As 8/11/10 there are 59 first series 750B Sprints on the register.
See. It’s like our 1900 Sprint only smaller.
The 20th of April, 1954 the Sprint debuted at the ‘Salon de Torino’ car show. To generate interest a lottery was held where they were going to give away 50 cars (or was it 200?) to lucky winners. I don’t know that anyone ever received a ‘lottery’ Sprint but I have read that the winners were called but no cars were ready to give away. Public anticipation for the car is said to have been intense. Nuccio Bertone has been quoted as saying that if he had known how many Sprints Bertone would eventually have to build he would not have accepted the contract.
A wooden ‘buck’ was used to give body panels their shape. A craftsman beat metal panels by hand on this. I don’t know how many of these bucks Bertone had in their workshops, not many I suspect. It’s possible, highly probably in fact, that if you own a 750 Sprint, its panels were formed on this.
The first Sprint prototype. A chick magnet even then.
In 1954 Giulietta Sprint 750B chassis numbers 1493*00011 – 00023 are recorded by Fusi. Prototypes definitely existed, I have seen pictures of several besides that seen above, but I am not certain whether these have chassis numbers that are included in this range.
Specifications from the 1954 Sprint brochure:
Cylinders: 4
Bore: 74mm
Stroke: 75mm
Cylinder capacity: 1290 cc
Power at 6000 r.p.m.: 65 HP
Wheel-base: 7 ft. 10 ins.
Track: 4 ft. 2 ins.
Overall length: 12 ft. 9 ins.
Weight empty: 1980 pounds
Maximum speed: 100 m.p.h.
Fuel Consumption
(CUNA standards): 36 m.p.g.
Tyres: 155 x 15
Electrical Equipment: 12 volt
Early advertising photograph of a 1954 Giulietta Sprint 750B in front of the ‘Arco Di Trionfo’ in Milan.
Here’s how the numbers are supposed to look. 750 B Sprints had body numbers starting with 1493 and engines of type 1315*0XXXX. Bertone body numbers started with 65, which can barely be seen above. Early on the Alfa assigned body number closely tracked the Bertone assigned body number but by the end of the run, it lagged by an average of 611 which Is why I say ~6000 of this series of Sprint were built.
750B 1493*00349, 1315*00364, Bertone body 65345. Typical early car front with small headlights, ‘eyebrow’ grill trim and one piece center grill. Earliest cars are said to have aluminum hood and trunk lids.
Same car as above. Note that dash is body color, that the knobs for the controls are a bit different than later cars and it’s column shift. I read frequent commentary to the effect that column shift was rare for these cars, I think the earlier the car, the more likely it is to be column shift. I’d be surprised if less than a quarter of this series Sprint were column shift Cambio Volante.
Another early dash, this one in 1493*01149. Horn button looks like later style to me with horn and flasher built into the same button. Note this car is also column shift. I don’t have any pictures of an early car that is not column shift.
Same car as above. This is what the early door panels looked like. Cream colored insert is textured cloth, blue is vinyl of some sort.
The earliest style tail light.
An early 750B engine. Most easily identified by the fuel pump above the water pump and the in-hose thermostat. Tudor washer bottles as seen here are hard to find. If one gets deep into the mechanical parts book for the Giulietta, there are small differences to be found among the first 1000 or so cars. They changed carbs and manifolds a couple of times, but the basic 750 series engine was nearly perfect right from the beginning.
Rare -and some would say for good reason- factory light green. Mauro Baroni took this picture!
1954
750B 1493*00011 – 00023, 1315*00001 – 00012
Sprint 750B 1493*00071, 1315*00039. 1954/12/xx.
1955
750B 1493*00024 – 01438, 1315*00013 – 01430
Sprint 750B 1493*00024. 1955/1/5. England.
Sprint 750B 1493*00159. AR301. Italy
Sprint 750B 1493*00349, 1315*00364, 65345. Sweden.
Sprint 750B 1493*00396. Sweden.
Sprint 750B 1493*00555, 1315*00541, 1955/07/04/. 65549. AR501.
Sprint 750B 1493*00656, 1315*00648, 65650
Sprint 750B 1493*00668, 1315*00744. USA. M298.
Sprint 750B 1493*00871. UK.
Sprint 750B 1493*00977, 1315*01023, 65970
Sprint 750B 1493*01139. Italy. ’08 MM.
Sprint 750B 1493*01149. 651149. 1955/11/26. England. M98.
Sprint 750B 1493*01325. Project, UK.
Sprint 750B 1493*01365, 1315*01432. USA. M251.
Sprint 750B 1493*01398. 651389. AR501. Column Shift. USA.
1956
750B 1493*01439 – 03545, 1315*01431 – 03285
Sprint 750B 1493*01521. 1956/01/13. Zagato rebody. Belgium.
Sprint 750B 1493*01682, 1315*01758.USA. M242.
Sprint 750B 1493*01687. Joop. Race seats/roll cage. 101 tail lights
Sprint 750B 1493*01840, 1315*01821. Italy.
Sprint 750B 1493*01864. 651809, M32.
Sprint 750B 1493*01885, 1315*01862. Column shift. USA.
Sprint 750B 1493*01996. 651916, Italy
Sprint 750B 1493*02095, 1315*02131. 1956/05/08. 652001. AR501. Portugal.
Sprint 750B 1493*02231. Switzerland.
Sprint 750B 1493*02243.
Sprint 750B 1493*02563. 652375.
Sprint 750B 1493*02864, 1315*02723. 652658. USA.
Sprint 750B 1493*02880. Column Shift. USA.
Sprint 750B 1493*03146, 1315*03053. Now 1315*40174. M58.
Sprint 750B 1493*03148. Column Shift.
Sprint 750B 1493*03176. 652968.
Sprint 750B 1493*03396. USA. Column Shift. M255.
Sprint 750B 1493*03443, 1315*03449. Europe.
Sprint 750B 1493*03455, 00109*02385. 653204. 1956/12/05. AR706. South Africa.
Sprint 750B 1493*03510, 1315*03211. 1956/10/12.
Sprint 750B 1493*03511. 1956/10/12.
1957
Sprint 750B, 1493*03546 – 06008, 1315*03286 – 05400
Sprint 750B 1493*03822, 1315*03887.M23.
Sprint 750B 1493*03881, 1315*03358. 653137.
Sprint 750B 1493*04045. M175. Belgium.
Sprint 750B 1493*04327, 1315*03847. 653855.M30.
Sprint 750B 1493*04421. 653922. UK Project.
Sprint 750B 1493*04791, 1315*04321. 1957/07/03. USA.
Sprint 750B 1493*04813, 1315*04310. 654203. M144. USA.
Sprint 750B 1493*04891, 1315*04348. M48. USA.
Sprint 750B 1493*04953. Mexico. M68.
Sprint 750B 1493*05021, 1315*04456. 1957/07/18(?). 654410.
Below (in green) are from the pages of the Sprint production log at the archive in Italy, a picture of which is in d’Amico and Tabucchi. City or Country listed is destination of car.
Sprint 1493*05053, 1315*04458. 1957/07/18. Roma. d&T Ref.
Sprint 1493*05054, 1315*04539. 1957/07/22. d&T Ref.
Sprint 1493*05055, 1315*04496. 1957/07/16. Roma. d&T Ref.
Sprint 1493*05056, 1315*04536. 1957/07/22. Milano. d&T Ref.
Sprint 1493*05057, 1315*04544. 1957/07/18. Padova. d&T Ref.
Sprint 1493*05058, 1315*04577. 1957/07/22. Spagna. d&T Ref.
Sprint 1493*05059, 1315*04509. 1957/07/25. d&T Ref.
Sprint 1493*05060, 1315*04495. 1957/07/22. Roma. d&T Ref.
Sprint 1493*05061, 1315*04515. 1957/07/18. d&T Ref.
Sprint 1493*05062, 1315*04525. 1957/07/17. Napoli. d&T Ref.
Sprint 1493*05064, 1315*04552. 1957/07/17. d&T Ref.
Sprint 1493*05065, 1315*04478. 1957/07/22. Bologna. d&T Ref.
Sprint 1493*05066, 1315*04531. 1957/07/23. Catania. d&T Ref.
Sprint 1493*05067, 1315*04524. 1957/07/18. Napoli. d&T Ref.
Sprint 1493*05068, 1315*04489. 1957/07/18. Milano. d&T Ref.
Sprint 1493*05069, 1315*04563. 1957/07/26. Venezuela. d&T Ref.
Sprint 1493*05070, 1315*04444. 1957/07/26. a. d&T Ref.
Sprint 1493*05071, 1315*04522. 1957/07/18. Milano. d&T Ref.
Sprint 750B 1493*05149, 1315*04554 (original) now Veloce engine. 1957/07/25. USA.
Sprint 750B 1493*05174. 654565(?).
Sprint 750B 1493*05262. 1957/08/xx. AR901. South Africa.
Sprint 750B 1493*05388, 1315*04771. 1957/08/xx.
Below (in green) are from the pages of the Sprint production log at the archive in Italym, a picture of which is in Giuliettaletta 96. City or Country listed is destination of car.
Sprint 1493*05433, 1315*04877. 1957/09/14. Venezuela. G96. Ref.
Sprint 1493*05434, 1315*04858. 1957/09/21. Belgio. G96. Ref.
Sprint 1493*05435, 1315*04822. 1957/09/18. Padova. G96. Ref.
Sprint 1493*05436, 1315*04793. 1957/09/16. Padova. G96. Ref.
Sprint 1493*05437, 1315*04853. 1957/09/16. Padova. G96. Ref.
Sprint 1493*05438, 1315*04787. 1957/09/24. Bologna. G96. Ref.
Sprint 1493*05439, 1315*04879. 9/20/57. UK now. Francia. G96.
Sprint 1493*05440, 1315*04805. 9/16/57. Bologna. G96. Ref.
Sprint 1493*05441, 1315*04894. 9/24/57. Casablanca. G96. Ref.
Sprint 1493*05442, 1315*04899. 1957/09/26. Padova. G96. Ref.
Sprint 1493*05443, 1315*04832. 1957/09/18. Padova. G96. Ref.
Sprint 1493*05444, 1315*04836. 1957/09/18. Bologna. G96. Ref.
Sprint 1493*05445, 1315*04866. 1957/09/20. G96. Ref.
Sprint 1493*05446, 1315*04876. 1957/09/16. Milano. G96. Ref.
Sprint 1493*05447, 1315*04884. 1957/09/18. Roma. G96. Ref.
Sprint 1493*05448, 1315*04699. 1957/09/18. Padova. G96. Ref.
Sprint 1493*05449, 1315*04812. 1957/09/18. Bologna. G96. Ref.
Sprint 1493*05450, 1315*04888. 1957/09/23. Padova. G96. Ref.
Sprint 1493*05451, 1315*05047. 1957/10/11. Francia. G96. Ref.
Sprint 750B 1493*05588. 654477(?).
Sprint 750B 1493*05684. Zagato(?) rebody. Japan.
Sprint 750B 1493*05704, 1315*05174. 655104. 1957/11/05. AR706. USA.
Sprint 750B 1493*05833. 655220.
Sprint 750B 1493*05880. 1957/11/28. 655288. South Africa.
Sprint 750B 1493*05931. 1957/11/29.
1958
750B 1493*06009 – 06611, 1315*05401 – 06903
Sprint 750B 1493*06150. AR501. Denmark.
Sprint 750B 1493*06227, 1315*05611. 1958/01/21. AR706. NL.
Sprint 750B 1493*06246. 655634.
Sprint 750B 1493*06248, 1315*05668. 655636. M494.
Sprint 750B 1493*06329, 1315*05724. 655717.M9
Sprint 750B 1493*06344. 655732
Sprint 750B 1493*06355. UK.
Sprint 750B 1493*06359. USA.
Sprint 750B 1493*06440. UK.
Sprint 750B 1493*06446. USA.
Illustration of the first 1315 engine as found in the Sprint. Note intake manifold is ‘thermostat in hose’ type, early style air box and tunnel case transmission.