chapter 15
This page is dedicated to the memory of Pat Braden who died on August 25, 2002.
Chapter 16
Modern Times
Entrance to the famous "Portello"
factory in the late '50s
While the Giulietta was a downscale step from the 1900, a modernized
version of the 1900 appeared in 1958 as the 2000. This model used some
of the Giulietta's vocabulary -- most notably the shim-type valve
adjustments -- in a cast-iron block housed in a very modern body style.
The 2000 sedan remains a distinctive if not distinctly ugly memento of
a transition between classic elegance and modern kitsch. The more
tasteful body styles, the spider and coupe, were from Superleggera
Touring and Bertone, respectively. The straight lines of the 2000 spider
offered an interesting contrast to the soft curves of the Giulietta, while
the coupe, which appeared in 1960, anticipated the shape of the Giulia
coupe by three years. The 2000 was upgraded to an all-alloy straight-6
2600 engine (with minor body changes throughout
the line) in 1962.
The 2000/2600 cars deserve much more attention than they ever received,
thanks to the runaway success of the Giulietta. Certainly, they deserve
more attention here than this abbreviated glance. Though far from the
heroic 8Cs of the 1930s, these larger Alfas nonetheless recalled a past
glory to which Alfa could no longer aspire.
These larger Alfas form a line which continued through the
Montreal, a
V-8 powered 2-seat GT coupe, and, through the sedans, to the 164.
In 1959, Giulietta owners were astounded to find that, unannounced,
some critical dimensions of the engine had been increased. The 2000
gearbox also appeared in Giuliettas at about the same time, but with four
rather than five speeds forward (an easy conversion to 5-speeds was
popular among enthusiasts). While not understood at the time, these
changes to a "beefier" driveline set the stage for a 1600 cc version,
which would be called the Giulia
(Giulietta is the diminutive of Giulia).
The new 1600 engine appeared in 1962, first in a boxy little sedan called
the Giulia TI. The Giulia offered the power of a Giulietta Veloce with
none of its fussiness, while Bosch electrics gave a great improvement in
reliability. To fill out Alfa's marketing technique of offering a sedan,
coupe and spider in a model line, the popular Giulietta spider and sprint
bodies were carried over with the new engine. It was clear, however, that
unique Giulia bodies were just around the corner for both spider and
coupe. But even in the 1960s, enthusiasts knew that a new model from
Alfa takes a very long time, indeed.
In 1963, the Giulietta Sprint Speciale was
upgraded to the Giulia engine, and the 1600 engine finally received dual DCOE
Weber carburetors, continuing the "Veloce" line of the Giulietta. The same
engine was also installed in a tube-framed, Zagato-bodied car Alfa had been
working on since 1959: the TZ. One month after
the engine appeared in the Sprint Speciale it was introduced in a racing
version of the Giulia sedan, the TI Super. In May, 1964, the engine was
installed in the spider body to make the Giulia Spider Veloce, the fastest
production car Alfa had produced to date.
In September 1963, the new Giulia coupe appeared, a smaller vision of
the 2000/2600 coupe. The Giulia engine was also downsized to 1300 and
installed in the old Giulietta Bertone sprint body as the Giulia 1300. In
1965, the Giulia Veloce engine appeared in a sedan, the Giulia Super,
and in an alloy-paneled coupe, the GTA, which was equipped with a
twin-plug head. In 1966, a entirely new spider appeared. It was based on
Pininfarina's Superflow show cars, and was dubbed the Duetto. Only
slightly modified over its lifetime, the Duetto remains in production to
this day as the classic Alfa spider. Its replacement is promised to be a
front-wheel drive car based on the Fiat Tipo platform.
Generally, in this era, Alfa provided a 1300 version of all the Giulia cars
so Italian owners could take advantage of lower taxes on the
smaller-displacement engine. As a result, in the 1960s and early 1970s,
Alfa produced an incredible range of Giulia models in sedans, coupes,
spiders, a cabriolet, racing sedans, racing coupes, special-bodied racing
and show cars, station wagons, replicar and even a diesel-powered sedan.
Most of these models were offered with both 1600 and 1300 engine
sizes.
If the models seem a blur, they should. The 1960s saw more models of
Alfa than the company had ever produced before, or would again. I want
to skip much of the details of this cornucopia of Alfas for a larger view.
The Giulia era represented Alfa's pinnacle as a car producer, but the
variety of models taxed the state-run company beyond its limits. Alfa
was a technology-driven company mired in the bureaucracy of a
government which saw its leadership change almost monthly. The
bureaucracy was disposed to continue pouring money into the company.
A new plant at Arese was constructed to build the Giulia, and plans were
being made to revitalize a plant near Naples for the production of a new,
smaller car.
It was at this point that the US market became significant in Alfa's
future. The success of Volkswagen hinted at the sales volume an
importer might expect and, I am sure, every president of ARI in the US
assured his management back home that the same fortune awaited Alfa.
Never mind that Renault hadn't made it with the Dauphine (there was
an Alfa version of the Dauphine, incidentally). The American market still
remained a kind of holy grail to more European companies than just
Alfa. Alfa's perennially optimistic sales projections had more to do with
internal communications than marketing planning.
Labor unrest rolled throughout the Italian economy. Strikes were frequent
and productivity was low. The problem was not particular to Italy:
England was having similar upheavals. Post-war Europe was finally
coming to grips with itself. As demand softened for the marque, workers
were not laid off, rather, they continued to receive their salaries while
staying at home. It was clear that the measures which would have put
Alfa on a sound business footing would also have brought down the
government. Rudi Hruska brought some balance to the Alfa workforce
by ridding Alfa of some of its surplus workers, but the training effort
required to get the AlfaSud plant productive was beyond even his
masterful grasp.
This was an era of high-octane gasolines and tremendous engine outputs,
and probably represents the pinnacle of automotive design before the
intervention of emission and safety regulations. For many, the 1960s was
an halcyon era, populated with a wonderful variety of free-spirited
enthusiast cars.
The Giulia range of models provided something for almost everyone.
More importantly, the Giulia lost none of the charm of the Giulietta. It
was nimble, comfortable and reliable. It was the last Alfa model not to
suffer the constraints of US emission controls. It is recognized today as
a classic and the appreciation of its value is sure to continue.
KTUD Alfa Romeo main page!
Copyright March, 1996
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