14.05.2004 To mark the 50th anniversary of the ALFA ROMEO Giulietta Sprint a long series of events and exhibitions with the aim of reviving the history of an extraordinary legend iS planned

One evening, toward the end of August 1958, Federico Fellini organised a dinner to which he invited Tazio Secchiaroli, Carlo Bavagnoli, Pierluigi Praturlon, Sandro Vespasiani, Ezio Vitale, Guglielmo Coluzzi and others.

These were the Via Veneto photo reporters, the 'paparazzi' who reigned over the vibrant Roman nights ready to steal pictures, stories and sensations to sell on to newspapers. That meeting was the inspiration for 'La Dolce vita'.

At the end of the Fifties, Rome was the capital of cinema and the international jet-set: Via Veneto hummed with life, the chic nightclubs and luxury hotels attracted actors and writers while politicians and VIPs met at the tables of fashionable cafés.

A kaleidoscope of languages, music, scents and colours. These were the images that attracted world attention to Via Veneto, the city of Rome and also Italy, a country that was forcefully emerging from the difficult post-war years.

The economic boom was exploding: widespread prosperity led people to rediscover their joy of life and experiment with art, design, television and fashion. And more. The Fifties were also a never-to-be-repeated period in the history of the motor car.

Alfa Romeo was an indisputable star among motor manufacturers, due to the class, elegance and sportiness of its models. They were called 1900 Sprint, Giulietta Sprint and Giulietta Spider and they sped like arrows over the roads of Europe with style and sophistication: just like true divas of stage and screen. Our memories immediately return to those fabulous beauties Sofia Loren, Anita Ekberg and Brigitte Bardot but also actresses who were more famous for their ability to express empathy and intensity such as Anna Magnani and Giulietta Masina. Fellini's wife, the Giulietta's godmother, was the person chosen in 1960 to greet the arrival of car no. 100,001.

The 'Dolce vita' years were also the years when Italian fashion began to make its name throughout the world. The period now known as Italian Glamour saw the light at that time.

The Dolce Vita was associated with values that blended the identity and appeal of Italy in terms of everyday aesthetics, the quality of food and wine, taste, imagination and an ability to live life well. But the main attractions were class and elegance. An Italian elegance that Alfa Romeo was able to combine with sportiness. The Giulietta Sprint represented the perfect marriage between these twin, so apparently contradictory spirits that achieved a magical balance in Series II of the model.

On 24 June 1958, the Giulietta Sprint Series II was presented at the Monza racetrack and given the name of the 'Monza prototype'. The event assumes particular significance when we remember that this restyling was created by the hand of Giorgetto Giugiaro, by then established at the Bertone Style Centre.

The celebrated designer added few but telling aesthetic details that particularly affected the area at the front: the air intakes were taken into a single grille, the headlamps were bigger and side turn signals were added. New tail lights were added with a separate reflector and the number plate lights were included in the bumpers (to fulfil the requirements of the new 1958 highway code).

The engine was the classic 1.3 litre unit upgraded to 89 bhp due to the addition of new exhaust manifolds, a strengthened cylinder block and oversized valves. The gearbox also adopted Porsche type synchronisers and a clutch control.

A few months later, however, at the official launch in 1959, the workers discovered certain changes had been made to the Monza prototype: for example, the reversing lights were white (previously they were orange) while the seats came in a new shape and were upholstered in a checked cloth fabric. Engine power was increased to 80 bhp at 6300 rpm and the top speed was 170 km/h.

While few differences were apparent on the outside, the thing that really changed was the way the body was built. The early years of practically handcrafted construction were followed, in the summer of 1960, by the opening of the new Bertone plant in Grugliasco (Turin) where bodies were assembled with electric spot welding to join panels entirely produced in presses.

The same period saw the introduction of the Giulietta Sprint Veloce Series II that benefited from the same aesthetic changes but without the lighter body and was fitted with a 1.3 litre engine developing 100 bhp at 6500 rpm that sped to a top speed of 174 km/h. Lastly, the 5 speed gearbox developed for the Sprint Speciale could be fitted as an option at an additional price.