Posts Tagged ‘italian’

Rusty But Trusty on the Street – Two Alfas, Dodge, and a GMC

March 31, 2014

Nothing deoxidizes the rusty cockles of one’s heart like seeing an older car running around on the street, particularly one that was not too common when new, and even rarer now. So it was quite a surprise seeing this well-known (to SF Bay Area Alfa nuts) 1973 Alfa Romeo Berlina parked on a side street in the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, gathering dust. Of course, anything near a busy street tends to gather dust, and while this car is a project from outside appearances, the previous owner had done extensive work on the engine, transmission and suspension before moving out of the area. Hopefully, this car is still being used as intended – the last owner posted on online forums about flying through freeway on-ramps, so it must be in better mechanical shape.

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The Last Real…. – 1974 Lancia 2000 Berlina Iniezione

March 28, 2014

Towards the end of the 1960s, Lancia was really on the ropes financially, and their family-size sedan, the Flavia, dated to 1960, which meant its design phase occurred back in the late 1950s. Lancia really needed something to boost interest, and so they decided to heavily revise the Flavia sedan. This included a fully new nose, tail, and updated interior. The result was somewhat bland, if European-looking, and the cost to produce the car was so high Fiat nearly succeeded in killing it once they’d acquired Lancia. Lancia’s managers prevailed, however, for lack of a suitable alternative until the Beta was ready. You can find this end-of-run 1974 Lancia 2000 Berlina iniezione for sale for €3000 ($4100 today) in Cassano-Magnago, Varese, Italy.

1974 Lancia 2000 Berlina left front

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ASI-Certified – 1972 Fiat 128 Berlina

March 28, 2014

Continuing the theme of featuring interesting cars from abroad, here’s a first for us – a “historic” car which has received its certification from ASI (Automotoclub Storico Italiani). This certification is only given to cars with a known history that are located in Italy, and gives some special benefits that only apply there, such as access to areas blocked to normal cars. So for us foreigners, the primary benefit is that of the car’s history, and that cool little badge on the front bumper. And it should come as no surprise by now that the love here is strong for little Italian tin cans, the 128 ranking high on that list. Unfortunately, most surviving 128s in North America appear to be the later, big bumper examples, so for an earlier 128 it’s easier to go abroad. That’s how you’ll find this 1972 Fiat 128 Berlina 4-door for sale for €2000 ($2751 today) in Agropoli, Salerno, Italy.

1972 Fiat 128 Berlina right front

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