1970 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300 TI
Discussion
Welcome! I thought I had Better make a start on the chronicles of the latest addition to the fleet.
To start with, the world of classic cars is still a fairly new one to me. I have always been into modern cars mainly. don’t get me wrong, being a life long automotive obsessive, I have always appreciated classic cars, but I didn’t really understand what they had to offer aside from looks.
Then along came the Caterham just over a year ago (see mint green 420r thread) which opened my eyes completely to the visceral physical experiences of driving beyond just “power”, and I began to realise what classic cars offer. It’s the whole experience that is exciting, the smells, the sounds and the quirks. it’s not just about speed. That epiphany combined with regular attendance at Bicester Scrambles and Classic and Cake at Duke of london meant that I had been well and truly bitten by the classic car bug and the search began.
There were two cars in particular that kept on stealing my heart whenever I saw them at shows and meets, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Saloon and the GT Junior Coupe. So I knew from the start it had to be one of those two.
I set out online trawling the classifieds for possible candidates, and soon realised that a decent coupe was out of budget. Which was no great shame as in my heart of hearts I knew as pretty as the coupe is, I loved the little Giulia. For every five coupes you tend to see at a meet there always seems to be only one Giulia Saloon. Plus I have always loved the idea of fast estates and big saloons, so my mind was made up. *There will be pictures soon I promise*
I narrowed it down to one car, the advert had the faint wiff of “great car, bad photos” which excited me. There was the small issue of it being located in Dundee! Which is a 8 or 9 hour drive from home. Even so, I had a feeling this is might be the one. A quick phone call with the owner had a deal put togeather - pending seeing the car in person - so off I went on the first flight to Scotland from Heathrow!
With the appropriate reading materials…
After a two hour flight and a fifteen minute taxi ride I arrived at the local garage where the car had just had its MOT, and there she was parked outside.
I had a brief look around the car before the owner came out and it was instant relief, the car looked in much better shape than the photos suggested. I was slightly concerned that if the car wasn’t as described my negotiation power might be slightly impacted by the fact I had just turned up fresh off a one way flight with no other means of getting home besides buying the car! But luckily the car was better than described.
The garage kindly stuck her up on the ramp and let me have a good look around underneath, everything was in fine order so the deal was done! Thus retaining my unbroken record for always breaking the golden rule and buying the very first car I see
and after a brief demo on getting her started I was ready to set off for the eight hour (so I thought!) drive home!
there was stunning scenery…
Many obligatory petrol station shots…
More stunning scenery…
Then finally at 11.30pm, 10 hours after setting off from Dundee I was back home!
I’m pleased to report the car was a dream for the entire 10 hour trip, not a single hiccup to report. It will happily sit at 70 odd mph on the motorway and keep up with traffic, and the ride is actually better than my daily driver golf estate which is was very surprising!
The next day I thought it would be rude not to take it on my commute to work in central london, I could see how it fared in city traffic, also I would be able carry out one the essential steps in automotive bonding. The all important “first clean”. I was pleased with the results!
So there you have it, another exciting chapter begins! I am over the moon with the car. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel and enjoy this great little car.
The next steps are getting it serviced - I was planning on carrying this out myself, but there are a couple of other bits that need sorting on the car, so I thought I might as well get it serviced at the same time and get it back as blank slate so to speak - and a full check over at my local Alfa specialist. As well as plan out a few choice upgrades for the future, so stay tuned!
To start with, the world of classic cars is still a fairly new one to me. I have always been into modern cars mainly. don’t get me wrong, being a life long automotive obsessive, I have always appreciated classic cars, but I didn’t really understand what they had to offer aside from looks.
Then along came the Caterham just over a year ago (see mint green 420r thread) which opened my eyes completely to the visceral physical experiences of driving beyond just “power”, and I began to realise what classic cars offer. It’s the whole experience that is exciting, the smells, the sounds and the quirks. it’s not just about speed. That epiphany combined with regular attendance at Bicester Scrambles and Classic and Cake at Duke of london meant that I had been well and truly bitten by the classic car bug and the search began.
There were two cars in particular that kept on stealing my heart whenever I saw them at shows and meets, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Saloon and the GT Junior Coupe. So I knew from the start it had to be one of those two.
I set out online trawling the classifieds for possible candidates, and soon realised that a decent coupe was out of budget. Which was no great shame as in my heart of hearts I knew as pretty as the coupe is, I loved the little Giulia. For every five coupes you tend to see at a meet there always seems to be only one Giulia Saloon. Plus I have always loved the idea of fast estates and big saloons, so my mind was made up. *There will be pictures soon I promise*
I narrowed it down to one car, the advert had the faint wiff of “great car, bad photos” which excited me. There was the small issue of it being located in Dundee! Which is a 8 or 9 hour drive from home. Even so, I had a feeling this is might be the one. A quick phone call with the owner had a deal put togeather - pending seeing the car in person - so off I went on the first flight to Scotland from Heathrow!
With the appropriate reading materials…
After a two hour flight and a fifteen minute taxi ride I arrived at the local garage where the car had just had its MOT, and there she was parked outside.
I had a brief look around the car before the owner came out and it was instant relief, the car looked in much better shape than the photos suggested. I was slightly concerned that if the car wasn’t as described my negotiation power might be slightly impacted by the fact I had just turned up fresh off a one way flight with no other means of getting home besides buying the car! But luckily the car was better than described.
The garage kindly stuck her up on the ramp and let me have a good look around underneath, everything was in fine order so the deal was done! Thus retaining my unbroken record for always breaking the golden rule and buying the very first car I see
and after a brief demo on getting her started I was ready to set off for the eight hour (so I thought!) drive home!there was stunning scenery…
Many obligatory petrol station shots…
More stunning scenery…
Then finally at 11.30pm, 10 hours after setting off from Dundee I was back home!
I’m pleased to report the car was a dream for the entire 10 hour trip, not a single hiccup to report. It will happily sit at 70 odd mph on the motorway and keep up with traffic, and the ride is actually better than my daily driver golf estate which is was very surprising!
The next day I thought it would be rude not to take it on my commute to work in central london, I could see how it fared in city traffic, also I would be able carry out one the essential steps in automotive bonding. The all important “first clean”. I was pleased with the results!
So there you have it, another exciting chapter begins! I am over the moon with the car. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel and enjoy this great little car.
The next steps are getting it serviced - I was planning on carrying this out myself, but there are a couple of other bits that need sorting on the car, so I thought I might as well get it serviced at the same time and get it back as blank slate so to speak - and a full check over at my local Alfa specialist. As well as plan out a few choice upgrades for the future, so stay tuned!
Edited by MTW on Wednesday 7th June 14:39
Slowboathome said:
I love everything about this.
- The car
- The photos
- The adventure!
Thanks mate, much appreciated!- The car
- The photos
- The adventure!
Northbrook said:
That looks wonderful!
Thanks!Chunkychucky said:
Lovely looking car OP, congrats on the new acquisition glad to hear it was better than described!
My old man has a 'step front' 1968 GT Junior, must admit always preferred this saloon shape of Giulia
Looking forward to future updates!
Ah thanks mate. Oh yes lovely! The StepMy old man has a 'step front' 1968 GT Junior, must admit always preferred this saloon shape of Giulia
Looking forward to future updates!Front Scalino is the one I wanted coupe wise, but they start around four times the price I paid for the Giulia so are an entirely different proposition! But they are very pretty! I would love one in the future.
Richard-390a0 said:
Hats off to you jumping into an unknown car & driving it ten hours home lol! It looks fabulous btw.
Ah thanks! To be fair it was good fun in the end!ChevronB19 said:
Lovely things, Uber cool, and made surprisingly good saloon car racers, both in their day and in historics.
Cheers! Oh yes I follow a few of the Italian race teams on instagram, they looks great.alfabeat said:
Love it! I also love these little cars - sort of the underdog to the Coupe, but just as entertaining to drive. Keep us updated on how you get on with her please!
Thanks mate, yes will do!CarlosSainz100 said:
Well that is just immense. Both the car and size of your balls to attempt that journey. Fantastic
Ah ha ha, thanks much appreciated!Edited by MTW on Wednesday 7th June 21:09
Squadrone Rosso said:
Lovely machine. Congrats!
Cheers!Electric Blue said:
Looks fantastic. I love the willingness to take a gamble on the flight! We all know you get the best ones that way.
Thanks mate, yea you know it!jaybarts said:
Love this, big balls to drive it for 10 hours on the first drive too!!!
Ah ha ha cheers!JJJ. said:
Lovely.
Thanks mate.StescoG66 said:
CP Garage Services Dundee. Euan Colbron? If so, he has a great rep and is one of the main AROC guys up here.
Yes that’s where I picked it up from, he sorted the MOT and got the car ready for sale on Behalf of the seller. Yes he seemed a great chap who really knew his stuff!I thought I would share a little more info on the spec of the car and the history of this car in particular.
It’s a 1970 1300 TI, it’ll the TI stands for "Turismo Internazionale" a class of Italian saloon car racing. The car features a much sportier engine than the previous 101 series giulietta model. The 84hp 1.3 twin cam engine was lifted from the 105 series 1300 GT junior coupe, and the car also featured a number of sportier improvements born from the very limited homologation special the Giulia TI Super, like disc brakes at all four corners, 5 speed gearbox with floor mounted shifter and a new dash layout. Earlier giuliettas had drum brakes all round and a column shifting 4 speed. So this car really was the original 4 door sports saloon! The M5 of its day!
On to this car in particular, it does have a little bit of a story attached to it. It was imported to the UK from Italy in 2010 by Bill McGrath a Maserati dealer here in Hertfordshire, and was part of his personal collection for a number of years. Whilst in his collection it was used by Alfa Romeo UK for promotional campaigns including the launch of the new Giulia in 2015.
In terms of the spec, the paint colour is Biancospino with a grey cloth interior (which is growing on me somewhat) and a hellebore steering wheel, which was an in period optional extra, I think it is fantastic looking, and feels great to use.
My first order of business this morning was to remove the exterior decals on the car. The TI SUPER style quadrifoglio decals on the wings were fitted by Alfa Romeo UK when they used the car for a press launch, although I don’t mind the look, they used the same decal on both sides rather than a pair of mirrored decals. So the quadrifoglio on the left side faces the wrong way, which bugged me! So I will be going with the clean look for now. But who knows, they might make a return.
And the first picture with its stablemate!
It’s a 1970 1300 TI, it’ll the TI stands for "Turismo Internazionale" a class of Italian saloon car racing. The car features a much sportier engine than the previous 101 series giulietta model. The 84hp 1.3 twin cam engine was lifted from the 105 series 1300 GT junior coupe, and the car also featured a number of sportier improvements born from the very limited homologation special the Giulia TI Super, like disc brakes at all four corners, 5 speed gearbox with floor mounted shifter and a new dash layout. Earlier giuliettas had drum brakes all round and a column shifting 4 speed. So this car really was the original 4 door sports saloon! The M5 of its day!
On to this car in particular, it does have a little bit of a story attached to it. It was imported to the UK from Italy in 2010 by Bill McGrath a Maserati dealer here in Hertfordshire, and was part of his personal collection for a number of years. Whilst in his collection it was used by Alfa Romeo UK for promotional campaigns including the launch of the new Giulia in 2015.
In terms of the spec, the paint colour is Biancospino with a grey cloth interior (which is growing on me somewhat) and a hellebore steering wheel, which was an in period optional extra, I think it is fantastic looking, and feels great to use.
My first order of business this morning was to remove the exterior decals on the car. The TI SUPER style quadrifoglio decals on the wings were fitted by Alfa Romeo UK when they used the car for a press launch, although I don’t mind the look, they used the same decal on both sides rather than a pair of mirrored decals. So the quadrifoglio on the left side faces the wrong way, which bugged me! So I will be going with the clean look for now. But who knows, they might make a return.
And the first picture with its stablemate!
Edited by MTW on Thursday 8th June 09:04
The Dictator said:
Clearly a man of impeccable taste :-) My 214270 (blackout) is 10 years old and still gets worn almost every day. I had acquired the taste for classics a bit earlier than you, having now had my 1981 Mercedes 500 SEL for 9 years.
I look forward to seeing your progress on the latest addition, I have enjoyed your other threads to date ??
Thanks you! Ah nice, yes they are a fantastic watch for every day arnt they. I don’t think you can beat it. I do love the old 500 SEL they are a lovely thing!I look forward to seeing your progress on the latest addition, I have enjoyed your other threads to date ??
AlfaCool said:
She's a stunner. Well done Sir, i look forward to future updates.
Thanks!Jhonno said:
Very very cool! Love it.
Cheers mate!Om said:
That is an absolute gem. Alfas (and Lancias) of that era are rather special. Even the seemingly 'mundane' ones. I look forward to hearing more about it.
Thanks! Yes they are great arnt they. When I look at the car there are so many strange little design choices that make the car so special. Cambs_Stuart said:
What a fantastic car. Love everything about this. The interior, the engine, and it's so pretty. Brilliant purchase.
Thanks, much appreciated!bumskins said:
This, lovely car OP! Always remind me of the police in The Italian Job seeing this shape of Giulia 
Alfa were putting out some really great cars in this era IMO, I mean no other saloon of the same dimensions/engine size had a 5 speed gearbox iirc (R8 Gordini and 1 of 200 BMW 1800 Ti/SAs excepted) teamed with disc brakes and a twin overhead cam engine, properly great-driving cars for the age.
Yea they are really cool arnt they, really underrated it seems doesn’t it. They are quite special things when you look at them compared to other stuff of the era like the 2002 etc.Alfa were putting out some really great cars in this era IMO, I mean no other saloon of the same dimensions/engine size had a 5 speed gearbox iirc (R8 Gordini and 1 of 200 BMW 1800 Ti/SAs excepted) teamed with disc brakes and a twin overhead cam engine, properly great-driving cars for the age.
Fusion777 said:
I like this
84hp from a 1.3 in 1970 sounds very decent.
Yea!84hp from a 1.3 in 1970 sounds very decent.
waynedear said:
You Sir are a star, that is my dream car and in my opinion the most gorgeous saloon.
Ah cheers dude!LFB531 said:
A brilliant choice!
I bought a 1972 1600cc Super in late 1999 to have a go at historic rallying in, I paid about £800 for it back then which seems ridiculous now. I did the PH thing and got a lift from home near Bath up to Preston one grey December day to collect it. Two discoveries made for me. The heater didn't work and the fuel tank had gone porous. That was a long, very cold and very smelly trip back but it made the trip without fuss and both easily sorted. Mine used to have an appetite for master cylinders (under the floor) but it never let me down and to hear that engine giving it the beans was always a joy. At the time, a Harvey-Bailey anti roll bar for the front was a must have and a LSD off a GTV stopped a lot of wheel spin. Unforunately mine lost a battle with a large piece of granite in Wales and was no more.
Sadly missed but best of luck to you with yours.
Thanks, Ah sounds awesome! Yes I have just ordered a few suspension bits for it this morning. I will have a look at the diff! That’s one thing I was wondering about. Although I don’t think I will ever be at a power level to warrent it!I bought a 1972 1600cc Super in late 1999 to have a go at historic rallying in, I paid about £800 for it back then which seems ridiculous now. I did the PH thing and got a lift from home near Bath up to Preston one grey December day to collect it. Two discoveries made for me. The heater didn't work and the fuel tank had gone porous. That was a long, very cold and very smelly trip back but it made the trip without fuss and both easily sorted. Mine used to have an appetite for master cylinders (under the floor) but it never let me down and to hear that engine giving it the beans was always a joy. At the time, a Harvey-Bailey anti roll bar for the front was a must have and a LSD off a GTV stopped a lot of wheel spin. Unforunately mine lost a battle with a large piece of granite in Wales and was no more.
Sadly missed but best of luck to you with yours.
PR350 said:
You may already know this, but the Goodwood calendar says it's "Classic Alfa" on Saturday and this looks like it'd be an absolute stunner there - sorry I don't know anymore details it's just my local circuit that I'll probably pop into on Saturday, so tend to look at what's on 
If I see this I'll say hi (I'll have hidden the M2c away from the Alfas haha)
Ah no I didn’t see that! I will see if I can head down for a bit!If I see this I'll say hi (I'll have hidden the M2c away from the Alfas haha)
rossybee said:
Great to hear the story in more detail Max
I did almost the opposite, buying my Giulia Super from Norfolk, but due to being during lockdown it got delivered to Carlisle and I drove back to Dundee!
Glad Euan looked after you - cracking guy, he's been my MOT man for almost 30yrs!!!
Ah yes the ones you want always seem to be the ones at the other end of the country. I’m pretty sure I could have bought a car in Austria and it would have technically been closer ha ha. Yes Euan was great, had some lovely bits kicking around the garage too!I did almost the opposite, buying my Giulia Super from Norfolk, but due to being during lockdown it got delivered to Carlisle and I drove back to Dundee!
Glad Euan looked after you - cracking guy, he's been my MOT man for almost 30yrs!!!
rossybee said:
Oh and I've been pondering getting another Caterham or S1 Elise, your pics have me leaning towards a 7 to share garage space with the Alfa!
They are a great choice! I don’t think I could be without one now!The Dictator said:
Cheers, it was featured on Mike Brewers website and socials last year after I had an interview with a journalist.
Ah lovely! Your username makes complete sense! Ha haChevronB19 said:
Love it, my dream classic (or at least achievable dream classic) garage includes this and an NSU 1000TTS (my dad had 5 of the latter at the same time, although I think 2 were TT’s). Still got most of the stuff in a garage to change a TT to a TTS.
I’ll have a fulvia HF as well please!
Thanks! Ah yes those are some nice choices! I’m a big fan of the Zagato Fulvia also, really cool things!I’ll have a fulvia HF as well please!
sinbaddio said:
This is next level!
Thanks!Quick run out this morning to the butchers to pick up some BBQ fodder, I love the fact I can just jump in this car and drive it. As much as I adore the Caterham, it’s very much an ordeal to go out in it. It’s great I can just whip the cover off this car and drive it, I intend to do so as much as possible as I do know these cars are not best left sitting for too long.
Also I mentioned to my neighbour, who is also a classic car guy, that I was slightly surprised how “boat like” the car felt for a car renowned for its handling. He suggested tyre pressures! I can’t believe I didn’t think of something so simple. The car had 24psi all round, I pumped them up to around 30psi all round and the difference is huge! The car feels much much better for it.
Also I mentioned to my neighbour, who is also a classic car guy, that I was slightly surprised how “boat like” the car felt for a car renowned for its handling. He suggested tyre pressures! I can’t believe I didn’t think of something so simple. The car had 24psi all round, I pumped them up to around 30psi all round and the difference is huge! The car feels much much better for it.
el romeral said:
What a great looking car in fabulous condition. Agree with the other comments on impressive power output for the time. I remember back in the day thinking my mum’s 1979 1.3 Fiesta sport output of 66 bhp was going some!
I am a bit of a gambler with buying cars unseen etc and making long trips too. Great when it all pays off.
Something I just noticed from the pictures - no wing mirrors? I know this fits in with the first rule of Italian driving
but how is it in reality, especially being left hand drive?
Thanks! Yes I’m always all Heart and zero head when it comes to buying cars!I am a bit of a gambler with buying cars unseen etc and making long trips too. Great when it all pays off.
Something I just noticed from the pictures - no wing mirrors? I know this fits in with the first rule of Italian driving
but how is it in reality, especially being left hand drive?No wing mirrors isn’t actually that bad, you can see a lot through the rear view because of the thin B and C pillars. That being said I did put my neck out constantly turning my head on the drive back from Scotland! But I do have a small round chrome wing mirror to fit to the drivers side, when I have time to fit it.
Spinakerr said:
Lovely car, the design is 'just right' and this looks to be a really good example. More fun at 50mph than most other cars - enjoy!
PS. My wife rarely comments on cars on PH threads, but this one received a compliment on looks, chrome and the white 'elucidating the designer's intent'.
Ah thanks! Very much appreciated! Yes the design really is great. All the little design touches are amazing. I have just noticed the angle of the rear bumper edges follow perfectly with the swage line of the bodywork, so many cool little flairs of design all over the place.PS. My wife rarely comments on cars on PH threads, but this one received a compliment on looks, chrome and the white 'elucidating the designer's intent'.
Funnily enough my original plan with the car was to go full hot rod, I thought it might be a bit of a ratty one. So my plan was to take the bumpers off etc. But as it’s in such great condition my plan now is to keep it very OEM looking with some nice touches.
Slowboathome said:
It's a lovely lovely thing.
And, bonus!, it's such a sensible car for 90% of what you need to have a car for. I think it's great.
Thanks! Yes it’s really fantastic, plenty of room in the interior and the boot is huge. The only thing I do want to do is fit rear seatbelts so I can have the kids in the back.And, bonus!, it's such a sensible car for 90% of what you need to have a car for. I think it's great.
Spinakerr said:
Great stuff - I'm firmly in the 'bumpers on' for classic cars in general - the chrome and the whole shape was usually taken into account by the original team, unless its something truly hideous like the US-spec rubber blorpings on some cars. De-bumpering Alfas of this period is common, especially for racing, but two gaping holes and the ability to be truly destroyed by the next SUV driver that fails to pay attention... not favourable!
I fitted some Securon belts to our 1973 Saab 99 recently and they went in perfectly, tick all standards and look pretty much perfect. There are options for rear lap belts too - might be worth reneweing the fronts if the are ages old too. Good luck pulling out the carpet a bit to uncover what holes are already present - sometimes you can be extremely lucky in waht was drilled and tapped 'in period', but waxoiled over if someone didn't order them or want to spend 24.5 lire extra.
Yes agree’d I do like to old school racing look, but to do it to a very tidy car would be a shame I think.I fitted some Securon belts to our 1973 Saab 99 recently and they went in perfectly, tick all standards and look pretty much perfect. There are options for rear lap belts too - might be worth reneweing the fronts if the are ages old too. Good luck pulling out the carpet a bit to uncover what holes are already present - sometimes you can be extremely lucky in waht was drilled and tapped 'in period', but waxoiled over if someone didn't order them or want to spend 24.5 lire extra.
Yes I’m planning on re doing the whole interior at some point so I will tackle the belts at the same time. Although there is no carpet it has rubber matting instead with some thick insulation under it. Not looking forward to ripping that out, but yes hopefully there might be some mounts under there, I know some cars do, but it seems like pot luck.
velocemitch said:
Great story and lovely example of superb car.
On the Tyre pressure thing, the Coupe’s and I expect the saloon benefit from softening the rears. I think you are about right with 30 at the front, but try lowering the rears a bit. I run my 2000GTV at 29 front, 26 rear. Get the fronts too soft and it feels too heavy and not willing to turn.
An LSD is a good option, but you would probably need a bit more power to make good use of it.
Thanks! And cheers for the advice. Yes the car felt very wallowy and heavy with 25psi all round! I did read it’s better to have the softer rear so I think I have 32psi front and 29psi rear at the moment. But I have a new set of wheels arriving today so might try a little lower once I have driven it a bit more. Yes I like the idea of and LSD but yea maybe in the future, I’m pretty sure I want to stick with the 1300 and tune that up a little bit at some point.On the Tyre pressure thing, the Coupe’s and I expect the saloon benefit from softening the rears. I think you are about right with 30 at the front, but try lowering the rears a bit. I run my 2000GTV at 29 front, 26 rear. Get the fronts too soft and it feels too heavy and not willing to turn.
An LSD is a good option, but you would probably need a bit more power to make good use of it.
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