Berlina Register Newsletter No. 55 (October 2024)

Notes and Comment

Sorry for the long period between newsletters; I had to reload Windows on my computer, for a time lacked access to Word. Many Giulias have come through for work and I bought a RHD 1300 Super, see below. Sold our VW Bus after 15 years, replaced with a BMW X3. And while I was at it, stumbled into a BMW 318TI, a four-cylinder hatchback you may have never seen. Great car, kind of like a Giulia sedan, small, light, nimble, revvy four cylinder, five speed, disk brakes. And working AC; what more could you want?

The keeper of the Berlina Register, North American Giulia Sedan Register, and Giulietta Sedan Register is Andrew Watry, email watry@prodigy.net. Send corrections to your information or any other Giulia- and Berlina-related facts, rumors, tips, or needs. Always seeking articles for the newsletter.

Super Takes a Hit

In May I got rear-ended in my green Super on a street in Berkeley. Traffic slowed up suddenly and everyone but the guy behind me stopped in time. Good punch on the right rear by the bumper overrider, even though maybe at 10 mph. Pushed in rear panel, popped out both rear fenders, bent trunk floor, flattened bumper. Guy was perhaps drunk and texting, who knows. He admitted liability, getting it fixed was no problem. Took it to Whitman Auto Body in San Rafael, home to 1000 body shops. $10,000 job. Three months later, got it back and I m happy. They pulled it on a frame machine, straightened panels, got the trunk lid to fit, painted back half of car and roof, and did a little rust repair at the same time. The bumper is at Elite Custom Metal Polishing in Lodi, took it there last week.

Making the Right[hand Drive] Choice

Cars fall out of the sky on me. I have long wanted a RHD car, having driven a couple in the US (Renault 8, Talbot-Lago Grand Sport, Colli wagon) and in various RHD countries. It wasn t a priority and I had no real expectation it would happen. Well, out of the blue a friend of Conrad s, where I help out, sent a note that he had a RHD 1300 Super he thought Conrad should buy. Conrad had too many cars already, passed the note to me. I contacted the guy, who I hadn t known even though he was in the neighborhood. Test drove, made a deal, drove it home. What a little sweetie. It has a British plate on it, allegedly came to the US with an airline pilot who brought it from Cyprus. This is believable since it has fine dusty everywhere and I have found four Cypriot coins in the interior and heater. Has been in the Bay Area almost 20 years and I d never seen or even heard of it.

The car is a 1971 tipo 115.10 1300 Super, Grigio Indaco with red interior. 1300 long gone, replaced with a Euro 1750, probably before it came to the US. Had brakes, wheels, suspension done when it got here. One repaint, interior totally original. Drives well, though I ve attended to some deferred maintenance since it s been mostly unused for years. One rust spot in left front floor, I cut it out, Conrad and I welded in a floor panel, now undercoated and painted. I thought I d detail here the differences I see in a RHD car compared to LHD.

But first, Patrick Dasse did a book in his Arese factory photo series devoted to RHD cars (Alfa Romeo Tipo 105 RHD, Dingwort Verlag 2020), which lists chassis ranges and major features. Dasse states these Giulia models were made in RHD form (with approx. build numbers): Giulia TI (4300), Giulia Super (8900), Giulia 1300 TI (3500), Giulia 1600 S (3), Giulia 1300 Super (4700). This is a total of about 21,000 RHD Giulias. For Berlinas there were 9300 1750s and 7800 2000s, including 1200 automatic 2000s. That s a total of 17,000 RHD Berlinas. All were in built in both complete-car and knocked-down-kit form to be assembled at the destination. In general there were 300-600 of each model in RHD form per year. Like many of Alfa s business decisions, this seems like it could not have generated a profit for the work involved. Mostly famously, Alfa made 50 RHD GTAs for use mainly in the US on clockwise race tracks, where having the driver on the right was thought to give a handling advantage.

Dasse s book covers unique aspects of RHD in a general way, but I thought I d go into more detail here on what I ve found in my 1300 Super. Considering how few were built, it s fascinating to see the engineering and production differences Alfa geared up for, for not many cars.

The basic shell is the same as LHD. The transmission tunnel is offset to the right, as in LHD, which means there s less leg and wiggle room for the driver in a RHD car. The major mechanical components, except the steering, are much the same as LHD. The engine, for example, has the carbs on the right and exhaust on the left. But on RHD you have to cram the steering box into the intake side with the carburetors and airbox, their linkage, and the starter. The exhaust side, by comparison, is largely empty. Here are some details:

• Tipo and chassis numbers. Each RHD model had a unique tipo compared to its LHD equivalent, and its own range of VINS. My RHD cars is tipo 115.10, whereas LHD cars are 115.09. The most common variant, the RHD 1600 Super, is 105.28 rather than 105.26.
• Firewall and steering. Obviously the steering box is on the right, and the idler box on the left. They are more of less mirror images of the LHD ones. On the steering column, the ignition is on the right, and the light and turn signal is on the right. The light stalk rotates the opposite way from LHD, having been flipped. Near as I can tell from the parts book, there was never a column-shift RHD version, only floor-shift.
• Dashboard. A mirror image of the LHD dash. The heater is unchanged from LHD, the controls work the same way and the heater valve, if it leaks, will leak on the passenger s foot instead of the driver s. In Dasse s book I see that sometimes the tach is on the left and sometimes on the right. I don t know if there was a convention for it and the arrangement of the minor gauges, to keep the important ones closest to the driver.
• Hood latch. Charmingly the hood release remains on the left side; you have to get out and open the passenger door to open the hood.

• Pedals. The RHD pedals are entirely different from LHD pedal. There is no pedal box as such like on LHD, nor a large floor opening for it, but the pedals do have pivot points in the floor, with slots, and a rubber gaiter to keep the weather and dirt out. All RHD cars have floor pedals, Alfa never made hanging pedals for the right. If the car is fitted with a wiper/wash foot control, it s on a plinth that screws to the floor against the tunnel, further restricting foot space. It also acts as a dead-pedal. People have asked me if the pedal arrangement is normal. Yes, gas on the right, brake in the middle, clutch on the left. Similarly, the gearshift pattern is no different from LHD cars, not mirror image. First and second are farthest from you.
• Brakes. For early cars, the brake master cylinder is the same as LHD, though of course on the right side. Once Alfa introduced dual-circuit brakes, the system became more complicated and is quite different. There is a unique dual-circuit master cylinder under the floor, with the reservoir on the left inner fender. There s no room for a booster under the floor so such cars have two Lockheed or Bonaldi booster in the left rear of the engine compartment, like 1969 US-market Berlinas. These take up a lot of room and there are brake pipes running everywhere. As a dual circuit car, there are two brake light switches, one in the engine compartment and the other behind the brake pressure regulator near the spare tire well. For early Giulias, the parking brake handle was to the left of the steering, towards the middle of the car. Once it moved to the tunnel it did not differ from LHD cars.
• Clutch controls and hydraulics. Mechanical clutch cars have an under-floor bellcrank arrangement to transfer the pedal movement by cable to the throwout bearing. For later cars, the clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder are the same as for LHD floor-pedal cars, but the MC is bolted to the right chassis rail with no pedal box. The clutch and brake MCs each have a tin cover. Mounting tabs for brake pipes, etc. differ due to location differences.

• Carburetor controls. The gas pedal looks much the same from the driver s seat but has a shorter pivot bar and different pivots and rods. The throttle bellcrank on the intake manifold is smaller and shorter. The choke cable is very short, coming through the firewall on the carb side of the engine.

• Cables. The tach and speedo cables come from the right side of the firewall and are longer to reach their drive gears, which are both on the left side of the car.
• Electrical. Most items locations are unchanged, but the fuse box is on the right outer corner of the dash, opposite from LHD. Many wires are of different length to reach their destinations. On my car I see an unused loom under the dash but can t say what s missing. Headlights would naturally dip the opposite from LHD lights.
• Interior. The map pocket on my car is on the left, opposite to LHD cars. And the oh shit grab handle is on the passenger side, as you d expect.

Market Report

1972 Giulia 1300 Super. White car from Italy with blue cloth seats. Refreshingly stock in every way including steel wheels and stock ride height. Imported 20 years ago, sat for some time, refreshed with new fluids, shocks, brakes, other maintenance items. Claimed original paint and upholstery, seemed a reasonable possibility. Very clean unmolested car. $40,000 ebay, Ventura CA. Big big money for a 1300 but it was as solid and original a car as you could hope for. A late car, maybe not as much charm as a first-series Super, but we re quibbling; they all drive the same. I counsel buying the best you can afford regardless of model and that s what happened here. Strong price, maybe 10,000 more than I expected. 2/24

1971 Giulia 1300 Super. Grigio Indica car with red interior. RHD, British market car that s been in the US since 2007; before that unknown. Faded but intact paint, original interior with a few rips. Very solid, rust at one jack point. 1750, limited slip diff, lowered, SZ wheels, Koni shocks. In long-term benign ownership with no real maintenance or use. Unmolested, amazingly original and solid. Early Super steering wheel. $12,000 private sale, Hillsborough CA. I stumbled into this, got lucky. Seller contacted a friend, he passed it to me, I bought. Car has had little work done but also was never messed up; I drove it home at 70 mph. After regular maintenance and minor fixes, works great. Paint is quite tired but it s all one color, 1750 engine is strong and smooth. Exhaust full of holes; front end too low. Driveshaft smooth and easy. An astounding deal, I feel very lucky. RHD is not for everyone but I ve wanted one a long time. 3/24

1968 Giulia Super. Metallic silver car with race car interior. Full-on race car, though has license plates (but no lights). Came from Italy to US in 2003. Ran VARA and CSRG for many years. 160-HP 2000 engine, all the usual serious modifications to brakes, suspension (Panhard rod), etc. Full roll cage. 14 GTA replica wheels. $17,000 BringaTrailer, Pasadena CA. I knew this car in its prime with its very capable driver. As good as any race Super on the West Coast. He sold it 20 years ago, it s been sitting around since then, so needs recommissioning for the track, which on this kind of car is not a big deal. Stone bargain if you wanted a full-race Super, worthless if you didn t. Regardless of the quality of build (which on this car was quite good) old race cars don t bring much unless they have history folks care about (e.g., Ayrton Senna used it). Quite a deal for the buyer. 3/24

1966 Giulia Super. Stunning white car with red interior, iconic combo. Fully restored in Europe to basically stock condition other than (yawn) 15 GTA wheels and slammed Alfaholics suspension. Otherwise stock, including original 1600 engine, airbox, etc. Really nothing to fault other than the hotrod appearance if that s not your thing. $47,500 BringaTrailer, France. As nice a Super as you can imagine, fully worked through to a high standard. I like that they mostly left it alone, didn t go for a 2000 or big exhaust, etc. I myself am not a fan of the big wheel/slammed stance look, but I m the minority. A lot of money but probably the going rate for such a car these days. 3/24

1966 Giulia 1300 TI. Acqua di fonte car with impossible-to-tell interior color. Incredibly unmolested, very original car, with alleged original paint and no rust. First owner kept it 50 years. Totally straight, stock. Recently serviced, ready to go. The caveat is, the seats were utterly mildewed and destroyed, the door panels had their original plastic covers still in place but were rotted underneath, and the headliner was turning to dust. Hard to know what happened to preserve the car so well in some ways yet destroy other parts. $26,500 BringaTrailer, France. Probably the most original 1300 TI around, but you d have to do something with the interior. The punters kibbitzed about the seat and headliner condition, I say just buy the car, reupholster, be done with it. You d have to hope there was no asbestos or plague in the nooks and crannies. Big money for a 1300 TI but find a better one. Budget a couple thousand bucks for interior work. 4/24

1961 Giulietta TI. Bianco spino car with grey and black interior. Stock, pretty stunning in white, came from Italy to NL to Sweden to the US and was sold almost immediately. Original 1300, column-shift four-speed, drum brakes, a normal Giulietta. Recently taken down to metal, rust removed, repainted. Much recent service work and new Vredesteins, though driver s seat was wearing through fabric. $24,000 BringaTrailer, Redondo Beach CA. Not many Giulietta sedans come up for sale, especially in the US. They are an acquired taste. Yes they are mechanically like other Giuliettas, but they are tall and tippy, and a Normale engine with a column shift renders them unsporty. Still, I had one and you should too. Fair price. In a perfect world they d bring more but demand is not strong. I d guess this seller lost money, maybe a lot. 4/24

1969 US 1750 Berlina. Red car with black interior, long history in the Bay Area with an owner who tinkered. 2000, 45 Webers with Pipercross filter, much racy Alfaholics suspension underneath. Converted to hanging pedals. Nice cosmetically, mechanically on the button after some remedial work but not quite finished. $$ spent on lightweight go-fast parts. Stock wheels and tires, lowered stance. Some rust in floors. $38,500 BringaTrailer, Monterey CA. Same car that sold on BaT in December for $37,000. Don t know what happened but it was listed again, made slightly better money. I looked more closely this time and the car is even less nice and more fiddly than I recalled. Big big money for a project that hasn t been driven and still needs sorting. Folks like a slammed car with go-fast parts. 4/24

1956 Giulietta Berlina. Very early US market car, grigio indaco with grey/? bench seat. 750 series, column shift, heavily restored 10 years ago. Original components, engine built to a TI spec. Many NOS trim parts. Good work, not great work. Probably as good a Giulietta sedan as there is in the US. $20,000 BringaTrailer, Sacramento. My old car, I brought back to life in 2008 after decades sitting. I did mechanical work, didn t touch cosmetics. Sold it to Petrolicious guy, who undertook restoration. Far more $$ in it than can ever be realized. Charming, but slow pace is eventually frustrating. In its way a bargain but it s a small market for these. 4/24

1973 Giulia 1300 Super. Beige cava car with tan interior. Basically stock with typical hotrod look of 14 GTA wheels and slammed stance, but it s a paper tiger with original 1300. Very nice looking car, restored in California, recent valve job. Not much use recently, as owner/restorer died, but totally operational. Paint good, one or two iffy spots on LR door. Car looks and runs great. $35,000 750/101 group ad, Santa Cruz CA. Local car I d never heard of, been in restoration some time and came for sale when owner died. Usable car that looks great, or go up in power a bit where there s an opportunity. Price a couple thousand high for condition but it s nice to have it already registered in California and operational. Buyer drove it home. 5/24

1965 RHD Giulia TI. Red race car with stripped interior. Longtime British race car, RHD from new. Full race spec with hot 1600, roll cage, lowered, Webers, big brakes, 15 GTA wheels, on and on. Typical race car cosmetics. FIA papers and recent recommissioning. $14,125 Goodwood auction, UK. Badged and described incorrectly as a TI Super but seems like a screaming deal if a RHD race car is what you wanted. Julius Thurgood ran this for years, successfully. Smart buy to go racing. 7/24

1969 Giulia Super. White car with red interior. Largely stock Italian market car including steel wheels with hubcaps. Rebuilt 1750 engine and much recent brake and other mechanical work. Poor pictures underneath but looked sound in spite of black floors. $43,5000 BringaTrailer, San Diego. About as nice a car as you could want, in stock condition, a rarity nowadays. Strong but fair price for specification and condition. Prices began to fall after this and I m not sure is repeatable now. 8/24

1972 2000 Berlina. Unusual black car with tan interior. Largely stock, very solid and unmolested. GTA replica wheels, recent brake and refresh work. Undersides painted with undercoating but appears to be solid material. $12,750 BringaTrailer, Italy. Super deal on what was speculated to be a former mafia car due to the color. This price floored me, seemed like a bargain by half. Did mafia talk scare folks off, or being in Sardina? Transportation to anywhere will add $5000, but still. Killer deal. 9/24.

1973 Giulia 1300 Super. Blue car with tan interior, 1300 engine replaced with a carbed 2000. Complete operable but rusty undersides, rough interior, hanging headliner. Missing minor trim like windshield chrome. $18,000 BringaTrailer, Starhill LA. Car had been offered two months earlier on BaT with a reserve, didn t meet it at $16,750. BaT let same seller to run it again with no reserve, hit this price. Car was pretty rough, needed attention in every area, even simple things like matching plug wires. Commenters asked why it sounded like a diesel. I think a generous price by thousands given the work needed. 10/24

1969 US 1750 Berlina. Beige cava with maroon interior, originally maroon with tan interior. Very solid, very strong driver, cosmetically sorted 10 years ago and mechanically sorted recently. Rebuilt engine, Weber carbs, 4.10 axle, rebuilt trans, good brakes, lowered springs, Koni shocks. Good fast car, cosmetics very good but not perfect. $27,000 private sale, Berkeley CA. My car, bought in 2023 and driven cross-country, enjoyed and sorted, driven hard on many trips. Best driving Berlina I ve had. Paint had one or two little issues but looked great. Fair price for both parties, maybe could have realized a bit more on BaT but not worth the hassle. 10/24

1967 Giulia Super. First-series white Super originally with black interior, now multicolored with grey seats, black door panels, red carpet. Well known LA car, previously long ownership but changed hands a few times recently. Largely stock other than 14 steel wheels with CN-36 tires. Tip-top condition, stock mechanicals, maintained by Santo s shop in LA. $51,000 BringaTrailer, San Diego. Big number for a post-COVID Super, but if any type car is worth it, a stock first-series 1600 Super is. Little to complain about though interior is eye-popping. It s tougher to bring oddball cars into California from out of state/country than it used to be, and this one s already legal, so there s that. Strong price but fair. 10/24