Some people get all dewy-eyed at those awful commercials with Sarah McLaughlin singing over clips of injured puppies. But it’s really rather annoying – it seems they’re deliberately manipulating the viewer’s emotions to spur them into action. What does this have to do with old cars, you ask? Well, when’s the last time you went to your favorite online auction or sales site and browsed the pictures of project cars? You know you can bring it home – just a quick couple of fixes and it’ll be back on the road, roaming free with the other cars, a happy growl coming from the engine. Check out this 1979 Alfa Romeo Alfetta Berlina, a no-sale today (aww) in Graham, WA.
That poor thing – aside from the ravages of time and cancer, someone’s wrapped a zip tie around its bumper! Looks like the right front tire is flat, too. Other than that, it actually looks pretty good – needs a good cleaning and maybe a wet sand, but what’s visible looks pretty straight. The front Alfa logo appears to be missing, though.
Looks like the junkyard monkeys have been having a good time plucking off some of the cosmetic bits. “Hey Vern, lookie here, it’s one’a them Alpheromeros. That stuff’s gotta be worth Feeyari money, grab the badges and the steering wheel and we can git rich selling them to some sucker!” So the C-pillar vent grilles and ALFA ROMEO badge are missing from this end, but those can no doubt be had from actual parts cars.
The interior looks pretty respectable, aside from the missing steering wheel. Silly as it seems, this might be the kiss of death for the car – it’s hard to maneuver, and it’s not like Alfa Romeo steering wheels are growing on trees. Let’s hope they didn’t cut the column with a hacksaw. Surprisingly, the dash seems to show just light cracking, so if you’ve got an old sun-baked sedan, and you’re a vulture, this might be worth your time.
How dare you think of taking this poor, helpless thing to bits? Look under the hood – complete, solid, and seemingly ready to go after some preventive work. What is that box on the passenger side fender with those thick wires running out of it? Some sort of electronic ignition box? Even the battery is still there, and the car looks like it was recently in running condition.
Tags: alfa romeo, alfetta, berlina, Feature, italian, sedan, sports sedan
Rusty But Trusty 
April 1, 2014 at 3:39 pm |
I bought a 95 Honda Civic EX that had been in a minor collision from CoPart several years ago and much to my chagrin the computer was stolen out of it. That wouldn’t have been a big deal ($100 at most, at the junkyard) but instead of just unplugging the dang thing, the thief cut the harness and took the plugs too. I had to buy a donor car to get a complete harness to replace the hacked one. What a freakin’ nightmare, it was days and days worth of tedious work and it turned a good purchase into a major loser. Ya’ gotta be careful with CoPart; even a cheap purchase will have a bunch of very high fees tacked on to the price and transport from their various locales can add many more 100’s of dollars to the cost and then you’ll often find yourself the proud new owner of a $300 or so pile scrap that you spent many times that to acquire. There are deals to be had with these guys but they are almost always the wrecks or repos
April 2, 2014 at 9:21 am |
Fortunately, this car has no computer, but it sounds like my theory about the missing parts might be right!