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With the announcement of the planned release of the Alfa Romeo 159 replacement the Alfa Romeo Giulia, we've decided to cast our eyes back in time to the original Giulia. The original car was the successor to the original Giulietta and was one the lightweight cars to be fitted with an engine with sporting heritage and credentials.

The original Alfa Romeo Giulia, in keeping with Alfa tradition, was ground breaking. It was one of the most aerodynamically advanced cars for it's time. The original car was so aerodynamic that it had a lower drag coefficient than the Porsche 911 of the day. It was also fitted with Alfa's legendary Twin Cam engine which made it one of the sportiest 4 door saloon cars of the 1960's and 70's.

The car itself came in various guises from the stylish Spyder to the masterpiece that was the Sprint Speciale, giving you a Alfa Romeo Giulia for every occasion. The original car was replaced in 1972 by the second series Giulia, it is barely distinguishable from the series one and consisted mainly of "under-the-bonnet" changes.

Of all the models however the the Giulia TI Super was the best, just 500 examples of this were built with 112bhp, discs brakes on all wheels, individual front seats and a floor mounted shift. The four wheel disc brakes became standard on the normal cars in the same year, whilst the floor mounted shift became optional in 1964.

In terms of performance the original Giulia was no slug. It would make the 0-60 sprint in less than 15 seconds and reach a 100-mph maximum, while delivering fuel economy in the 25-30 mpg range.
 

Over it's lifetime the origianl Giulia's power was increased, firstly by retuning the engine, which brought output up to a claimed 80 horsepower for the standard Giulietta, then by installing a new, larger powerplant of near-identical design. This 1.6-liter (actually 1570cc) engine was rated at 92 horsepower in normal form and 112 horsepower in Veloce trim. It was joined to a five-speed gearbox that brought engine revs and interior noise levels down considerably.