Alfa Romeo had a habit of creating some of the most desirable cars in the world, back in the 50s coach builders would add their own special flavor, taking certain models to another level.
One of those models was the Alfa Romeo Giulietta 750, the convertible (or Spider) was contracted to Pininfarina, and was to be their first large scale project. That in itself was a beautiful car, but in the interest of marketing it, they developed the 750G Spider Competizione, commonly referred to as the “Sebring” because that was the endurance race they planned on entering the car into. That technically never happened, but these sports cars were still raced extensively around Italy and the US.
10 Pininfarina Design
The original Spider is a stunning little car, but the racing version elevates that styling to another level, with a streamlined profile.
There is also an incredible attention to detail, although all cars were hand built and will have their own unique imperfections, the overall execution was impeccable.
9 Bespoke Racing Car
These cars were never intended for the public, they were pure racing cars designed for endurance racing.
At the time, motor racing was just starting to really capture the imagination of the buying public, and track results had a very direct effect on sports car sales.
8 Marketing Experiment
Essentially, the Sebring was conceived to drum up interest in the new Spider model, something Alfa Romeo had already done rather effectively in the past with other models.
The aluminum cover over the passenger seat with a wrap around plexiglass windshield may have been the most obvious visual tell, but other than that, they would have looked the same to the average buyer. They were actually quite different underneath, though.
7 Lightened And Strengthened
The chassis was lightened and reinforced to cope with the demands of endurance racing, and most of the panels were made of aluminum.
Aluminum was also the material of choice for the doors, which also had their handles removed (or shaved) to comply with racing regulations of the time.
6 Monoposto
Although it is easily the most dramatic departure from the normal spider (above), it is an element that almost inadvertently influences the design as a whole.
Either fitted with the tiny deflector or wrap-around plexiglass and an aluminum cover over the passenger seat, the minimalist monoposto (or single-seater) design completely transforms the little convertible into a real racing car.
5 Alfa Twin Cam
Top spec road going cars squeezed as much as 100 horsepower from the little 1.3 liter twin cam, but the race spec Sebring made 120.
The key difference was its twin Weber carbs, something that will in all likelihood destroy both fuel efficiency and reliability in one fell swoop, but this was a racing car and obviously only really concerned about performance.
4 Mille Miglia Accident
Before the “Sebring” got a chance to make its big debut at the famous 12-hour endurance race, Alfa Romeo were already taking the car racing in Europe.
When they took one of the cars to the Mille Miglia, it was involved in a huge accident, the driver escaped with his life, but it became all too apparent that the accident was caused by a technical issue and the cars due to compete at Sebring were withdrawn.
3 Only 24 Made
In total, only 24 of these stunning little racing cars were commissioned, being a top level racing car, it would have been viewed as disposable back in the late 50s and early 60s.
These cars competed in all forms of racing right up until the mid 60s, many of them would have been crashed and stripped for spares, which means not very many are left at all.
2 Only A Handful Left
Some say as many as 12 have survived, less optimistic sources have a record of only 4 of these cars that are actively involved in the classic car community.
This makes it one of, if not the rarest Alfa Romeo racing car. As a result it has since become highly collectible, and for restored examples prices have indeed gotten out of hand.
1 Worth A Fortune
It is a piece of history, especially for Alfa Romeo in the US. It was used as a very effective marketing tool, even if it didn’t win all that many races, it just looked that good on track.
If you want to get your hands on one of these rare beauties today, you will need to shell out in excess of half a million dollars. That is an incredible sum of money for a little sports car that might have been crashed and rebuilt several times over.