The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Veloce

Classic Italian convertible. Three words which, collectively, evoke rich and romantic imagery of a sun-dappled and impossibly glamorous bygone era. And if there’s a single car which truly embodies the magic of this Dolce Vita epoch, it is surely the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Veloce. Petit, poised and oh-so-pretty, the coachwork could only have been designed by Pininfarina. And in the top-of-the-range Veloce model, beneath that sultry surface resided a rev-happy and boisterous twin-cam all-alloy four-cylinder engine, breathing through two twin-choke Weber carburettors.

In fact, its athletic performance (100HP and a top speed of 115mph) defies its sheer beauty. And that’s what makes the Giulietta Spider Veloce such a great car for driving today, either on stolen sunny Sunday afternoons or any of the epic road rallies for which the model is eligible, including the Modena Cento Ore in Italy.

The conviction of the famed New York-based importer Max Hoffman was warranted. He’d seen with his own eyes how well received small European drop-top sports cars were proving in America and convinced Alfa’s top brass in Milan to push ahead with plans for a sexier open version of the comparatively frumpy Giulietta Sprint Coupe. In heeding Hoffman’s advice, Alfa Romeo was on to a winner. The marque’s first mass-produced vehicle, the Giulietta was hugely successful from a commercial point of view, modernising the fabric of the company. And the flagship Veloce was, and remains, the pick of the bunch for anybody who’s anybody.

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Veloce

The fabulous Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Veloce ‘750F’ we’re currently offering for sale is chassis number 07515, which was delivered new to New York via Max Hoffman. As per its Certificate of Origin, this car rolled off the production line on 17 March 1960, finished in the statement-making colour combination of Bianco over a Rosso interior. This Giulietta is notable in that it is one of the handful of ‘Interim’ models, which benefitted from the hotter carburettors from the Sprint Speciale. These carbs really transform the driving experience – this is a rorty little convertible, which loves nothing more than to be revved out.

This Giulietta returned to its native Italy five years ago, at which point the decision was taken to have the car comprehensively restored. We received the car here at Belchers Farm in 2020, arranging for it to be UK road-registered. And we can confirm the quality of the aforementioned restoration is superb – the shut lines are inch-perfect, the supple Rosso leather is beautifully trimmed, the Bianco paintwork is positively bright and glossy and the engine is in rude health. The neatly stowable fabric roof is also taut and mould-free.

What’s more, we’ve recently sent the car to The Light Car Company in Oxfordshire for a full service and a carburettor tune. As pleasurable as it is to drive as it is to look at, this beautiful Pininfarina-designed Giulietta is waiting to make its next owner very happy indeed. How could you ever look back at this car after parking it and not smile?

Price: £120,000 (GBP)