Alfa Romeo Giulia 1750 Berlina

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“The real joy of any Giulia is the steering: it’s light, lithe and unfailingly accurate. The saloon also has the best ride of any 105 model, thanks to its longer wheelbase. Even in standard form it will cling on until its tyres are on fire over challenging blacktop, before giving you about half an hour’s warning that the tail is about to shimmy” – Classic & Sportscar, December 2010.

Launched in 1967, the Berlina 1750 was an upgraded version of Alfa’s Giulia saloon, featuring a stronger bodyshell that was 2” longer in the wheelbase, a roomier cabin and a smoother, quieter version of the now legendary 1,750cc twin cam engine. Sharing the same suspension, steering and all-round disc brakes as the Giulia saloons and coupes, it was wonderfully engaging to drive, overflowing with Latin brio that made contemporary British sportscars seem leaden by comparison.

OK, the styling may not have been Marcello Gandini’s best (he also penned the Lamborghini Miura and Bugatti EB110), but in a perverse way it actually enhanced the car’s appeal as no one expected something quite so brick-like to go and handle so well! With 122bhp on tap driving through Alfa’s excellent 5-speed gearbox, it could top 110mph - qualities which made it a big hit with the Italian Carabinieri who liked nothing better than racing across Rome, sirens blaring, seemingly in pursuit of a Mafioso but more likely to an engagement with a pretty signorina. Despite low sales in the UK, Alfa managed to produce over 100,000 of the Berlina before production ended in 1972.

This 1971 RHD example comes in classic Rosso Red with black vinyl seats and grey carpets. With just three owners since 1983 according to the V5C, it has recently been imported from Southern Ireland and is said to be in very good condition throughout following a bout of recent expenditure including a full repaint, new exhaust, new door rubbers, new master and slave clutch cylinders etc. It is also said to be very strong mechanically with an MOT until September 2015 and only 58,700 miles showing on the clock (although there is insufficient history to warrant this total).

Great fun to drive and eligible for various historic events, these agile sporting saloons run rings round most cars of their era and are easy to maintain thanks to an army of Alfa specialists. An absolute bargain compared to their (some would say) dynamically inferior Coupe siblings, they offer more smiles per mile than anything else in their price bracket.