1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale

A rare blue 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale (SS), one of 1,366 Giulietta Sprint Speciales built, arriving at Macchinissima II and being driven through a courtyard at the Los Angeles River Center and Gardens. Introduced in production form in June 1959, the Sprint Speciale was built on Alfa Romeo's Giulietta (Tipo 750/101) chassis and powered by its 1.3-liter 4-cylinder engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. It features aerodynamic bodywork designed by Franco Scaglione at Bertone and inspired by Bertone's Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica (B.A.T.) concept cars. The car has an incredibly low drag coefficient of 0.28, a production car record not surpassed for over two decades. The Giulietta SS was replaced by the Giulia Sprint Speciale in 1963 with a larger 1.6-liter engine.

How do you get a car into a courtyard that's clearly not designed for automobile access? Where there's a will, there's a way. The organizers of Macchinissima knew that this venue was a perfect backdrop for a field of vintage Italian cars, and no gates, fountains, or stairs were going to stop them. This was the moment their vision began turning into reality. And what better way to commemorate the moment than with this gorgeous Alfa Romeo? The Sprint Speciale's Bertone bodywork is both beautiful and functional, and it continues to impress onlookers even six decades later.

Would you attempt to drive this Alfa Romeo through this courtyard? Leave a comment on YouTube and let me know!