ALFA ROMEO Giulietta Spider 1955-1965 Photos, engines & full specs

Alfa Romeo introduced the Giulietta 2+2 in 1954 at the Turin Motor Show, and in the following year, it unveiled the open-top version named Giulietta Spider.

The Giulietta lineup was the first significant success for the Italian carmaker after WWII. At first, Alfa Romeo didn't think to develop a roadster, but the American importer Max Hoffman pushed them to produce it. He said that the U.S. might be an excellent market for a small roadster. Hoffman was right about that. He also was right when he pushed Mercedes-Benz to produce the famous SL "Gullwing," but not when he drove BMW to make the 507. The Giulietta spider came from a time when cars were built with soul and bought with hearts.

Bertone designed the coupe and, when Alfa Romeo announced that it would be a contest for the roadster version, he lined-up with a prototype. But it was the Pininfarina Design Studio that won and left Bertone and Zagato behind. The arched lines over the rear wheel-wells resembled a hip, and the curved body panels were just too beautiful to be ignored. Its small front headlights and the vast, curved grilles enhanced the car's look.

Inside, from the left-mounted ignition key to the leather-clad interior, everything was crafted carefully for the new U.S. market. Its three-dial instrument panel with the tachometer in the middle was easy to read and understand by anyone. They lacked many useless gauges showed by other carmakers.

Under the hood, Alfa Romeo installed a small, 1.3-liter engine with four cylinders. It offered just 81 hp, but that was enough for the light, 858 kg. (1892 lbs) roadster.