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1960 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce Spider
s/n AR167610, engine no. AR00106 *01246*
Red with Black Interior
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 has been beautifully restored by Tom Sahines a well-regarded Alfa Romeo specialist in the San Francisco Bay Area. He purchased the car locally in the Bay Area approximately thirty years ago and stored it in his warehouse before undertaking a comprehensive restoration that was completed in time for the car to be shown at Concorso Italiano in 2012, where the car won best Tipo 101 award. The car was extremely solid prior to the restoration and is reported to retain its original engine. Every system of the car was included in the restoration and the car has covered very few miles since being restored.
The car is in excellent, near show condition, reflecting the fact that every aspect of the car was restored. The body is straight with great gaps, and the paintwork was applied to high standards with a few minor surface imperfections but extremely strong presentation overall. The glass and lights are excellent, as is the chrome. A new top was fitted, which is in as new condition and the car has correct rubber gaskets around the chrome trim and bumper overriders. The wheels and hubcaps are also in excellent as new condition with Vredestein tires.
The interior is equally well-restored with fresh and correct upholstery and carpets. The dashboard is in beautiful condition with restored early type gauges and excellent switches and controls. The interior chrome trim is very nice with very minor surface scratches. New correct rubber Alfa Romeo floor mats were installed in the interior and trunk. The steering wheel is in great shape as well.
The engine compartment was beautifully restored and remains in near show condition, being extremely clean and correctly presented with correct Veloce equipment including airbox, intake trunking and cast Veloce airbox. The car has correct DCOE2 Weber carburetors. The valve cover has a black wrinkle finish and the variety of decals have been correctly reproduced. There is a spot where the finish is deteriorating on the paint on the underside of the front deck lid. The trunk was comprehensively restored and is also extremely clean.
The car runs and drives very well. It starts easily and the engine and carburetors are well tuned, pulling cleanly at all engine speeds. The gearbox is excellent, shifting easily into all gears, even second gear from cold. It is a 5-speed unit. The brakes work as they should, pulling the car up evenly, and the chassis and steering operate as they should, providing an entertaining and enjoyable experience that reminds why these cars are so highly regarded and enjoyable for events.
Giulietta Veloces are coming into their own as collector cars. Not only are the beautiful and technically interesting, but they are a pleasure to drive, which is one reason they are so popular on events. Indeed, these cars often share garage space with top tier classics like Ferrari 275’s or Mercedes Gullwings as a lower-stakes but still very enjoyable car to use and enjoy. They are eligible for the most prestigious events out there including the California Mille and the Colorado Grand. This particular car represents a superb opportunity to acquire an award-winning genuine Veloce Spider. Beautifully restored to high standards, this example runs and drives great in addition to being a cosmetically exceptional and correctly-presented example.