1980s-era Alfa Romeos often get lumped into the single category of being drop-top Spider models. However, if you do this, you’re missing out on two of the great bargains of the sports sedan and hot hatch category, which includes the Milano sedan and the GTV6, like the one shown here. The GTV6 is obviously a known quantity around these parts but it’s not exactly taken off value-wise, so you can still get into a decent project for relatively reasonable money. And really, for under $7,500, I doubt you’re going to find a better engine and exhaust note. Check out this 1985 Alfa Romeo GTV6 here on eBay for $5,800.

The GTV6 is powered by Alfa’s legendary Busso series of engines, which is one of the cheapest ways to get into a car that sounds far more exotic than you’d expect for the reasonable cost of entry. Now, a properly restored and/or a survivor-grade GTV6 is going to cost you real money, with some of the best examples commanding well into the $20K range, but those cars don’t come up for sale all that often – so if you’re on the hunt for one, I wouldn’t blame you for snagging a mostly rust-free project like this one, which the seller describes as a garage find that was running when parked 10 years ago.

The Alfa sports what I assume to be a custom two-tone paint job, as I can’t recall seeing many of these Italian hot hatches with two colors separated by the lower body trim panels. These cars do like to rust, so I could care less about the paint; the fact that the fender arches are solid is a huge selling point for this car. The later GTV6s got leather seating surfaces but even with the cloth shown here, these are still incredibly comfortable and supportive seats straight from the factory. The three-spoke steering wheel is an Alfa staple, and it’s encouraging to see little in the way of modifications inside the cabin.

The Busso V6 was rated at around 155 horsepower when new, and that power is sent to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission. When it comes to what’s on the ground, this Alfa sports a set of aftermarket wheels which I personally do not like; I wish it still had the understated-but-gorgeous Campagnolo wheels. One tweak it does have that I’m a fan of is the period-correct Ansa exhaust which should make the glorious Busso V6 absolutely sing once the next owner figures out what it needs to run again. The oil is said to be clean on the dipstick, but I’d be more worried about old gas left in the tank. Do you think an 80s Alfa is a great choice for an Italian GT?