Buying an old race car is always a bit of a gamble, but unfolding its history as you put it back together is half the fun. This 1979 Alfa Romeo Alfetta was purportedly built by the owner of a European specialist shop in Ohio back in the day, and has been taken apart and needs restoration. Fortunately, it appears to have escaped the biggest Alfa boogeyman, which is that of the tin worm. The Alfa does come with most of its engine components needed to put it back into running order, but it’s still every bit of a project. Find it here on eBay with an asking price of $4,500 or best offer.

The Alfetta was offered in sedan and fastback form, and predates the GTV6 which looks nearly identical but had different drivetrain options. The five-seater Alfetta could be spec’d with a variety of four-cylinder engines, and even a turbodiesel. The fastback design was obviously the sportier offering, and this example has been tweaked to get it an even more aggressive appearance. We spy plenty of aero enhancements in the form of a rear spoiler, a huge front air dam, side skirts, and more. It rolls on a set of aftermarket wheels that we often see bolted to vintage Alfas and they fill out the wheel arches nicely.

Of course, the risk in buying an old race car is you never quite know what you’re getting into, especially if the car has been previously pulled apart and put back together again. The fact that the engine is effectively in pieces and that there are parts like a set of coil springs sitting in the cabin indicate (to me, at least) that the Alfetta was pulled out of the rotation and tinkered with occasionally before the project was abandoned in place.The good news is that it seems to have been a fairly tidy build at one time, with the previous owner even keeping the factory passenger seat in place while the driver bucket was swapped out for a racing-appropriate seat. If a matching bucket can be found, you’d at least have the option of putting it back to stock if so desired.

In stock form, the 2.0L four-cylinder engine made around 130 horsepower and about as much torque. I’m guessing the engine that previously sat here was modified a bit to get some more power to the ground, perhaps in the form of a hot cam and exhaust system. The seller notes that in the pile of included engine parts, you won’t find the carbs as those have gone missing, along with a few other components. That’s always the risk in picking up someone’s track toy, as you never quite know what you’re getting until it’s sitting in the garage and you begin the inventory process. Still, if it’s solid in all the right places, this could be a relatively affordable entry into vintage racing.