Alfa Romeo is known for introducing some interesting and unique designs, some of which are probably best enjoyed by fans of the quirkier Italian cars. You don’t have to be a fan of Italian cars or oddballs to appreciate the exercise of style and aerodynamics you see above though. Having seen a similar Giulia Sprint Speciale in person at the NW Classic Rally, I can attest to the beauty of these cars. Alfa only built about 1,400 of them and it seems few are still on the road. The seller of this 1966 Giulia SS 1600 found it parked in a garage, where it was on jack stands. They were able to make a deal with the previous owner’s widow and after purchasing it, actually drove it the 70 miles back to their own home without having to do any significant repairs. They are now parting ways with it and have listed it here on eBay in Midway, Utah.
This car looks to be in fantastic shape and the seller claims it is highly original. The interior looks to be in especially nice shape for its age. It did need a few things when the seller got it home, namely a new exhaust and tires. They have gone ahead and replaced both and have it running and driving. It has spent the past 6 years parked in storage, so it will likely need some service to remain reliable and problem free. I also have my concerns about the paint and the body filler that might be hiding underneath.
Early versions of the SS were powered by Alfa’s 1.3 liter four-cylinder, but by 1963 when this car was built they were putting a 1.6 liter under the hood. As a result, power increased to 112 hp and top speed was hitting 120 mph. The seller claims this one’s engine is in great shape, with strong compression on all 4 cylinders. They also state that the transmission and clutch are in great working order.
Looking at this Giulia, it is obvious that it was built to be aerodynamic and to produce minimal drag. Alfa’s goal with the Sprint Speciale was to build a race car that could take on the likes of the Porsche 356 at the track and on the street. The design proved to be quite successful, but considering it produced a drag coefficient of just 0.28, it should have performed well. This is one of those car’s that I wouldn’t mind finding in a barn and not just because of its value, but because of its beauty. You just can’t fully appreciate the design until you see one in person. Photos do this car little justice, although I will admit that rear end is a bit odd. If you’re interested in this Alfa, I’d recommend being quick about it before someone makes the seller an offer they can’t refuse!
it is at $74100 with 5 days to go. this is going to get costly before it is done. great find
The 45 bids to $74K in less than 2 days show how much Alfa fans like the Sprint Speciale. They are elegant and admired, but personally I prefer the more sporting Sprint GT and especially the GT Veloce.
It looks like the seller has done a fair job of describing it, especially acknowledging that there is filler in some of the lower panels. At this price, and especially with ’60s Alfas, I would want to go over every inch with a paint guage and a magnet in a soft cloth. There could be some very bad surprises in an Alfa like this, no matter how shiny that red paint is. At least the compression is good, and is even across all cylinders.
If I were the seller I would have absolutely no interest in selling to an offer before the auction ends. These sell for up to $150K according to my SCM Guide, and who knows what the going price is up to by now at the big auction houses, even if there is filler in the body. My guess is that this will have been a great investment after being bought from a widow out of a barn and stored the 6 years that the seller has owned it. I’ll bet that even if some of that isn’t strictly true, it will still have been a great buy.
Whether it will be a great buy for the new owner will depend on the details, as usual.
Dolphin, you always have interesting comments and they are generally based on reality not emotion.
Barry Thomas’ “Wheel to Wheel” blog
Thanks Barry.
After half a century in cars a guy picks up a few things, I guess.
Beautiful car!! I am not an Alfa fan but tgis is a car that could cause me to sell my BJ8 and persue. Odd shaped back but beautiful when graced by the rest of the lines! Great write up also Jesse.
I was gonna say if they payed the widow a fair price they cant afford to keep it, if they stole it from her, well it’s still a 6 figure car so either way they can’t afford to keep it. I personally hope the widow got at least half of what it’s worth!!
BTW, Bring A Trailer has one up for auction that was in really bad shape & was given a complete professional restoration. Bids start at $145k.
http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1965-alfa-romeo-sprint-spaciale/
bringa trailer and $150,000 dollars. all righty then…….
Wow, what a gorgeous car. The front of the car looks kind of like a Mercedes 300 SL of the same time period; but the back of the car is totally cool. What a great find.
My Duetto had this 1600 cc dual side draft weber motor & they were wonderful, this car like my Duetto, nothing is available body wise, you park it & some idiot backs into it and brakes those nice stainless bumpers & tail lamps, you are out of luck, that said these are rolling art & don’t plan on driving this out to dinner & a movie. Also of note the paint, this car has a poor repaint so expect rust & expect to learn how to hand beat metal & weld. The good looks like most if not all the bits seem to be their. These are worth some $’s but expect to spend some to get their, they are quite fun to drive.
Gorgeous, gorgeous car. Would have one as a garage queen, but as an everyday driver I’d have (and have had) a Series 2 1750 coupe. Btw, that sliced off rear end is because Alfa was experimenting with Kamm tails around this time; see the Giulia TZ.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa_Romeo_Giulia_TZ
You gotta love the TZ
I concur with Dolphin, preferring the “Sprint GT or the GT Veloce”. The SS model drawbacks for me were – very large (wide) doors, a seating position that is almost on the floor and overly-compliant handling, however, that said they have precise steering, make wonderful noises and garner a lot of attention.
I am sure you checked out the one that was on the NW Classic Rally. Really neat car. Then again most Alfas from the middle 50s through the 60s were neat cars. They were far more advanced than other cars of that period.
This beautiful Alfa sold for $85,100 with 64 bids!