The history of this car started with the purchase of the vehicle in 1958 by a Chicago resident, name unknown, after it was delivered to Hoffman Motor Car Company in New York.
The car later made it's way to Michigan and the first actual recorded sale was one from Michael Shonk of Wyandotte, MI to Patrick Sadler of Riverview, MI in July of 1967.
It's unclear whether Mr. Shonk is the original purchaser from Chicago or a subsequent owner. Mr. Sadler owned the vehicle from 1967 to approximately 1980 but Michigan registration documentation only exists to 1971 so it appears the car was only driven for 4 years before being stored.
In the late 1970s or early 1980s, Mr. Sadler sold the car to Robert Briscoe. Mr. Briscoe apparently had some interest in restoring the vehicle and over the intervening 30 years, the car sat in a garage, was never registered and was eventually almost completely disassembled.
In 2010, Mr. Briscoe determined that he would never be able to bring the car back and so he sold it to Richard Phillips who then placed the car on eBay for sale.
It was purchased in July 2010 by Paul Yesnosky and the vehicle is now undergoing restoration. At time of purchase in 2010, the odometer showed 45,000 miles and it is believed that this represents actual driven miles from 1958 to 1971 when it was stored.
UPDATE 3/23/2016 Fantasy Junction website:The Giulietta, and later the Giulia are the cars that took Alfa Romeo from being a relatively small production company to being an economically viable and successful firm. Prior to that, they had produced large and expensive cars, and never in very large numbers. With the Giulietta/Giulia, however, Alfa Romeo produced significant numbers of these charming and capable cars. Its success was due in part to its unique placement in the market. It was neither a large hugely expensive car, nor was it very small utility car (such as the Fiat 500). Instead, they were affordable enough so that many could buy them, yet permitted a more glamorous and useful approach to motoring that really struck a chord with buyers on both sides of the Atlantic. The Giulietta Veloce enjoys the honor of being the highest performing and most developed open variant of the 1300cc line, thanks to its venerable twin cam engine, twin Weber carburetors, higher compression ratio, and hotter cam profiles. Performance was much improved over the standard cars.
This particular car is a beautifully-restored matching-numbers example that has a rare and attractive hard top. Originally imported by Max Hoffman, the car was sold new to an owner in the Chicago area. By 1967, the car was in Michigan with a Michael Shonk, who sold the car in July of that year to a Patrick Sadler of Riverview, Michigan. He drove the car until approximately 1971 and retained the car until 1980 to a fellow who intended to restore it. The car was showing 46,000 miles at this time and he began a restoration, which eventually lost momentum. He ended up keeping the car until 2010, and realizing that the restoration was not likely to happen, sold it on to its next owner, who set about having a complete rotisserie restoration performed in the Seattle area.
The car itself was restored by Daron Walker, and the engine was done by Wes Ingram, with certain components such as the Veloce oil pump and carburetors done by Tom Sahines. The engine was upgraded to 1400cc and Carillo rods were installed, and the car retains its Veloce equipment including oil pan, airbox, and headers. The body stripped, restored, and repainted, and all major systems restored including brakes, suspension, rear end, and all cosmetic aspects. Excellent attention to detail was paid, including a variety of parts restored to appear correct including modern fuel pump, ignition coil, and battery, all of which have the correct paint and decal finishes but are in fact modern items. The entire exhaust system was ceramic coated, the brake hydraulics were rebuilt, and special camshafts spec'd by Wes Ingram were fitted. The restoration was photo documented and was completed in 2012. The car won “Best Open Car” at the 2012 Danville Concours d'Elegance in California.
The car is cosmetically excellent. The body was prepared and painted to high standards. The panels are straight and display excellent door and trunk gaps and good hood fit. The paint is nearly unmarked, with a few swirls but no major issues. The chrome is excellent and nearly unmarked as are the various trim parts and badges. The lights are excellent including Carello headlamps. The winsdscreen has light road wear and wiper marks. The wheels were restored and appear fresh, as do the hub caps. The car sits on Michelin XZX tires. The soft top is in like new condition and is a burgundy to match the interior and set off the exterior, which looks quite smart.
The interior is in excellent shape. The burgundy upholstery is unusual but looks great and the work was performed to high standards. The upholstery is excellent throughout, including seats and door panels. The carpets are in excellent shape and the correct rubber Alfa Romeo floor mats have been fitted, along with matching burgundy seat belts with Alfa Romeo buckles. The dashboard and instruments were restored to high standards, and appear as new, including the often cracked plastic switches. The steering wheel presents similarly nicely and is free from cracks and has excellent chrome on the horn ring. The steering wheel badge does show some clouding.
The engine compartment is beautifully restored, including the engine itself, firewall, and inner fenders. The attention to detail is good, with Pirelli stickers on the various rubber hoses and correct type hose clamps. The complete and correct Veloce intake components and airbox are installed and nearly every visible components has been restored to high standards. The valve cover has been painted wrinkle black and the overall presentation of the engine is extremely nice. The trunk also presents beautifully with a comprehensively restored and fresh appearance. A correct rubber floor Alfa Romeo floor mat has been sourced and installed, as has the paint decal. The underside of the car was painted to match the exterior and is beautifully detailed and extremely clean.
The car runs and drives well. The engine is well tuned and revs enthusiastically. The gearchange is crisp and the synchromesh excellent. The clutch is easy to modulate and works properly. The chassis and suspension are tight, allowing the driver to exploit the car's famously balanced and enjoyable handling. The brakes are effective but there is some vibration from the drums.
This is an excellent opportunity to acquire a beautifully-restored matching-numbers 750 series Giulietta Veloce Spider. A great driving example finished in striking colors, this car is the most desirable open variant of the Giulietta and is thus a great driving car but also quite collectible. The car comes with photo documentation of the restoration, rare hard top, and miscellaneous other documentation.
Price: $125,000