We have been busy prototyping various upgraded parts since buying our Type 105 Alfa Romeo Guilia Super sedan/saloon. Recent work includes installing CDI+ ignition and installing our upgraded high-power alternator ahead of the installation of a full electric air conditioning system.

Finished in Celeste with tan interior, our Giulia is an interesting model: the Giulia Super 'Biscione'. Given the type number 105.28, it was a low production variant made from 1969 to 1972 with a more luxurious trim and certain distinguishing features, including snake badges on the C-pillars (Biscione meaning snake), sunken AR badge on the bootlid and lots of chrome trim to the bodywork.

As the shapely rear panel suggests, the Giulia sedan was developed in a wind tunnel; quite unusual for a saloon car of the era. Despite its boxy shape, the Giulia saloon had a similar drag coefficient to contemporary Porsche 911s (0.34). Light weight of under 1,000kg made them fun to drive, even with the original 1.6-litre engine. Our car has had several improvements including a 2-litre upgrade, so it drives even better than standard - good gearing helping to liberate all the excitement from the superb twin-cam engine.

Our first improvement to the Giulia Super was fitting our CDI+ ignition unit. This period styled mappable twin-spark ignition upgrade has proven a huge success on Porsche 911s and many other cars fitted with CDI ignition in period. The Alfa Romeo Giulia 105 was no exception. An easy three-wire fit, we made no adjustments to the unit and just ran the car with standard settings. It gave an instant improvement, with smoother running and much-improved throttle response.

Performance and economy are both improved with the use of CDI+ and our car's engine builder was very impressed. While we haven't tested the unit on a dyno as yet, our experience with Porsche 911s has shown that there is no better bang per buck for performance. We're working on a redesigned bracket for the ignition coil and CDI unit and will add that to the website once complete.

Work on the air conditioning installation continues. An interesting tidbit for these cars is that 1750 and 2-litre GTVs sold in the USA had mechanical fuel injection, with the MFI pump placement meaning that these cars could never be fitted with air conditioning in period. Our upcoming kit will solve that problem and make these cars wonderful to use in all climates. Stay tuned for more info!