This 1972 Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV is a desirable model with the larger engine that the company offered in its GTV lineup. More importantly, however, is that the seller claims it is rust-free, despite being laid up for many years. It does not run and has undergone a color change from green to black, but those details don’t matter much on a car as complete as this one. The Alfa was parked in 1991 and left inside, and remains exactly as the seller found it, with perhaps the exception of some fresh air in the tires. A rust-free GTV is worth a fair price whether running or not, and this example is up to almost $8K here on eBay with no reserve.
From here, the first thing you notice is the body appears to be incredibly straight. The shut lines look nice, there’s no obvious dings or dents, and the bumpers also appear free from any major bends or being re-arranged courtesy of a bad parker. The dust is nowadays par for the course when advertising a barn find, as if leaving it unwashed will drive better sales results. Whether it does or doesn’t is up for debate, but it does tap into the desire to be the first one to lay hands on an iconic driver’s car that has clearly been ignored for some time. But given it was parked indoors since ’91, it would seem a longtime owner wanted to keep it out of the elements while it was down for an indefinite count.
The interior is a mixed bag, and actually a little bit worse than expected given the outside appearances. The driver’s seat has definitely seen some heavy use, and there’s enough scattered detritus to present at least a 50% chance there’s been rodents living inside at some point. The dash looks quite nice with no major alterations from stock, and the factory radio appears to still be in place. The factory steering wheel is huge but also a classic feature of Alfas of this vintage, as is the gear shift that juts out of the center stack (the shift knob is missing, however). The door panels appear to be reusable, and the backseat doesn’t show much of any use.
The engine bay features the more powerful DOHC engine that Alfa offered, and looks reasonably complete with the exception of the air cleaner that’s gone missing. The seller hasn’t attempted to start the Alfa or turn it over, so you’re buying this barn find as-is with the potential for finding a locked-up engine under the hood. Still, as it relates to Alfa Romeo GTVs, buying a non-rusty one is your first priority, then you can worry about the mechanical integrity. I’d flip it back to the original green paint, especially since it’s still visible in places like the engine bay. Where do you think this barn find Alfa GTV will hammer home at?
Don’t know about price but a dusty car with the injectors left open and the cheesy seat material falling apart doesn’t do a thing for me, and I’ve always been a fan of the GTVs.
I agree, bobhess, though I must say that a car stored for 29 years will probably need to have everything gone though, so whatever dust has gotten into the engine should get cleaned up during the rebuild.
I’ve got a real “thing” for GTVs, and this one looks like a good basis for a careful restoration. To me, it’d be worth it….
And that tan interior, when reupholstered, would look just right with the green exterior. The owner would likely be underwater after everything is done, but should be really happy with the result.
The seller says he’s not familiar with these cars, it appears he could say the same thing about soap and water.
I can see including one or two pictures showing the car as it was found, maybe even dragging a rare and desirable car you just found to a show without washing it, but not trying to sell it. It’s hard to see a serious buyer paying a premium for a car when it’s hard to determine its condition, especially if it’s not possible for them to inspect it in person. I don’t think anyone is expecting a flipper to professionally detail the car, but spending a few minutes with a hose, sponge and a vacuum will do wonders.
Steve R
Yes, the selling with “patina dirt” concealing everything has been done to death. My price ceiling for dust buckets is $500. What’s next? Offering their vehicles entirely hidden behind locked barn doors?
When I am looking for a used car, I always prefer the washable version.
Far from rust free. Forward jack points show evidence as do the rockers. Opposite the “dirt dobbers” you can see some Swiss cheese. All Alfas were rusting when they left the factory. There’s only one R in Romeo too ;-).
In 1974 my wife asked me to buy an Alfa Berlina. Well, not knowing any better, we went to Alfa-Fiat in Hollywood and bought a Berlina 2000 off the showroom floor. Beautiful car, Prussian Blue, beige interior, the transmission shifted like butter, it went like a rocket wow, what a gas. It turned out to be the worst car of my life, beginning to literally fall apart after 6 months. Things just dropped off in the interior. The chrome on the front bumper began do disintegrate, the car refused to styart in the mornings – it was an absolute disaster. . The Alfa designed Spica fuel injection system imploded at about 3000 miles and I was told to replace the fuel pump with that of a Mercedes 280, since the original was a faulty design — this was told me by an Alfa mechanic. We traded this POS in on a Ford Torino.
I love these cars and am currently restoring a 1968. This is a good start, with much less rust than you usually see, but it is not rust free in my opinion. The passenger crossmember and rocker bottom look a bit suspect, like someone used some filler to patch something. Love the original color combination!
Is it a grey market import? I don’t believe there were any US market Alfa Romeos for the 1968 model year because they were struggling to meet emissions requirements with two Weber carburetors.
OT – But I always thought the 2l bialbero was a perfect engine swap candidate for the Alpine A310.
Said my piece, love this car.
yeah- rust free Alfa? Ha ha ha. No such thing if it hasn’t been touched in decades. This is one of my favorite cars of all time. I agree with Bobhess and RayT.
“The interior is a mixed bag” And too bad you won’t print what I think the bag is full of.
Agree with previous comments. The seller has no authority to claim this car is rust-free. It looks straight but $15000 current bid is all the money for a car which needs everything.
way to much money for the condition
Item location:
Rutledge, Tennessee
I think Wanye Carini started the unwashed barnfind treatment. Somehow it lends authenticity as if you are going to buy it and leave it that way… seems dumb to me.
I think they mean Free Rust, not rust-free!
Ended:Jul 27, 2020 , 7:30PM
Winning bid:US $17,500.00
[ 56 bids ]
Item location:Rutledge, Tennessee,
Re-listed due to Non-responsive high bidder
https://www.ebay.com/itm/293670033273?ViewItem=&vxp=mtr&item=293670033273
Aug 06, 2020 , 6:30PM
Winning bid:US $10,600.00
[ 23 bids ]
Let’s see if this buyer follows through