For the beginning Italian car collector, the 105/115 series Alfa Romeo Spider is a great choice. They are rather simple cars when you boil it down and there's a plethora of different models to choose from, from the classic Duetto to the modern Series 4. The Spiders from the late 1970s and early 1980s tend to get forgotten at times, but these cars have their merits in their own right. This immaculate 1979 Spider Veloce for sale in California has had but one owner from 1980 through 2012.
1979 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce
This is the cleanest 33 year old Alfa Spider we've seen. With only 33,000 miles accumulated since new and well loved, this Alfa is exceptional. The original paintis a rich chocolate brown and is truly amazing. It is in excellent condition with very few blemishes. The original tan interior is gorgeous and nearly as new. This was first bought at Ed DiBenedetto Imports in Great Neck, New York. It was registered on March 6, 1980 and was carefully maintained by the same owner until 2012. It has a perfect tan Hartz cloth convertible top. We aren't sure if the top is a replacement or original- but it looks as-new. The carpet, seats, dash and instruments all look as-new. There are no cracks in the dash, etc. It looks like a two year old car with 33,000 miles.
Even the undercarriage looks great. There is no rust as you often find with neglected Alfa's. And mechanically it is top-notch. The fuel injection system has been totally rebuilt and everything works exactly as it should with no leaks, noises or issues. It is so rare to see the Alfa Spiders in excellent original condition. They so often are weathered and battered. This is the exception. The only areas where you could improve this would be the wheels. They show the age as the clear coating as worn off some. Also, it has the original functioning AM/FM cassette that could be easily upgraded. This Alfa has the five speed manual transmission and performs flawlessly.
While not as desirable as the earlier Boattail Duettos, these '70s Spiders are beginning to come into their own. They are also more affordable than their earlier counterparts. The best Spider of this vintage might bring somewhere between $13,000 and $15,000. With a fair bit of bidding interest that has seen the offer surpass $7,000, we have still not met the reserve. I'd suspect a car like this might be worth somewhere between $10,000 and $12,000 to the right buyer, but not much more.
-Paul