Page 1 of 2 Next >> With the relatively inconspicuous and moderately priced Giulietta, introduced in 1954, Alfa Romeo had ensured the survival of the company. Soon after, some of the Giulietta's performance potential was already unlocked with the two-door Sprint and Sprint Veloce models. Seeking even more speed, Alfa Romeo teamed up with design house Bertone to create a more efficient design.
Serving as an inspiration for the new Giulietta Sprint Speciale (SS) were the three B.A.T. show cars created by Bertone on Alfa Romeo chassis during the mid-1950s. Designed by Franco Scaglione, these experimental machines were an exploration of the latest aerodynamic advances and accordingly, the type name was short for Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica.
Scaglione was also tasked to design the Giulietta SS, which was most closely related to the B.A.T. 9 shown at the 1955 Turin Auto Show. For the first Sprint Speciale, Scaglione did tone down the design considerably. The prototype that debuted at Turin in 1957 was particularly sober with a low, pronounced nose, which notably lacked the typical Alfa Romeo grille. For the production version the grille re-appeared much like it had featured prominently on the B.A.T. 9.
Underneath the futuristic Scaglione design, the car was very similar to the Giulietta Sprint Veloce. The core of the unibody construction was carried over as was the double-wishbone front suspension and the live rear axle. The all-aluminium, twin-cam four-cylinder engine was further tuned. For the SS, the 1.3-litre unit was equipped with a pair of Weber carburettors and produced around 100 bhp. The regular Giulietta's four-speed was replaced by a new five-speed gearbox. Page 1 of 2 Next >>
Ultimatecarpage.com
> Cars by brand
> Italy
> Alfa Romeo
Giulietta SS Prototipo
With the relatively inconspicuous and moderately priced Giulietta, introduced in 1954, Alfa Romeo had ensured the survival of the company. Soon after, some of the Giulietta's performance potential was already unlocked with the two-door Sprint and Sprint Veloce models. Seeking even more speed, Alfa Romeo teamed up with design house Bertone to create a more efficient design.