During the mid-to-late 1970s, things got pretty bad for American car buyers looking to drive a new (not exotic) European two-seater convertible. British Leyland will sell you a 1979 MGB, Spitfireor TR7 for a good price, but you only get 67.5, 52.5 or 88.5 hp respectively in those cars (yes, the BL claimed to be the half horse in the official rating, since it’s way The Malayan Era already) plus dark Prince shoots. Fiat offer Sports Spiderman 124 a little more than the British machines of ’79, but that car has only one eighty six horse under the hood. That’s where Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce Got into; For a little more money, you get 111 hp with fuel injection and a car that still looks futuristic more than a decade after its introduction. Alfa Spider prices have gone up over the past decade, so I don’t see more of these cars in self-service car graveyards that I frequent. That makes today’s Junkyard Gem, found in a yard near DenverA rather rare find.
Someone jerked the cylinder head, possibly years ago, and then never completed any of the planned engine work. This is a common scene with vintage items sports car in the scrap yard.
The 1994 Colorado State Park pass shows that this Alfa was at least 28 years old.
Inside, there are receipts for the extensive mechanical work done in the 1980s. These cars are better built than their British Leyland and Fiat rivals, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy. use. How about getting a hood job and a bunch of other jobs done for just over $500? Even with inflation, it’s a deal!
At some point, someone cut the outside panel of the factory radio to fit this 1980s Blaupunkt cassette deck. This looks like CR-2001, which is high end factory equipment in Porsches and BMW around the time this Spider is new.
The interior has some parts that look nice enough to be worth buying, so let’s hope that some range ahead Alfa Romeo Enthusiasts show off and score some beautiful pieces for their project cars.
The MSRP on this car was $11,195, or about $45,700 today. The Fiat 124 Sport Spider is priced at $7,090, while the TR7 convertible is priced at $9,235. Meanwhile, a new 1979 Chevy Corvette with the optional L82 engine listed at $11,425 and rated at 225 hp; it’s also heavier than the 917-pound Alfa and has a much more dangerous handling. If you had to choose between the agile ’79 Spider Veloce’ or the ‘double powerful’ ’79 Escort ship for the same price, would you go for Detroit horsepower or Turin suspension?
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