An Alfa Giulietta Sprint Veloce Lightweight – one of the rarest cars in the world – is coming up for auction this weekend right here in South Africa.
The car will be featured at the Creative Rides Classics & Collectibles Auction in Cape Town on Saturday, the 18th of March.
The rarest of cars
Less than 200 units of the Veloce Lightweight have ever been produced, making it one of the most sought-after cars in the world.
What makes the model coming up for auction even more special, however, is the fact that it was created by Bertone – a legendary Italian design company that produced cars for brands like Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, BMW, Citroen, Ferrari, Fiat, Lancia, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, and Volvo.
“Considering Bertone’s tiny production run (believed to be between 100 and 200 cars), the Alfa Giulietta Sprint Veloce Lightweight is now considered to be one of the rarest and most collectible cars in the world,” said Kevin Derrick, CEO at Creative Rides.
Created in 1957, the Giulietta Sprint Veloce was designed to weigh as little as possible for great racing performance, which ultimately led to it getting the “Alleggerita” (Italian for lightweight) designation.
“We don’t know of any other 1957 Veloce Lightweight chassis in South Africa, though, that was then further modified for racing by Virgilio Conrero at his Autotecnica Conrero facility,” said Derrick.
This means that this particular Alfa is a modified version of a rare car that was already enhanced by an exclusive Italian automaker – making for a truly one-of-a-kind model.
Documents in Creative Rides’ possession also revealed that the Giulietta was raced in both Mozambique and Angola after it was initially purchased.
The enhancements made to the car over the years include integrated covered headlamps, plexiglass side and rear windows, lightweight bucket seats, aluminium doors, and an aluminium bonnet.
The engine in this car is not the original; instead, it is fitted with a 1960s 1,600cc powertrain tuned by Conrero.
“An engine refit would generally detract from the value of a classic car, but that’s absolutely not the case here,” said Derrick.
The global auction price for an Alfa Giulietta Sprint Veloce Lightweight clocks in at $273,033, which directly converts to about R5 million at the current exchange rate.
“They’re that expensive because they’re that rare – and these are the models that have not undergone two Conrero modifications since production like the one we’re auctioning on Saturday.”
Buyers who are unable to physically attend the event on Saturday can participate via the Creative Rides app on Andriod and iOS, and online registration is now open.
Keyword: One-of-a-kind Alfa Romeo up for auction this weekend – A R5-million racer