Giulia is loved by Alfa Romeo enthusiasts

The Ciao Italia 2023 event, held on Sunday 22 October 2023, is, as the name suggests, open to any Italian car, regardless of make, model, or year. 1966 Alfa Romeo ‘Giulia’. Shinichiro Okamoto, who participated in the Italian classic car class with his 1966 Alfa Romeo ‘Giulia 1600 Sprint GTV’, will introduce his car.

The famous model that brought Alfa Romeo closer to the public

Until the pre-war period, Alfa Romeo was a brand specializing in Grand Prix racers and high-performance sports/touring cars aiming for overall victory at Le Mans and Targa Florio, and in the world of motorsport, it carried the prestige of Italy on its shoulders, winning many prestigious crowns.

It was the success of the Giulia series, launched in the 1960s, that made Alfa Romeo cars accessible to the general public. The Giulia family expanded with sedans, coupes, spiders, and Zagato derivatives. The Giuglia GT series of two-door coupes, also designed by Giugiaro, was one of the models that strongly impressed Alfa Romeo’s sporting image during this period.

It has been driven throughout the last quarter of a century

“My first car was an Eunos Roadster, but then I got an Alfetta GT in 1994, which was my first Alfa Romeo. Since then I’ve had 75 Milano and 156, and I’ve been driving Alfa Romeos for a quarter of a century.”

Shinichiro Okamoto, who participated in the Italian classic car class in a 1966 Giulia 1600 Sprint GTV, told us. Mr. Okamoto, who says he bought this Giulia 1600 Sprint GTV because he liked its appearance and performance, has been taking part in the Ciao Italia driving events since the year he bought it, and has been enjoying circuit driving every time since.

On the outside, Okamoto-san’s Giulia coupe has a pleasingly understated racy appearance with no bumpers and just a tow hook, and inside, there are no fancy modifications other than the four-point Sabelt front seats, and it retains the typical appearance of the original 1960s GT cars.

“In addition to attending every one of these events, I also go out for city rides and touring several times a month.”

As the name of the GTV (Gran Turismo Veloce), which means “agile grand touring car”, suggests, Okamoto-san enjoys the world of 1960s Alfa Romeo, which was the goal of the Giulia Coupe.

translated by DeepL