Review Car

At the Balocco Test Centre, the Giulietta Sprint was presented to the international press. This new version pays homage to the iconic Giulietta Sprint of 1954, the first in a whole class of cars and one of the products that are emblematic of Italian style and construction.

With its international preview at the recent Paris Motor Show, the new Giulietta Sprint celebrates 60 years of the model that, in the wake of the 1900s success, was launched at the Turin Motor Show in 1954 and made short work of winning over enthusiasts worldwide. The Giulietta was the Fifties dream car of motorists, the vehicle that, for the first time, made the desire of owning an Alfa Romeo an accessible one. Today its the turn of the new Giulietta Sprint to take on that mantle, offering a more distinctive style, thrilling performance and state-of-the art technology.

In particular, the new Giulietta Sprint embodies the true "Alfa Spirit", expressed: in "Lightness & Efficiency", through some elements that increase the dynamic efficiency of the car, such as the rear dam with sports extractor and the side skirts; in "Italian Style", that is, the work carried out on the Giuliettas character to further emphasise the Italian nature of its style; in "Advanced Technology", with the new 150 HP 1.4 engine, the latest addition to the MultiAir family, which represents the state of the art in petrol engine technology; and in "Dynamics", the famous pleasure of driving an Alfa Romeo, achieved in part through the models innovative architecture and the many electronic systems with which it is equipped.

The same "Alfa Spirit" can be found in all three generations of the Giulietta: from the 1954 original to the 1977 Giulietta and to the Giulietta Sprint of today. All these cars are "light and efficient" - from the choice of materials to the weight-to-power ratio -and express the care and attention to detail typical of the finest Italian design. Whats more, they have great agility and handling on the road thanks to direct steering, advanced suspension and well-balanced weight distribution.

This is without mentioning the fact that they are all created to become the new technological benchmark in their categories, thus boasting cutting-edge solution in every generation. An example? The 1954 saw the début of the revolutionary twin-shaft four-cylinder 1.3 made of aluminium for maximum efficiency. And the 1977 Giulietta introduced the transaxle system - with engine at the front and gearbox at the rear - for a weight distribution able to guarantee safety, stability and roadholding in all driving conditions. The same occurred in 2010 with the new architecture of the current Giulietta, an authentic "technical and technological leap forward" with respect to contemporary floor panels in terms of content introduced, materials and technologies adopted and performance levels and safety standards achieved.

This is the thread that runs through not only the three generations of the Giulietta, but all Alfa Romeos, a heritage of technical solutions and style characteristics that are critically assessed and reinterpreted every time a new car or version is created. As it was then, so it is today: Alfa Romeo designers and engineers draw on this heritage to design and build cars full of beauty and personality, achieving a magical balance between reason and sentiment, technology and creativity.

The strong connection between the historic and the contemporary is also clearly expressed by the new TV advert - on air in Italy and soon in the rest of Europe - where a new and a 1954 Giulietta Sprint take on a thrilling succession of corners and straights together: this is the natural habitat of Alfa Romeos, a concrete expression of all the experience and competence of a brand that has been building sports cars for more than 100 years.

Alfa Romeo has also made automotive history on many occasions, a history in which cars and designers, races and engines are the players that have marked the technological progress and sports events of the 20th century. To learn about this extraordinary human and industrial history, from today you can visit the new "Alfa Romeo Hall of Legends" which, through a dynamic and engaging interface, allows you to admire the invaluable exhibits in the Alfa Romeo historical collection, as well as read the biographies of designers, engineers, technicians and drivers who have contributed to the prestige of a brand that has existed for more than a hundred years.