It’s no secret that Italian built cars tend to suffer from rust issues. The steel that Alfa Romeo and other Italian manufactures used was highly prone to rust, leaving many of these great cars off the road. Finding a solid example is key to having a car that can be driven and fully enjoyed. With pricing climbing though, it can be difficult to find solid examples one can afford. This 1974 Alfa Romeo GTV might not look like a great candidate for a project, but after a closer examination, you might find that it has potential. Take a closer look at it here on eBay, with bidding still under $500. Special thanks To Jim S. for this tip!
It isn’t too difficult to see that this GTV has been in a fire. The seller doesn’t state whether it caught on fire or if it was the victim of a garage fire. Based on the condition of the engine bay and interior, we would guess it was the later. Speaking of the interior, it is in surprising condition for having been in a fire. It suffered major damage to the headliner and the dash is a little melted, but amazingly the seats, door panels, and carpets are all intact. We are sure they are all a bit crispy and smoked up, but the fact they aren’t charred suggests the fire didn’t start inside the car.
We doubt the motor itself suffered any damage from the fire, although anything is possible. We are however a little concerned about the electronics and wiring. A single burnt wire could wreak havoc to the entire wiring harness and could keep it from running. This twin cam 2.0 liter straight four has potential on the street or the track, but getting it back to peak performance could be a simple task or a major undertaking; it just depends on how much was damaged by the fire.
We are fans of the GTV and we hope someone will do something with this one before the surface rust turns into cancer, which will likely happen soon if it is left much longer as is. We just wonder if there is a way to keep this burnt and rough look, it would certainly be intimidating to see this coming up behind you on the race track. One major question remains though, is it worth saving? Let us know if you would take on the task of saving this crispy Alfa or not!
Although the seller claims it’s only ‘surface rust’, he seems to forget the underside of the panels.
If it got hot enough to burn off the paint then most likely the paint on the other side melted off too. Meaning that ALL hollow places, especially under the front fenders, need paint or wax or these panels will rust from the inside out.
Somebody should have at least taken a few cans of primer and thrown that on the bare metal.
But it was probably in possession of an insurance co. sitting outside and the purchased in a salvage auction.
My guess is also, that it got hot enough to warp the roof, hood and fenders.
It will never look straight again…..
Looks like they are having a fire sale:)
It seems the engine is already tuned with the Weber carburetor conversion from the SPICA injection system
This series was good with metallic colours, but that bronze doesn’t work for me. Love the yellow lights, though.
Pretty sad being from the east coast we rarely see these with such nice floors / rockers & lower quarters, seats & interior looked like they were pretty decent before someone wanted to roast some marshmellow’s , Oh well, next.
I think this would look great in front of Krispy Kreme
If I wasn’t into Lotus I would be into Alfa GTC or GTV……..just not this one……well, maybe for an addition to the parts stash. 10K to 15K in prep, paint and glass……and that’s just the tip of a potential iceberg.
GTC. Rarer than a Giulietta wagon.
In the US I have seen a few of the C’s over the years being in AROC for about 35 years, I think I have seen 2 wagons maybe 3.
The styling reminds me of the BMWs; 2800 cs, 3.0 cs, mid 1980’s 5 series, with a touch of 2002 mixed in there. Ever without the fire, I’d still prefer any of the above BMWs ! I’m sorry, but the Alfa will always be a fancy Fiat to me, even with the pretty lines. I prefer my Italian served on a plate!
well I am going to even that up by saying I’d take an early Alfa over an early BMW ( same period ) all day long as for later we don’t get them yet, but I am waiting for the 4C!
To me, there has always been something gross about a burnt car, so this one isn’t for me. Even if it was, I think it is too far gone to save given all of the plastic, glass and rubber parts, as well as the likelihood of warped sheetmetal and rusty innards.
As to why Italian cars of this era rust, I remember hearing somewhere that steel was how the USSR paid Fiat for the design and factory to produce the 124 in Tolyatti. Strangely enough, it now produces a car that Nissan is badge engineering into the new Datsun- the Lada Kalina. (If only they would sell it in the USA…)
Horse is right….from the look of the hood and engine bay I also think it had an underhood fire near the carbs. Whether that’s true or not, the seller has not provided any information to explain the poor condition of the car and the look of it as a fire car. What he has done instead is the classic ‘surface rust’ hard-sell. All that plus no feedback on eBay are dealbreakers.
It might have some use as a parts car depending on damage to the electrics and mechanicals, but an inexperienced buyer with limited resources will probably regret buying this at any price pretty quick. As usual, it would be better to pass on this and pay more for a decent project car that doesn’t need everything.
This one might be a good car for someone who has a really good running but rusty GTV, provided these panels aren’t too badly heat warped. Might be a good idea to soda blast a panel & see what you have.
This is a good prospect for a race build as easily repairable (alfa standards). Solid, bare GTV tubs are very difficult to find these days. I am betting the front fenders and roof are badly warped which will require some work, but is easier than rust repair. If anybody thinks they can restore this thing back to original they are dillusional. I have worked on burnt cars. Yes it has webers but they are unrestorable. More than just the dash is melted, the gauges and switches and every little thing is unrestorable and will have to be replaced. The only trim on this car that will be salvageable are the stainless steel bumpers.
Any car which has “Crispy” as part of the description might make me cringe… And this one does!
The pans do look solid, so I am inclined to agree with @ Curtis, in leaning towards a race/track build as being the way to go. Maybe even “topless”, supplanting the roof with a roll cage.
Maybe this car belonged to Satan!
i’ll take crispy over crusty anytime. hope the panels didnt warp.
Didn’t Christine get pretty crispy in the movie and still run?