The coupe is becoming a dying breed. It doesn't seem that long ago that every manufacturer had a beautiful coupé in the range, and that within several segments. Today, a handful of manufacturers are still willing to keep the coupe alive. But many manufacturers ignore the coupe. Alfa Romeo, for example, recently said goodbye to the 4C and also did not put a new Disco Volante (take a look in the Top Gear archives) into production. As people also forgot about the Alfa Romeo Giulia SS Bertone to start building.
Why do I mention that uncontrollably beautiful coupe? Well, I saw it in 2015 at the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo in Arese. I was completely overwhelmed, with my mouth open, I realized that I was alive with something that the outside world would never be. And then came the Area Bellezza, with the ultimate 8C 2900 B Lungo from Touring.
But here was the Alfa Romeo Giulia SS Bertone. The coupé I wanted to see, a design tour de force. A creation in which fairly straight lines were accompanied by exact proportions and delicious properties. The folded rear window and the panoramic windscreen combined nicely with those glass sections in the doors, which could later be described as Montreal-like. But ten times more subtle. A centrally placed exhaust pipe. Decent light units. And then the low cut. He delivered the Alfa Romeo Giulia SS Bertone its dynamism, the cuts and profiles were precisely drawn so that the sporty model also exuded a touch of avant-garde elegance. The wheel covers also revealed in 2015 from which time it originated, but it was actually timeless.
At that time already fifty years young, this magisterial prototype the Giulia SS Bertone. And fifty years old if you consider today's thick and colorful sizing. Really nothing of what is being built in coupés today comes close. Elegance is becoming more and more a classic word, a word from ancient times. It was the trademark of coupes van Alfa Romeo. Just look at the Bertones from those years, or the Giulietta Coupés (Tipo 101) that were later allowed to bear the name Giulia. Or to all coupés with a historic character. Speaking of Sprint Speciale: Also knew there Alfa in relation to the Giulietta and the Giulia you can guess.
The latter is also beautiful, but is a little bit amusingly strange compared to these stragglers drawn by Bertone. Fifty years later, he also stated in the Museo Storico that he was ready. Take the technique. Tried and tested Alfa work, an alloy block and head that held together 1570cc and mated to a fully synchronized five-speed gearbox. An engine, good for 109 HP at 6.000 revolutions per minute, equipped with 2x two-stage. The package should be good for a top 185-plus. The modern chassis was ready, also to steer the dynamics of the rear-wheel drive in the right direction. And speaking of that: disc brakes all round, hydraulically operated. Ready for production, it was. And it did not happen, painfully strengthening the desire. Although I thought otherwise later on. That has a reason.
Alfa Romeo forgot to build the Giulia SS Bertone, except for the prototype. And he was ready. Still, it's okay, actually I'm glad that Alfa chose not to. Pure, because the fantasy remains alive. Pure, because the imagination remains. And purely because some cars are just too heavenly to expose them to earthly habits. No car was more out of place in the museum in Arese than this one Alfa Romeo Giulia SS Bertone. This honorary title has been given to only a few. The most beautiful prototype ever deserves it. Also, because it shows why every car brand deserves a coupe. All is the sporty elegance of this one Alfa Romeo never matched.
What the prototypes of Alfa Romeo, I still think the “Canguro” is the most beautiful. Designed by Giugiaro, employed by Bertone. Total loss driven by a German car journalist; the wreck was recovered at Bertone by Rob de la Rive Box. Finally restored and ended up with a collector in Japan, after the car won a prize in Villa d'Este in 2005. just google “Alfa Romeo Canguro”, can also be found on YouTube by the way.
Not bad, that Canguro. Reminiscent of those comic books with racing cars & Michel Vaillant. Rear has a lot of the Jaguar D? The version adapted to this time that is somewhere on Pinintrest, I think is even better, is a bit less round.
Maximum result with a minimum of lines. The difference between slick and refined.
Very nicely written article, apparently comes from the “pen” of a true enthusiast / hobbyist. As a former Alfist I think such articles are simply beautiful
Extremely well written article. Governments and government in general don't seem to understand that for some of us “the car” is much, much more than a means of transport that mainly pollutes… that is preferably taxed as heavily as possible. A car can make us dream, by the looks, by the engine sound… the freedom to explore new horizons simply by turning the ignition key. And then there's the driving pleasure itself. Add to that the myth of a brand, even though that involves a lot of marketing and it is like many things: the more you know, the further away the dream and therefore the attraction. Cars… they can be beautiful!
find the Montreal even more beautiful yourself
Beautiful car! Had to think about the words Hans Wiegel "I am the best Prime Minister the Netherlands has never had"
What a beautiful car. See the drowsy and EVs of today… .. what went wrong?
On purpose as a response because the Alfa is already so beautiful: see also the pagaso for very beautiful lines.
Heavenly beautiful car! Owns a later model coupe of Alfa Romeo, de Brera. Also very beautiful, but somewhere this Giulia SS Bertone is even more beautiful because you know that with the more limited technical possibilities of that time such delights were produced. At such Alfaclassics you always have that wonderful dashboard and that pure Alfasound…