Alfa Romeo's Gulia Sprint GT and GT Veloce models of the mid-Sixties were far ahead of their time.
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Featuring four wheel disc brakes, an all-aluminum DOHC engine, and a 5-speed transmission as standard items, they could give any contemporary Porsche 911 a run for the money, on the road and on the race track alike. Unfortunately, due mainly to being used -- and abused -- vigorously as well as early-onset, terminal rust cancer resulting from year-round motoring on European roads that saw plenty of salt during the winter, precious few GTVs have survived intact.
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The coveted Sports Car Market magazine -- The Insider's Guide to Collecting, Investing, Values, and Trends -- (Sept. 2014, p.52-54) lists all 1965-'68 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT/GT Veloce cars as Best Buys under $50K, and gives "a heavy preference" to the step-nose cars. Click on the image to the left for an XXL-sized view |
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The 1967 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint G.T. Veloce presented here, VIN *AR 250091*, is one of a few surviving examples of only 14,240 ever manufactured. It has escaped the dreaded tin worm remarkably well and presents itself in beautiful, unmodified original condition.
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Always garaged and covered, the car sat idle for quite a few years before being lovingly recommissioned, mechanically and cosmetically, starting about a decade ago. All the usual weaknesses and wear items -- such as brakes, suspension, trim and lenses -- were addressed, and a folder containing a couple dozen receipts totalling about $8,500.00 outlines most expenses.
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Let's now inspect this wonderful Alfa Romeo in more detail, starting with the undercarriage. Interestingly, whereas many Alfas feature a thick layer of undercoating that can easily hide all manner of sins, this one shows off its solid floor pans. During the car's rehabitation, all traces of surface rust were removed, the bare metal was treated with a corrosion inhibitor, and then a single coat of black paint was applied, protecting the exposed surfaces. The sensitive, multi-layer rocker panels and sills look to be rock solid, and there are no holes anywhere. Click on the image to the left for an XXL-sized view |
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Undercarriage details. Make sure you enlarge the photos to their full size by clicking on them.
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The car's body appears arrow-straight and features a smooth and very glossy coat of Alfa Verde Inglese (AR-219) paint. There are no bubbles, rock chips, scars, scratches, dings or dents. Just the stainless bumpers show some wear. Very desirable are the correct, vented steel rims with dog dish chrome hub caps seen here. Tires are Bridgestone Potenzas in the size 185/65-15 with about 50% tread life left.
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Straight rocker panels; again, they are all metal. Note the filler-free vertical seams.
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Original engine # A/00536*17107*, an Italian engineering masterpiece hewn from alloy. Dual overhead cams enable it to rev much higher than its period Zuffenhausen competitors, twin race-derived 40 Weber carburetors feature one big throat for each cylinder, spent gases exit via tubular headers. This setup was state-of-the-art in the 1960s and is still able to elicit much excitement today.
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This one is bone stock, still featuring the now hard-to-find canister-type air filter. She starts right up, sounding great. There are no untoward noises, no smoke, no leaks, and no ill behavior of any kind.
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Cozy 4-place interior features one of the classic Sixties cockpit layouts, looks stock, and remains largely original, down to the big, black-rimmed steering wheel. Considering the car's age, everything here is extremely well-preserved.
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Gauges and switch gear. All instruments and lights work -- which is quite unusual for an Italian job -- just the original AM radio is silent. No problem, though, as the music comes from the engine!
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Factory front bucket seats feature immaculate upholstery with basked-weave inserts.
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Beautifully preserved rear seats. Lap belts with Alfa insignia.
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Ready for a test drive?
So are we, but before we leave, let's check out the Alfa's trunk.
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Luggage compartment is surprisingly large, another trait of the timeless Bertone design. Note Verde Inglese paint.
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No rust to be found here, either!
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Monday, January 19, turned out to be another super nice day here in our SoCal paradise. With temperatures reaching the high 70s and blue skies, we enjoyed taking the Alfa through its paces and snapping photos along the way.
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Car starts, runs, idles, accelerates, shifts (no second gear synchro crunch), steers, handles, and brakes exceedingly well. So many of the niggly little age-related issues have been taken care of recently, the driving experience is nothing short of phenomenal.
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Piloting this Alfa certainly brings back the good memories of a time when a sports car was light, nimble, easy to operate without ANY power assists, and sounded like a real fine machine, even without needing huge stainless mufflers and pipes. Nothing sounds like a vintage Alfa! In two words: a delight!
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Here it is, a vintage Alfa Romeo that runs every bit as good as it looks. While it's not perfect - it's an Italian car, after all - it should provide the new owner with miles and miles of smiles and admiring looks wherever he or she'll take it. If you've been lusting for a GTV, this might be the one to consider, before the last good one has made its way into the locked garage of another Alfisto. Owners tend to be very loyal to their unique Stepnose GTVs; finding one is getting more difficult every day.