I wanted to kick off my first Pick of the Day for 2024 with a car that is not only an icon but also a car that is truly looks to be a great value in case you did not get the Christmas present you hoped for.
Today’s Pick of the Day is a 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint located in Glendale, California. Yes, it is labeled as a Spider, but it is in fact Sprint.
The Giulietta Sprint was the first sporting version of the legendary Giuietta series of Alfa Romeo cars and marked a change from the old coach built pre-war cars to a newer, smaller, and more affordable alternative. The car was introduced in 1954 at the Turin Motorshow and proved to be an almost immediate hit, something very important for a company that was still in the middle of post-war reconstruction. The Sprint was designed by Bertone’s Franco Scaglione who would go on to design many more legendary cars for Alfa, Lancia, Maserati, and even the Apollo GT. The car was such a hit that the first examples were built by hand as fast as possible in order to fulfill customer orders.
The Giulietta Sprint featured here is a later 101 series model in its second restyling, which was completed just before the 1963 introduction of the Giulia Sprint which replaced it. This example is powered by its correct, and reported to be numbers matching, 1300cc DOHC inline 4 cylinder engine. It is a Normale version which featured less aggressive camshaft profile and a single Solex carburetor instead of the twin Webers and aggressive cams of the higher end Veloce model.
Overall this Giulietta Sprint looks to be a great example of a driver level car. This means that while you are not that likely to win any shows with it, it is nonetheless a respectable and good driving example. This is backed up by the owner stating that this Sprint has received a new exhaust system, new water pump, rebuilt carburetor a resealed 4 speed transmission, new brake lines and a cleaned and rebuilt fuel tank.
While the interior is not correct for the model, it is quite presentable and looks to be in good condition with no serious issues except incorrect materials.
This leads me to what I feel this car is best for. This 1961 Alfa Giulietta Sprint is perfect for the owner who is looking to experience what an Alfa Giulietta Sprint is all about as a car to drive. There is no reason that this car could not be entered into a number of vintage rallies and tours. Sure it is not a concours car but instead something much more fun, a car that you can use.
The best part of all is the asking price. Listed at only $39,000 this car represents a great value in a collector sports car market that has been increasingly difficult to find entry level affordable cars in. If you are looking to buy a classic Alfa to actually drive, and want a car more classic and more rare than a GTV, this car might be just the ticket.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
