I have owned quite a few Alfa Romeo spiders in my life, going right back to when I was in my early 20s when I had a lovely primrose colored 1976 2000 in London, a great car but as we like to say in England "If you listen carefully, you can actually hear it rusting away!"

Alfa Romeos' iconic spider has been around in many shapes and bodystyles for a very long time, in the 60s they were actually nearly twice the price of Jaguar's world changing EType. The problem with the Italian Spider though, was not only poor body protection leading to horrible rust, but it was also the lack of care and proper maintenance they received as they fell into the hands of people who just couldn't justify spending proper money to keep them in top shape, many cars were repaired very poorly, the dreaded rust, which even affected cars here in California was never addressed properly, more often than not it was simply bodged up. But then, once in a blue moon you find a car like this one........ a totally stunning 1971 Alfa Romeo 1750 Cam tail Spider, a rare car to start with as the 1750's by 1971 were US only cars but a totally rust free and meticulously restored car on top of that.

1971 Alfa Romeo Spider 1750

The subject of a total nut and bolt rotisserie restoration in 1998 this Spider is an exceptional car in a rare color, it was stripped down to all the way to a bare shell and restored the proper way, the US side markers were removed and their openings welded up, giving a much more european look, the floor pans were cut out and correct replacements were spot welded in, doors were hung properly and gaps measured and perfected, before being painted on top, underneath, inside and everywhere else. All of the metal work was done to the highest standards before the shell was repainted in what I believe is Rosso Amaranto, every rubber seal was replaced and a perfect front screen fitted, the soft top bows were blasted and repainted in black enamel. As you can see there are a number of pictures detailing the work from the rotisserie to the paint job and all the way to the interior re trimming, along with these are receipts for well over twenty thousand dollars. There is also a letter there detailing the fact that most of the assembly work was completed by the owner himself, pointing out the fact that there is no cost factored for the hours he put into the build. I don't think you could replicate a car like this today for less than 40K. Along with the body restoration, the motor and transmission were fully rebuilt by a professional shop here in the Bay Area, at the same time the complete suspension was overhauled and detailed including fitting brand new Koni classic shock absorbers, all new bushings, balljoints and stainless steel flexible brake hoses.

There are receipts for a new radiator as well as the rebuild for the fuel injection. The exhaust system was replaced and upgraded with a performance rear silencer. I am informed that the rear axle is from a 1978 model which is a great upgrade as the 78 rear end features a Limited Slip Differential.

The story goes that the car was purchased in 2000 by an Alfa Romeo collector, I m told that he kept this Alfa in a plastic bubble, when he passed away his collection of cars was split up and the 1750 was inherited by his son, from whom I purchased it. The car has sat in his garage under a cover for approx 4 years and it did have quite a few small dings and dents, I took it to my dent guy and he made and absolutely superb job, they are undetectable apart from one small paint crack near the gas flap lid. The paintwork remains superb especially as it is now some 15 years old, I could fault it by telling you that there are some really minor chips as you would expect from simply driving, a couples of light rubbing scratches on the top panels, but these are virtually invisible unless you really look for them. The tires are proper Pirelli 14" but they have age cracking and its time they were replaced. The motor starts easily, it runs beautifully and holds absolutely superb oil pressure, the trans shifts easily, does not baulk or grind and it behaves like its just been rebuilt.

The interior is superb, mats are included that are not shown in the pics, these have served to protect the rubber mats which look as fresh as the day they were fitted.

I am a licensed car dealer located in Pleasanton, California and welcome any inspections before auctions end, please remember this is a 1971 car that was restored to concours standards some 15 years ago and remains superb to this day, California residents will pay all applicable taxes and registration fees, out of state buyers can avoid California fees by having the car trucked out of the state by a properly bonded transport company. Overseas buyers, I can help with shipping, Northern European ports are approximately 5 weeks away and around $1500 port to port

You can call me on 925 789 9825

Auto Services in California

Yuba City Toyota Lincoln-Mercury ★★★★★

New Car Dealers, Car Rental

Address: 1340 Bridge Street, Browns-Valley

Phone: (866) 595-6470

World Auto Body Inc ★★★★★

Automobile Body Repairing & Painting, Used Car Dealers

Address: 140 N Coast Highway 101, Carlsbad

Phone: (760) 753-0035

Wilson Way Glass ★★★★★

Automobile Parts & Supplies, Glass-Auto, Plate, Window, Etc, Door Repair

Address: 2965 N Wilson Way, Salida

Phone: (209) 943-0325

Willie`s Tires & Alignment ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Brake Repair, Tire Dealers

Address: 705 Monterey Pass Rd # B, San-Gabriel

Phone: (323) 604-0905

Wholesale Import Parts ★★★★★

Automobile Parts & Supplies, Used & Rebuilt Auto Parts, Automobile Accessories

Address: 10562 Walker St, Hawaiian-Gardens

Phone: (714) 827-6735

Wheel Works ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Tire Dealers

Address: 521 S B St, Montara

Phone: (650) 525-4517

Auto blog

Fiat Chrysler target 850k sales in China by 2018

Sun, 11 May 2014

Behind the vanguard of numerous Jeep models, two Chryslers, a smattering of Fiats and Alfa Romeos and local production through a joint venture with Guangzhou Automotive Group (GAG), Fiat Chrysler wants to increase sales in China more than six-fold by 2018. The group sold 130,000 cars in China in 2013, the aim for 2018 being 850,000 cars.
Ultimately it's expected that the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Cherokee, Wrangler, Renegade, the coming Grand Wagoneer and a sub-Renegade-sized crossover will either be built in or exported to the People's Republic. The Chrysler Town & Country and 300 will join the export list in 2016 and 2018 respectively, according to a report in Automotive News.
With a number of those vehicles not in production or perhaps even envisaged yet, and others not due on the local market until 2018, it will be interesting to see how Fiat Chrysler plans to achieve the target in the specified timeframe. The joint venture with GAG builds two products now, the Dodge Dart-based Fiat Viaggio launched two years ago - supposedly designed just for China - and the just-launched Fiat Ottimo, a hatchback version of the Viaggio. Fiat projected 300,000 Viagio sales in its first two years, that number has been adjusted downward to 94,000 and there doesn't appear to be an analyst alive that sees a good future for Fiat in China's overrun mainstream market. Still, last year's 130,000 group sales in China is a huge jump from 2012 sales of 66,000 units, but less than half the 300,000 units it projected.

Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #317 LIVE!

Tue, 22 Jan 2013

We record Autoblog Podcast #317 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments regarding the rest of the week's news via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #317
Mitsubishi Mirage

Mazda and Fiat finalize deal for Alfa roadster, next-gen MX-5 Miata

Fri, 18 Jan 2013

Although a little bit later than expected, Mazda and Fiat have signed a final agreement that will bring a next-generation MX-5 Miata to the Japanese automaker and a new roadster to Alfa Romeo. When the proposed arrangement was announced back in May, the two automakers had hoped to seal the deal last year, but it doesn't appear that the production timeline for these cars has slipped any, with both expected to start rolling off assembly lines in 2015.
Other than a shared chassis with a rear-wheel-drive layout, it sounds like the two cars are still planned to be distinct in their own ways from their styling right down to their engines. Mazda will produce both cars at a plant in Hiroshima, Japan, but it isn't clear what role each automaker will play in the cars' developmental process. The big question, of course, is what clever portmanteau name we can come up with, like Toyobaru. Mazda Romeo is the easy choice, but Alfazda might roll off the tongue a little better.
Scroll down for a brief press release from both automakers.

Alfa Romeo Spider 1750 1971 Rotisserie Restoration on 2040-cars

Alfa Romeo Spider for Sale