1988 Alfa Romeo 75 – Project Profile

There is little that stirs the soul as much as the rorty noise of an Italian V6 engine, especially when that engine comes from the Alfa Romeo stable. When it comes to the V6 engine, there are many out there that are, arguably, better. But there are few as soulful or as – and this is weird to say for an engine – as pretty as the mighty Busso V6. Open the bonnet on a Busso-equipped Alfa and your eyes are in for a treat. Fire it up, so are your ears. Jump in the car and drive it, and every other sense will be giddily dragged into the party. Italian cars are not for the logical, the sound of mind or the sensible. You buy an Alfa Romeo because of passion, you buy an Alfa Romeo with your heart. That’s true of all Alfas, but in the case of V6 models, it’s a concrete fact. 

The Busso V6, a 60-degree angled six-cylinder engine, gets its name from its designer, Giuseppe Busso. A talented engineer, he first penned his now legendary V6 in the late ‘70s. It’s first home was the Alfa 6, with a 2.5-litre capacity. Over the years, however, the engine would range in displacement from 2.0 to 3.2. In the ‘90s, it would gain double overhead cams, it would be cast in alloy and it would have many applications such as the iconic Alfa Romeo 164, and of course, the 75 featured here. 

What is it?

Many would argue, however, that its finest hour was that of the Alfa Romeo 75. A car built to celebrate three-quarters of a century of vehicle production by the Italian company. The 75 was the last car to be released by Alfa Romeo before Fiat took ownership (the 164 was the last car that would be wholly developed by Alfa) and the car that offered a near perfect driving experience. The best one to have? That’ll be the 3.0 version. 

The 75 was styled by Ermanno Cressoni and was built to replace the Giulietta. It was very much a product of the ‘80s, with strong, angular lines and wedge-shaped body. In humble 1.6 four-cylinder guise it was a handsome beast, but in more sporty and powerful trim levels with arch flares, front and rear spoilers and other visual garnishes it was drop-dead gorgeous. In a boxy, angular way. 

It was also a brilliant car in terms of engineering. It offered a perfect 50/50 weight distribution thanks to the five-speed gearbox being a part of the back axle. The front suspension was torsion bar and shock, while the rear was a clever de Dion tube. Also, the rear brakes were inboard, to help with weight spread. As such, the 75 had exceptional handling, which could be fully exploited when mated to the 2,885cc 185bhp V6. 

Why is it a project? 

This 1989 Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 has fallen on hard times. The vendor states that it’s not been run in a few years, though the engine does turn over and run briefly, which is good. It looks like the car has been stored indoors, because it would have completely dissolved had it not. Alfa Romeos of this vintage love nothing more than to rust, and while this car is clearly not free of tin worm, it doesn’t look to be terminal. However, we can only go off the pictures. Some serious inspection is going to be required. 

The car appears to be eternally complete. Internally, things are a bit different given that it’s been stripped out fro track use. A roll cage has been fitted, much of the trim is gone, there are aftermarket bucket seats and other race car bits and bobs. This is a proper track weapon, or at least it has the potential to be. 

It strikes us as being an honest, if somewhat neglected example of one of Alfa’s best that’s been converted to ‘track’ guise. It’s relatively complete, interior notwithstanding and the vendor seems to be switched on to what the car is. Furthermore, at £2,950 the seller has priced it at a point where, should it be very rotten, you could break it for spares and get your money back. That would, of course, be a shame. Still, it’s nice to know it wouldn’t be a total loss. 

Five things to look for: 

1) Trim

How good has the track conversion been done? There are plenty of so say ‘track cars’ out there that have been bodged to oblivion. This 75 doesn’t seem to be one of those, but still, it’s going to be used on the ragged edge, so it’s worth check things like the installation of the seats and cage and so on.  

2) Engine

You’re only buying this car because it’s got that Busso V6, so check the condition of it. Whip a plug out and get yourself an endoscope camera and have a look deep into the engine. Look at the block for signs of leaks, look for signs of corrosion, the usual stuff. The vendor says it runs, but does it run well? 

3) Body

There are few metals that like to rust more than those of Italian heritage. To make matters worse, the 3.0 75 has a plastic body kit, which holds water close to the body. This means corrosion. Look behind them as best you can, inspect the sills, the firewall, the boot floor, the chassis legs and pretty much anything else. We can already see the rot has taken hold on the C-pillar, so it’s worth looking for more. 

4) Electrics

Not to perpetuate stereotypes, but Italian electrics are generally rubbish. It might be hard to check the functionality on this old 75, but you can look for bodged repairs, cuts to the loom, damage to the fusebox and so on. 

5) Transmission

The transaxle is going to be expensive to replace, so you need to check the condition of it. This should be easy, as the ‘box has been removed from the car. We’d be keen to find out why it was removed? Was it just maintenance, or was it because of failure? 

What should you do with it? 

This car seems to have been consigned to permanent track use, given the vendor says there is no logbook. However, we would be inclined to have a look for the chassis number to see if the car could be registered, at least then you’d be able to get more use out of it. It’s no issue if that can’t be done though. Why not push this V6 beast as far it can go, and turn it into the ultimate track weapon? There are few cars out there at this kind of money that can make you smile as much, and plus, wringing its neck out on track is the best way to hear that glorious Busso V6 sing.