Artfully designed by Franco Scaglione of Carrozzeria Bertone, the Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale was a limited-production sport coupe produced from 1959 through 1966. The look was controversial from the start, with collector values lagging accordingly, but 21st Century Alfa fans have latched onto them.
The aerodynamic styling was derived from Bertone’s famed B.A.T. (Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica) Alfa Romeo show cars with performance influenced by Alfa’s Giulietta Sprint Zagato race cars.
The Pick of the Day is a 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale described as a well-maintained, mechanically sorted Alfa SS in excellent condition. The compact GT is being advertised on Classic Cars.com by a private seller in Portland, Oregon.
There is some disconnect in the ad, as the car is clearly a 1.3-liter Giulietta model, but the headline calls it a Giulia, which was a larger-engine version. As it is, this Alfa is powered by a replacement twin-cam inline-4 that has been rebuilt and enlarged to 1,450cc, and fitted with a pair of side-draft Weber carburetors, according to the seller.
While these high-revving competition-bred engines originally delivered 100 horsepower, there’s no indication in the ad as to what the power rating would be for this built version.
“The engine is exceptionally nice,” the seller says in the ad. “It delivers power whenever you want it.
“This is a wonderful example of a classic Alfa SS perfect for cruising or taking to car shows. Great attention was put to making this car nice; there is no corrosion. The car is a time capsule and is a joy to drive.”
The unique Alfa body is described by the seller as very straight with a fine paint job, and the interior, with its luxury flourishes, is also in very nice condition: “A joy to sit in this cockpit.”
Just 1,366 examples of these drivable show cars were produced by Alfa, and they remain rare in the marketplace. While values have fallen back slightly from their highs of a few years ago, they still command premium sales prices.
Mileage in the ad is stated at just over 8,000, which would be speciale indeed, although there is no indication as to whether that is original miles since new or since the car’s refurbishment.
This Alfa is priced at what seems like a reasonable $125,000.
To view this vehicle on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
This pick of the day earns the title of “ Slim Pickens”
I like the interior.
Pick of the day ain’t much of a pick!
Bob, Perhaps Petey-Bird is referring to the price, but these last (3) Italian classic coupes have been enjoyable to see, IMO, so keep up the good work!
Bob – Perhaps Petey-Bird is referring to the $100K+ price, but I have enjoyed seeing these past 3 Italian jobs in particular, so keep up the good work – Ciao!
Ugly sells ? God that’s awful !
What a coincidence! Just last night I watched an old British tv show and they were driving an identical car!