1900’s – Giuliettas

Giulia Spider 1600 10123 AR374563, 1315*012684 (non-matching). This car is available now on eBay out of St Johns, Florida. Seller purchased the car from Fantasy Junction in 2003 and used it sparingly. This car would have originally had an 00112 series 1600 engine, but is currently fitted with a 750-to-101 transition 1300 unit from probably mid-1960. If one were looking for an attractive and fundamentally sound driver 101 Spider that will likely end at a reasonable price, this could be a good option. Originality purists will find lots to complain about/nitpick here, but one needs to keep in mind the qualities that make these cars the generally well regarded, desirable objects that they are: smile inducing drivability and beautiful lines, both of which this example possesses.

When you have spent a lot of time with something, you can forget the things that originally attracted you to it. Imagine this is your first time seeing a Giulietta Spider.

Continue reading “Market 496: Giulia Spider 1600 374563, with a 1300”

Update 4/25/2013: I would not have guessed that this would reach $29,100. Seventeen people wanted it, so that had to help.

4/17/2013: 1900 Touring Coupe AR1900C*10476. I had lunch today with some fairly well equipped Italian car enthusiasts and the subject of ‘what do you buy now-a-days’ came up. I complained (not sure that’s the perfect word) that the days of Fiat 8V’s, Siata 208S’s, Lancia Aurelia’s and other interesting coach-built stuff available as projects seemed to have passed, that my generation had to make do with the sort of ‘hold-overs or left-overs’ from the golden age unless smiled upon by fortune. A fairly quick response from a Giulietta Sprint Veloce Confortevole owner was “what about 1900 Alfa’s?”. “Beautiful but complicated for the performance” was my response -but I kept asking myself on my way home. “What about 1900 Alfa’s?” The Touring Coupe’s are lovely cars. Projects aren’t rare and nice cars are fairly affordable in the grand Alfa scheme. What about 1900 Alfa’s indeed. This jumping-off point in my exploration is available on eBay now.

The Giulietta Spider enthusiasts are noting that at first glance it looks quite familiar -besides the roof anyway. In person you’d never make this connection -the 1900’s are a good 110% the size of a Giulietta. Metal here all looks great.

Continue reading “Market 468: 1900 Touring coupe project”