The Alfa Giulia TI is one of the sportiest sedans ever to hit the road. It’s the Italian interpretation – but even more spritely – of the Jaguar Mk II. Imminently tossable, it’s light on its feet and punches above its weight, feeling more powerful than its 80 hp implies. Here on craigslist is a 1968 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300 TI priced at $24,000 and located in St. Petersburg, Florida. The seller explains that the car was purchased new in Italy by his father; once his father passed, the seller imported the car to the US, and it has been in storage since. Its condition is described as excellent. Thanks to Mitchell G for the tip!
Alfa began building the Giulia in 1962 as a successor to the Giulietta, calling it the Giulia TI (Turismo Internazionale). The body was relatively lightweight at 2200 lbs. Equipped with a 1.6 liter twin-cam four-cylinder engine and styled in a severe three-box design with a surprisingly low co-efficient of drag, the new car sold over 20,000 copies in a couple of years. In 1964, buyers could opt for a 1.3 liter engine, saving on taxes and fuel. Models began to proliferate after that, with commensurate improvements in power and handling. The 1300 TI was first produced in 1966 and featured the series 105 engine – still with a single carburetor but tuned for a few extra horsepower over the poverty-spec 1300. Top speed approached 100 mph. Unfortunately, this listing contains no engine photos – a shame since the car has covered only 50,000 mile since new. On the other hand, this photo seems to show the car in faded Aubergine, a dark red; no mention is made of a repaint. Hopefully if the color was changed, the underhood real estate was repainted too.
Inside, what we can see of the surfaces look great, and they should as the upholstery has been replaced. The rubber seals appear soft, the paint in the door jambs is pristine. The sporty bakelite steering wheel is in fine condition; I can’t fault the trim either. The seller notes that the tires are new and the gas tank has been replaced.
Here’s another view of the interior, with the wood-grain dash slightly more visible. When the Giulia first arrived on the scene, its gearchange was on the column, but by 1964, floor-shift became available. The long throw takes a few tries to master and don’t be surprised if second gear gives a light crunch, but once you acquire the knack, you won’t stop grinning. Yes, you can find a cheaper TI but given the mileage and history of this example – and if the paint question can be cleared satisfactorily – I think the asking price is on the button; here’s a comparable car that sold about two years ago for $27k. Are you tempted by this sporty Italian?
Quirky and cool. And it warms my heart to see a smoker in anyone’s back yard…
These cars never looked very attractive to me, but I’d love to have one. It’s all about the twin cam 4 and the light weight. Too bad they didn’t come with sunroofs, or if they did, they’re rare. For what’s reported, this seems like a fair price.
Great little cars and fantastic handling.Premium price for a non-runner, I don’t think so.
In the mid 80s a colleague at work had one and it was mostly in storage because of his frequent long work travel. I tried to persuade him to either sell it to me or let me use it to keep it exercised. No luck though. If this was closer to me on the Left Coast I would be tempted to look it over.
The 70s Robert Palmer song, Hey, Hey Guila [sic] adds another small smile to a wishful acquisition.
I think the one photo that shows the car to be a different color is severely faded, and likely the car has been the color that it is as presented. This one looks both uncommon and fun. GLWTS!
A long, long time ago, some miscreant (not me) led the cops on a merry nighttime chase through a whole bunch of towns in suburban CT, where I lived at the time. He was driving an Alfa sedan, and the cops with their V8s couldn’t catch him. He got away, and was never caught. What a champion, and what a car!
Yep, the cops may have had faster cars but they didn’t handle anywhere near as well as did this little Alfa. I had one of these Guilia Supers with the 1300 engine which performed very well for ot’s size, however, it used quite a lot of oil so I found a garage that was selling a 1750 engine and arranged for them to do the swap. When I got the car back it went like hell and at a following “Cars in the Park” event the Chairman of the Alfa Romeo club came over to look at my car and after checking out the engine bay he pronounced that it must perform very well with that TWO litre engine!! A few months later, at another outdoor show, he bought it from me as he raced Alfa’s but just wanted my car as his runabout when at the track, not to race. Wonderful little car.
I had a number of older Alfas, including a pair of 1967 Guila Supers. They were pretty quick, but, unfortunately, as someone recently said, you could watch them rust! They were already pretty far gone when I acquired them and I parted them out.
It needs to be said for those who don’t know-the Carabinieri used these-you can see them in action in the 1969 production of The Italian Job. Years ago someone listed a home made pickup version (well executed by a repair specialist). I kick myself for not bidding on it every time someone lists one of these…
very nice