In the rear-view mirror: 70 years of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint, 50 years of the Alfetta GT

Alfa Romeo is celebrating two important anniversaries in 2024: the Giulietta Sprint is celebrating its 70th birthday. And it will be exactly 50 years since the traditional Italian brand thrilled sports car fans with the Alfetta GT. Both coupés stand for memorable eras and unmistakably Italian design.

After the 1900 model presented in 1952, the Giulietta was Alfa Romeo's second step on the road to becoming a mass-produced manufacturer. The task of the development department was to create a compact vehicle to accompany the Alfa Romeo 1900 four-door saloon. The name Giulietta (little Giulia) was chosen. For its four-cylinder engine, the engineers relied on racing know-how with an aluminum block and cylinder head and two overhead camshafts, which provided sound and high revs. The initially used 1100 cubic centimeters of displacement became 1290 cubic centimeters in the course of development. Initially, the engine produced 65 hp, enough for a top speed of 165 km/h. With a larger carburetor, the power output and top speed increased to 79 hp and 170 km/h respectively from 1958.

While the development of the Giulietta's engine and chassis reached the home stretch at the beginning of 1954, only sketches of the body existed. The renowned carrozzerias Boneschi, Boano and Bertone competed for the contract. A design by Bertone designer Franco Scaglione won the race. The future superstar of Italian automotive design created a sleek coupé with minimalist, elegant and sporty lines, which was given the name Giulietta Sprint in line with Alfa Romeo's nomenclature. The official presentation took place on April 21, 1954 at the Turin Motor Show.

The Giulietta immediately attracted so many customers that the ordering process had to be temporarily halted. In addition to the sporty lines, the driving performance, which was on a par with vehicles from higher categories, was particularly impressive. With the start of production of the Giulietta model, Alfa Romeo finally became a high-volume manufacturer. In eleven years, a total of 177,513 coupés, saloons and convertibles (Spider) rolled off the production line. The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint, which celebrates its 70th birthday in 2024, was produced 24,084 times.

Twenty years after the Giulietta, another Alfa Romeo coupé saw the light of day in 1974, which had iconographic features with its wedge shape and two twin headlights: the Alfetta GT. The sporty body was designed by none other than Italian star designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, who also designed the first VW Golf at the same time. The then 35-year-old used the design of a prototype that the Alfa Romeo Centro Stile had previously presented.

The interior also reflected the sporty character of the Alfetta GT. The front seats were arranged very low, and only the most important instrument in racing was positioned behind the steering wheel - the rev counter. The speedometer and other gauges were located in the middle section of the dashboard. However, the Alfetta GT was actually designed more as a touring car than a sports car. It was not for nothing that the abbreviation GT stood for Gran Turismo. The rear bench seat offered space for two people, the rear side windows could be rolled down and the trunk, which was spacious for a coupé, was easily accessible via the tailgate.

The Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT 1.8 made the start, with a four-cylinder engine from 1779 cubic meters of displacement producing 122 hp with the aid of two twin carburettors and a top speed of 195 km/h. A restructuring of the model series led to the Alfetta GT 1.6 with 109 hp becoming the new entry-level version from 1976. At the same time, the power of the Alfetta GT 1.8 was reduced to 118 hp and the Alfetta GTV with a 131 hp two-liter engine was added.

Production of the Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT ended in 1986 after 136,275 units had left the plant in Arese on the outskirts of Milan. The site is now home to the factory museum, where the anniversaries of the two coupés will each be celebrated in 2024 with an episode of the popular Backstage event series. On May 5, 2024, the focus will be on the birthday of the Alfetta GT, while June 2, 2024 will be all about the Giulietta Sprint. On both days, there will also be vehicle parades on the in-house test track, to which the owners of the respective models are invited. The Centro Stile Alfa Romeo has also designed two special logos to mark the occasion, which will accompany the brand's events and communications throughout the year.(aum)