The new Alfa Giulietta, renamed from the Alfa Milano, is not only a replacement to the Alfa 147, but also represents another chapter in the history of Alfa Romeo and its use of this name. The Alfa Giulietta was a much loved car after the second world war, first appearing in 1955 at the Turin motor show. The name comes from the Shakespearean tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, and was an early attempt at a strong brand image for Alfa.

The first Alfa Giulietta was a sporty family sedan, four metres long and with a spacious interior. It had a four cylinder, 1.3 litre engine with 50 hp, and the four speed transmission helped it reach a top speed of 136 km/hr. In 1957 the range had a new entry with the Giulietta TI, presented at the Monza circuit. Power was increased to 65 hp with a top speed of 155 km/hr, and it was used for mountain and endurance races.

In 1959 the Alfa Giulietta had its first restyling, and 91 special units were also built for the highway patrol police. The next Giulietta with family style body kit was a successful model, with more than 100,000 units produced by 1961. The third generation appeared soon after, and the special Giulietta TI version had a power increase to 74 hp and the top speed reached 160 km/hr.

Production of the Alfa Giulietta was interrupted in 1963, while the TI version production end occurred in ‘64. In the nine years of the Giulietta on the market, about 132,000 units were produced at the Portello Alfa facilities. The Giulietta (or little Juliet) was replaced by the Alfa Giulia in 1964. It in turn was replaced by the second generation Giulietta in 1977, based on the Alfetta platform with transaxle, front engine and rear transmission with differential.

This set-up made for a sporty car, with two engine options of 1.3 and 1.6 litres with 95 hp and 109 hp respectively. Following this, there was also a 1.8-litre with 122 hp, and a 2.0-litre with 130 hp. In 1981 the Giulietta underwent a few stylistic changes, and the 2.0 TI substituted the 2.0 Super. The “Nuova Giulietta”, as it was called, also had a diesel engine with 82 hp. The 1983 Giulietta saw more changes to the look and some modifications to the engine with the 1.3-litre no longer an option, while 1984 saw the appearance of the Giulietta 2.0-litre Turbo Autodelta with 170 hp. This second generation ended in 1985 after about 380,000 vehicles were produced at Arese.

We now come to the new Alfa Giulietta, whose name was originally considered for the Alfa 155 substitute, but now adorns Alfa’s new offering in a tough and competitive segment. We’ll see it presented at the 2010 Geneva motor show, and the new chapter in the Giulietta history should also see a migration to the US for the return of Alfa Romeo to that market.

Source | Autoblog.it