1962 Alfa Romeo Spider

Convertible

4 - Cyl.

Manual

AR 10123.372577

Gasoline

Here is your chance to buy “Christina,” my 1962 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Spider with gobs of potential. Did you see that a Giulia Spider, red with black interior and non-Veloce just like this one, sold for $82,500 at an Arizona auction recently? No kidding! While Christina still needs notable work to be a show car, she is pretty complete and a winning proposition. This is a running car with much of the work finished, and if you work quickly you could even enjoy it at the Alfa Romeo Centennial Convention being held near Washington, D.C. in late June (see www.alfaromeonews.com). Christina's VIN is AR10123.372577. 1962 was the transition year from the 1300 Giulietta to the 1600 Giulia. You'll notice she has Giulietta-style gauges, which are correct, but the tach is Giulietta Veloce spec (it goes to 8,000 instead of 7,000 RPM). 1962 was the biggest production year for Alfa's 101 Spider. 1,182 Giuliettas were built and then 4,241 Giulias. This car's VIN puts it at the middle of the year's production, since the 1962 Giulia run was from 370001 to 375145. I bought this car two years ago from a local Alfa Romeo Club member who had owned it for almost 35 years. He enjoyed it for a few seasons in the 1970s before taking it off the road in 1979 for some refreshing. The work never got finished so it sat in his garage for 30 years! Finally he was moving and decided to sell it. I bought it and towed it straight to my favorite Alfa specialist, Doug Mitchell of Crown Auto. Doug completely rebuilt the engine and reinstalled it and the five-speed transmission in the car, then worked on the brakes and cooling system to make it drivable. He also hooked up the rear lights, brake lights and rear turn signals… it took many months, but it was worth it for the thrill I got in starting and driving this car that had been off the road more than three decades. One important note -- I have the original engine block (AR00112*00584*) but the block that was used for the rebuild is from another 1600 Spider). I have video of the car running and driving, as well as tons of photos of it in its present form and while I was working on it, posted at http://photos.alfa-base.com/GiuliaSpider Every so often, a non-running vintage Giulia Spider “barn find” comes up on e-Bay. If you know that car has not run in a long time, you can expect the worst mechanically and get your wallet ready. This car is the opposite. Its engine is freshly rebuilt, its brakes and cooling system have been revived, hoses and other parts replaced, and so you can focus on completing the cosmetics knowing it is already a drivable car without any major mechanical shortcomings. When I first looked at the car I was really impressed by its overall condition. Other than needing some work on its nose, it was very straight and had much less rust than average. I found no evidence of any serious, chassis-impacting accident damage and I am certain the paint you see on the car's rear quarters, as well as inside the car, is factory original (while it is not salvageable, I left it for now to document the car’s originality). I say this based on removing trim and finding no evidence of any respraying (other than my own) from the windshield back. There was some rust near the battery on the floor of the trunk; I had that repaired before the gas tank was reinstalled. The only place rust was evident on the body was on the front passenger’s rocker panel, a common area of trouble, where a two-inch by two-inch area was affected. The driver’s outer rocker is fine. However, this same front area of BOTH inner rockers had dirt trapped that led to a few inches of rust that should be properly welded to ensure maximum chassis ridigity. There is also a small rusted-through area in that familiar spot where the driver’s heel rests. But overall, this is a very non-corroded vehicle. I did a little archaeology while I was cleaning the car up and discovered that the nose, from about an inch behind the headlights and in front of the hood, has been grafted on. The nose was originally robin’s egg blue, so my guess is that sometime in the 1960s or early 1970s, this car had light front-end damage and that area was cut from a dead Alfa and attached here. The work was not brilliantly done and there has been light cosmetic damage since. If I were finishing the restoration, I would buy a replacement nose (Wolf Steel makes this as a one-piece unit for $800, or you can buy it in quarters). But a good metal person may prefer to salvage what is here instead. After looking into the front end, I decided to do a light repair and paint it to give an idea of how straight and nice the car is overall. While most sellers will brag their car looks better than in photos, this car still has some ripples and issues and the photos if anything might make it look nicer than it is. But, you can tell it won’t be hard to take it to the point of cosmetic beauty. I have considered several uses for this car myself and the next buyer may too. Since it’s so straight and original overall, it’s a worthy candidate for a concours restoration. It also could be more modestly restored and enjoyed in very short order. Finally, seeing it currently stripped of its trim and bumpers, one can’t help imagining it as a track car. It is arguably straight enough for that purpose as it is – you’d want to weld the rockers, but after that slap a number on the side and it might just be good to run! I have driven the car short distances and it probably could go longer distances as it is. It has lots of pep and energy, and the engine feels very strong and ready, runs clean, and sounds great. There are a couple of missing pieces that will help it run even better: The air filter canister (this can be replaced with an aftermarket air filter, especially if you choose to switch to a Weber or other carb from the original Solex) and the choke cable. The steering needs an adjustment as it sometimes feels loose. The transmission works nicely in all five forward gears, but you have to keep a hand on it in reverse gear or it pops out. Not in my opinion worth repairing since it otherwise functions well. The interior is mostly complete. The seats and door panels and hardware are there, and the dash has its fitments, including a period radio. There is no carpeting or rubber mats, and no spare tire. The windows are in great shape but not mounted. The seats’ stuffing is dry from the many years in storage. They should be redone at some point but they’re complete and not as damaged as many. The passenger’s seat brackets were rust-eaten so that seat is sitting loose, but I am including replacement brackets. I have most, if not all, exterior trim for this car. I took photos of the parts that aren’t mounted near it, but just for your peace of mind here’s a list and a grade for the condition (purely in my own opinion), where “MIA” is missing (likely can be found), 1 is lousy, 5 is average and 10 is like new. I didn’t include some parts that are mounted if their condition is obvious. · Grill with emblem, 7 · Front bumpers, 8 · Front grill bars, 7 · Front “eyebrows”, 8 · Headlight rings, 9 · Headlights and buckets, 10 · Hood chrome strip, 5 · Windshield trim, 8 · Hood hinges, MIA · Trunk hinges, 6 and 8 · Door handles, outer, left MIA, right 7 · Door handles inner, 9 · Window winders, 9 · Side window glass, 10 · Stainless strips under door, 9 · Pininfarina badges, left 10, right MIA · 1600 badge, 8 · Hubcaps, 7 · Top frame, 6 (I have one that’s a 9 if you need it) · Convertible top covering, 0 · Vinyl cover for top when down, 5 · Rear bumper, 10 As I mentioned above, a twin of this car, stunningly restored, sold for $82,500 this year. Last year I sold another very nice twin, restored but driven, for $33,000, and a similar one to that sold on e-Bay for over $40,000 last month. Any way you look at it, these cars’ value makes them well worth the effort to restore right. That was my plan with this car but I have too much going on to focus on it, and I don’t want it to be in MY garage for the next 30 years. I hope a fellow Alfa nut will see this car, recognize how much of the difficult work I have already done or had done, and will undertake finishing the project. I appreciate any questions that you may have and will try to answer them quickly. If you are in the area I will be glad to show you the car (if not, I’ve posted photos and video for you at http://photos.alfa-base.com/GiuliaSpider). I will be glad to point the new owner to good sources for parts and service for this car. There is also a nationwide network of enthusiasts that you can join through the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (www.aroc-usa.org). I have been active in the Club for a long time and I have a near twin of this car, a 1961 Giulietta that is pictured with it, so I am glad to be a resource to the new owner. The winning bidder should plan to collect this car within two weeks of the auction’s end, unless other arrangements were agreed to during the auction. I’d like a $500 deposit within 48 hours of the auction’s end via PayPal and the remainder via check or money order. As soon as payment clears I will mail the title if desired. I may be able to arrange local delivery at cost, but I do not recommend driving this car away due to it not having some important safety systems (headlights, front turn signals and parking brake) operating. If you send a truck or arrive with one I will assist in loading the car, an easy job since it operates under its own power. Thanks very much for checking Christina out! --Brewster Thackeray