While some classics are spotlessly original, others can feature so many upgrades it is almost impossible to know where to start when assessing their relative worth. This 1959 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider falls into the second category, and the changes are more than skin-deep. Mechanical upgrades have unleashed additional power, promising the new owner a rewarding driving experience. The seller has listed the Spider here on eBay in Sunland, California. The solitary bid of $36,000 is below the reserve, although there is a BIN option of $45,000.

The 1959 Giulietta Spider was an elegant sports car that won immediate acclaim for its styling. Our feature Alfa has undergone a dramatic transformation that makes it look more like a road-bound racer. The bumpers are gone, the fenders feature enormous flares to accommodate wider steel wheels, and the chopped frameless sculpted windshield would look more at home on a track-day car. However, the Spider is nothing if not striking in dazzling Red. The seller is candid about its overall condition, indicating that the paint has a range of small imperfections that are consistent with a vehicle that has been enjoyed as its creators intended. I believe that the vehicle received new floor pans during the build, leaving a couple of small spots under the back as the only penetrating rust. The wheels, side exhaust, and Dzus fasteners retaining the hood and trunk lid add to this Alfa’s sense of purpose.

Alfa Romeo equipped the 1959 Giulietta Spider with a 1,290cc twin-cam four delivering 79hp and 83 ft/lbs of torque. Those figures are academic in our feature car because it features significant mechanical upgrades. The engine remains a DOHC four, but its capacity is 2.0-liters. It features upgraded camshafts and a pair of DCOE Weber carburetors, and although the power and torque figures are pure speculation, the performance boost provided by the new motor will make itself known when the driver hits the “loud” pedal. Shifting duties fall to a five-speed manual transmission that should give the Spider long legs on the open road. The seller hasn’t spared any expense in ensuring that this beauty is in excellent health, recently investing over $6,000 on maintenance work to areas like the clutch, wiring harness, brakes, and fuel system. The Alfa runs and drives perfectly, and the linked video short in their listing confirms this.

If the builder was trying to create the illusion of a track-day car, they achieved that feat with this Spider. The dash features a custom fascia and gauges to monitor the car’s mechanical health. There are no carpets, door trims, or sound-deadening material. The seats are new and the timber wheel is period-correct. It is bare-bones and purposeful and is devoid of such luxuries as a radio and a soft-top. It won’t appeal to everyone, but enthusiasts seeking a tactile driving experience may find this Alfa irresistible.

This 1959 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider won’t appeal to purists. However, if you harbor a passion for classics, and would love nothing more than to slip behind the wheel of a Spider offering performance potential greater than its original creators envisaged, this could be the car for you. The fact that someone submitted an opening bid of $36,000 suggests that they like what they see, while the Watch List tally of thirty-three confirms they are not alone. How high will the bidding climb? How long is a piece of string? That means that as a modified classic, the only option open to us is speculation. I won’t be joining the action as the listing heads to its conclusion, but I will be monitoring the auction to see if this Alfa will find a new home. Do we have any readers willing to join me?