Category Archives: Pininfarina

Alfa Romeo, Pininfarina, Uncategorized

1994 Alfa Romeo 164 LS

In a perfect world, the 164 LS would exist only in the domain of white-haired men over 70 who wear scarves like a priest's stole over their overcoat and enjoy classical music with their drives. In reality, the 164 LS is adored by dorks like us who wish they gave off that aura.

We will ignore our stubborn insistence on manual transmissions for the sake of this example, because other than the auto trans, it is a perfect 164 LS spec to us. A 1994 model would be non-EGR, which makes service slightly easier. The green exterior over tan interior is one of our favorite color combinations, and anyone who hasn't experienced the leather on a 164 owes it themselves to check it out - it's seriously nice leather for a mass-produced sedan. Euro headlights and the wood steering wheel are nice (expensive) additions that we really like to see.

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Alfa Romeo, Pininfarina

2000 Alfa Romeo Spider

We are nearing spring, and for many in climates with four real seasons, this means a return to some automotive activities that weren't possible over the winter. Track days and autocrosses will be starting up soon, unheated garages will become tolerable to finish projects in, and roadsters will once again be tempting those browsing the online classifieds.

For those who might prioritize that garage work on a roadster over the autocrossing and track driving, this copper Alfa Romeo Spider might fit the bill. We often see these in North America with either the 2.0L turbo V6 or 2.0L Twin Spark 4-cylinder. The 24V 3.0L Busso V6 - similar to that found in the 164 LS and 164 Q - is more uncommon, and we like that it's paired with a 6-speed manual on the Spider.

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Fiat, Pininfarina, Reader Classifieds

SOLD: 1981 Fiat Spider Turbo

Reader Classified

Reminder: please send your cars in when you list them and we will feature them here on the site!

As the seller notes, this Fiat Spider Turbo is one of about 700 produced for the US market. With about 120bhp, the turbo matches the output of the European market model. We think the turbo adds some character and unique appeal to the Spider model. There is something about an early 80s turbocharged sports car that is tough to resist.

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Ferrari, Pininfarina

1995 Ferrari 456 GT

3 Comments

We sort of set ourselves up for this one. Last week, while writing up another manual Ferrari 456 GT, this is what we had to say about maintenance on modified Ferraris:

At this juncture, the featured 1995 Ferrari 456 GT could end up with an enthusiastic new owner, who might tint the taillights, lower the suspension on 19" wheels, cut out the mufflers, and add Ferrari shields to the front fenders. That owner might not put aside the cash necessary for routine maintenance - we've seen listings where this has been the case. 


Which brings us today's feature. It's not a high-mileage example, but the owner has modified it almost exactly as we described last week! From the 19" wheels to the (replaced) exhaust to the (partially) tinted taillights to the fender shields, it's what we had in mind. So, was our assumption that a modified Ferrari would have deferred maintenance true? Not even close! While this car might have had some new issues crop up since its PPI in fall of 2019, we would imagine that most issues were corrected by the seller. The car has 400 miles on its most recent belt service - a far cry from the neglect that would have validated our claim from last week.

This doesn't mean that there aren't some neglected examples of modified Ferraris out there, but we'll refrain from generalizing in the future. We ourselves are in no place to pass judgement. After all, our Milano Verde - our favorite car - is lowered on 16" wheels, and has an exhaust, a couple of silly decals, and even has a vanity plate with an Italian word on it, which we are pretty sure gets us made fun of on YouTube by the Italian commenters. We'd say that our Verde is far from neglected. Live and let live.

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Ferrari, Pininfarina

1995 Ferrari 456 GT

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A high-mileage Ferrari possesses a very narrow appeal, and we would say that the potential buyers fall into two camps. The first camp is after the most car they can get for their money - we get that. Misguided, when it comes to buying a car with extraordinarily expensive repair parts, but understandable.

The other camp, we would say, is pained to see something special go to waste. At this juncture, the featured 1995 Ferrari 456 GT could end up with an enthusiastic new owner, who might tint the taillights, lower the suspension on 19" wheels, cut out the mufflers, and add Ferrari shields to the front fenders. That owner might not put aside the cash necessary for routine maintenance - we've seen listings where this has been the case. Those in the preservation camp are the brave souls who would take on a high-mileage Ferrari and fund the routine and unplanned repairs required to keep the car in its present, outstanding condition.

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Ferrari, Pininfarina

1986 Ferrari 328 GTS

In case you were curious, this is how we at CICFS would spec our 328. It's a GTS, because finding the rare GTB to have a stiffer chassis and slightly better styling would add too much to the purchase price. It's yellow - and here comes the important part - with a brown interior. No bumblebee theme here. That look will forever remind us of 2012 Camaros with Transformer dreams.

Since this blog was started, these cars have nearly doubled in value. We can tell you this because we spent the past two weeks updating over 900 photos and links to get in compliance with eBay's affiliate link program. In 2012, the concern with a 328 GTS was that the service cost would soon overtake the purchase price. Now, it seems more important to get one now before values go up.

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Alfa Romeo, Pininfarina

1995 Alfa Romeo 164Q

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Of all of the 164 models, the 164Q seems to fall victim to the most customization. Here we have a dark window tint, Alfa Romeo script on the rear light bar and at the top of the windshield, a custom exhaust, tinted taillights, and yellow foglights. Oh, and the car, originally black, is wrapped in red vinyl. Fortunately, it's all reversible, and it's hopefully the sign of an owner who enjoyed and cared for his car enough to make a few tweaks here and there.

More notable than the mods is the fact that this example doesn't run. The seller doesn't know the exact reason, but suspects that it has something to do with timing. We'd be cautious with starting a 24V car without confirmation of proper cam timing - as long as the valves aren't bent, it could be a pretty simple fix.

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Ferrari, Pininfarina

1985 Ferrari Mondial Quattrovalvole Cabriolet

We are glad that FCA, or Stellantis, as they are known these days, is able to root around the Ferrari parts bin every once in a while. The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is a prime example of technology sharing between the brands; Considering Alfa's sales volume in its market segment, can we really expect them to develop an entire engine on their own anymore? Today's 1985 Ferrari Mondial Quattrovalvole Cabriolet doesn't lend any technology to the FCA offerings, but it does offer a rare and wonderful color combination of plum over tan. And where do you think we've seen that today? Why, on the Dodge Charger Hellcat Redeye, of all things!

We've never loved the Mondial Cabriolets until seeing this one in plum or prugna. The photographs here really capture the low-slung shape, only possible with a double wishbone suspension front and rear, well. Being a Quattrovalvole model, this Mondial actually makes respectable power, with a 235bhp rating from its 4-valve per cylinder F105A V8. Fuel injection comes courtesy of a Bosch K-jet, or CIS, system, which controls fueling entirely electromechanically. Sensitive to rusty fuel tanks, the systems are robust, if not exactly optimized. And, in our experience, they somehow lend to a great exhaust note with hints of overrun on decelerations.

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Alfa Romeo, Centro Stile Alfa Romeo, Forbidden Fruit Fridays, Pininfarina

1992 Alfa Romeo 33 Sport wagon

Forbidden Fruit Fridays

While today the boxer 4-cylinder is the specialty of Subaru Imprezas and Porsche Boxters (heh), and most famously, it powered the Volkswagen Beetle throughout its long lifecycle, Alfa Romeo is also known for its experience with the engine configuration. Alfa Romeo got its start mass-producing the boxer engine with its Alfasud models, which were produced in Naples. The Alfasuds were succeeded by the 33, which went on to sell over one million examples. Today's Alfa Romeo 33 Sport Wagon, from the second restyling of the 33 model line, is a mundane but well-kept offering from the 33 range.

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Alfa Romeo, Pininfarina

1991 Alfa Romeo 164 S

The Alfa Romeo 164 lacks racing history. It isn't a sports car. It has considerable Swedish provenance. And yet, if we were to recommend a single Alfa Romeo model to someone seeking to experience the Alfa Romeo brand, it would be the 164 - the 164S in particular.

Competence in curves, great gear ratios in the 5-speed manual gearbox, and a fat power band that is rewarding no matter where the tach needle is pointed all combine for a sports sedan with undeniable Alfa Romeo DNA. The styling is of an era, but above all, it is intentional and deliberate like a true Alfa Romeo.

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