Classic Classifieds: 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale
From: Road & Track
Date: June 1982
Price then: $20,000 ($49,500 adjusted for inlfation – about the cost of a new 2015 Audi TTS coupe today)
Price now: $85,200 – $177,000
Approximate dollar difference: $157,000 (assuming #1 condition)
Approximate annual rate of return: 7.3%
1961 ALFA Sprint Speciale. Totally restored. Concours winner. Hand-rubbed red lacquer, saddle leather interior. Fully rebuilt mechanically. Alfa factory competition suspension. S/S tuned 1600 engine, 5-speed. Pirelli CN36s. Factory tool kit. Probably finest Sprint Speciale in the world. $20,000.
The Sprint Speciale sold for $5,500 in 1961, meaning that it had long since exited its depreciation curve by the time it was a 20-year-old car. Looking at contemporary classified ads, the $20,000 asking price could have also landed a 1974 DeTomaso Pantera, a 1977 Porsche 911 or a new DeLorean, so the Alfa has fared pretty well in terms of desirability. This one had a non-original engine among other mods, but was also billed as the “finest Sprint Speciale in the world”, so let’s just consider those factors to be balanced out. Sprint Speciales were regarded as odd ducks for a time, but are now highly regarded design expressions as their current sale prices confirm.
