1976 Alfa Romeo Spider 2000 – Project Profile
October 6, 2022
Abandonment can often be the basis on which we can see the true measure of a car’s beauty. Take this 1976 Alfa Romeo Spider 2000 Veloce for example. It has holes in it big enough to sublet to the London Underground. It wears a coat of thick, brown… something. The glass is opaque with filth, the chrome is a faded, dulled shadow of its former self. Yet this, this little Italian gem, is beautiful. Okay, it’s beauty with a beguiling precursor now, but it’s beautiful all the same. If this was a Ford Mondeo, you would have stopped reading a few sentences ago. A Vauxhall Astra? Pop it in the bin. An Alfa Romeo though? No, it’s not deserving of an end so unceremonious. Even in this tired, barn-worn state, it’s worth trying to afford it another shot at life, right? This is no weekend project, of course. And it’s going to take a lot of effort, a lot of money and a lot of fettling before it hits the road again, but it would be so very worth it.
View the auction for this 1976 Alfa Romeo Spider here.
What is it?
What we have here is a 1976 Alfa Romeo Spider 2000 Veloce. And some rust. Okay, a lot of rust. But, and here’s the big selling point, this slice of Italian potential is on our auction platform with no reserve, so if you stick in the highest bid, it’s yours, simple as that. And remember, what you bid is what you pay. As such, this could be quite the bargain. Mint examples for a Spider of this era can be north of £25,000 without breaking a sweat. Plus, this is a second-generation model, meaning that it still has some of the delicacy and lightness of the original ‘boat tail’ version. Something the later models lacked. Fitted with that legendary 2.0 Alfa Romeo twin-cam engine mated to a slick five-speed manual transmission, there’s a stunning driver’s car just waiting to be once again unleashed. You’ll just need to do a bit of work first.
Why is it a project?
Well, that should be pretty obvious by now, right? The rust has got in and it has had a party. This 1976 Alfa Romeo Spider has been hidden away since 1987, and those years show. The wings, the arches, the pillars, the doors – everything will need restoring. But, it looks like a great deal of it could be saved and repaired. It was driven into its resting place, and hasn’t been touched since. It wasn’t a case of putting the car away because something failed. Externally, there is a lot to be done. But, it went into storage as a ten year old car, as such, it’s never been restored in the past. This is a good thing, as it means you will be the first person to lay tools on it. No unpicking of endless bodges, nothing is hidden, nothing has been doctored to make it look better. This car’s honesty is what makes it worth considering. And look at that interior. There are some splits, as one might expect, but other than that it’s all remarkably original bar the additional speaker and roll bar. This car is a restorer’s dream.
What we’ve seen:
We don’t need to do the typical ‘five things’ here, as this an auction car, so one of our staff have seen it in person. As such, we thought we’d report back with some of our findings. Though do have a read through the very, very comprehensive auction listing as well. We know the engine hasn’t been touched, and by that we mean nobody has put a spanner on in to see if it turns. We know the car has no keys, so the steering is locked (they were lost, the car comes with full paperwork). It’s only covered 83,532 miles over the course of its life. The underside looks to be in pretty decent condition – it’s just the body that lets things down. The interior is all original. And finally, the car is complete. But again, have a good read of the auction listing for more detail.
What should you do with it?
Bid, buy and then enjoy the journey of restoration that will follow. Parts are readily available – especially the mechanical stuff – as are expert specialists, clubs and online forums. There is plenty of support to help you get this done. Get it back to your workshop, get it stripped down and then just enjoy the build. Do it with the kids or the grandkids, make it an adventure, and then when the day comes that it fires up again for the first time, the moment will be so much sweeter. Plus, if you do as much work as possible yourself, you should end up with a car worth a few bob, too. Restoration projects don’t come more honest, and more exciting than this.
