12 replies to this topic

[Barry Lake]

The only link I can make to GP racing is that this car was raced by South African driver Pieterse, who I think later drove GP cars.
But if anyone on Atlas F1 can give me more information, I would be most grateful.

A friend of mine in the motor industry, in 1965 bought a 1960 model Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale that had been raced in the Kyalami 9 Hour Race by Pieterse.

He says it was an all-aluminium race version, of which he thinks only 50 were built. There also was a rally version with steel body but aluminium bonnet, boot and doors, of which 50 to 100 were built. Then the road version (about 750 built, he thinks) was all-steel. The latter also had different headlights and front bumper bar.
My friend says that his car also appeared to be "more rounded" than the production cars (a photo of which I will attempt to post).

Can anyone give me more accurate information on this competition version of the car and its production numbers?
Does anyone have information or photos of it running in the Kyalami race?

Apparently, some time in the last few years it was advertised for sale in Motor Sport magazine in restored condition. Has anyone seen this ad? Could I get a copy?

I have searched through my Alfa Romeo books without success, apart from these photos and some specifications for the road going version.

[Patrick Italiano]

I can give by memory some infos on the Giulietta Sprint Speciale.

The first prototype was shown in 1957 (Turin motor show?)
It had longer overhangs front and rear, a very low nose, and no grille at all. The air intake was very Ferrari like.

then it evolved in a quite shorter version, a second prototype.

In 1958, a batch of aluminium cars was produced. I would say around 70 cars. Closer to the successive full-production car, but lightweight, no front bumper, and still a 'low nose' as Alfisti call that version. Presented on Monza track. One was for sale at Antwerp (5) some weeks ago. All bodywork was different of the definitive car, the first ones having horizontally spread taillights, later vertical as on the production car. The very first were all alu, the following steel with alu openings.

Then the full steel, bumper-provided, short- and 'high'- nose version. from 1960, by memory. Production several thousands, including the outside-identical 1600 version from 1962.

The 1300 had the most tuned version of the twin cam with 100 hp. Advertised for 200 km/h, while period tests ends with something between 180+ and over 192. Not so bad for a 1300.

The 1600 had the 112 hp 'veloce' version, oddly given for the same top speed.

They didn't race very much because, while it was intended as a Bertone answer to Zagato SVZ conversions, then aal-winning in the 1300 class, is stressed the aerodynamics at the handling expense. At the same time, the 2250 mm wheelbase platforms were provided nude to Zagato to develop the SZ. Zagato's model proved much lighter with short overhangs helping handling. Then, Bertone developped his SS into a more useable GT instead of a racer. No race record ever shows one of the few SS entered finish ahead of SZs.

No memory of a pictures at Kyalami, but maybe in my archives...

Best sources are:

Donald Hughes and Vito Witting da Prato, 'Veloces' on racing Giuliettas, giorgio nada, milano 1990 (english edition a few years older)

A.T. Anselmi, 'Giulietta', Libreria dell'Automobile, Milano, 1985

Alfissimo! David Owen
Osprey Publishing Limited, Londra 1975

A pic of the pre-serie low nose at:

http://www.giulietta.../thecars/ss.htm,

more about SS and SZs around that site.

[alessandro silva]

Barry.
Our new friend has given you the best possible answer, but Nostalgia is the name here, so let me tell you some personal memory aroused by your question. The SS was immediately outclassed by the SZ that was without any doubt a great car. I remember a Coppa Intereuropa at Monza (supporting race for the Italian GP) with a couple of dozens SZ's and just one SS in the 1.3L GT class. I do not remember if it was 1959 or 1960 but the strange thing about it is that I remember the name of the SS driver! It was Oddone Sigala and he finished about last. It is true that the SS had the reputation as the only ill-handling Giulietta. The memory that is now filling me with nostalgia is that I drove illegaly (I was about 15) a friend's Giulietta Sprint. What still impresses me was the precision of its gearbox. "Porsche synchronizers" was the magic word. The same feeling that I had when I later owned a 2L Alfetta sedan then my legal family car.

[Richard Jenkins]

I can't add anything about the car but didn't Ernie Pietersie race this car for two separate Rands 9 Hours (1958-59?) or (1959-60?) or was it a one off. I know he came 3rd in 1959 in it but I was wondering as the model you described, Barry was from 1960. As I don't have Rand 9 Hours history on hand, I wouldn't mind knowing at the same time if Ernie Pieterse (who did indeed go on to race in GP's but not very successfully) did race in this car on two separate occassions. Also, this has always bugged me - is Ernest Pieterse the same man that is athlete Zola Budd (Pieterse's) father. I doubt it very much, but they both come from the same area in South Africa.
Thanks & I hope you don't mind me going slightly off tangent.

[MattFoster]

The Giulietta SS was a truly beautiful automobile. Not that I am biased.

[Barry Lake]

Richie

I put 1960 because this is what the car is listed as in "Alfa Romeo All the Cars from 1910" by Luigi Fusi (I had lunch with him in 1981. So much history inside his head - what a shame he isn't still around).

But that is the production car and I believe these competition cars were built before that - how long before, I am not sure. I can't find it in any of my Alfa Romeo books.

Let's hope someone can come up with which car(s) Pieterse drove in the Kyalami 9 Hour Race.

Also, I hope someone can tell us if there is any link between Pieterse and Zola Budd.

Does anyone have specifications on the Giulietta Sprint Speciale? The production car is 1290 cm3 but my friend remembers his ex-race car as being 1.5 litres.

[Patrick Italiano]

I've checked my memories, in this case the 'Veloces' book, plus some other Alfa sources for cross-check.

The all-aluminium SS are thought to have been no more than 5 or 6 cars, including the Turin show prototype (#001), probably rebodied at least twice, since evolved models were shown at later meetings, i.a. Geneva 1958. The indication on the all-alu cars comes from Alfa log book, where 4 chassis numbers have a remark as 'lightened'. The all-alu SS weighed 780 kg, to be compared with the SVZ (rebodied Sprint Veloce by Zagato, longer wheelbase than SS/SZ, race cars) at 725 kg.

Then a serie of low-nose cars produced in 1959. Chassis numbers go up to 101, including the first few all-alu and development cars (some are reported as delivered to the Servizio esperienze - some are reported as destroyed).

That batch of 1959 production cars had doors, bonnet and boot lid in alu, plexiglass quarter and rear windows, and 750-deries engines. They are reported at the weight of 875 kg.

The first 20 had, as far as I understand the story, horizontal taillights. However, somebody who restored two cars of the later serie (one in the 30 range and one in the 70 range) found many body differences, the earlier looking more like the protos, the later more like the 1960 serie.

Then, from 1960 to 1962, 1251 'standard' SS were built with raised nose and headlights, bumpers, and yet alu bonnet and lid (not doors). Engines type 00120.

1377 units of the 1600 Giulia SS were built from 1963 to 1966.

The books records two victories of P. Pieterse's SS:

1st in 1300 GT class at 'Circuit Lorenzo Marques' in Mozambique, on 24/7/1960.

1st overall at the 6 hours of Pietermaritzberg on 20/11/1960 with G. Bosman as co-driver.

Here's the best of my contribution...

[Roger Clark]

E and A Pieterse finished third in the nine hours race on 15th november 1958. They were driving a Giulietta TI, 1290cc. They won their class for "Normal Series-Production Touring Cars 1001-1300cc" and finished first in the index of Performance.

[Roger Clark]

In the 1960 nine hours, Ernest Pieterse and E Bosman drove a lotus 15 with a 1500cc Conrero modified alfa romeo engine. THey finished second after leading at half distance. THey lost four laps when the cars low ground clearance and the course's bumps conspired to put a hole in the differential. By the end they were only two laps behind the winning Porsche of Love and Goux.

Serrurier and Viloen drove a Sprint Speciale. Hey were up to third with half an hour to go but suffered gasket failure and the enginelost all its oil. Serrurier stopped at the pits and drove over the line for fifth.

I have pictures of both cars if anyone's interested.

[Barry Lake]

Thanks Patrick and Roger, for that additional information.

It is beginning to appear that Pieterse might not have driven this car in the Kyalami 9 Hour Race at all.

My friend has some interesting tales about this car and I thought it would make a nice little story for a magazine.

But I always am wary of writing things based on someone's memory or, worse still, their memory of a story that someone told them "way back when" that might not have been correct in the first place.

All of this only makes me more hungry for information on this Alfa.

I realise that most of the expertise here is on GP racing rather than production cars or production based competition cars.

And now you begin to see why I would like to see a similar forum on general motoring that is as good in its field as The Nostalgia Forum is on F1 and GP history.

Perhaps it will happen one day, as an offshhot of TNF.

Can anyone post pictures for me if I e-mail them to you? I have tried to set it up for myself but so far have been unsuccessful.

I have photos of the 1960 production version of the Giulietta Sprint Speciale and my friend has just one photo of his car - without grille or any other chromework on it - which he could scan and send to me. These might jog people's memories and inspire some more input from Alfa Romeo lovers.

Incidentally, in case anyone is interested, my friend says the correct pronunciation of Pieterse's name, in South Africa, sounds like "peter-suh".

[Ray Bell]

Here's Barry's clipping of pics of the car:

[Barry Lake]

This is the road version, listed in Fusi's Alfa book as a 1960 model.

The racing version dates back to earlier than this and is said to be "more rounded" in its shape, with different headlamps, no front bumper etc. I haven't been able to find any photos of it.

Where is Atlas F1's David Wright?

He is an Alfa man; perhaps he can add something to this.

Thanks, Ray, for posting that pic.

[Ray Bell]

Think practically nothing of it....