It's Easier Here.
Leith Cars Blog
Every Wednesday we spotlight a video that showcases something truly exciting about a car or cars. The reason for this is simple: it’s Wednesday, and everyone could use a boost to get through to the weekend. In this week’s installment of Zero to Sixty, we highlight a beautiful car in a beautiful setting: the 1962 Alfa Romeo Guilia Spider Veloce on the coast of Los Alamitos, California.
In the first half of the 20th century, Alfa was getting back on its feet as a company. The company had focused on producing racing cars in the 1920s, partly thanks to a young Alfa racing driver named Enzo Ferrari. By 1928, however, its new leader, Nicola Romeo, left the company insolvent following the end of military defense contracts. World War II pumped new life into the decrepit automaker via new government orders, and the post-war years saw the company experimenting with technologies like twin cam engines, front-wheel drive and aluminum bodies.
By the time 1960 rolled around, Alfa Romeo was ready to enter larger markets by focusing on production vehicles. The 1962 Giulia in this video was a larger, second generation replacement to the company’s previous Guilietta model. The Giulia came in three versions—sedan, coupe and spider—with the buyer’s choice of two engines: the “Normale,” a single downdraft carburetor with four-speed transmission, and the “Veloce,” a high-performance model with dual webber side-draft carburetors and a five speed transmission. Both types were equipped with a 1600cc, double overhead cam engine.
This video’s car—owned by Casey Annis, publisher of Vintage Racecar magazine—was originally a Normale, but has since been upgraded with a Veloce engine. No matter the type of engine, any version of the Giulia is something of a rare breed because it is the last car Alfa Romeo made before switching to the more popularly known GTV series in the 1960s. The Giulia is something of an in-between car that links the company’s military and racing years to the mass market production designs of the 1960s and 70s.
The car’s owner, Casey Annis, ran the Alfa Romeo Owner’s Club magazine for several years, and has a long-standing love and knowledge of the company. As he tools around the California coastline in this video, set to the playful jazz tunes of the car’s era, we can’t help but think that a little surf and sea spray of the Pacific would put a smile on anyone’s face, let alone the fortunate Mr. Annis in his vintage Alfa Romeo.
The car has a smooth purr to its engine, and you can see how easily it shifts even after all these years. As an open-top convertible it naturally draws attention, but the body style and exterior are subdued, though graceful. We credit that to vestiges of the company’s military past which emphasized utility over style. Still, it has the wide front hood typical of the 1950s, along with the tapered rear end of emerging 1960s sports cars. All in all, it’s a gorgeous find.
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