1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider 1600

Sporting elegant coachwork designed and built by Pininfarina, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider was a huge success and continued virtually unchanged in 1.6-litre Giulia guise when the latter joined the line-up in 1962. Launched at the Monza Autodrome on 27th June that year, the Giulia range 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. The capacity increase from 1,300 to 1,600cc boosted the maximum power of Alfa's classic twin-cam four from 80 to 92bhp and the car's top speed to 109mph. 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 1966.

This fabulous and rare, left-hand drive, Giulia Spider was registered in 1964 in Florence, where it remained for most of its life. "373009" was restored in 2003 and then sold to a Sig.Cremascoli of Milan, an Alfa collector, who kept the car until 2015 when it was supplied to the current owner by Daniele Turrisi.

The car has been well maintained and sparingly used under current ownership and is reported to drive very well. Indeed, the Alfa was a recent crowd-pleaser in the classic car parade laps at the Ignition Festival of Motoring in Glasgow in 2016 and 2017. Earlier this year it had a light respray in its original Rosso Alfa to address a crackle mark on the boot lid and to restore it to one shade of red as some panels had faded more than others in the Italian sunshine. Supplied with its original logbook showing many stamps throughout the years and a rare and highly-prized factory hardtop finished in Rosso, this little Spider is in excellent condition outside, inside and underneath and will reward any inspection. It is simply a lovely example that"s ready to be used and enjoyed by its next owner.

Imagine it's a balmy, late July, Sunday evening in central Rome and you pull up in this sparkling Alfa right outside the Doney Café on the Via Veneto, hoping to enjoy some of Maria Foglieni's famous Cantuccini Biscotti and a glass of Vin Santo. The Alfa ticks and pings as it cools and the yellow street lights are reflected in its gleaming Rosso coachwork, much to the delight of the laughing and chattering 'beautiful people' as they pass on the way up the Via Vittorio making the most of the last hours of their Roman weekend. Well, the Café is still there and the Alfa will soon be here!