The Sprint Speciale proto-type shown at the Salone di Torino in October of 1957 did not have an Alfa Romeo shield in its grille, and no front bumper to interrupt air flow. According to Donald Hughes and Vito Witting DaPrato in Alfa Romeo Veloce- The racing Giuliettas, the SS initials originally stood for for Sprint Sprinta, meaning ‘Spertuned’. By the time the first prototype, this car, number 00001, had arrived in Turin, it was labled as a Giulietta Speciale, not yet a Sprint Speciale. A bertone shield was set to the right of the script on the fender as it would be in production cars, but above the model name instead of below it. Judging from photos of the show it appears the decision to go with Sprint Speciale had already been made as the display stand the car sits on is labled with a ” Alfa Romeo S.S.”

This is chassis number 00001 and was the 1957 Giulietta Speciale Turin Showcar. After being displayed in Turin, Alfa shed its original contours and shortened the front section, thus making the car the proto-type for the low nose Sprint Speciales. This hand crafted aluminum bodied Alfa is an amazing piece of Alfa Romeo history. Only the first three including this car were made of aluminum, all others were made of steel. The interior of 00001 is black/gray, simple and in keeping with a car intended more for weekend racing and less a Gran Turismo. This car comes from one of the worlds most respected private collections, and from an amazingly knowledgeable collector. It has not been seen in many years and has only now been made available. This car and its history can be seen in the October 2008 edition of Alfa Owner magazine.

Story by Family Classic Cars