60’s Alfa Romeo is a classic car full of history and luxury that was even regarded as a little finicky. This car has found wide varieties with nearly a century of developments and upgrades, but it is very popular to date.
What makes this car stand out among many luxury and vintage car options? Read this article to learn about this car’s top features and its interesting history!
Contents
60’s Alfa Romeo Car Specifications
The 60’s Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT specifications include a four and a five-speed gearbox, which was made possible by the Alfa Romeo brand before they were commonly found in cars. Their original Alfa Romeo GTV was one of the first cars launched in 1963 and boasted modern styling.
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A was actually an automobile company founded in Milan, Italy, in 1910. Since then, they have produced and manufactured various versions of the Alfa Romeo range of cars. But later, this brand sold its flagship car designs and the classic Alfa Romeo collection of cars to Fiat.
They have gone on to make many different versions of this classic car over the last few decades, but this convertible sportscar speaks of luxury with every feature that it has. Let us find out more about thos features.
- Place of origin: Milan, Italy
- Traction: RWD (rear-wheel drive)
- Engine type: Spark-ignition 4-stroke
- Bore: 74.0 mm | 2.913 in
- Stroke: 75.0 mm | 2.953 in
- Number of gears: 4
- Fuel type: Petrol (gasoline)
- Fuel system: Carburetor
- Fuel capacity: 53 liter / 14 U.S. gal / 11.6 imp. Gal
- Cylinders alignment: Line 4
- Transmission type: Manual fully synchronized
- Torque net: 108 Nm / 80 ft-lb / 3500
- Top speed: 165 km/h / 103 mph
- Horsepower net: 59 kW / 80 PS / 79 hp (DIN) / 6500
- Aspiration: Naturally aspirated
- Number of valves: 2 valves per cylinder = 8 valves in total
- Body and car type: Sports car roadster / Convertible
- Number of doors: 2
– Design
Most of the Alfa Romeo classic cars in the 60s were designed by a young designer named Giorgetto Giugiaro. These cars were not boxy like the other cars around these times. They had unique shapes and high-speed engines. Though this speed seems quite normal or below average for modern cars, they were a huge hit during those times.
Some other great Italian designing houses that designed cars for Alfa Romeo were Bertone, Italdesign, Pininfarina, Zagato, and Centro Stile Alfa Romeo. These designs have been so phenomenal in the age of boxy cars that they have influenced a lot of car makers to take inspiration from their designs. Many companies like Toyota also tried to make similar-looking cars in the upcoming days.
– Technology
In the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 with “Ala spessa” body, Alfa Romeo was one of the bravest pioneers who tested one of the earliest electronic gas/fuel injection motor systems (Caproni-Fuscaldo) at the 1940 version of the Mille Miglia. Six electrically driven injectors fed by a set of medium to high-pressure fuel pumps were circulating in the engine. This changed the course of car designs and made its mark in the market.
SPICA, or the Società Pompe Iniezione Cassani & Affini, a popular subsidiary of Alfa Romeo, used a mechanical fuel booster to upgrade this model. It was used in 1969 models for the North American market. Alfa Romeo claims that the engine’s performance and power output were identical to the carbureted model’s. Even after the advent of the 2.0 liter Bosch-made electronic gas/fuel injection for the 1982 model year, the SPICA system was still in use. There are numerous SPICA-powered Alfas that are still in operation.
In the 1980 Alfa Romeo Spider, offered in the United States, mechanical variable valve timing was first implemented. Beginning in 1983, all Alfa Romeo, specifically the Romeo Spider cars, had electronic VVT. With features like plastic radiator header tanks and all-wheel disc brakes, the 105 series of Giulia was a very sophisticated vehicle. Additionally, it possessed the lowest drag coefficient that ever existed in its class. The unique Alfetta 2000 car and the GTV, which included peculiarities like equal weight distribution, standardized alloy wheels, and a transaxle, followed the same pattern.
– Brand Logo
The original Alfa Romeo car logo incorporates two heraldic elements traditionally connected to the company’s origin, Milan, Italy. A red cross from Milan’s coat of arms and the biscione, a large grass snake that is depicted as swallowing a child and represents the Visconti family, who ruled the city in the 14th century. Romano Cattaneo, a young Italian draughtsman, created the logo’s original version in 1910. This logo continued to stay with this car for a long time after that.
As part of the brand’s relaunch strategy, a new logo and Alfa Romeo Giulia were introduced at a public event. They unveiled this logo at the Alfa Romeo Museum on June 24, 2015, the company’s 105th anniversary. Robilant Associati, who had previously redesigned several other Fiat Group logos — including those for Lancia and Fiat Automobiles — performed the revamp.
The biscione’s green, the cross’s red, and the surrounding ring’s dark blue have replaced the original logo’s four colors. Other improvements and changes in the logo include a new serif typeface and a single silver-colored background in place of the divided white and light blue fields.
– Drawbacks of Alfa Romeo Cars
Some car critics have gone on to remark that this car has a few downsides too, even if it was a luxurious experience to drive it.
- This car cost a fortune and was almost double the price of other contemporary cars like the 2.0-liter Ford Capri.
- This car was also very delicate, got dents and scratches, and was susceptible to damage on the road.
- The body parts of this car also tended to rust very easily, and the sides of the car were very close to the ground, which was a discomfort for some.
However, critics have also insisted that the luxury that the Alfa Romeo cars offered made up for all its minor faults.
Different Versions of the Alfa Romeo Car
Over the years, the 60’s Alfa Romeo had many different versions including the Giulia, Stelvio, and Tonale, all by Alfa Romeo. Let us find out the specifics of these versions and how they were all unique in their own features.
– Giulia by Alfa Romeo
On June 24, 2015, the new Giulia was unveiled to the media at the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo in Arese. A new logo was unveiled simultaneously, which also happened to be the company’s 105th birthday. Sales peaked in 2018 at roughly 34,000 units annually, then dropped to 20,000 examples (2019).
– Stelvio by Alfa Romeo
The 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show was where Stelvio made its debut. The Porsche Macan, Jaguar F-Pace, Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLC, and BMW X3 are all competitors in the same segment as Alfa Romeo’s first SUV in production, the Stelvio. With fewer than 40,000 instances sold annually, it was the top Alfa sales in 2019.
– Tonale Alfa Romeo
The Tonale is a small crossover SUV (C-segment) released in March 2022. It was Stellantis’ first model under the Stellantis name and was the brand’s first new model in six years.
History of 60’s Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeos was always in production since 1910. However, things changed during the two World Wars when there was a disruption in production for a while. But soon after the wars ended, things resumed and went back to normal in the car industry.
People realized that whoever had a 60’s Alfa Romeo could make an impact at prestigious events like Grand Prix and even win.
In the beginning, all the Alfa Romeo designs like 1951 159, 1952 6C 3000 CM, or the Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ were all sportscars. These makers did not make a lot of passenger or family cars. That is why this car was called a bit finicky by some car critics because it needed a little more maintenance than everyday passenger cars. This car was revolutionary for its age, and all of its different versions had a moving impact on the car market in Europe.
– Current Conditions and Production
Sales have been declining for Alfa Romeo, and the market for this luxury car has become quite dicey in the recent past. It sold roughly 112,000 units in total in 2010, far less than the 300,000 units that Fiat CEO Marchionne had hoped to sell globally. The company planned to sell at least 170,000 units in 2011 to keep the business afloat. This included 100,000 Giulietta and 60,000 MiTo models. However, their sales did not take off; they only managed to sell 130,000.
By 2014, it set a medium-term goal of 500,000 units, with 85,000 coming from the North American market. Alfa Romeo built 150,722 automobiles at its three plants in 2017, a 62 percent increase in production. The businesses of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Groupe PSA saw a major merger, and they joined hands on January 16, 2021. Later, Stellantis was formed. Stellantis Italy was then given its new name.
The key makers of the 60’s Alfa Romeo have also promised their ardent lovers that they will keep launching new versions every year from 2022 to 2026. This new range will start with the Tonale, which was originally supposed to be in the market before this. They are hoping to recover their lost business with this move.
– Alfa Romeo Cars for Italian Police
Alfa Romeo rose to fame in the 1960s for its compact vehicles, such as the “Giulia Super” and the 2600 Sprint GT, which were created expressly for the Italian police and Carabinieri (an arm of the Italian armed forces seconded only partially for civilian policing duties).
The Polizia’s Alfa Romeos were painted green/blue with white letters and stripes, giving them the nickname “Pantera” (Panther), and emphasizing their sporty appearance (especially the Giulia series). In contrast, the Carabinieri’s Alfas are dark blue in color with a noticeable white roof and red stripes, giving them the nickname “Gazzella” (Gazelle), signifying their speed and agility (patrol cars).
After this, the Alfa Romeo famously became the car of choice for most Italian Police service personnel. From patrol cars to police cars on regular duty, all were one version of the Alfa Romeo. Some of the most commonly used versions used by the police are listed below.
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- Alfa Romeo AR51
- Alfa Giulia
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- Alfa Romeo Alfetta
- Alfa Romeo Giulietta
- Alfa Romeo 75
- Alfa Romeo 164 (official vehicles)
- Alfa Romeo 156
- Alfa Romeo 159
Conclusion
Now that you know a lot about this luxurious 60’s Alfa Romeo, when do you plan to get your hands on a unit? Before you do buy one, let us have a quick recap about all the important things we know about this car.
- The 60’s Alfa Romeo car was born in Milan, Italy, and is one of the most revolutionary convertible sports cars of the 60s.
- This car was a little more expensive than many of its other contemporary cars, but the level of luxury it offered was worth the price.
- This car was not boxy and had many innovative designs made by famous Italian designer houses like Bertone, Italdesign, Pininfarina, Zagato, and Centro Stile Alfa Romeo.
Do you like this car and its amazing features? This car is still in production, and you can definitely get your hands on one if you want, but remember that these are new versions of the 60’s Alfa Romeo, so there have been some changes that were already made.
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