Vintage R&T Road Test: 1967 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super – “A Sporting Sedan With Almost Everything But Beauty”

The iconic Giulia sedan had been around for almost five years, but it was still in its heyday in 1967. It was essentially in a class of its own when it arrived, but BMW was increasingly breathing down its neck. But it was different enough so that most buyers were probably not too torn about which to buy. Or maybe they were? There’s no doubt that BMW, especially with the smaller 1602/2002 put a crimp on Alfa’s sales in the US as well as in Europe.

The Giulia Super arrived with more power than the TI, so R&T wasted no time testing one. It had all the classic Alfa virtues, and a few vices too. But overall, this was a highly compelling package at the time, despite its rather boxy body, which was actually surprisingly aerodynamic.

R&T noted that “there’s an abundance of zappy (if noisy) performance through the gears” and questions whether a compact sport sedan needs anything larger than a two liter engine. The five speed transmission, a rarity back then, had nicely spaced gears. Technically, 5th gear was an overdrive (0.79:1 ratio), but combined with the short 4.56:1 final drive ratio, it was in reality very much a “road gear”, and not long-legged classic overdrive.

Not surprisingly, there nits to be picked in the cabin, with the typical Italian seating position that just never seemed to fit American bodies.

 

The engine and its exhaust system emitted a rather unpleasant booming sound. And the heating-ventilation system was not up to snuff. The one-speed wipers were inadequate too.

But the compensations were considerable. The Giulia’s ride quality was excellent. There’s quite a lot of body lean, but it was more noticeable to those looking at it from the outside than those inside. Acceleration was “excellent”, but for what it’s worth, its quarter mile time (18.4 sec.) and speed (76 mph) were almost identical to the (soon to come) Opel Kadett Rallye 1.9, which was considerably cheaper.

 

Related CC Reading:
Curbside Classic: 1966 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super – Ready For My Close-Up Now  Tatra87

CC Twofer: 1968 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super / 1974 Alfa Romeo 2000 – For Your Four Eyes Only   Tatra87