2k: Meatball on Calzone: 1976 Alf Romeo Alfetta Sedan
The 116 series Alfettas were the replacements to Alfa Romeo’s long running 105/115 series Berlina and GTV. Alfa built prototype Spiders based on the 116 series platform, but the Spider carried on with the 105/115 series platform until 1992. The Alfetta’s use of a de Deion rear suspension and transaxle harked back to the 1950’s Alfetta Grand Prix racers, hence the use of the storied name. They were sold in the US as the Alfetta Sedan and Alfetta GT until 1977, when badges were changed to Sport Sedan and Sprint Veloce, since Americans seemed to think Alfetta meant “little Alfa”. Alfettas don’t get much love from the Alfisti and this ’76 Sedan is no exception. Find this 1976 Alfetta Sedan on Craigslist in Central LA for $2,600. Words and tip from DT reader Gianni.
The Alfetta debuted in Europe in 1972 and in the US in 1975. The cars
in the US were sold with the 2 liter Alfa Nord DOHC engine with SPICA
fuel injection. It’s hard to tell if the car is in AR509 “Rosso Amaranto, but extremely faded or has been treated to a coat of red oxide primer. They do mention it needs work cosmetically and include some photos of typical rust areas, but they are such a poor quality, you’d want to see them in the sun light.
The car is said to run good, and it still uses its original SPICA fuel injection system along with the US emissions air pump system used before Alfa Romeo started using catalytic converters in 1978. Most cars by now have had the air pump removed, the exhaust manifold with the air injectors removed and replaced with a pre-75 manifold and the hose and snorkel from the SPICA intake replaced.
Additionally the seller is including extra bumpers to replace the 100lb US crash bumpers on the car, although they
look like 115 series Berlina bumpers. No interior shots are included in the ad, so you must assume
a family of raccoons has been living inside.
See another tiny Alfa about to hit a post? Send it here: tips@dailyturismo.com
Huge thanks to DT reader/contributor Gianni for finding and writing up this beast! Well done!
DT E-i-C Vince
You didn't get them in the US, but my first Alfa was a 116 Giulietta.
[img] galleryvirusalfa.altervista.org/albums/alfa-romeo-la-storia/giulietta-tipo-116/giulietta-turbodelta.bmp[img]
Same chassis and floorpan as the Alfetta sedan, restyled body and interior. This is the car that in Europe came between the Alfetta sedan and the 75/Milano. It's also the reason the 75/Milano looks so odd – it was designed on tight budget, so they took the centre section of the 116 Giulietta, then raked the C-pillar and put a bigger trunk on it to get more rear seat room and more trunk space. The budget was so tight that they used the same panel pressings. Those weird stick-on plastic trim pieces on the 75/Milano are there to smooth out the style lines from the Giulietta that no longer lined up with the tail and C-pillar on the bigger car.
Anyway, I really quite like a nice Alfetta sedan. Once you take the American bumpers off, put it on good wheels, and resolve the ride height, I think it's an elegantly styled 70s sedan.
One of the unexpected problems they have (beyond the expected Alfa problems) is that the front suspension is by torsion bar, so it is quite difficult to get a front bar that is sporty. In Europe and the Antipodes, this was solved by hunting through wrecker's yards for the torsion bars from a late 2.0 Giulietta as pictured, which were the stiffest torsion bars in the right dimensions, and give a nice/handling compromise.
Got yourself a pantsload of broken link, there, pardner.
Yes, the whole thing went strange side up. The internet seems to have eaten the whole middle section of my post, as well as the picture, inexplicably.
Hopefully, this will work for you AW. Just trying to be of service.
[img] galleryvirusalfa.altervista.org/albums/alfa-romeo-la-storia/giulietta-tipo-116/giulietta-turbodelta.bmp[/img]
[img] galleryvirusalfa.altervista.org/albums/alfa-romeo-la-storia/giulietta-tipo-116/giulietta-turbodelta.bmp[img]
Same chassis and floorpan as the Alfetta sedan, restyled body and interior. This is the car that in Europe came between the Alfetta sedan and the 75/Milano. It's also the reason the 75/Milano looks so odd – it was designed on tight budget, so they took the centre section of the 116 Giulietta, then raked the C-pillar and put a bigger trunk on it to get more rear seat room and more trunk space. The budget was so tight that they used the same panel pressings. Those weird stick-on plastic trim pieces on the 75/Milano are there to smooth out the style lines from the Giulietta that no longer lined up with the tail and C-pillar on the bigger car.
Same chassis and floorpan as the Alfetta sedan, restyled body and interior. This is the car that in Europe came between the Alfetta sedan and the 75/Milano. It's also the reason the 75/Milano looks so odd – it was designed on tight budget, so they took the centre section of the 116 Giulietta, then raked the C-pillar and put a bigger trunk on it to get more rear seat room and more trunk space. The budget was so tight that they used the same panel pressings. Those weird stick-on plastic trim pieces on the 75/Milano are there to smooth out the style lines from the Giulietta that no longer lined up with the tail and C-pillar on the bigger car.
[img] mijnalbum.nl/Foto-YGUKEPMI.jpg[/img]
This the late 2.0 mentioned above?
At the time I thought these were quite attractive, but when it actually came time to buy something in that class I found myself in a Saab 99EMS.
Attractive as it may be, if I somehow decided I had to own an Alfa I'd rather have an earlier Giulia.
I owned pretty much this exact car in the early 1990's. Ended up rebuilding the entire driveline, clutch and brake system. Drove it for a year after that and the Spica started leaking gas into the engine. Scrapped it as the clutch and brake hydraulics had packed it in along with the engine. Pretty poor quality cars. Nothing like the 2 – 105 series cars we have now.