WTB: rear bumper for Giulia Sprint GT 1600 (1st Series)

[Alfa-Red-GTC-66]

I am looking for a rear bumper suitable for an Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint 1600
GT (1st Series). It should consist of solely one-piece chrome metal,
different from the three-piece stainless steel part successively adopted for
the later series of this car.

Kind regards

Alfa-Red-GTC-66

[sprintgtc]

Hello and welcome to the BB!

If you can't find an early bumper, you can weld the seams on the stainless one and then re-polish it. No one will know but you and it is lighter.

Also, I’m keeping an informal register of the world’s GTCs. Could you please PM me with your GTC's information? (serial #, Touring #, your info)
Thanks!

[Alfa-Red-GTC-66]

Pisa, April 12 2007

Dear sprintgtc,

Please find below the identification data concerning my Giulia GTC

DESCRIPTION OF THE VEHICLE

Model: Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTC (Type 105.29)
Chassis ID: AR 760005 (RHD)
Engine ID: AR 00502 15904
Superleggera Touring Label: 17256
Alfa Red (body)/Full Leather Black (interior)
Year of 1st Registration: 1966 (31st March 1966, London)
Present Owner: Giovanni Vallini, Pisa - Italy

If you don't mind, I would greatly appreciate receiving your informal list of the Alfa GTCs still around.

Kind regards

G.V.

[sprintgtc]

Thank you Giovanni,
Your wonderful car has been added to the list. I will send you a PM regarding the list.

[Alfa-Red-GTC-66]

Pisa, February 26 2008

Dear Alfa lover,

If you remember, last year when I firstly came to this forum you told me about your will to organize an informal register in order to figure out how many Giulia GTC cars are still alive. What have you done so far in this respect? I am really curious about that!

Kind regards

Giovanni

Quote:

Originally Posted by sprintgtc Hello and welcome to the BB! If you can't find an early bumper, you can weld the seams on the stainless one and then re-polish it. No one will know but you and it is lighter. Also, I’m keeping an informal register of the world’s GTCs. Could you please PM me with your GTC's information? (serial #, Touring #, your info) Thanks!

[sprintgtc]

Hi Giovanni,
Yes, I am still keeping track of the GTCs around the world. There are suprisingly few. I have owner's names & serial numbers for 33 cars. 15 rhd and 18 lhd. I have sketchy information on another 25 cars (ads, pics on the web, etc.)

I'm happy to share this with GTC owners, particularly those who have contributed (like you) Send me a PM with your email and I will forward the spreadsheet to you.

[Alfa-Red-GTC-66]

Hello Mike!

My e-mail address is scriptamanent@libero.it

Just to allow you to up-to-date the informations in your GTC list, please consider that my AR*760005 RHD GTC, although registered for the first time in March 1966, was built during 1965 according to the Luigi Fusi book on all Alfa Romeo car models. Actually it was the fifth RHD GTC ever manufactured!

Best regards

Giovanni

[Alex]

Giovanni,

Was it for the rarity value that you decided to purchase a RHD GTC? It's a little strange to me because, of course, Italian cars of the modern era are LHD.

Good luck in your search for the bumper. I didn't actually realise that the earliest cars had a one-piece bumper. The rear bumper on my Sprint GT is stainless steel and made in three pieces with two little sections to cover the rivets. But since my front bumper is definitely chromed steel, should I also have a one-piece chromed rear bumper, like your car?

Best wishes,

Alex.

PS: Mike, I saw a VERY expensive LHD GTC for sale here in the UK last month, in one of the classic car magazines. Anyway, it's dark blue with maroon upholstery, well restored but not perfect, asking price of £39,500 or about $75,000. Can this really be the going rate for the best examples?

[alfa2go]

I have a rear one piece Sprint GT bumper but its a pity I live so far away. Pretty hard to ship such an item. Alex it sounds like you have the GT Veloce rear bumper.

[Alfa-Red-GTC-66]

Pisa, 27 February 2008

Dear Alex,

Until two yerars ago I was not interested to classic cars at all. Then, the oldest of my brothers - who has been a fanatic reader of car literature since he was young - lent me an issue of the specialistic magazine RUOTECLASSICHE containing a full article on a pretty baby-blue (among the original colors proposed by Alfa Romeo!) Giulia GTC just bought in Palermo (Sicily) by the members of a Classic Car Fan Club established in Milan. The article described the history of the travel from Palermo to Milan while the Giulia GTC was moving North by the new owners. It was love at a glance! Afterwards, during Christmas time in 2006 - while I was navigating on the net - an advertisement issued on the ClassicCarsForSale.uk.com web page caught my attention. That which would have become my car later looked very nice in pictures, with an original functioning engine, and described as fully traceable from the first registration in London on March 1966 (although built in 1965 according to Luigi Fusi book reporting the chassis ID numbers of all Alfa Romeo models!) to the present. The price was reasonable to me (maybe too much!). Although the car was a RHD version (only 99 built!), I decided to buy it. So, I arranged the trip to pick it up by a truck which I drove myself. Once back to Italy, I realized that the car needed a radical restoration (especially on the body, underneath!) which is cost me to this day something like Euro 10,000 ... and we are only halfway!
Dear Alex! I am now convinced that classic cars are for rich people or for crazy humans. I fit with the second category! Anyway, I am now very affectionate to my GTC which I know in all its parts and components. I can say that the restoration is going on in a rigorous philological manner. But you can even understand why the cost for a Giulia GTC fully restored is currently in between Euro 40.000 and 50.000. Actually, very few of the 1000 built from 1964 to 1966 are still alive.
As far as the bumpers (front and rear) are concerned, the use of one-piece chrome brass ones was until early 1965 for both Giulia Sprint GT and Giulia GTC, afterward, Alfa Romeo started mounting steel bumpers (two pieces for the front ones and three pieces for the rear ones).

Kind regards

Giovanni

[Alfa-Red-GTC-66]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alfa2go I have a rear one piece Sprint GT bumper but its a pity I live so far away. Pretty hard to ship such an item. Alex it sounds like you have the GT Veloce rear bumper.

[Alfa-Red-GTC-66]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Giovanni, Was it for the rarity value that you decided to purchase a RHD GTC? It's a little strange to me because, of course, Italian cars of the modern era are LHD. Good luck in your search for the bumper. I didn't actually realise that the earliest cars had a one-piece bumper. The rear bumper on my Sprint GT is stainless steel and made in three pieces with two little sections to cover the rivets. But since my front bumper is definitely chromed steel, should I also have a one-piece chromed rear bumper, like your car? Best wishes, Alex. PS: Mike, I saw a VERY expensive LHD GTC for sale here in the UK last month, in one of the classic car magazines. Anyway, it's dark blue with maroon upholstery, well restored but not perfect, asking price of £39,500 or about $75,000. Can this really be the going rate for the best examples?

[Alex]

Beautiful! Can you see any maker's marks on these bumpers? They should be in the centre, on the underside.

When I restored my bumpers, I painted the inside with silver Hammerite paint for protection. You cannot see this unless you look really closely, but I think it's a good idea to do this.

Ciao,

Alex.

[Alfa-Red-GTC-66]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Beautiful! Can you see any maker's marks on these bumpers? They should be in the centre, on the underside. When I restored my bumpers, I painted the inside with silver Hammerite paint for protection. You cannot see this unless you look really closely, but I think it's a good idea to do this. Ciao, Alex.

[Alfa-Red-GTC-66]

Pisa, 7 November 2009

Hi Alex

After a long lapse of time during which we have not had any further opportunity to interact each other about the fate of my Giulia GTC, bought in London two and a half years ago, it gives me pleasure to inform you that the restoration of my car is now finally completed. Attached to this message, please find the very first pictures of my GTC taken just outside the bodywork repair shop, together with some photos documenting the restoration while it was in progress.
The car has been restored by taking into account all the constructor
specifications. Only true NOS Alfa Romeo parts have been used. As far as the
body is concerned, repairs have been done by saving till the smallest portions
of the original sheets. The sole detail that seems not to fit with the pristine
Alfa Romeo characteristics deals with the upholstery, which was probably re-
made in true black leather (instead of dark grey elastic vinyl fabric) by one
of the former three owners. But, as it is difficult to know by the technical
literature how really were the optional preparations offered to the buyers by
the constructor, maybe Alfa Romeo - in those far middle '60s - could propose
even leather for the GTC interiors with an adequate price increase.
Nevertheless, I preferred to leave the upholstery as found in my car since it
looks very "British" as a RHD Giulia GTC for the UK market, although Italian in
origin, should look like.

Kind regards

Giovanni

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Giovanni, Was it for the rarity value that you decided to purchase a RHD GTC? It's a little strange to me because, of course, Italian cars of the modern era are LHD. Good luck in your search for the bumper. I didn't actually realise that the earliest cars had a one-piece bumper. The rear bumper on my Sprint GT is stainless steel and made in three pieces with two little sections to cover the rivets. But since my front bumper is definitely chromed steel, should I also have a one-piece chromed rear bumper, like your car? Best wishes, Alex. PS: Mike, I saw a VERY expensive LHD GTC for sale here in the UK last month, in one of the classic car magazines. Anyway, it's dark blue with maroon upholstery, well restored but not perfect, asking price of £39,500 or about $75,000. Can this really be the going rate for the best examples?