Oh, Giulia! This Alfa quashed our end-of-season blues

What’s the best way of quashing those end-of-season blues? By taking a drop-dead gorgeous, competition-spec Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider for a spirited autumn blast in the Cotswolds, of course…

The historic racing season is sadly over for another year and, just as racing teams and manufacturers turn their minds towards next season’s efforts, we can’t help but look ahead to the already busy 2017 schedule. Whether you’re an experienced racer or a beginner searching for the perfect car in which to hone your skills, this beautiful blue Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider could well fit the bill. What’s more, it’s road registered, meaning it can be used for road rallies or a spirited Sunday drive, too.

On a recent visit to Classic Driver dealer Cotswold Collector Cars where the Giulia is currently listed for sale, we couldn’t resist strapping into the racing bucket seats and going for an autumnal blast on the fabulous surrounding country roads. But that wasn’t before ogling the car for an inordinate amount of time in the showroom. Even with all the competition trinkets it received when it was comprehensively converted into a racer in the 1980s, this car is extremely pretty.

If we had strong feelings for the Alfa in the showroom, we stumbled head-over-heels in love when we got out onto the open road. With the bright morning sunshine glistening on its sinuous, deep blue bodywork, the little Giulia looked as though it was ballroom dancing along the leafy lanes and through the sweeping corners. It’s always a special occasion taking a competition car onto the road, but it isn’t until you climb over the roll cage and into the snug bare-metal cockpit of this car that you realise the extent to which it was modified for the track.

Campaigned extensively and with much success by experienced racers William Croxson and later Justin Murphy over the last 30 years, the car is well known in Alfa circles and well respected on the historic motorsport scene. With its full FIA and HTP certification, it’s also eligible for a raft of events both in the UK and across Europe – a tantalising prospect given its reasonable price point.

The hard-topped Giulia might be a more popular weapon of choice, but few could deny that the Spider is even more beautiful. And with a well-sorted and tried-and-tested set-up on which to work, perhaps you’ll be concluding your 2017 season with some silverware on the mantelpiece?