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9,000 Original Miles: 1970 Alfa Romeo Berlina

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My fascination with this low-mileage 1970 Alfa Romeo Berlina 1750 here on eBay has less to do with the car and more to do with the seller: their business is to scour the Italian countryside for barn-find vehicles locked away for generations, then prepare for them for sale in the U.S. Can you imagine a better way to make a living? I can’t, especially if this 9,000 original mile Alfa sells for the $34,995 asking price. 

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The Berlina was part of a large, 20 vehicle  collection that the seller purchased from an estate. After being taken in as a dealer trade early in its life, the Alfa remained hidden away in storage with barely any use. As you can see in the interior photo, the wood trimmed dash and steering wheel present as-new, along with the seating surfaces and crack-free dashboard.

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A 5-speed manual gearbox paired with dual Weber carbs sounds like a recipe for a good time to me. U.S. market cars were equipped with fuel injection, so this Berlina will likely be appealing to Alfa enthusiasts who desire having the ability to fine-tune their machines. Plus, anyone who has had the pleasure of hearing dual sidedrafts at full scream will likely tell you there are few sounds more pleasing to the ears.

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The low mileage claim is further verified by the near-perfect cosmetic condition and straight body lines. Though this is a pricey specimen, it likely means you’re buying the best of the best, along with a terrific story to tell. It will be interesting to see what else the seller rolls out for sale from their Italian excursion – which model Alfa would you be hoping for?

Comments

  1. HoA Howard A Member

    Looks like “flippers” are world-wide. Never cared for Italian cars, but I think Alfa was the nicest. ( without going exotic)

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  2. Avatar Kman

    4 door beige box. Must have been ordered by a Swede. Nice interior & drive train. Make mine a Spyder. Red

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    • Avatar Muz

      Beige Box really? Compared to its contemporary competition it was anything but “beige”. Back in the day if you wanted an M3, this was where you’d be looking.

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  3. Avatar RayT

    I really like Berlinas, but prefer Giulias (like the blue example seen in one of the photos). The elongated tail doesn’t really do much for me.

    Too expensive, for sure, and sadly destined to be a “collector car” because of the low mileage. The only thing Giulias and Berlinas are really good for is lots of spirited driving, not being stared at among other warehouse queens.

    But the real reason I’d avoid this car is the flipper’s attitude. All that high-minded claptrap in the ad copy is just too much for a simple guy like me. I’m not buying an “experience;” I’m buying a car.

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    • Avatar Bobsmyuncle

      Is anyone here at Barnfinds really just buying a car? Thats what Camrys and Autotrader are for.

      I think we’re all here shopping for an experience at some level.

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  4. Avatar Bill

    Low mileage Alfas aren’t that hard to find. They have to start and run in order to put miles on them.

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    • Avatar Tirefriar

      Oh believe me, run they do. I’m venturing a guess you never owned one…

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  5. Avatar Dave Wright

    When I first got to Germany I bought a 1965 300SE 4 door to drive every day……I love that car and still mourn for it today…….we lived on a pretty narrow street and had a small garrage. My wife whined about having to drive such a big car. So I bought her one of these….nice little car but with the Mercedes she would simply turn from the street into the garrage……with the Alfa, she had to turn in and back up to get a straight shot into the garrage. They are nice cars for what they are but not a Mercedes.

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  6. Avatar RobM

    I learned to drive on my Mom’s ’69 Berlina in 1974. What a great car! The same as a GTV, only 4 doors. A nice, usable, sporting sedan. Without SPICA, this will be easy to maintain and/or repair.

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  7. Avatar bcavileer

    Clean simple machine, fun. Overpriced for sure. Shame.

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  8. Avatar MikeH

    I bought a ’69 GTV new. Probably the finest car I have ever owned. I looked forward to driving—anywhere. Before that, I was driving a yellow Fiat Spider. That Fiat attracted cops like a yellow flower in spring attracts bees. I HAD to get rid of it or lose my license. I bought the little grey GTV, and it was invisible. It was twice the car the Fiat was, but a grey sedan didn’t attract attention. I learned to avoid flashy cars–you can’t use them.

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  9. Avatar jimmy

    maybe that group of guys can hunt down a Berlina station wagon in Italy

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  10. Avatar Muz

    Ive had (New) an Alfa 33Ti, Alfa GTV6 and an Alfetta 3000 V6. Loved them all to death, right up until each one died. Sadly they all died young. Great cars poorly built and with woeful resale value. After the Alfetta I bought a new Jag Double Six which was significantly more reliable than the Alfas. Nevertheless I will always fondly remember the Alfas.

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    • Avatar Tirefriar

      Muz, quite surprising that a double six was significantly more reliable. I wouldn’t bat an eye if you said an X300 with a 4.0 in line 6. Jaguar V12 could run relatively trouble free if you spend quite a bit for maintenance

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      • Avatar Muz

        It was a serviced by the book and i had a trouble free six years out of it. Mind you the service cost were high but then it was a complicated piece of kit.

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  11. Avatar Mr. Bond

    @Bill: It’s funny how a slag like that actually backfires. This forum caters to alumni who know enough basic mechanics to put a lot of miles on an Alfa!

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  12. Avatar Francisco

    Looks like this passionate Alfa seeker and restorer hasn’t sold any cars yet on ebay. His history shows that he did, however, buy parts from at least 5 ebay sellers who gave him a positive feedback rating as a buyer. Could he have been buying restoration parts for his above mentioned Berlina?

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    • Avatar Marco

      Hi Francisco, one of the 5 transactions on eBay was actually a vehicle sale. The others were parts needed for other cars. The 1750 is original and we have approximately 15 cars for sale of which 12 are Alfas. Appreciate everyone’s comments – minus the “flipper” label. :-) We’re passionate about what we do but this is not our daily job, and certainly not how we pay our bills!!!

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  13. Avatar Tirefriar

    the Giulias and Berlinas were one of the best handling cars Alfa built. The jewel in the crown here is the 1750 engine. It is more revvier than a 2L engine and is currently the engine of choice amongst the Alfisti. To put this car into perspective, let’s go back in time and think what other sedan offered 4 wheel disc brakes and a DOHC engine coupled to a 5 speed transmission. This combination was hardly found outside exotic cars at the time.

    Berlina came out in 1968. This is the middle of the run for Series 1 Berlinas. Series 2 appeared in 1972 with a 2L and IMO a much more mundane interior. The 68-69 had the standing pedals, 70 and on had the hanging pedals. There were few built with autos but Alfa quickly abandoned that idea as the transmission ratios were poorly matched to the engine. The US versions came with SPICA.

    I had a privilege of owning 2 1969 Berlinas. Great canyon carvers. One was my DD, and this was pretty recent.

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  14. Avatar Jubjub

    Yeah, this is no beige box! A quintessential Italian get away car. If I was wealthy or won the lottery this would be mine…even though I’d like a funkier color. Seems these are either former parts cars or overpriced cherries like these. I’ve been wanting one of these for a while but just can’t want one this bad. I’ll settle for the scruffy, big bumper ’74.

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