Engine No. AR 1315 32444

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce dominated the 1,300 cc class at the 1956 Mille Miglia, taking the top six places. The Giulietta Sprint Coupé had been outclassed by the Porsche 356 during the 1955 instalment of the Mille Miglia which had motivated Alfa Romeo to significantly improve the performance of the model by reducing weight and increasing the power output. 15th Overall and 3rd in class at the 1956 Mille Miglia was the then 26-year-old Swede, Jo Bonnier. So impressed were Alfa Romeo with his performance that he was gifted an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce Alleggerita finished in Azzurro Nube the very same car offered for sale here. Bonnier would, of course, go on to compete at the highest level of motorsport in Formula One and continued to have a highly successful career in sports car racing throughout the late 1950s, the entire 1960s and into the 1970s until his untimely passing at Le Mans in 1972.

Introduced at the Turin Motor Show in 1954, The Alfa Romeo Guilietta Sprint Coupé, penned by Franco Scaglione at Bertone was a supremely elegant motorcar and suited perfectly the requirement for fast but economical motoring in post-war Italy. Although elegant and possessed with many of the attributes required for competition, the Giulietta was ultimately underpowered and overweight. To address these problems Alfa Romeo first turned their attention to the twin overhead camshaft 1,290 cc four-cylinder engine. Internally the compression ratio was raised from 8:1 to 9:1, larger valves were employed together with more exciting camshaft profiles. Externally the single Solex Carburetor was replaced with two twin-choke Weber 40 DC03 units, and the inlet manifold was designed for better airflow. Power increased from circa 65 horsepower to around 90, with some examples tuned to nearly 100 horsepower.

With the enhancement in engine power dealt with, Alfa Romeo turned to the weight problem and for competition minded owners produced around 600 “Alleggerita” (lightened) examples. The Alleggerita featured Plexiglas rear and side windows, the latter being slide operated to avoid the necessity for window winding mechanism. Together with the lights the windows were surrounded by lightweight aluminum trim. The bumpers were also made from aluminum. In terms of bodywork, lighter steel was used for non-lead bearing panels and aluminum was again employed for the doors, bonnet and boot lid. Internally the seats were thinner, and foam padded, not sun visors or glovebox was provided. Even the doors had foam padded arm rests and option nets for carrying items. Overall, the weight was reduced by some 15 percent to around 770 kilograms. Further performance enhancements included a floor-shift gear leaver and a 65-liter fuel tank with the option of an 80-liter tank for endurance racing. Aside from class dominance at the Mille Miglia the Alleggerita Alfa Romeos claimed class wins at the Tour De France, Nürburgring 1000 kms and outright victory in the Alpine Rally, to name but a few.

This example, chassis number AR 1943/E 02508, was gifted new to Jo Bonnier, part of the wealthy Bonnier family, who were the Swedish importers for Alfa Romeo. Bonnier used the Alfa Romeo for competition purposes and on file is a fantastic photograph of the car on the steep banking at AVUS. This photograph of Bonnier was taken during the 6th round of the German Sports Car championship, at the Berlin Grand Prix event, where he was victorious in his class. It is thought that the Alfa Romeo was also driven in competition by Olle Rehnvall in numerous Swedish events during the early 1960s. The car remained in Sweden until 2012 when it changed hands and was fully restored over a two-year period. The original engine had long since been replaced, perhaps no surprise given the competition history of the car. The current engine, number AR 1315 32444 is reported to be a correct type 1,290 cc Sprint Veloce unit from 1957. Post restoration, the delectable Alfa Romeo was acquired by Alain de Cadenet, a famous Alfisti and, of course, ex-Le Mans racer and team owner during the 1970s and 80s. A great loss to the motoring world, Alain passed away in 2022 and today the Alfa Romeo is offered for sale directly from his family.

Of the circa 600 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce "Alleggerita” produced it is thought that only around 10 percent are known to have survived. No doubt all are desirable, but this example with previous Formula One Ace ownership and competition use in period, must surely be one of the most exciting examples to have survived. The very fact that Alain De Cadenet selected the car for his personal collection is telling as to the quality of the car and its provenance. Eligible for a plethora of top-flight events such as the Mille-Miglia, Tour Auto and Le Mans Classic. The new owner will be able to enjoy the “Alleggerita” Alfa Romeo's enhanced performance and lightweight construction to the maximum in historic events all over the world.

Jo Bonnier

Joakim “Jo” Bonnier was a prolific racing driver and the first Swede to both race in Formula One and win a Grand Prix. A works driver for the likes of Maserati, BRM, and Porsche he competed in the sport's top category between 1956 & 1971.

As was commonplace at the time he also competed at the front of sports and GT racing and was a 13-time starter at the Le Mans 24 Hours with a best result coming alongside Graham Hill in 1964 in a Ferrari 330P3 where the duo finished 2nd overall. Tragically in the 1972 running of the race, he was killed when he crashed a self-entered Lola T280.

Earlier in his career and on his way up through the ranks Bonnier owned and raced numerous small capacity Alfa Romeo's and competed across Europe in events such as the Mille Miglia. Cutting his teeth in such machines allowed him to forge a reputation which then led to him becoming one of the most recognized and respected names of the period.

Racing Results

September 16th, 1956, Berlin Grand Prix AVUS, Joakim Bonnier, 1st Overall (124.8kms, 43.39.100)
February 7th, 1960, Corsa sul ghiaccio a Mjölby, Olle Rehnvall, 1st in Class
February 21st, 1960, Corsa sul ghiaccio a Hedemora, Olle Rehnvall, 1st in Class
February 28th, 1960, Corsa sul ghiaccio a Härnösands, Olle Rehnvall, 1st in Class
March 7th, 1960, Corsa sul ghiaccio a Brunnsviksloppet, Olle Rehnvall, 1st in Class
June 12th, 1960, Tourist Trophy a Karlskoga, Olle Rehnvall, 1st in Class
July 10th, 1960, Tourist Trophy della Costa Ovest, Olle Rehnvall, 1st in Class
August 7th, 1960, Corsa a Karlskoga, Olle Rehnvall, 1st in Class