1962 Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider 101.23. Red cabriolet

Alfa Romeo Giulia is the name of three not directly related models by the Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo. The first is a line of sporty four-door compact executive cars (Type 105) produced from 1962 to 1978, the second is an updated, mainly up-engined Spider, Sprint and Sprint Speciale Giuliettas, and the third Giulia is a compact executive car (type 952) unveiled in 2015.

Alfa Romeo was one of the first mainstream manufacturers to put a powerful engine in a light-weight 1 tonne (2,205 lb) four-door car for mass production. The Type 105 Giulia was equipped with a light alloy twin overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine similar to that of the earlier Giulietta (750/101) range, available in 1.3-litre (1,290 cc) and 1.6-litre (1,570 cc) versions. Various configurations of carburetors and tuning produced power outputs from about 80 to about 110 bhp (55 to 75 kW), coupled in most cases to 5-speed manual transmission.

Giulia sedans were noted for lively handling and impressive acceleration among small European four-door sedans of their era, especially considering modest engine sizes offered. The popular Super version with the twin carburettor 1.6 litre engine had a top speed of 170 km/h (106 mph) and accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in about 12 seconds, better than many sports cars of the late 1960s and early 1970s. When leaving the factory all variations of the Giulia originally fitted either Pirelli Cinturato 165HR14 or 155HR15 tyres (CA67).

The styling of the boxy four-door notchback saloon was somewhat wanting. The engine bay, cabin and boot were all square shaped, buffered somewhat by details on the grill, roofline, bonnet and boot. Use of a wind tunnel during development led to a very aerodynamic shape that produced a drag coefficient of Cd=0.34, particularly low for a saloon of the era.

The Giulia Spider was succeeded by the Alfa Romeo Spider (105/115) in 1966.

The Spider, Sprint and Sprint Speciale Giulias introduced together with the Giulia sedan in 1962 were rebadged and updated versions of earlier Giulietta models (series 101), now with a 92 CV (68 kW; 91 hp) 1.6 litre instead of a 1.3 litre engine.

Easiest to distinguish from a Giulietta is the Spider (tipo 101.23), which featured a bonnet bulge to clear the slightly taller engine. The Giulia Sprint 1600 (tipo 101.12) arrived in June 1962.

The Sprint coupé was also available for a short time with the 1.3 litre engine as the Sprint 1300 – essentially a Giulietta Sprint with a different name. This version carries a small “1300” script on the lower bootlid, while Giulia 1600 Sprints have a “1600” badge just behind the rear wheel. Most models were discontinued in 1964, although the Sprint Speciale continued until 1966.

The Spider was complemented by a Spider Veloce in 1964 (tipo 101.18), using the engine seen in the Giulia Sprint Speciale and Giulia TI Super, producing 112 CV (82 kW; 110 hp).

The Giulia Spider continued to be available until the mid-1966 introduction of the Spider 1600 Duetto.

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