Here at Barn Finds, we always enjoy seeing a cheap and cheerful project car appear on our desks. This 1975 Alfetta GT certainly fulfills the first of these criteria, but I’m not entirely sure about the second. Barn Finder JimJ spotted the little Alfa for us, so thank you so much for that. It will be interesting to examine it and decide whether the Alfa has the makings of a viable restoration project, or whether its ultimate fate will be as a parts car. It is located in Interlachen, Florida, and has been listed for sale here on Craigslist. At a mere $500, and offered with a clear title, this has to rate as one of the cheapest vehicles that we have seen in recent times.
I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I always feel a certain level of dread when I see a classic Alfa that has been left to the mercy of the elements as this one seems to have been. Rust-proofing was never one of the company’s strong points, and there is rust visible in several areas around the vehicle. The worst of this is in the rockers and lower extremities of the door on the driver’s side. There is also rust beginning to appear around the side windows, the rear quarter vents, and above the tail-lights. One of the smaller areas of visible rust also has the potential to be the one that would cause the most trouble. A couple of holes have appeared in the top of the passenger-side front fender near the a-pillar. These could allow moisture to flow freely around the frame behind the inner fender and into the cowl. That is a recipe for disaster in an Alfa. However, the majority of the bolt-on panels look to be quite reasonable, while the same would appear to be true of the grille, some of the trim items, and the glass.
The interior of the Alfetta is mostly complete, with a couple of small trim pieces and the radio being the most visible items that are missing. If we are considering this purely as a parts car, the interior does have a lot to offer to potential buyers. It would appear that the seats might present well if cleaned thoroughly. The console looks like it is in a restorable state, while the steering wheel, door trims, and the gauges also look quite respectable. There will undoubtedly be a multitude of small screws, clips, trim pieces, and switches that will add to the parts haul. When you add all of those items to the potential catalog of exterior pieces, the Alfa looks like it could potentially be worth the asking price in parts alone.
In its prime, the 1,962cc DOHC 4-cylinder engine that is fitted to the Alfa would have produced 115hp. This power would have found its way to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual transaxle. It isn’t clear when this engine last fired a shot in anger, but the lack of an intake and fuel injection hardware suggests that it probably won’t be coughing into life any time soon. The fuel injection system could be quite troublesome if the Alfetta were left to sit for an extended period, and more than a few owners resorted to sourcing an intake from an earlier engine and bolting on a Weber or Dellorto carburetor. This addressed that problem very effectively, and when appropriately tuned, also managed to extract a few additional horsepower from the engine. The lack of this hardware makes me wonder whether this type of issue may have afflicted this car, and led to it being parked in the first place. If the engine turns freely, then there is a reasonable chance that it might be able to be salvaged. The transaxle could be prone to issues, especially with the 2nd gear synchromesh, if treated harshly. If it is in good health, then that is a real bonus.
My heart says that this 1975 Alfetta GT is a viable restoration project, but my head tells me that its ultimate fate will almost certainly be as a parts car. I could be wrong on that score, and given the affection I have for these little Italian classics, nothing would make me happier than to be mistaken. At the end of the day, if someone is well down the path of restoring a GT and is in search of some genuine Alfa parts, then this is a car that could be well worth the asking price. What do you think?
By the time you got done tackling the rust alone you would be broke, unenthusiastic, and probably committed by your relatives. Parts car.
1 Clean and sell the interior
2 install two weber style carbs (missing) china now makes them for about 150bucks each (just like the china turbos)
3 patch any rust and install a rollcage
4. Go rally racing/ rally cross
Avoid the Weber clones made in China; the only thing “licensed” about them are the general blueprints and the Weber name/logo. They are not made to the same exacting tolerances as the genuine articles made in Italy or Spain, which makes them impossible to tune properly.
Things to watch for: genuine Webers have the name/logo and “Made in Spain” (or Italy for really old ones) cast right into the body, which is left with a dull/rough finish, and those with an electric choke have a translucent white plastic choke cover. The Chinese clones just have the name/logo on a decal or tag, with a smooth/shiny bright-dipped finish, and a black plastic choke cover.
These cars are rapidly appreciating and a few have sold in the $30-40k range. I think I saw one low mileage car sell in the $70s. (Previous generation GTVs are through the roof expensive, now.) Depending on the rest of the drivetrain and body, and how much work you do yourself, this could be a very nice project. All Alfas have rust. It is just a matter of how you want to tackle it. Parts are expensive in the US but cheap in Europe and they get here just as quickly from some shops. I would seriously consider this if I had room in my warehouse for it. As it is, I would not be surprised if Gullwing or BHCC picks it up and tries to sell it for $5 or 6k.
Hard to believe anyone would pay 30-40k for a 4 banger GTV…. It’s the V6 that is desirable
Best as a parts car.
If it were closer I’d take a chance on it for $500!! I like the rally cross idea that was mentioned but if you addressed the mechanicals and made it road worthy it might be a fun little car!!! As it is it would cost me double the asking price to get it shipped!!
We were racing Mini stocks back in the early 1990s. The first couple of years all sorts of car models entered, but eventually nearly everyone ended up building a 2300 fox body coupe – that was the dominating car until someone showed up with one of these. The Alfa started last every week , but would get by 25 cars every week and win, so much so that they outlawed the car for the next season !
This would make a great LeMons race car.
For $500, who cares. You probably spend more on starbucks in a year.
Le Mons might not let this one run if the structure is rusted as bad as everything around the windows etc. Blow the picture up. Kind of scary. Was service manager for the Alfa dealer in OKC in ’84 when they returned to the states. Owner ran one in SCCA road races and it was almost stock and plenty fast.
Worth 500 bucks, if it was closer I would have another alfa.
The windshield rust is common on these, to fix it properly is expensive and you have to remove the wind shield. On a 500 dollar car I would kludge it and just make sure it doesn’t leak.
Getting the carbs could be fun. I am partial to dellorto and webers, but I have heard both good and bad about the cheap Chinese stuff. I just got a dual carb manifold for an Alfa for 150 bucks so deals are out there.
Throw away the bumpers they are massively heavy things. Fiberglass euro replicas exist.
Have fun with it. Yes it is going to break but fiddling with these is half the fun.
Yeah it’s probably not worth fixing unless you’re an Alfa fan. But ironically it’s more complete and in way better shape than many Camaros, Mustangs and Mopars on this site going for $10-20k.
Totally Deceptive Seller! ! ! These pics were taken long ago when purchased. The car has sat outside for years, completely rusting away. Rear hatch glass has slide down due to rust, and now the elements have destroyed the interior.