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105 Series Alfa
April 22nd, 2008 · No Comments
If you’re not fully awake, be warned because this might get you feeling a bit dazed and confused… Alfa Romeo’s 105 series was brought out in 1962 to replace the 101 series range of compact saloon and performance cars (which included such beauties as the Giulietta Sprint coupé and Giulietta Berlina).
Well, it did and it didn’t because production of the two series actually overlapped and to make matters really confusing, the last of the 101-series 1600cc Giulietta coupés were renamed Giulia Sprint (from 1962-’64) while the 1300cc Giulietta Sprint also lived on until 1965. Meanwhile the subject of this modding guide, the Bertone styled Giulia Sprint GT was launched in 1963.
The first of the 105 series to hit the showrooms was the Giulia Saloon, and this basic floorpan went on to spawn many derivatives, including the: Giulia Ti, Giulia Super, Giulia Giardinetta, 1750 Berlina, 2000 Berlina, 1600 Spider Duetto, 1750 Spider Veloce and 2000 Spider, and Montreal. However, it was and remains the coupé which is the most popular of the 105 cars.
Launched in 1963 as the Giulia Sprint GT, the new car had a lot more interior space than its predecessor. Its lines – created by a young Giorgetto Giugiaro – was also much more modern in appearance and included the famous step-front or scalino bonnet with its exposed leading edge. Power came from a twin Weber’d 1570cc 106 bhp version of Alfa’s all-alloy twin-cam Nord four cylinder which was, unusually for the time, hooked up to an all-synchromesh five-speed gearbox.
Finally, to make sure that this Alfa made the most of its powertrain and looks, the suspension was set-up (front lower A-arms with two upper links with precisely located live axle at the rear) for optimum handling. Indeed so successful was this update of Alfa’s Giulietta recipe, that the Sprint GT soon became the largest seller of all the 105 Giulias.
The first derivative to go on sale following the Sprint GTs launch, was Touring’s four seater convertible model theGiulia Sprint GTC – but only around 1000 were sold before Touring ceased trading. In 1966 Alfa introduced the GT1300 Junior for markets which penalised the larger engined Sprint GT with heavier taxation – unsurprisingly, it was a huge sales success.
Things though, got better in 1966 for performance minded Alfisti. At the same time as Alfa launched the Spider/ Duetto, the popular Sprint GT Veloce or GTV was launched with just 3 bhp more, a revised front grille, revised seats and trim, Veloce badging and quadrifoglio clover leaf badge on the C-pillars. It wasn’t until 1968 though and the introduction of the 1750 GTV that the Veloce’s performance lived up to its name.
However, performance criticisms couldn’t be levelled at the lightweight, alloy bodied 1600 Giulia Sprint GTA (Gran Turismo Allegerita), which featured twin-spark engines in a wide range of tune up to 170 bhp and was launched in April 1965. The 1600 GTA was a massively successful circuit racer and just over 500 of these cars were built,plus 10 supercharged GTA-SA (for Sovralimentata) one of which won the 1967 100-mile Hockenheim race outright… Around 1000 1300cc GTAs were also built over four years from 1968, with the fuel injected Autodelta cars pumping out 180 bhp at 8400 rpm from their rather special engines.
As of 1969, the Giulia Sprint GT range was facelifted and the scalino dropped. The 1750 GTV featured a more conventional front with four headlamps and a chrome whisker either side of the heart-shaped centre grille, meanwhile the Juniors made do with single headlamps. In 1971, the GTV’s 1750 engine was superceded by a larger, torquier 130+ bhp 1962cc unit and the resultant 2000GTV was given a new radiator grille, interior, and an LSD.
The last of the 105 series model launches happened in 1972 when the 1600cc GT Junior joined the ranks. It was though, a relatively short life because the 105 series GT production run came to an end in 1976 – by which time the Junior had adopted the later four-headlamped grille ofthe 2000GTV. Needless to say, by that time, the car which was designed to replace it – the Alfetta GT – had been in production for nearly two years…
Anyway, enough of the history. To find out how to improve Alfa’s 105-series GT, we visited Britain’s leading classic Alfa Romeo specialists, Alfaholics, where we talked to Max Banks.