Alfa Giulia SS Bertone
Tim -” As a car photographer I have shot many different automotive brands over the years, from the modern-day supercars all the way through to classic cars from many years ago. For me, the beauty of a car lies within its design and recently I worked with one of my all-time favourite car designs, a beautiful 1965 Alfa Giulia SS with styling by Bertone that was years ahead of its time. It was an absolute pleasure to spend time photographing this Alfa and for me personally, it was important to capture the beautiful details of the car’s design.”
Alfa Romeo introduced the 1600cc version of the Giulietta at the Auto Salon Geneva in March 1963, it would now be known as the Giulia SS. With a drag coefficient of only 0.28 it’s ''Disco Volante'' styling by Bertone was regarded by many as the prettiest small-capacity coupe ever to be built.
The Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale was unveiled to the public during the 1957 Turin Motor Show. Its sleek, futuristic design was penned by Carrozzeria Bertone’s Franco Scaglione who was also responsible for greats such as the Arnolt Bristol, 2000 Sportiva and many more. The Sprint Speciale’s design inspiration is clearly rooted in the Berlinetta Aerodinamica Technica (B.A.T.) design study collaboration between Alfa Romeo and Bertone in the early 1950s. Of the three B.A.T. cars, number 7 is arguably the most famous producing a drag coefficient of just 0.19. This low drag design concept translated into the production variants of the Sprint Speciale, which, though slightly higher than the B.A.T. cars, achieved a production car drag coefficient record of only .28. A record that stood for over twenty years!
Two variations of the Sprint Speciale were produced in the seven-year production run from 1959 through 1966. A 1.3L DOHC inline four-cylinder engine mated to a 5-Speed gearbox powered the first generation Giulietta. In 1963, the Giulietta was replaced by the Giulia but its general design remained unchanged. Alfa Romeo did boost engine displacement from 1.3L to 1.6L in the Giulia and added front disc brakes. Besides badging, the only way to visually differentiate a Giulietta to its “grown up” counterpart, the Giulia, is to look at the dashboard. The Giulia has a leather glove box under the radio toward the left side of fascia and the Giulietta does not. In total, roughly 2,800 Sprint Speciale’s were produced.
The Sprint Speciale’s design is perhaps the closest Franco Scaglione ever got to translate the aerodynamic experimentation made on the three BAT cars to series production. Its striking shape, dictated by the pursuit of speed, stemmed from Scaglione’s knowledge of the work of the pioneer aerodynamicist Paul Jaray, yet it’s as far from pure functionalism as it can get. It blends science and art into an irresistible kinetic sculpture.
If you would like to see more of our automotive photography then please visit our dedicated automotive portfolio online that shows examples of our photographic work both in studio and on location, covering a varied selection of models and types from modern cars through to some of the most legendary classic cars ever designed and built.