the cars’ endearing and eager character and the Giulietta Sprint is no exception. The Sprint features an example of the renowned Twin Cam engine. These units are sometimes known as “bialbero” (twin shaft) or “Nord” in reference to them being built close to Milan in the north of Italy.

The design was by one Giuseppe Busso, who you may have heard of, and debuted in the Giulietta Sprint. The engine featured a number of innovative facets for the period, needless to say. These included an aluminium block with cast iron wet liners, hemispherical combustion chambers and double overhead cams. In the Sprint it offered a 1,290cc capacity and breathed through a single, twin-choke carburettor. In this configuration it was originally rated at 79 bhp at the 6,300rpm red line. Sounds modest by today’s standards but so does the sub 900 kgs kerb weight, resulting in a spirited driving experience.

Judging by the paperwork our car has been well cared for throughout its life and its under-bonnet presentation certainly supports that view. On lifting the bonnet your eye is immediately drawn to the black, crackle-finished cam covers compete with polished alloy Alfa Romeo script. Everything in here looks great with plenty of new parts in evidence including matching red HT leads, radiator and coil. All the expected data plates are present, and the considered look is rounded off by pristine, diamond quilted bonnet insulation.

The underside of the car is an equally impressive sight. Everything pictured here is either impressively restored or new-looking. Notable new looking components include the exhaust system, fuel tank, suspension bushes and anti-roll bar. The wheel arches have been thoughtfully treated and the painted sections of the under-floor look clean and fresh.

This example comes with a good deal of informative paperwork. An original owners’ manual is present as is the current V5 in the name of the owner. The Alfa Romeo is registered as a historic vehicle and, as such, is VED and MoT exempt in the UK.

Stacks of fascinating invoices are also present. Most of these relate to the car’s long-life in the USA and much was clearly spent by a number of its former owners. Notable amongst these is a UK “recommissioning” invoice dating from July 2021. This invoice amounts to almost £4,000 and addresses all the areas required to provide a fully road-worthy and useable classic. A photographic record of the earlier restoration is also provided.

Even if you aren’t a dyed-in-the-wool “Alfista” the Giulietta Sprint is a hard car not to fall in love with. It harks back to simpler times and benefits from inputs from automotive luminaries like Bertone, Ghia, Busso and Scaglione. It is beautifully conceived exhibiting both delicacy, finesse and latent sporting prowess.

This example has an interesting background and presents very, very well in every respect. It’s in the best colour and, despite its earlier restoration, it oozes originality from every pore. It has clearly been well maintained throughout its life and it is ready to use, enjoy and be deeply envied in. These cars represent a small fraction of Giulietta production so have now become significantly rare. Especially in this condition. Alfista or not, if you have the merest whiff of petrol in your veins this car will prove a hard potential ownership prospect to ignore.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.