An early low-nose SS doesn’t come on the market often and I get to feature two in quick succession. In the world of hand-made aluminum bodied Italian cars of the 1950’s there are many whose performance and reliability don’t live up to the promise of the sleek, beautiful body. Not so the SS. The argument could probably be made that without their comparatively plentiful ancestors, the steel bodied Giulietta and Giulia SS’s that regularly change hands, these early cars would be as expensive or more-so than their cousins the SZ and TZ. If Ferrari made a twin cam 4 cylinder car in the 1950’s and it looked and performed like this, it would be half a million dollars or more. What does all this speculation mean for these cars? Undervaluation? Real world use? Who knows for sure, but if the surge in pricing of SS’s over the last few years is any indication, now is the time to buy one of these jewels if you can.
Giulietta Sprint Speciale 10120-00001, Engine 00120-00003. Owned more than 20 years by a ‘prominent collector’ in Southern California, this car is the top of the market. Only an SS with serious race provenance might be worth more, but there are only perhaps 3 such cars and none has changed hands that I’ve heard about. Seller claims this car was retained by Alfa Romeo for several years after being built, finally sold to a private individual in 1960. If this car is in ‘as-built’ condition, any flaws are irrelevant, but no indication is made in the ad copy to this effect. I suspect it has seen some ‘up-grading’ over the years.
Not so otherworldly as the later cars with their prominent edges and busy bright-work, the SS above, number one of a line that stretched 8 years and about 2500 examples, is understated and elegant while purposefully aerodynamic and lightweight.
Several cars were shown with the rear end styled as above. The trunk lid not coming to the edge of the taper and held down by leather straps, no side spears or bumpers and very little cut-out for the exhaust.
The rear in this profile shot looks a little shorter than the standard car. I wonder if these early cars were based on the shorter 750 floor pans.
10120*00001!
Such a simple shot, intended to show the VIN number and little else, gives clues to the condition you can expect the car to be in. Notice two different style screws holding the wiring grommet in place (the slotted screw to the left is correct), and the tightly wrapped black electrical tape over the loom, something I would have done when I was in high school after installing a stereo in my car. Also note the ducting from the fresh air inlet to the heater box is absent. All clues the car will need some going over to be brought up to the level a car like this deserves. These oversights could be factory but on a first article show car by a major Italian coach-builder in its prime? I doubt it.
Nice no-nonsense interior is refreshing.
The interior looks standard, a bit more relaxing that the later red and white that was so commonly paired with the red body. What do I think of this car in relation to the other SS’s I’ve written about? What would I try and get for this car if I was the seller? Does it matter? This car is different enough from the standard cars to be in a class all its own. If I owned it I wouldn’t sell it, but if I had to I would prepare it impeccably run it through a major auction, probably in Europe.