1977 Alfa Spyder W Weber Type Carbs, Red Euro Springs, Solid Body No Reserve on 2040-cars
Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, United States
Body Type:Convertible
Vehicle Title:Clear
Engine:original 4 cylinder
Fuel Type:Gasoline
For Sale By:Private Seller
Number of Cylinders: 4
Make: Alfa Romeo
Model: Spider
Trim: white/burgundy
Drive Type: 5 speed
Mileage: 82,436
Number of Doors: 2
Exterior Color: White
Warranty: none
Interior Color: Burgundy
This little convertible has long been one of my favorites to drive. When I had the choice of this, a V-12 e-Type Jag OTS, a TR6 and a Porsche Boxster. the Alfa was the most fun to run through the hills and curves of Arkansas. Lively is the best description.
She isn't running right now. My Jag mechanic was baffled by this little Italian car. My health kept me from seeing to her and so she has just sat in a barn. Having given up on getting well enough to enjoy her and all the frustrations with a good mechanic it is time to sell her.
She has had several upgrades while I was driving her. First was the International Red Springs. When this car was imported Alfa, to meet import requirements on headlamp height, simply used a spring that made her an inch higher. She is back the way she was intended and thus improved the ride performance. Having grown increasingly tired of coaxing the mechanical fuel injection I ordered the "Weber" style carbs that were available through International Auto Parts, the Alfa and Fiat parts house. The carbs are marked OER Racing, Type 45U, No. 6-y, Made in Japan.
She is shod with Yokohama AVID H4S P195/65R/14 88H, under a 1000 miles of use. The Clutch Master Cylinder and Slave Cylinder are also new.
The pictures best speak for themselves but she definitely needs new seat covers. The door panels are in nice shape. The dash is cracked. When last she was running all of the gauges were working. The top is shot. It may be the original. The spare tire well has rusted through. I had bought a new well but right now I don't seem to be able to lay my hands on it. The only other significant rust I find is on the right rear fender behind the wheel well. I tapped on it pretty hard and in a spot about 2-2 1/2 inches round is obviously soft and needs to be cut out and replaced.
I took some random photos of the chassis, since the car is on the ground and I don't have ready access to a lift, to give a feel for the condition under.
The diagnosis on the engine is lack of compression, in the front two cylinders I think. Since some creature of the barn did me the favor of feasting on the plug wires, further follow up is made more difficult for me. I have wondered if it needs to be re-sleeved but perhaps it was a failure to reseat the head properly.
The body is straight, I haven't found any evidence of any repairs. It had a bad repaint on it when I bought it. The original paint was not taken down. I can't even tell that it was sanded at all so the repaint is peeling off all over. In a couple placed it has spider webbed. But, all of the panels, save the description above, seem very solid and without dents or marks. The rear bumper is dull and the center chrome piece is missing and the front bumper cover is busted through. There is a tiny dent near the point of the hood which would be of little consideration during a repaint.
I would love to have her fixed up but my clutch leg doesn't work right so I would be getting my hopes up for nothing.
High bid takes her home.
Alfa Romeo Spider for Sale
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Auto blog
Next Mazda MX-5 Miata headed for 2015 Chicago debut
Fri, 17 Jan 2014Twenty-six years after it was introduced at the 1989 Chicago Auto Show, the much anticipated fourth generation Mazda MX-5 Miata will meet the press at the 2015 Chicago show. A piece in Autocar refines some of the details on the larger, lighter Miata that a Mazda insider has said will be "our best-looking car ever."
The company has relented on the quest for the metric tonne, the 1000-kilogram (2,200-pound) target too difficult to achieve in light of cost constraints. You can still expect it to lose a generous dollop of weight - Autocar says a curb weight of 1,100 kg (2,420 pounds) will still make it the lightest in its class. And Mazda will be stressing a fun driving experience through light weight and a modest amount of naturally-aspirated horsepower. Engine capacities of 1.5 and 2.0 liters are expected. Sounds familiar (and good), right?
The Miata's interpretation of Kodo design will be veer from that found on the Mazda3 and Mazda6, with "very clean and simple" lines marking out "more muscular proportions" and elongated bodywork on a longer wheelbase. A stretched engine bay will make room for the current Skyactiv engine and perhaps the future Skyactiv 2 powerplants, initial reports suggesting there could be a 30-percent increase in fuel economy from the moment it arrives.
Next-gen Mazda MX-5 Miata mule spied 'Ring testing
Wed, 23 Oct 2013Fans of simple, lightweight motoring, rejoice - we now have images of the next-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata undergoing testing at der Nürburgring Nordschleife. Now, to be fair, this isn't some lightly camouflaged example that will give us a great peak of what the next Miata, which will also become the next Alfa Romeo Spider, will look like. This is a mule, with the new bits hidden under a current Miata's body. That doesn't mean there aren't a few scraps of valuable information here, though.
According to our flock of camera-toting spies at the Nürburgring, the next Miata is likely to grow a bit, as new models are wont to do. In particular, it will be longer and wider, and the wheelbase is likely going to be stretched, based on the shape of the wheel wells and doors. Both of those factors will add more space in the cabin.
Those are the big indications provided by these photos, but while the MX-5 might be growing, it's a safe bet based on these images that it, and the (likely pricier) Alfa, will retain the classic, long-hood, short-deck styling that so typifies rear-drive roadsters.
Alfa Romeo considering Ferrari-developed engines for new product lineup
Sun, 06 Apr 2014A report in Bloomberg adds more details to the plans for Alfa Romeo's fourth turnaround plan in Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne's tenure, and this time Ferrari is apparently going to be part of the show. In December Automotive News Europe reported that a new Maserati-derived rear-drive architecture would be the centerpiece at Alfa Romeo, as well as coming Chrysler and Dodge products. At the time, ANE said the platform would support a new midsize sedan and wagon perhaps to be called Giulia, a fullsize sedan and a midsize crossover, with retail appearance of the product initiative commencing perhaps as soon as next year. It would be part of Fiat's $12.3-billion spend on new models and European recovery.
The Bloomberg report says that particulars haven't been finalized, but the plan is to have six new Alfas appear over the next five years, two of which would be SUVs. The futures of the Mito and Giulietta, two of the three cars Alfa currently sells and 99 percent of sales last year, aren't assured, meaning that the lineup in six years could be seven cars (including the 4C), six of which we haven't any definitive clue of yet. The top-tier versions of those cars, according to the report - perhaps the Quadrifoglio Verde - "will be equipped with motors developed by Ferrari."
Marchionne wants to get sales up to 300,000 units per year when the lineup is complete, pairing Alfa sales with Jeep's global dealer network to open up the retail channel. That kind of volume would get Fiat's Italian plants back in business properly, even though Marchionne's stance on Italy-only Alfa production would mean the end of the anticipated roadster that was to be twinned with the coming Mazda MX-5 Miata. Alfa's direction will be laid out in Detroit in May as part of the overall strategy presentation for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.