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 Giulia Veloce enjoys the honor of being the highest performing and most developed open variant of the line, thanks to its 1600cc version of the venerable twin cam engine, twin Weber carburetors, higher compression ratio, and hotter cam profiles. Performance was much improved over the standard car, and as is often the case with Italian cars, the latest models are the most developed.
This particular example is one such late production Giulia Veloce, purchased by the current owner in 2004 as a project car to restore. It had been sitting since 1984 and was restored over the next two years. The work included the renewal of the engine, carburetors, motor mounts, radiator, exhaust system, fuel tank, starter, generator, transmission, clutch, brakes, and brake master cylinder. The interior was also renewed, including the seats, carpets, rubber mats, dashboard, and new canvas top. The rubber gaskets and tires were also replaced, and the wheels were repainted. Some repair to the floors was also performed, and the car was repainted. The total for this work was $39,030.23, not including the paintwork.
Cosmetically, the car is in nice driver condition. The paintwork was performed to driver standards and does display the occasional blemish. On the whole, it is attractive, and the other aspects of the exterior are very nice. The chrome is very nice, having been recently redone, and the canvas top is excellent, having also been replaced. The lights are in great shape, and the glass is generally good, although the windscreen has wiper marks. The wheels were repainted and are very nice. The trim and badges are all excellent.