Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider and Giulia Spider (1955 to 1965)

Why people buy one

• A pretty, light Pinin Farina roadster with an alloy twin-cam engine.
• The 101-series cars from 1959 have a slightly longer wheelbase, more door opening and a revised gearbox, and Hagerty notes that 101-series engine parts are easy to find.
• The Giulia Spider adds the 1570cc engine and, according to UK dealer and auction descriptions, a five-speed gearbox as standard.
• Body, trim and interior parts are widely available, according to Sports Car Market.
• The Alfa Romeo Owners Club UK has a Giulietta (750 and 101) Register, and the factory heritage department offers certificates that confirm a car's original specification.

What to weigh up

• Rust is the main risk. Hagerty says a truly rust-free car is probably not out there, and structural rot in a unit body is a major job to put right.
• Veloce claims need proving. Sports Car Market warns that "abnormales", normales fitted with Veloce Weber carburettors, are common, while copying every Veloce detail is less so.
• Most cars were built in left-hand drive. Sources give about 400 factory right-hand-drive Giulia Spiders (Hagerty's production table lists them as type 101.19 in 1963), so check any right-hand-drive car's history closely, as it may be a conversion.
• Early 750-series mechanical parts are harder to find than 101-series parts, and five-speed gearbox swaps are common on Giuliettas.
• Brakes are drums on the Giulietta, and sources disagree on whether Giulia Spiders gained front discs, so check what is fitted.
• This profile does not cover the Giulietta Sprint coupes or the 105-series Spider (Duetto) of 1966 onwards, which has a different body and its own profile.

Where they rust

• Sills (rocker panels) and the jacking points, which Hagerty and Sports Car Market both name as the main structural worry.
• Rear suspension mounting points under the car, where corrosion seriously weakens the unit body.
• Floor pans, especially at the front footwells.
• Boot floor and the spare wheel area.
• Bottoms of the front and rear wings.
• The battery tray and the metal around it.
• The front valance below the grille.
• Earlier repairs: thick underseal or filler around the sills can hide poor welding.

Mechanical weak spots

• Listen for timing chain rattle and look for oil leaks. Sports Car Market says Veloces can foul plugs if not driven enthusiastically.
• The Giulietta has a four-speed gearbox, redesigned for the 101 series, while the Giulia Spider has a five-speed. Weak second-gear synchromesh is common.
• The live rear axle is located by trailing arms and a triangular reaction member (A-arm), and the front uses double wishbones with coil springs. Check for worn bushes and leaking dampers.
• Giuliettas have drum brakes all round, with finned front drums. Drums that have sat can seize, so look for fresh fluid and even pedal feel if the car is moved.
• Wiring on most cars is 60 years old or more, so look for brittle insulation, untidy joints and non-working gauges.
• Carburettors: a single Solex on the Giulietta normale and twin side-draught Webers on Veloces. A Veloce normally has no choke, and its dash choke hole is blanked with a plug.

At a Mathewsons viewing

• Find the chassis number stamped in the engine bay and the plate, and check both against the V5C. Giulietta Spiders seen at auction carry an AR1495 prefix (Hagerty, Gooding, Wannenes), and Hagerty's Fusi-based table gives Giulia Spider types 101.23 (normale), 101.18 (Veloce) and 101.19 (right-hand drive, 1963).
• For a claimed Veloce, look for the tell-tales Sports Car Market lists: rev counter reading to 8,000rpm, speedometer to 140mph, a blanking plug where the choke knob would be, an air scoop in the grille opening and two duct holes in the driver's inner wing.
• Read the engine number. Giulietta engines seen at auction are stamped AR1315 on both normale and Veloce cars, so the prefix alone does not prove a Veloce; ask whether there is an Alfa Romeo certificate of origin.
• With a torch, look under the car at the sills, jacking points, rear suspension mounts and floors, and lift the boot floor covering and cabin mats.
• Open the bonnet: look for twin Webers and their air box on a Veloce, the bonnet air scoop on a Giulia, oil leaks and old wiring. If staff start the car, listen for chain rattle, but do not assume it will be started.

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Sources

• Your handy 1955 to 65 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider buyer's guide (Hagerty), 13 October 2021
• 1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Veloce, profile (Sports Car Market), 1 November 2004
• Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider Veloce (Sports Car Market), 1 December 1993
• 1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider, lot description (Gooding & Company), accessed 14 October 2026
• Giulietta (750 and 101) Register (Alfa Romeo Owners Club UK), accessed 14 October 2026
• Alfa Romeo Classiche: Certification of Authenticity (Stellantis Heritage), accessed 14 October 2026
• Alfa Romeo Giulia (Wikipedia), accessed 14 October 2026