PREVIOUS OWNERS: CENTERLINE ALFA
This particular Sprint Speciale( AR101.2000533 ) is unique. It is unrestored with original paint, leather upholstery and carpeting. Most importantly, its first owner was Briggs Swift Cunningham, the spectacularly successful American racer, automobile manufacturer, and yachtsman. Bertone commissioned this SS from Alfa Romeo and sent it to Momo Motors in New York City as a gift for Cunningham in order to demonstrate the superior aerodynamic qualities of the SS design hoping that he would commission a Le mans race car. Cunningham sponsored an American Le Mans team from 1950 to 1963, never winning but placing well. In 1961 Cunningham and Alfred Momo, his team manager and chief engineer, became the US distributer for Maserati. Soon after the Le Mans race regulations were changed to require side windows to be the same height as the windshield so that closed cars dominated the Le Mans entry list. In 1962 Cunningham and Momo brought two Maseratis Type 151 Four liter V8 Coupes to Le Mans, but neither finished. Instead, a third team car, a Jaguar E type finished 4th. As a result of this showing, in 1963 Cunningham brought three E types for his final Le Mans effort and Bertone’s hope of designing a Le Mans Maserati were dashed. This Sprint Speciale has several unique features including side vent windows and custom silver paint with blue highlights and blue leather upholstery. As a finishing touch, Bertone also painted the radiator grille insert and cold air box in Cunningham Blue. The original warranty card was filled out to "Sig. Briggs Cunningham. He kept the SS for almost 3 years, using as his every day transportation while in NYC, during which time he signed the owner's handbook ( signature authenticated by the Collier Museum) and put his AAA card in the leather owner's folio. In 1963 Cunningham moved to California and the Alfa was sold to its second owner, Henry S. Ludlam of Boulder Colorado, who found that the high altitude too taxing for the 1290 cc engine and stored the car away with just 25,000 miles showing. After his passing, in 1998, his widow sold the car to Mr. Stephen Gibbons the owner of Centerline Alfa Parts. In 2007 it was acquired by Colin’s Classic Autos and sold to Mr. Ron Krolick who completed the Copperstate 1000 in May in 2008. Today this Alfa Romeo remains unrestored, retaining its original silver paint, blue leather and grey carpeting, complete with the period Motorola AM radio Briggs had installed under the dash and his signed owner's handbook in the glove compartment.

THIS CAR (Gooding and Company)

Presented here is a Giulietta that is truly unlike any other. 

In 1961, shortly after the debut of the Sprint Speciale, Bertone singled out this car for a very special purpose. Hoping to secure the commission of a small run of bodies for Cunningham’s Le Mans race cars, Bertone delivered this beautiful example of their superior aerodynamic design to Momo Motors in New York City. The Alfa Romeo was intended for the personal use of Briggs Swift Cunningham, the spectacularly successful American racer, automobile manufacturer and yachtsman. 

In an effort to win Cunningham’s approval, the Sprint Speciale was finished in custom silver paint with blue highlights, complemented by an interior with blue leather trim and gray carpeting. In addition, unique side-vent windows were installed and the radiator grille and cold-air box were finished in Cunningham’s signature blue. It was a brilliant tribute to the great American sportsman. 

Despite Bertone’s best efforts, external circumstances prevented a partnership with Cunningham. In 1961, Cunningham and Alfred Momo became the official US distributors for Maserati. At the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans, the failure of his Maserati 151 coupes, coupled with the tremendous success of his E-Type, dashed Bertone’s hopes of designing an aerodynamic Maserati for the following year’s race. For his final Le Mans effort in 1963, Cunningham returned with three Jaguars, eliminating the need for a Bertone-bodied Maserati.

Nevertheless, Cunningham found the Bertone-bodied Sprint Speciale to be a wonderful road car. He kept the Giulietta for nearly three years, using the Italian sports car as his daily transport in New York City.

When Cunningham moved to California in 1963, the Alfa Romeo was sold to its second owner, Henry S. Ludlam of Boulder, Colorado. Mr. Ludlam soon discovered that the high altitude was too taxing for the 1,299 cc engine and the Alfa Romeo was retired from the road with just 25,000 original miles.

After Mr. Ludlam passed away in 1998, his widow sold the car to Stephen Gibbons, the proprietor of Centerline Alfa Parts in Lafayette, Colorado. After almost a decade spent in Mr. Gibbons’ care, the unique Alfa Romeo came to the attention of Colin Comer, who was impressed by its history. The car was acquired and sold to Ron Krolick, who subsequently entered it in the 2008 Copperstate 1000.

The current owner, an East Coast collector with an affinity for the finest Italian sports cars, was particularly struck by the originality of the car and its connection to Briggs Cunningham. In 2010, the Sprint Speciale was invited to take part in the prestigious Postwar Preservation Class at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and proudly displayed on the 18th fairway.

Although 50 years have passed since Briggs Cunningham first took delivery, this Alfa Romeo remains wonderfully original, complete with factory-applied paint, a well-preserved cockpit and the correct, matching-numbers engine. Even the period Motorola AM radio installed by its famed first owner remains intact.

Not only is the car itself a marvelous find, it is also offered with the original tool kit, Cunningham’s signed owners handbook, his AAA card and the original Tessera di Garanzia (warranty card) assigned by Alfa Romeo to “Sig. Cunningham.”

The appearance of this fascinating, preserved sports car at auction represents a unique opportunity for the collector who appreciates a rare 1960s Alfa Romeo with claim to a significant provenance and motorsport pedigree. This Giulietta deserves special attention given its marvelous story and irreplaceable patina, as it is surely one of the finest examples of the original Sprint Speciale.