1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT

Alfa Romeo is arguably the brand that is most synonymous with the unequivocal Italian passion and flair that surrounds their motorcars, and it doesn’t get much more Italian than Alfa Romeo in the 1960s. Their heritage is draped in motorsport success, competing since 1911 with their 24hp Grand Prix and with their maiden victory arriving shortly after in 1913 with their 40/60hp. Not only were the cars ferociously fast, but they were painstakingly beautiful. In the following decades they had great success with the RL, P3, 6C and 8C, all before the start of the War. Post-war, Alfa Romeo again focussed their efforts on racing, entering Formula 1, and with the exception of a few years here and there, they still compete to this day. It's no surprise that by the time they decided to take their immense skillset to the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) in the 1960s, their craft was somewhat mastered. The Giulia swiftly took its place on the top step of the podium, taking  Championship victories in 1966, 1967 and 1969.

Released in September 1963 at the newly opened Arese plant, later displayed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in the same month, the Giulia Sprint GT was the first Giulia sport model in the Tipo 105 line-up. The styling was entrusted to the, then, 22 year old Giorgetto Giugiaro, but with two Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Special Bertone’s and Alfa Romeo’s 2000 and 2600 Sprints already behind him, it’s easy to see that the car's looks were in capable hands. Nicknamed the Scalino or ‘Stepfront’ due to the bonnet sitting 1cm above the nose of the car to allow for improved cooling, the Sprint GT saw plenty of distinguishing features and upgrades over the standard GT. Externally, in addition to the chrome badging, there was an Alfa Romeo logo on the front grille, rectangular ‘Disegno di Bertone’ badges on the front wheel arches and a flat, chrome grille with rectangular mesh in place of the additional chrome bars giving a more sleek and aggressive look, especially when combined with the single-piece chrome bumpers with no over-riders.

Inside, the padded vinyl dashboard was characterised by a concave horizontal fascia, finished in grey anti-glare crackle-effect paint with the four round instruments inset in front of the driver and steering wheel was a non-dished, aluminium tri-spoke thin Bakelite rim.

At the car's heart is the sonorous 1570cc all-aluminium, twin overhead camshaft, four-cylinder engine fitted with twin-Weber 40 DCOE carburettors producing over 100bhp at 6,000rpm mated to a quick and precise all-synchromesh, 5-speed manual transmission. The braking system was uncompromised with servo assisted Brembo disc brakes all-round. This magical mixture not only sounds truly incredible but allowed the Sprint GT a top speed of 113mph as observed by Quattroruote in their December 1964 road test.

The car on offer here is exceptional, even by the Twin Sparks Collections extremely high standards. The history file is like opening a perfectionist’s brain. Everything is chronological, labelled and sectioned, including a very helpful summary sheet listing which parts were purchased, where from and which part of the car they were for and totals. Excluding any labour, there are bills on file for over £20,000 in parts alone, and clearly this car was not rushed, with perfection and accuracy as priorities.

The project car was purchased from Classic Alfa in 18th May 2011 and was completed with the obligatory post-project MOT on 29th November 2013. To say the owner was a marque-enthusiast simply wouldn’t do it justice. Having raced Alfa Romeos for years and being a true guru on the brand, this can be seen in the level of detail on this restoration. Within the history file there are photos showing the car was subjected to a bare metal respray in Rosso Alfa as part of the full rebuild. The majority of the parts were purchased from Classic Alfa, as well as Alfaholics and EB Spares. The ‘other’ section includes specific items such as the engine rebuild, machine work and balancing by Gosnay Engineering. This is especially important as this Sprint GT benefits from a host of mechanical upgrades such as larger GTA-type trumpets, GTA exhaust manifold, front pipe, centre pipe and tailpipe, giving this Alfa a throaty roar. The handling is uprated with larger callipers and discs provided by Classic Alfa and a Koni Sport Handling Kit.

This is a car that encapsulates the passion of Alfa Romeo. Superbly built with subtle upgrades, this is a truly outstanding motorcar in looks, performance and style. Given the remarkable growth in Type 105 values over recent years, this may well be one of your better investment decisions.