When people say “Alfetta”, the image that usually comes to mind is of the gorgeous Giugiaro-designed GT and GTV coupés, but both these very desirable cars were based on a fairly ordinary-looking and almost forgotten saloon.
That saloon was introduced in 1972 as the Alfetta, or Tipo 116, designed to succeed the charismatic and very popular Giulia 105 series, and cars bearing the Alfetta name would be built until 1987, a pretty decent production run, throughout which the range benefitted from various upgrades and facelifts too numerous to go into detail here. As it is, we’re going to focus on the saloon, or Berlina, as that’s what our Prime Find is this week.
Unlike the stylish coupés, the Berlina is as conventional a three-box design as you could have, unfussy and well proportioned but with little in the way of interesting styling cues, although the four-headlamp set up carried over from the 1750 and 2000 gives the Alfetta a purposeful front end. It did have one major distinctive mechanical feature, in that the entire gearbox assembly was at the rear of the car, intended to give more balanced weight distribution and better handling, although this promise was one that remained unfulfilled, at least according to professional road testers.
Throughout its long period on sale, the Alfetta had several rivals; the likes of the Triumph Dolomite Sprint, FIAT 132, BMW’s 5 series, SAAB’s 99 and the Audi 80 among others all provided stiff competition– more on this later.
Just some of the Alfetta’s competitors over it’s lifetime
Only one engine was available to begin with, a 1.8-litre four-pot, and it wasn’t until three years later that a 1.6-litre unit was added to the range, which was visually distinguishable by virtue of its single round headlamp set up. The 1.8 was renamed Alfetta 1.8 and mildly restyled, and in 1977 the range was expanded with the launch of the Alfetta 2.0, which replaced the Alfa Romeo 2000. Engine output was now 122bhp, and the car was given a new front end with single rectangular headlamps – I’m not sure which I prefer.
Towards the end of 1981, the range received a facelift for the following year, comprising 1.6, 1.8, 2.0 and 2.0 diesel versions, with all models getting upgraded interiors as well as black rubbing strips and side sill mouldings among other minor visual changes. A new top of the range model, the Alfetta Quadrifoglio Oro (Gold Cloverleaf) was added in the summer of the following year, and one last set of improvements was made in 1983 including new bumpers, grille and tail light arrangements, a redesigned dash and much more. A 2.4-litre turbo-diesel replaced the old 2.0-litre, and the Quadrifoglio was given electronic as opposed to mechanical fuel injection.
Manufacture of the Alfetta Berlina ended in 1984 as it was replaced by the Alfa Romeo 90, although the GT and GTV continued to be built until 1987. Around 450,000 Berlinas were sold in all. In its original incarnation, the Alfetta received general praise from the motoring press, especially for its performance – with 120bhp available, the 1.8 could reach 112mph/185kph – high speed cruising ability, noise suppression and stability. Motor Sport magazine’s June ’74 test also had positive comments about the Alfetta’s fit and finish, but criticised the driving position, a common complaint about Italian cars, and felt the car didn’t deliver on the superior roadholding and handling promised by the unconventional gearbox layout. Nevertheless, the magazine went on to say that the Alfetta “knocked most of its competitors into a cocked hat”.
A test of the 2.0-litre version four years later by the same magazine was more positive, calling it an “ inspiring, lively and delightful car to drive” and even finding the driving position less “Italian”. In 1975, CAR magazine carried out a comparison test with the Dolomite Sprint and SAAB 99, with the Italian car deemed to comprehensively beat the Dolly and also edge out the Swede. By 1983, however, and despite the facelift of the previous year, the Alfetta was beginning to show its age and an Alfetta 2000 came a distant third to a Renault 18 Turbo and Audi 80CD.
On to our Prime Find, which we have already revealed to be an Alfetta Berlina, a 1975 1.8 model, to be precise, so quite an early example. This one has had just three owners in it’s 47-year life, and covered a meagre 58,682km in that time, a little over 1,000km a year, so this is already an unusual Alfetta. Also unusual is the fact that it is completely unrestored, still wearing its original coat of sand paint and according to the Lugano-based selling dealer, is completely rust free – not something you can say about many Alfa’s of this vintage. They also claim the underside to be equally clean, although the dealer does not claim the car to be completely without blemish.
The interior – finished in black vinyl – is also said to be in excellent condition, testifying to the car’s low mileage and said to be in “near perfect condition” – it certainly shows little sign of wear in the photos. The car has just had an extensive €3,600 service from an Alfa specialist, and comes with its original tools, two sets of keys, handbook and other documentation.
The photographs that we have borrowed from the advert certainly seem to bear out the claims regarding the car’s condition. The sand/beige paint wouldn’t be my first choice but with everything else this example seems to have going for it, I guess it’s an acceptable compromise for someone looking for an exceptional example of one of these now-rare Italian sporting saloons – I doubt there are many like this one left.
The price? Well, the asking is £16,700, not cheap for one of these, but while I have found a few available for c.£12,000 there is at least one more in the same price bracket, and as usual, I would imagine condition is all, plus this one is barely used. You can check the car out for yourselves here, and as always, we recommend arranging an inspection if possible, especially if you’re some distance from Lugano, where it is for sale through a private owner.
With our Saturday instalment of Prime Find of the Week, we’re offering our services to the classic car community, by passing on our favourite classic car for sale from the week that passed. This top-tip might help a first-time-buyer to own his first classic, or it could even be the perfect motivation for a multiple-classic-car-owner to expand his garage with something different. We’ll let us be inspired by anything from a cheap project to a stunning concours exotic, and hope that you will do the same.
Just remember – Any Classic is Better than No Classic! We obviously invite our readers to help prospective buyers with your views and maybe even experiences of any given model we feature. Further to that, if you stumble across a classic which you feel we ought to feature as Prime Find of the Week, then please send us a link to primefindoftheweek@viaretro.co.uk.