Alfa Romeo Giulia
Introduced in 1962 and revived in 2015, Giulia connects two distinct eras of Alfa Romeo sports saloons through rear-wheel-drive engineering and everyday practicality.
A nameplate across two eras
Giulia is an Alfa Romeo model name associated principally with two distinct sports-saloon programmes: the original car introduced in 1962 and the modern revival unveiled in 2015 before its commercial launch in 2016. These are separate engineering programmes, separated by decades, rather than an uninterrupted production series. The original combined family-car accommodation with sporting mechanicals; the revival made a new rear-wheel-drive architecture central to Alfa Romeo’s renewed saloon offering. Original Giulia history; revival unveiling; 2016 range launch.
The original saloon
Presented at Monza in June 1962, the Giulia TI initially occupied a position above the Giulietta. Production began at Portello in Milan before moving to Arese. Its upright appearance concealed deliberate aerodynamic development, particularly around the windscreen and truncated tail. Stellantis Heritage.
The original saloon used a steel unitary body, a longitudinal front engine and rear-wheel drive. Its petrol engines belonged to Alfa Romeo’s light-alloy twin-cam four-cylinder tradition. Independent front suspension and a coil-sprung live rear axle combined sporting intent with practical four-door accommodation. The museum’s specification describes a 1,570 cc example with a five-speed gearbox; those details should not be treated as universal specifications for every Giulia. Alfa Romeo Museum.
The range expanded through 1300, TI and Super versions. In particular, the initial 1300 had a four-speed gearbox, illustrating why the nameplate cannot be assigned one transmission specification. The 1974 Nuova Super was a restyling of the established saloon, while a Perkins-powered diesel joined in 1976. Stellantis Heritage dates the original saloon’s production through 1978. Manufacturer history.
Body styles and the wider Giulia family
The four-door saloon is the core of this record, but historical Giulia badging also covered other bodies. Early Giulia Sprint, Spider and Sprint Speciale models retained origins in the preceding Giulietta family. The subsequent Sprint GT coupé belonged to the newer technical family, while Colli also produced specialist estate conversions. Shared names and components therefore do not establish identical bodies, specifications or production periods. Alfa Romeo’s retrospective discusses both 105 and 115 series codes within the saloon’s development. Alfa Romeo’s fiftieth-anniversary history.
The original Giulia’s reputation extended beyond private ownership. The TI Super participated in competition, and the saloon became closely associated with Italian police and Carabinieri service. These uses helped make the practical sports saloon a recognisable part of Alfa Romeo’s identity. Stellantis Heritage.
The modern revival
Alfa Romeo presented the revived Giulia at its museum in Arese in 2015, initially highlighting the Quadrifoglio. The wider range followed in 2016. Assembly took place at Cassino in Italy, whose plant was renovated for the programme. The unveiling year and commercial-launch year describe different milestones. Unveiling announcement; range launch; Cassino production account.
The new saloon’s proportions reflected its longitudinal, rear-wheel-drive architecture, with a long bonnet and short overhangs. Its chassis used double-wishbone front suspension and a multilink rear arrangement. Aluminium components and a carbon-fibre driveshaft were among its weight-saving measures. This was a new interpretation of the sporting saloon rather than a mechanical continuation of the original Giulia. UK technical overview.
Engines, transmissions and market distinctions
The UK range documented in February 2017 included 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol and 2.2-litre turbocharged diesel four-cylinder engines, plus the Quadrifoglio’s 2.9-litre twin-turbo petrol V6. That UK release specified an eight-speed automatic throughout the range and rear-wheel drive for its Veloce. These are dated UK specifications, not universal descriptions of every Giulia sold worldwide. UK range documentation.
The Italian launch announcement of May 2016, by comparison, listed six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmissions for its diesel offerings and a six-speed manual for the Quadrifoglio. The 2015 unveiling also described an architecture accommodating rear- or all-wheel drive. Engine, gearbox, driven wheels and equipment must consequently be identified by market and version. Italian launch range; platform announcement.
This model-level record uses dated launch documentation rather than asserting a current worldwide range or a final production date for the revived car.
Within the Alfa Romeo catalogue
Return to the Alfa Romeo manufacturer record, or explore the separate Alfa Romeo 75 model record. Giulia is catalogued here at model level; its individual generations, variants, engines and production-year records belong below that level.
Sources and image credit
- Stellantis Heritage — original Giulia development, manufacture and evolution
- Alfa Romeo Museum — Giulia collection specification
- Alfa Romeo — fiftieth-anniversary history and wider model family
- Alfa Romeo — modern Giulia unveiling, 2015
- Alfa Romeo — Italian range launch, May 2016
- Alfa Romeo — UK range and technical documentation, February 2017
- Alfa Romeo — Cassino production plant, May 2017
- Kelebek — Giulia Super photograph and public-domain declaration
Browse related records
1 records
Alfa Romeo Giulia 105/115 Saloon Generation (1962–1978)
The original Giulia combined four-door practicality with Alfa Romeo twin-cam engineering. Introduced in 1962, the saloon family evolved through Super and Nuova Super versions into the late 1970s.
Generation
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