Posts Tagged ‘italian’

Heat Wave Weekend – 1982, 1979, and 1977 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce

June 3, 2016

Something about the prospect of a very hot weekend on the western seaboard brings to mind the idea of a convertible in which to enjoy all that sun. And what’s better than spending a hot weekend like that in a car with vinyl seats, no roof, and no air conditioning, plus a noticeable lack of insulation from the engine’s heat? Kidding aside, what’s particularly nice about a convertible on very hot days is going out for an evening drive with the top down – you can enjoy the breeze and the engine sounds without having to layer up, and without the sun burning you up. So in honor of the heat wave, here are a handful of Alfa Spiders. Let’s start with this 1982 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce for sale for $4500 in Rosamond, CA.

1982 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce 2 left front

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No Alpha – 1982 Lancia Beta Zagato

May 31, 2016

When Lancia introduced their Beta line of cars, returning to the practice of naming their cars after the Greek alphabet, they decided not to name it the Alpha because of possible confusion with Alfa Romeo. Further, in North America, the car known as the Lancia Beta Spyder was known here as the Lancia Beta Zagato (even more confusing since it was designed by Pininfarina and built by Zagato, suggesting some serious pride-swallowing in the name of a paycheck). Taking that one step further, if the car had been designated the Alpha, submodel Spyder, we could have had a Lancia Alpha Spyder. Wait, what? Now you’re thoroughly confused, let’s take a look at this 1982 Lancia Beta Zagato for sale for $3495 in Bend, OR.

1982 Lancia Beta Zagato right front

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124 Times Two – 1973 Fiat 124 Wagon and 1972 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe

May 30, 2016

In recent years, VW seems to have cornered the market for affordable cars that are also fun to drive and reasonably attractive. But 40-50 years ago, that ball was solidly in Fiat’s hand, with their 124 series of sedan, wagon, coupe, and spider offering driving fun for all. In North America, there were different levels of driving fun with the 124, starting with the sedan and wagon, which were equipped with a 1438cc overhead valve engine giving 69-74hp and moving up to a 1592cc twin cam in 1973, giving a more fun 95hp. Further up, the coupe and the spider started with a 1438cc twin cam, moved on to 1592cc and 1608cc, then the 1756cc and finally the 1920cc twin cam. So basically, it is anyone’s guess what engine is in any of the surviving 124s, like this 1973 Fiat 124 wagon for sale for $2300 in Tigard, OR.

1973 Fiat 124 Wagon right front

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