Alfa Romeo's subtly attractive, high-volume Giulia sedan might have been a common sight in Italy's already picturesque cities, but it quickly earned a reputation for performance as it evolved over the next decade and a half. The 163-inch long sedan played the workaday sibling to the automaker’s shapely Sprint GT and Spider, with which it shared its underpinnings and powertrains. Those performance bones translated into a range-topping Giulia 1600 Super that included a legendary, high-revving, 1.6-liter twin-cam engine and such racing-derived bits as a five-speed manual gearbox, 14-inch wheels, and a full complement of disc brakes. By comparison, the rival BMW 2002 made use of four-speed, 13-inch wheels and rear drums.

A penchant for performance that continues to this day prompted Italian police to select these top-spec Giulias for patrol duty. But as much as they were loved by both the public and the Polizia alike, Giulia sedans lacked the utility that was sometimes demanded.

Delivered new to the Italian Highway Department on January 17, 1974, according to accompanying documentation, this Giulia Gardinetta was entrusted with tasks like monitoring high speed traffic and providing emergency assistance when needed. Modifications for police duty included an engine heating system to ensure that the car was ready for any task, like helping a Lamborghini Miura owner change a tire, for instance. The Giardinetta was registered as a Promiscua, or a vehicle licensed to carry both goods and humans aboard, and it was decommissioned in 1978. At that point, it served service duty at an Alfa Romeo dealership in Gandini Melegnano, outside of Milan.

In 2012, it was subjected to an extensive restoration to highly-recognizable traffic police specifications. As one might expect from the Italian police, its period-correct green on saddle paint scheme is rather dapper. Presented in essentially flawless condition, it contains correct details, like a roof-mounted blue light and a switch panel in the center of the dashboard. An eye-catching and unusual variation of a highly desirable Alfa Romeo, this Giulia Super 1600 Giardinetta by Grazia would be just the ticket, literally, for a period gathering like the Goodwood Revival.