1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale

Words by Robbe Arno with photography courtesy of RM Auctions

I can’t find enough words to describe my love for Italy. Its simple, yet delicious food, the exquisite wines, the friendly people and not to be forgotten, its endless vineyards. The joy of life is a very important part of the culture in this beautiful country. One thing Italy really excels in, besides food and drink of course, is cars. Who hasn’t heard of Ferrari or Lamborghini? Lancia, Fiat and Maserati… The list goes on. But my personal favourite will always be Alfa Romeo.

Alfa has a long and rich history with many ups and downs, from winning one racing championship after another, to building cars that literally rust in half after a few years. This car is part of the ‘up’-period in the ‘60s. Built by Bertone, this is the perfect example of why people claim this decade was the best for car design. This magnificent body was based on the Alfa Romeo BAT concept, which lent its stunning aerodynamic lines. It’s powered by a 1600cc engine giving it 112 bhp and was able to reach speed of 200 kmh (120 mph).

I’m astonished that I like it in this colour. There’s this consensus that all Italian cars look best when they’re red (save for some examples like this), but I think this grey fits the Sprint Speciale perfectly. Maybe because it doesn’t hide the lines of the car like bright red can do on certain shapes? I can't put my finger on why exactly, but I love it. RM Auctions is hoping someone else will fall in love with this example too - it goes up for auction at their Arizona event in four days time, check here for all the details.