Alfa Romeo Giulia GT

The Alfa Romeo Giulia GT was to replace the Giulia Sprint 1600, a Giulietta Sprint with a 1.6 engine from the Giulia Ti, of which it retained the general body layout and also the classic engine and gearbox placement at the front with rear-wheel drive. The body, the work of a very young Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone at the time, was mounted on the platform of the Giulia Ti sedan with a shortened wheelbase from 2510 to 2350 mm and was a sleek 2+2 sports coupe. The curious front “scalino” (step) that characterized all versions produced up to 1968 and part of those produced up to 1971 was due to an afterthought between the approval of the design and the car’s going into production. The Giulia GT was originally intended to be an air intake, later abolished to keep costs down, which by leaving room for the “step” defined its important (and recognizable) styling cues. This car thanks to its lines and excellent road qualities became one of the most sought-after cars of the period. In 1965, Carrozzeria Touring proposed an elegant convertible conversion to Alfa Romeo, called the “Giulia GTC,” which retained the 2+2 configuration and traced the silhouette of the “GT” down to the waistline. With this model ended production of the Giulia GT, which was replaced by the Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT, based on the Alfetta with a transaxle layout and De Dion rear axle. In the mid-1990s Alfa Romeo, by then part of the Fiat Group, launched the GTV and Spider, two sports cars also inspired by the Giulia GT that shared the floorpan and mechanicals, just like the Giulia GT and Spider Duetto in the 1960s. In 2003, based on the 147, the Alfa GT was born, a sports car, also designed by Bertone, inspired precisely by the Giulia Sprint GT.