From the Canberra Chief Correspondent: Tipo 105 Alfa Giulia Super

Alfa Romeo - the first part of this fabled name being an acronym for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili and not, as I originally thought, an Italianised* spelling of the first letter of the Greek alphabet - has produced some of the most beautiful cars ever made - think the Montreal and 33 Stradale for a start. It's also made some stinkers, prominent amongst them being the grotesque chunk of plastic that is the 75-based SZ or Sprint Zagato** (inset, below). I'm not much of a 75 fan, either, but I'll cease further commentary for fear of further alienating any more of my already modest readership!

The Tipo 105 Giulia of 1962 to 1978 probably isn't beautiful but, thankfully, it's not pig dog ugly, either. It might politely be described as "handsome," "classic" or "of its era" and - for a berlinetta (a sedan for us Aussies) - it certainly has its appeal. However - and again I risk the permanent aprobrium of a number of Alfa-owning friends - it's probably a little on the frumpy side when compared to the Fiat 1500 of the same era (please see below).

Personal tastes aside, today's Giulia - captured by the CCC - does look pretty good. The side profile, highlighting its deceptively rakish front 'screen, does illustrate that the car's not quite as boxy as it might appear from some angles, which is borne out by the Giulia's superior aerodynamics compared to those of its Bertone-styled siblings, the gorgeous Tipo 105 and 115 coupes that sit atop a shortened version of the former's floorpan. And if my apocryphal scribblings are not enough to convince you that the Giulia's not actually a brick on wheels, check out this Alfaholics video: https://www.alfaholics.com/alfaholics-racing-news/alfaholics-r-types-set-8m15sec-lap-time-at-the-nurburgring/ !

Slipperier than this? Apparently so.

U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

Photos by the CCC, except the inset SZ and Fiat 1500, which are courtesy of Wikipedia, and the UMPH image of the 105 coupe inset further down the page.

* Is there even such a thing as a Latin version of a Greek letter?

** NOT styled by Zagato. According to my research, this "honour" belongs to Frenchman Robert Opron, who was Fiat's Centro Stile chief designer at the time.

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