Alfa Romeo Giulia – The Vintage Ferrari with 4 Doors

Alfa Romeo Giulia - The Vintage Ferrari with 4 Doors & Why We Love It.

The cheapest vintage Ferrari isn’t a Ferrari at all.

Not to be confused with the all-new Alfa Romeo Giulia, the Type 105 Giulia sedan was introduced in 1962 and was one of the first vehicles to combine a powerful engine with a lightweight four-door bodystyle.  That’s right – the original Alfa Romeo Giulia was one of the earliest mass-produced sport sedans, and offers Ferrari lineage in its roots. It also utilized a wind tunnel in its development, resulting in an aerodynamic shape with a low drag coefficient, despite its relatively boxy proportions.

Type 105 Giulia History

Giulia 1600 cc

A number of powertrains, trim levels, and variations of the Alfa Romeo Type 105 Giulia were offered.  Except for a low production diesel model introduced later in the Giulia’s lifecycle, all Giulia’s utilized either a 1.6 or 1.3 liter four-cylinder engine.  The first to be introduced was the basic Giulia TI, which offered a version of the 1.6 liter engine making 91 horsepower. “TI” in this case refers to “Turismo Internazionale”, which was an italian racing class reserved for sedans.  As it was the original Giulia, the TI was rather basic, but higher performance versions were offered in the coming years including the Giulia TI Super and Giulia Super. Production of the Giulia TI lasted from 1962-1967.

The Giulia TI Super was a limited production race-oriented model derived from the Giulia TI.  Built in 1963 and 1964, only 501 were made, which has contributed to its collectibility. The TI Super was the highest performing of all the mass produced Giulias, and featured the same 1.6 liter engine, but this time making 110 horsepower and capable of speeds up to 115 mph.  Lightness was the focus with the TI Super, and parts like the inner headlights, rear windows, bumpers, wheels and other components were all either modified or removed entirely in the interest of weight reduction. Needless to say, the Giulia TI Super is difficult to come by. Luckily for anyone interested, a road-going version was introduced in 1965 known simply as the Giulia Super.  Power was dialed back a bit, down to 97, but the performance aspirations were still there. Later performance versions of the Giulia 1.6 included the Giulia Super 1.6, built from 1972-1974, and the Giulia Nuova Super 1600, built from 1974-77; both featuring the 101 horsepower engine found in later iterations of the Giulia Super.

Giulia 1300 cc

The Giulia 1300 was introduced in 1964 as a lower cost model and marked the vehicle’s entry into the 1.3 liter engine class.  Early Giulia 1300s can be identified by their simplified front ends featuring only single headlamps rather than the twin design of other models.  The 1300 was somewhat de-contented compared to the 1600, but like the 1600, still offered a number of performance-oriented Super variants, all of which made 88 horsepower from a twin carburetor four-cylinder engine.

Oddball Giulias

In addition to the Giulia TI Super, there were three other variants of the Giulia that were particularly unique and are worth mentioning here.

The first is the 1600 Rallye, introduced in 1972 for the South African market, and offering a high-performance version of the 1.3 liter engine making a claimed 125 horsepower.  This would have made it the most powerful Type 105 Giulia ever offered. The car featured the single-headlight grille from the original 1300 and a number of other racing-oriented modifications, including a limited slip differential, and is believed to have been produced in limited numbers.

Next was the Giulia Nuova Super which was offered in both 1300 and 1600 varieties.  The Nuova Super offered a black plastic grille and simplified trunk lid. Production lasted from 1974-1977.

Finally we have the short-lived Giulia Nuova Super Diesel; the first ever diesel-powered Alfa Romeo.  Built from only 1976-1977, the Nuova Super Diesel made only 54 horsepower. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the Nuova Super Diesel was the slowest of all the Giulias.

Why We Love The Type 105 Giulia Sedan

This classic four door Alfa Romeo sedan has a special place at Modern Classics, and we feel that as far as unique, modern classic cars go, it doesn’t get much better than a Giulia.  

Here’s why.

The Type 105 Giulia was never sold new in the United States, but as all examples are now well over 25 years old, every one of them is eligible for import and can be legally registered in most states.  Modern Classics specializes in the importation of rare, non-US-market classic cars from outside of the United States, and can make this process virtually effortless for the buyer.

Driving Experience

In its early days, Alfa Romeo’s racing team had strong ties to that of Ferrari, and the Ferrari performance ethos lives on in every Alfa Romeo vehicle.  From its front-engined, rear-wheel drive architecture, to its Italian heritage, the Giulia offers a Ferrari spirit, with a high revving, dual overhead cam engine, direct steering, and disc brakes offered on many models.

Practicality

Thanks to its stylish yet traditional sedan design, the Giulia is extremely comfortable, offering simple and supportive front seats, a large rear seat with a folding center armrest, and a large trunk, making the Giulia great for solo drives, or for tooling around with friends and family.  Thanks to its upright greenhouse, the Giulia also offers excellent outward visibility, which helps to alleviate some of the stress of day-to-day driving. Rounding out the Alfa Romeo Giulia is a supple suspension and power brakes. Altogether, the Giulia’s livability makes it great for more than just weekend driving.

Affordability

Given that it was sold for over sixteen model years and offered in a variety of different versions from the simple Giulia 1300 all the way to the rare Giulia TI Super, there truly is a classic Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan for every budget. Price is dictated primarily by engine, trim level, and condition.  Beyond this, the Type 105 Giulia sedan is easy to maintain thanks to its mechanical simplicity, and parts are easily available despite the fact that the model was never sold in the United States.

For More on the Type 105 Giulia Sedan

We typically have at least one Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan in our inventory at any given time here at Modern Classics.  Right now, we have two:

1970 Giulia Super 1600

1973 Giulia Super 1300

Don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email if you’re interested in learning more about the Giulia and about Giulia ownership.

Phone: 208.720.8854

Email: info@modernclassicautos.com

For more information on the Type 105 Alfa Romeo Giulia, take a look at the following resources:

Type 105 Giulia Wikipedia Page

Petrolicious – Of Course You Need an Alfa Romeo Giulia Super Cop Car

Alfa Romeo Bulletin Board

By |2018-08-16T16:22:50+00:00August 1st, 2018|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Alfa Romeo Giulia – The Vintage Ferrari with 4 Doors
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