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.
Continue reading “Market #4: Giulietta SS Low-nose 00001”
Looks like an honest enough car. Not sure I’d keep the sail out front. Grills, headlight rings and all the other trim look good.
