Rusty But Trusty

Given my obsession with Alfa Romeos, you’d think I’d have featured one of every affordable model. There have been Milanos, Berlinas, Alfettas both sedan and coupe, and spiders. At this point I could almost even feature a 164 – would you believe it’s been nearly 20 years since they debuted in the US market? But one car I haven’t yet featured, in spite of the fact that there are affordable examples out there, is the GTV6. They’re really quite attractive cars, with a classic Giugiaro design and that fantastic six. But, like the spiders of the same period, you could always see Alfa had upgraded an earlier design by tacking on plastic bits, upgrading the wheels and seats, and adding a digital clock to the dash. The clunky bumpers also did nothing to help the loss of purity of design.

That said, there’s still a lot to like about these cars. Aside from the engine and styling, they have all the heartbreaking maintenance challenges benefits of all the transaxle chassis Alfas. You get a rear-mounted transaxle inboard brakes mounted on a deDion triangle, with a great-sounding V6 that relies on a timing belt to keep its valves from running into its pistons. Today’s car has managed to avoid all the dangers placed in its way by Alfa Romeo’s adventurous engineers. It’s a first-year 1982 model, whose interior owes a lot more to the Alfetta than later cars, with its simpler interior including vinyl seats. Listed in Novato, CA (near San Francisco) for $2450, it’s a rare case of a reasonably priced GTV6 that also looks good.

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