Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Alfa Spider is a hot mess. Could that factor—and an appreciably low price—mean a new buyer might clean up?
By any measure, yesterday’s 1972 Dodge Monaco wagon was large. It had lots of length, lots of seats, and, most notably for our purposes, lots of numbers on its price tag. That $20,500 asking price proved not to be a whale of a deal, however, as you all voted it down in a 72 percent No Dice loss.
Dodge named its range-topping model after the Principality of Monaco, the playground of the wealthy along the French Riviera, just a short hop, skip, and a jump from Northern Italy. Coincidentally, Alfa Romeo calls Northern Italy home, having been founded in Milan and now being headquartered in Turin.
One of Alfa’s most notable and enduring achievements over that time is its Bialbero (twin-camshaft) all-alloy four. Designed under the leadership of Alfa’s Head of Engineering, Giuseppe Busso, the “Nord” debuted in 1954 and served as Alfa’s staple engine for the next four decades.
Along the way, a two-liter edition of the engine was dropped into this 1988 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce.
The car around that sweet little engine is a little worse for wear, suffering from some apparent road rot at the rockers and a white flag waving from its clear coat.
Aside from that score of rust 1, Alfa 0, the car appears reasonably solid, with no Fred Flintstone-ing in the floorboards or spare tire well. Another plus is that some work has been started on the car’s road to redemption. All five Cromodora alloys have been restored, powder coated, and wear fresh Hankook rubber.
It’s not too terrible in the cabin either, with just a dash-top toupee, a few minor tears, and the fact that this is an ’80s Alfa, meaning it’s full of cheap plastics to contend with. It comes with a hardtop, but the ad doesn’t mention the soft top’s condition below that.
The ad notes that the car’s title is clean and that it sports a reasonable 105,000 miles on the clock. Obviously, I’m using the term “reasonable” in the general sense and not in the Alfa Romeo sense since that’s a lot for any of the Italian maker’s older cars.
As one would expect of a car in this condition, a decision will need to be made regarding its ultimate fate, either restoration or decomposition and final service as a parts car. One path will require a good bit of time and money. The other might return the $2,900 the seller asks for the car’s purchase. Maybe even more.
What do you think? Is this Alfa project worth that kind of cash as it sits? Or would it be better to move on and let this Alfa rust in peace?
You decide!
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to whatsupdohc for the hookup!
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