Posts Tagged ‘spider’

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Ballin’ on 14s – 1977 Spider on the 2011 Snowball

May 14, 2011

In what hopefully becomes a tradition, the spider has successfully completed its second road rally. The first was the Mother Lode 400, which I ran with my father last year, and since then most of the spider’s driving has been local and constrained by winter weather. Not that a northern California winter is so tough, but it’s more pleasant to go out in a closed car when it’s cold out. Anyway, the plan was to run the 2011 Snowball in the same high style in which we did the 2010, but it was not to be, since the restoration of the Alfetta’s body was not complete in time.

1977 Alfa Spider and 1948 MG TC

Thanks to Ben Buja for this picture; he got a lot of great shots of the car doing its thing on this 700-mile journey.

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How It All Started – Cheap Alfas!

March 15, 2011

No doubt you’ve often wondered to yourself, how can I be more like the guy that writes those posts on RustyButTrusty? Well, here’s your chance to be exactly like me! Step 1: Start with a couple of cheap Alfas. Step 2: Add lots and lots of money, without any expectation aside from the enjoyment of some fine Italian automobiles that nobody else except fellow oddball car nuts will see the value in. Step 3: Profit! I mean, Success!

And unlike me, there’s no need to spend time dilly-dallying about, with a 14-year gap between the acquisition of your transaxle Alfa and your convertible Alfa. You can go in head-first with this lovely pair. Let’s start off with the prettier of the two, this beautiful 1976 Alfetta GT from when Alfa was confidently relying on the past racing glory of the 159 Alfetta race car, instead of the past sales & racing glory of the Giulietta sprint veloce. The seller calls this color dutch blue (blu olandese), although to be honest, I thought that was a lighter shade. But what do I know, my Alfetta is (sadly) red, and this color seems to suit the car a lot better. At $500, I’m just thrilled he took the time to write such a thorough description of the car, which is listed in Sammamish, WA (near Seattle) for $500.

1976 Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT

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Miura Light – 1967 Fiat 850 spider

June 25, 2010

No, I don’t have any intentions of comparing this car to a Miura, but for those of you who haven’t heard this before, the Fiat 850 spider (specifically the 1967 model) and Lamborghini Miura share headlights. Come to think of it, they were also both designed by Bertone. And they’re both mid-engined, and Italian. So like I said, no intention of comparing these cars at all. If nothing else, you could probably have the world’s remaining population of Fiat 850 spiders for the cost of one Miura (I’m guessing a couple thousand or so).

Anyway, like most funky older cars with which I have no experience, these Fiats do appeal. While not exactly spoiled for power, they aren’t terribly heavy either. And while there was some poetic license in saying they’re mid-engine, they do seem to be known for good handling. Engine access should also be fairly straightforward – it appears the rear panel (grill and valance) comes right off, allowing you to sit on the ground or a stool while working on the car. So yes, it’s a cool little car – problem is, it’s pretty hard to find one in good nick. Even in good shape, they’re pretty affordable, as you can see with this one, listed in Denver, CO for $3250.

1967 Fiat 850 spider left

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