Update later the same day: Sold for $19,800. A bargain?
Spider 750D 1495*02031. This car is on eBay right now out of Denver Colorado. Racing set up is as purposeful as they come, with lots of refinements that probably make it highly competitive. These cars tend to be a bargain to buy compared to the expense of the development represented in the final product. I’d have to tone it back a bit so it could be used on the street too.
Between the sun and the saturation of the red, the lines of the car are almost lost. Widened steels look very tough. I like the cut down windshield -reminds me of Conrad’s Spider Veloce.
Continue reading “Market 337: Early Spider racer”
Project: Dads 1947 Chevy 3100 part 5
Sometimes taking it apart actually isn’t easy. Last winter, when my dad called me to tell me the rear end was so locked up that the truck had to be dragged onto the flatbed, I got off the phone and looked up what the assembly looked like. Torque tube rear ends have a bunch of extra bearings, some complicated assemblies, and lots of tapered splines etc. I wasn’t looking forward to the day when I got to work on it, but today the day came and it really wasn’t that bad.
I showed up at my dads place about 11 and found him with a 6 foot pipe on the end of my 2 foot breaker bar trying to get the bolts that clamp the pre-load section of axles to the housing. The four bolts pointing out at the camera.
Continue reading “Project: Dads 1947 Chevy 3100 part 5”
Market 336: Spider 1600 Veloce project
Update 12/3/11: Auction was ended early, car is no longer available.
Giulia Spider Veloce 1600 AR390369, 00121*01965. This car is on eBay right now at $9500 with 5 days to go and perfectly represents the opposite end of the spectrum from Market 335’s nicely restored Spider Veloce 1600 AR390532 that is $68,500 and listed as ‘sale pending’. Seller says it’s numbers matching and complete but in need of much metal work.
Am I the only one that looks at a car in this condition and has a hard time accounting for the degradation? ‘I have a great idea’, says weekend warrior shade tree mechanic who fancies himself a restorer, either blind to, or imagining himself capable of seeing the very complex process through for 1000+ hours and at an expense of $60,000 over two or three years. Taking it apart is easy…
Continue reading “Market 336: Spider 1600 Veloce project”
Market 334: Giuliettas exclusive 101 Sprint project in CA
Update 11/26/11: I got some more pictures from the seller. The trunk rust situation is worse than I expected -not horrible -just needing attention. Still, it could be a good deal for the money. Throw them an offer -it may stick.
This could be patched, but replacement would be cleaner. Not the biggest job in the world and not really a sign that the rest of the car is rusty. My Sprint had it’s trunk floor replaced and you’d be hard pressed to find rust anywhere else on it.
Update 11/12/11: Seller has received some interest but it’s still available. $13,000 obo?
Giulietta Sprint 10105*21453. This car is available right now out of Southern California for $14,000 obo. It is fairly original, with blue paint over original white and original drivetrain. Interior is decent but the seats are not original. There is a tiny bit of rust in the trunk battery corner and in the corner of the rear windshield, but nothing unusual or terminal. If you’re in California and looking for a very good car to fix up as a driver project -this is your car.
A better shade of blue than the preceding SS. Car looks straight and solid here -you may get away with a quick respray of the nose and tail. I’d make it mechanically sound and drive it as is.
Continue reading “Market 334: Giuliettas exclusive 101 Sprint project in CA”
Market 331: Project Spider 750D 03930
Update 11/20/11: Car actually did sell for $6500 and is headed for a new life in Germany. Thanks for the update Richard!
Update 11/19/11: Car failed to sell. I don’t know how much of an appetite there is for Giulietta projects in he world, but if what I’ve tracked is any indication, there are a lot of them in the works right now.
10/26/11: Giulietta Spider 750D 1495*03930, 1315*43426. This car is on eBay right now out of Novi Michigan from a seller that seems to regularly offer Alfa’s. Condition is rough, as you see, but I’ve seen projects start with a lot worse and it does come with quite a few parts still attached and the right engine. $7500 Buy it Now or Make offer is the asking.
Seller claims the body is nearly rust free, but everyone’s opinion of what that means is a little different so ask questions, examine the pictures and if possible, go have a look. Door fits very well and the nose shape looks original. Windshield is said to be uncracked.
Continue reading “Market 331: Project Spider 750D 03930”
Modified Sprint Speciale's 3: another Zat car??
Elmar sent me this picture yesterday, describing it as ‘pimped’. It reminded me that I’ve been owing the ‘Modified SS’s’ post series an update for a while. This one is dedicated to the modern era super sports type mod’s that probably started with the Zat SS (381238 was the basis) that eventually sold through RM in 2008 for just under $50K. I can’t verify the auction description below -but it states that 4 Zat SS’s were made and two survive.
This car has been to the ‘Shelby Cobra 427′ school of design: very wide wheels, chunky bulbous corners and a big ol’ hood scoop. Would be funny if it was stock Alfa powered. I suspect it is an SS body on a tube frame. Continue reading “Modified Sprint Speciale's 3: another Zat car??”
Market 332: Rough Giulia SS in Italy
This car is available right now on Italian eBay. It appears to be very complete and very rusty. I think pictures of this car were on the AlfaBB a few months ago. One of the Italian readers care to call the seller and find out which car this is? As a restoration object it’s going to be a challenge. As a parts car it will be very helpful and yield a lot of extras that can be sold off. Check it out.
It’s a shame. This was probably a nice car that suffered a minor fault, was parked and let to rot. Someone will take this project on and spend a mint -at least it’s worth big $ when done.
Continue reading “Market 332: Rough Giulia SS in Italy”
Reader Race Report: Lime Rock 2011 Fall Finale
Track day report from Giulietta Sprint owner Marc in Mass, photo’s were taken by Jim Dyer, captions are mine: ” The 2011 Fall Finale vintage race the last racing event organized by the VSCCA and was held at Lime Rock Track October 14 and 15. The weather cooperated and the participants were graced by sunshine  and an almost dry track as rain was only sporadic. A strong number of Alfisti showed up and so the organizers were able to add an extra 15 lap session on the Friday for Alfas only! 8 Spiders (2 Veloces) ranging from 1956 to 1959, 2 Sprints (1 gorgeous red Veloce in period livery) and a delightful 1960 Sprint Zagato piloted by Sandra McNeil. Added  to the mix was a 1976 Berlina and a 1966 Lancia Fulvia both driven by Italian ex-pats.  Several of the lighter Spiders battled up front while other cars were happy to get a real Italian tune-up. The spectators were treated to some spirited drifting around Big Ben and through the S’s.  In the end each driver was a winner as all cars survived both days. Amazing to see a wonderful group of 50 some year old cars fly around this lovely race track framed by the surrounded fall colored hills.”
We all know what this must sound like -a 12 cylinder air plane or 4 Alfa race cars approaching!
Continue reading “Reader Race Report: Lime Rock 2011 Fall Finale”
Market 137: SVZCT 10126*00184 pretty please???
Update 10/29/11: Auction has been pulled. Almost certainly a scam.
Update 10/29/11: This car is on eBay right now out of Morrison CO. Picture are the same as those marketing the car at Fantasy Junction in 2009.Â
Update 4/9/11: This charmer is going to be auctioned by RM at Villa d’Este on May 21st. Still my favorite! I just noticed I don’t have a register for Zagato variants and I don’t have many pictures. Anyone want to share their collection?
Seems to have been treated well since the last visit to these pages.
Originally posted 8/1/09: Giulietta Sprint Veloce Zagato II ‘Coda Tronca’ 10126*00184. That’s one mouthful of a name. This desirable object is probably parked beside the subject of Market 136 in the Fantasy Junction showroom. For the $355,000 asking price of this jewel you could buy two of those Lightweight Sprints and throw in the Fulvia Zagato with the remainder and still pay most of the tax and reg.
Austere is a good word for these -at least the ‘markedly simple’ part of the definition. The beautiful form of a shape derived solely to fulfill a function. Light weight, low drag coefficient, low center of gravity and yet unmistakeably a Zagato creation. This particular model, of which so few were made, is possibly my favorite.
Continue reading “Market 137: SVZCT 10126*00184 pretty please???”
Identification numbers Part 1: Sprint Autotelaio number
Update 10/25/11: Time marches on. I read these old posts and find myself in the interesting position of not remembering what I have written so it’s fresh -like seeing yourself from an others perspective. Not many times in life when you can look at yourself this way. I’m glad I started this madness. Enjoy, and as Giulietta owners like to say -keep the rev’s up!
Update 11/10/09: Below was first posted on 6/26/08. I carry on with the projects and other pursuits. A new post is almost done. There are some Spiders (as usual) on eBay that deserve a quick mention but again, time has been precious.
Thanks for stopping by and today 5 boxes with T-shirts went out to Tom who paid first, Chris in UK, Dirk in Germany, Peter in Portland and Marco in Illinois. Send me a paypal or check and I’ll get yours in the mail too,
Update 2: Looking over all the cars I have numbers for it looks more likely that 101.02 cars have the new 001.02 engines while 101.05 cars have the 1315* series engines that are modified to accept the 101 engine series head.
Update 1: 101.02 versus 101.05 is a market difference. I read in a reputable source that 101.05 was the model number for US Market Sprints.
If you start looking carefully at the parts on your Giulietta Sprint, Sprint Veloce or Sprint Speciale you will notice there are a lot of numbers stamped, cast, engraved or written with grease pencil in Italian long-hand. These numbers tell you the year, model, and on early cars can match engine number to VIN number. The more subtle markings can shed a little light on how these cars were assembled and can be of great assistance when trying to identify what is correct for your car. I am going to focus on the vehicle identification numbers of Sprint and Sprint Veloce’s in this post and will look at the Engine numbers, Bertone numbers and Sprint Speciale specific numbers separately later.
Tipo or type and series are the fundamental identifiers. Tipo is essentially the model name and series is the model number, which changed over time and for different markets. The first picture is the build plate for one of my cars. It is a Tipo: Giulietta Sprint, Series 101.05. It doesn’t actually say Sprint on the build plate, it’s sort of implied by the car itself that it is a Sprint.
Several identifying numbers can be seen in this picture. On the build plate are the Series, Autotelaio (VIN) and Motore (Engine) numbers. Above the plate, stamped in the body is the number Bertone used to identify the car during fabrication and assembly. The Autotelaio is also stamped on the firewall just below the bundle of wires that can be seen in this picture.
Continue reading “Identification numbers Part 1: Sprint Autotelaio number”