Alfa Romeo – Page 54

April 26, 2009

Market 111: Black 750D in Germany.

Giulietta Spider 750D 1495*06320, 1315*45263. Available now on Anamera, this Spider is one of the nicest (or at least best photographed) I’ve had the opportunity to write about. It appears to have been detailed to the smallest detail and looks amazing. 39,500 Euro’s ($52,000 at press time) is absolute top money for a standard passo corto (swb) Spider so I don’t know that this car will find a taker, but it’s nice to look at and use as reference when I get to work on my pile.

Is it any wonder it’s this nice if it’s found its way to Anamera? Looks good all the way around.

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April 23, 2009

Setting the standard, pushing product 3.

You’ve all seen these, or at least most of them, I know I have, but I had a special request recently that included some examples. The premise of the request is seemingly that, well, obviously the Italians invented the use of sex to sell cars, I mean, who else?? {Insert carefully researched claim that in fact, the Greeks invented the use of sex to sell chariots -oh, wait no, it was the Chinese and Rickshaws…}. Nowadays you see a good looking young woman with perfect semi-curly hair and green eyes in a drug company bus stop poster making you think herpes might not be so bad. Next thing you know they will be using sex to sell celibacy. Ahh, but I degress. Here are a group of advertising pictures featuring the perfect woman lending her allure to the, in this case, alluring enough product. Enjoy.

Very nice. Perfect composition in this one. Proof that sexy only needs to be hinted at to be effective.

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April 20, 2009

Exploring the Spider’s potential

Alas, I should be tearing into the Fiat’s bottom end, or fixing up the cooling system on the Sprint so I know when I’m overheating but I can’t leave the new car alone.
Digging through the glove-box, trunk and interior didn’t reveal any serious jewels, but did turn up a lot of the little stuff that can be a real pain to track down.

As usual, a teaser first. This is the original paint. Not easy to expose, but doable. I think I have mentioned many times that this is my favorite Alfa color.

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April 20, 2009

Market 110: One of the last 1300 Giulietta Spiders

Giulietta Spider 10103*370645. This car was available last week on Sacramento Craigslist, listed as a parts car to make an offer on. Seller stated the car was complete but rusty after having been sitting for years in various indoor and outdoor locations. The owner was the sellers father who finally admitted he was never going to get around to it.

If cars could talk, tell the story, relate the lonely years spent 15 feet from the open road, home to litters of kittens, mice and who knows what else while piled with boxes of ephemera waiting for either rebirth in the recycled form of Bob the singing big mouth bass on a Walgreen’s shelf or per chance another shot at the open road. Spider 370645 sees daylight for the first time in years, note it still has shackles on its chin.

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April 19, 2009

ARA and Dick Gale’s One Lap of Marin

I got up early and changed the fan belt in the Sprint for the 4th time, this time with the right belt, a 17281, and headed over to Sausalito to meet up for the annual ‘One Lap of Marin’ presented by The Alfa Romeo Association, an SF Bay Area Alfa club and Dick Gale. I am going to poach part of the Snowball Rally next weekend (have to go to the company premier party for Pixar’s ‘Up’ next Saturday night with the Mrs.) and thought this would be a great chance to see some old faces and put another 100+ shakedown miles on the Sprint.
The meet up spot is on the Sausalito waterfront just off the Marin City exit of 101. The majority of the cars are imports, mostly Italian, ranging from humble Fiats to stately Lancia’s to once-in-a-lifetime Ferrari’s, though the field was primarily Alfa Romeo’s.

6C1750 Super Sport perhaps? Fantastic light covers! I admit my knowledge of earlier Alfa’s is limited. Mike’s SS and Karl’s 90’s Spider in foreground.

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April 18, 2009

Market 109: 1600 Sprint presentable driver

Update 4/25: This car sold for $16,350 with 24 bidders. Not a bad result for a later Sprint that had no effort made to show any potentially rusty areas. I think a trip to the detail shop like the subject of Market 106 would have resulted in better pictures which in turn would have resulted in a higher sale price. If the new owner is interested in lower body trims, I think a set is on eBay right now. Well bought I suspect.
Giulia Sprint 1600 10112*358476, 00112*11980, body 6531121. This car is available right now on eBay out of Washington. As I mentioned after the last Sprint sold on eBay for $18,700, they are probably going to be coming out of the woodwork with sellers trying to capitalize on that cars success. The beauty of this particular example is it can be driven immediately by the new owner and comes with the valuable original engine as well as an installed Giulia Sprint GT Veloce unit.

sprint-marchal I like this view of Sprints. Nice Marchal headlamp. Headlight ring looks a little distorted. Auction description says this area was repaired after an accident prior to the sellers ownership. My Sprint has been hit twice in this area. Oh well.

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April 17, 2009

Market 108: Well traveled Giulietta Sprint Speciale

Update 4/21/09: This car sold for $38,300 with 10 bids. I am very surprised at this result. This is a nice car than can be driven immediately! The two tone silver car needed a lot and sold for $3000 less than this. The white Giulia SS is probably in similar condition to this but hasn’t been used much and the seller of that car wants $47K FIRM (his caps). Bad timing maybe? Who knows. Well bought I say if the seller lets it go.

Giulietta Sprint Speciale 10120*177380, Engine 00120*01735. On eBay now is this very nice example from right here in California. I seem to remember this car selling via the AlfaBB a few years back (before I started this blog) for about $22K with engine teething problems and 69 GTV seats, I looked in emails past and found an inquiry about it by me on 9/14/05. To look at it now and by the description, it sounds like the seller took it on and improved everything that needed improving.

I kind of like it without the grill wiskers. Car is so blue here it almost looks black. Nice. Seller states grill whiskers are included and in good shape.

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April 15, 2009

Market 107: UK based Giulia 1600 Sprint project

Giulia 1600 Sprint 10112*356956. This car is available right now on eBay.UK. According to the Production and Register it was made in 1963, making it one of the last Sprints. Lots of work has been done and it sounds like it is ready for paint and assembly.

Bodywork looks to have been done well. Wipers work in the opposite direction to mine.

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April 14, 2009

101 1300 21: sumday

First off, to address some comments: I do have the original air filter assembly, the problem is, the Solex I am using is the later type that doesn’t clear the airbox. I suppose the correct Solex could fix the lack of an air cleaner problem too.

So, Sumday (thanks Grandaddy for coming up with that one) is the day I add it all up. It may be premature since I haven’t fixed the possibly low oil pressure or settled on a carb, but I think I am close. Below is a tally of work done and how much it cost. I am presenting this as educational material for those who, like me at the outset, think they can cut corners and save some cash. I honestly thought this would cost “about $3000”. Pictures have little to do with this post.

I had lunch with Laurence on Friday and he thought a side-by-side of our semi-significant others would be fun and informative. His is a Sprint Veloce made 3/58, mines a Sprint made 10/59. Both are long term Bay Area cars with similar patina, though his is nicer in most ways.

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April 13, 2009

101 1300 20: the home stretch

I drove the Sprint to work this morning, 29 miles one way in moderate 6:30am traffic. It still has some wrinkles to iron out but all in all it is pretty good. A 101 1300 has to be driven to be believed. I have been spoiled by 1750 power over the last 6 months in the Berlina and with the 1300 powered Sprint I was expecting a noticably slower car, but honestly, other than having to adjust from the ‘power anywhere’ torque curve of the 1750 to a tendancy to stumble below about 3000 rpm in the 1300, the 1300 holds its own and is turbine smooth.

Since my last report on this car I have done a lot of work but I didn’t have the camera so it didn’t get documented.

Here it is in the parking lot at work. There is a hint of coolant under the nose so I’ll have to tighten the hose clamps when it cools down, but other than that, no problem.

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