Though a current model at the brand, Alfa Romeo’s Giulia originated in the 1960s as a long-running middle-market sedan. Today’s example is one of the rarest made, with a performance-oriented drivetrain and a family wagon body. It’s even a lovely color.
Worth a side note before we get started, we have featured a coupe bearing the Giulia name, the Sprint Speciale showed early in 2020. While named as Giulia, underneath it was actually an updated variant of the older Giulietta and not the same car. The real Giulia entered production in 1962 in Milan and was a replacement for the outgoing Giulietta. Considered a compact executive car, it was available only with four doors, and as a sedan or wagon.
Engines were three, and included gasoline power via 1.3- and 1.6-liter inline fours (both of twin-cam variety) and a 1.8-liter diesel. Interestingly the diesel mill was made in England by a company called Perkins, which today is owned by Caterpillar. All transmissions were manual and had either four or five speeds. Less sporty, the four-speed was limited to the base 1.3-liter trim. The two gasoline engines were considered powerful in their day, and it was a novel idea to add considerable power to a mainstream sedan. Dependent upon carbs and tune, power ranged from 80 to 110 horses in a car that weighed between 2,150 and 2,500 pounds.
The Giulia range was a complicated one, and there were 12 different trims during the car’s production from 1962 to 1977. For 1967, the 1600 TI had the largest engine but was one step below the top-tier Nuova Super 1.6, which had sportier-looking trim. 1600 TI existed from 1962 to 1967 before it was replaced by the 1600 S. At the 1600 TI’s level, the wagon – Giardiniera – was much less common than the sedan. Constructed by coachbuilder Carrozzeria Colli in Milan just 16 examples were completed in total. Of those, 11 had rear windows, and five were panel wagons.
Today’s particular windowed wagon was purchased by an American living in Italy, who took it to Paris for a year or two and then to the US. It stayed in the original owner’s family in California for some time and needed a restoration by the end of the Seventies. Eventually, it was sold to a collector in Holland in 2006. It’s there now, where it’s on sale for $79,000.
[Images: YouTube]
