Resale Rossa: 1971 Alfa Romeo 1750 Spider

Back in the old days before racing cars became mobile billboards for caffeinated cough syrup manufacturers and state run oil companies, racing cars were painted in national racing colors.  white was Germany, green was England, and of course red was for the excitable Italians.  Hence, when it comes time to repaint your old Italian car, red is the go to choice for many.  Find this 1971 Alfa Romeo 1750 Spider for sale in Seattle, WA for $10,500 via craigslist.

The 1971 1750 Spider was equipped with a 1779cc DOHC all-aluminium four.  Unlike most manufacturers that round displacement up, Alfa rounded it down to recall their glorious pre-war 1750’s.  This car is still sporting its SPICA mechanical fuel injection system.  Unfortunately you can see that this car originally left Arese in AR119, Giallo Prototipo or Prototype Yellow but was repainted “resale red” by its previous owner.  The work was done by Vintage Customs in Tacoma, WA, a noted Alfa restorer, so it probably wasn’t cheap.  Too bad though as the yellow is pretty stunning on an early Kamm tail spider with the slim chrome bumpers.

Inside looks usable and not scruffy.  There is a crack in the dash near the driver’s demister and the wheel looks like black plastic, when it should be wood.  However it doesn’t look like the plastic wheel from the cheaper Spider Junior, so maybe it is painted. Oh yeah, the seats have covers on them, so you are probably looking at a grand to redo them right with the correct vinyl and new foams + labor.

The 1750 Spider made its debut in 1969 with the same boat tail as the earlier 1600 Duetto.  In 1971 the tail was lopped off and the Spider was given a Kamm tail, redesigned dash with the bazoom binnacles for the speedo and tach, more angled windshield and revised SPICA system.  It was considered an improvement over the Dutetto’s design at the time and still looks good today, even as the Duetto has gained in stature.

See a better repaint? email us here: tips@dailyturismo.com

Gianni is Daily Turismo’s Pacific Northwest correspondent and resident Alfista.