Alfa Romeo Giulietta centenary special

Alfa Romeo has joined the 100 club! The legendary Italian marque celebrated its centenary in 2010 – and to mark the occasion, it gave itself a present in the shape of a brand new Giulietta.

The company is famed for its beautiful sports cars and gorgeous roadsters, but it also has a fine record for producing more practical models. Yet while the Giulietta badge will be familiar to fans of the brand, it hasn’t adorned an Alfa since the big hair and red braces of the mid-Eighties. We thought it was time for a quick recap...

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Here we’ve lined up saloon versions of the original and its namesake from the Seventies alongside the latest model to wear the evocative badge. Around 20 years separate each car from the next, and you won’t find many shared components – but all three are infused with the same spirit and character.

Alfa has a reputation for technological innovation and performance, and none of these practical models disappoints in either respect. The charming Fifties original was blessed with charismatic engines, while the Eighties model in our pictures is the ultra-rare 170bhp Turbodelta. Rounding off our trio is the latest version, in flagship 235bhp Cloverleaf trim.