Alleggerita - Mille Miglia eligible
Alleggerita - Mille Miglia eligible
Al-leg-ge-ri-ta. In Italian it comes from the verb 'alleggerire', meaning to lighten or to make lighter. Colin Chapman once famously summed up the same philosophy with the words “add lightness.” Whether Alfa Romeo anticipated the idea or Chapman later gave it a name is open to debate, but the Giulietta Sprint Veloce Alleggerita captures that principle perfectly. It marks the moment when the Milanese marque realised how much performance could be drawn from this compact, beautifully balanced coupé. Bertone’s delicate body sits over a chassis that feels alive beneath you, while the twin-cam engine rewards you with revs and proper driver involvement rather than brute force.
The Veloce engine
For the Veloce, Alfa Romeo reworked the Giulietta’s twin-cam to give it a sharper edge. The inlet ports were enlarged and the single Solex carburettor gave way to a pair of Weber 40 DCO3s, effectively giving each cylinder its own breathing. Larger valves, revised camshafts, a higher compression ratio and a freer exhaust all played their part, while careful balancing completed the job. Output climbed from 64 to around 89 bhp at higher revs, with many engines comfortably exceeding that figure. Magnesium was used for the inlet manifold and the oil sump.
Engineering the lightweight
Weight reduction was just as important. Bertone used thinner steel for non-structural panels and introduced aluminium for the doors, bonnet, boot lid and bumpers, along with several exterior details. Plexiglas replaced the rear and side windows and the heavy winding mechanisms disappeared in favour of simple sliding frames. Inside, the trim was pared back, leaving lighter seats on tubular frames and little unnecessary equipment. The result was a Veloce weighing around 770 kg, roughly 110 kg less than the standard Sprint. Combined with a larger fuel tank and a far stronger power-to-weight ratio, it quickly proved itself a very capable competition machine.
An early Swedish life with an Italian sequal
The example offered here has an interesting early life. Delivered new in 1957 Sweden, it remained there for decades and its ownership history during those years is completely known. The car took part in local racing events, something that suits the Giulietta’s temperament perfectly.
In 2023 it eventually found its way back to it’s birthplace, where it underwent a complete restoration carried out with the utmost care. Once dismantled it revealed a remarkably sound structure, allowing the original body numbers to be clearly identified during the process. The work was entrusted to respected craftsmen in northern Italy (Barbieri from Voghera), where the body, mechanical components and finishing were handled with the intention of preserving as much of the original substance as possible. The twin-cam engine was rebuilt and tuned by a specialist workshop (Cerrato) in Turin and later tested on a dynamometer, where it produced a healthy 100 horsepower, an impressive figure for a Giulietta of this type.
Every mechanical element was taken apart and reassembled with the same attention to detail. Aluminium components were carefully recovered and treated separately to ensure proper protection, while the interior was retrimmed using high-quality modern materials that remain faithful to the character of the car. Even details such as the lightweight rear window were recreated by specialists accustomed to working with plexiglass for marine applications.
Certification and eligibility
Today the Giulietta presents as a perfectly restored and highly usable example of one of Alfa Romeo’s most charismatic early sporting models. It carries it’s Certificate of Origin and a FIVA passport issued in 2026, valid for ten years. It is of course eligible for the Mille Miglia, which says a great deal about its authenticity and specification. At Marreyt Classic Cars, we have for years guided participants through the entire Mille Miglia process, from application and documentation to logistics, preparation and on-site support.
On the road
On the road the car delivers exactly what the Giulietta legend promises. The engine spins freely, the chassis communicates every movement of the road surface, and the whole car feels compact, light and wonderfully cooperative. It is not about overwhelming speed. It is about the satisfaction of a well-engineered machine working in harmony with its driver, a quality Alfa Romeo has long understood.
A small Alfa with a big personality
For anyone drawn to the purity of the early Giulietta, this Alleggerita-specification Sprint Veloce represents a particularly appealing opportunity. A car with genuine competition spirit, Scandinavian history and a restoration carried out with real respect for the original machine. A small Alfa with a very large personality.
Feel free to drop by and admire it in our new showroom in Ternat, Belgium.
More information & +80 pictures: www.marreyt.com
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