While looking around for more obscure vehicles, and trying to sort out a high idle issue with the RustyButTrusty ’77 spider, a nice little 1978 popped up. Even in smog-strangled form, Alfa’s elegant solution of mechanical fuel injection suffered less of a power loss than many competitors. The solution to the safety requirements of the late 1970s was substantially less elegant, but no worse than many competitors. As a result, even the big-bumper series 2 (chopped-tail, non-spoilered) spiders are increasing in price – who know we’d ever see the day? Some good finds are still out there, and that appears to be the case with this 1978 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce, listed for $2300 near Concord, CA.
The paint is said to be perfect, which is hard to believe for a car in this price range. Unfortunately, it’s hard to judge the quality by online photos, but silver is certainly more appealing than the popular late 1970s colors like ivory and brown. With the black interior, this is a fairly timeless color combination. The seller says the car runs well, so that’s another clue as to the condition of the car.
Negatives are the missing rear bumper trim, split in the front bumper, and turbina wheels. On the plus side, it has original-looking skinny tires, which are hopefully recent instead of rock hard. The car looks to have been purchased at an auction, so you might not be able to expect much detail from the seller. However, if it runs well and the PPI checks out, this could be a great little around-town and backroads toy.
Tags: alfa romeo, convertible, Feature, italian, spider, veloce
Rusty But Trusty 
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