Update December 15, 2016: Someone has been busy! This car has surfaced five and a half years later at Fantasy Junction with a comprehensive restoration and a $79,500 asking price. It’s satisfying when you see a car come full circle. Anyone know who did the restoration? Some things aren’t exactly to factory original – but a Veloce spec 1400cc engine build is a nice thing to have.
Handsome devil!
Update November 11, 2016. This car is listed on ebay again out of Greenville South Carolina. It’s funny to read my old write up – so earnest! This car has been improved a tiny bit – most notably with Sprint seats being added, but still has a few things that could be improved if the new owner so desired. Or not.
Still a good looking example. This dealer had a Giulietta TI listed recently. Very little distortion on the side of the body in the reflection.
Having this blog to look back on is pretty neat – I get to revisit my younger self, see what I thought about stuff, and reflect on what’s changed. Most people can probably relate to how it feels when they discover an old essay they wrote for school, or a set of pictures from some big event in their life – a very human mix of nostalgia, slightly embarrassed introspection and my-god-where-has-the-time-gone reflection on changing priorities. Anyway, I was doing some house keeping and found this post. I think it is as useful now as it was then.
Me in a younger mans clothes – a few days before I wrote this post. How’s the Sprint Veloce doing Corey?
From July 30, 2008: Cleaning up the differential housing was one of those jobs I resisted doing for a while. Every time I looked at it the 2 hours of scraping, solvent bathing and degreaser scrubbing I would have to do flashed before my eyes and I found something else to do. Last week I rearranged a lot of my stuff to fit the Berlina in my space and found myself once again faced with this greasy lump in a tray sitting on my bench top waiting for me to clean it. It was time to face the subject of so much procrastination.
The housing was covered in a thick coating of dirt that had bonded with oil and built up over the years. To save time and solvent I used a small scraper to remove the big stuff. By the time I was done I had removed probably three pounds of the caked oily dirt.
Greasy oily goo scraped off easily, but there was so much of it that it took about an hour to get it ready for a solvent bath.
Update October 21, 2016: I feel like a bit of a secret agent when I go through posts on my site and find an old post about a car currently on the market. This Sprint Speciale is doing time at Fantasy Junction my local emporium of rarified cars whose prices remind me I should have studied Finance rather than Engineering. FJ has it priced at $139,500 – the going rate for SS’s on dealer showroom floors these days. Interior and engine compartment have been extensively improved. I’ll try and stop by in the next few days to experience the rare non-virtual impression.
Everyone loves a good horizon shot! Look the reflection of the horizon along the body – a neat effect. The left grill bar on this car looks a tiny bit droopy in every picture – not sure if it’s an illusion or what. Looks great!
Update October 13, 2016. Another success story. Eight years ago almost to the day this car was a stalled project, looking like a few bucks and hoping for rain in the form of a value bump enough to be worth tidying up and putting back together for either enjoyment or resale. That rain came.
I like the color combo and the restoration was done by a Giulietta specialist well known for quality work in Alfa circles. I’m guessing that a discussion about a purchase price around the $44,000 asking could buy it. I’m also guessing everyone involved would be happy since it’s very likely better in person as it looks in pictures.
It’s strange to think you can become immune enough to the charms of something like this that you lose the wonder and awe you felt the first time you saw one. Gotta get my steel and aluminum 3D printer working.
Update October 12, 2016: Nice to see this charming project making a fresh appearance. The times have seriously changed since late 2009 / early 2010! This model has surged in value, parts availability has improved a bit, and getting quality work done has gotten much more expensive and necessary. On top of that, my taste for ragged drivers has diminished a bit (see my original comments below for a laugh).
The car has been soda-blasted and treated to some metal repairs that look to have been competently done. It comes with many of its original parts that 6 years ago were slated to be sold separately. Good deal.
Looks like the same car from many moons ago. What’s that blue thing sitting next to it? I watched a friend repair a bunch of metal in a car like this, that started out looking about this good. Was quite an ordeal, and not in any way cheap.
I’m going to guess the seller is several years into getting it to this point. Hopefully pictures prior to application of primer are available. It really is a lot of work, so documenting it is important if you want to get the value from the work.
Update February 3 2016: This car has come back on the eBay market out of New York. It’s sold as a car with one owner for over 30 years – but I think that can be said for many many Giuliettas that come on the market – even mine! Interesting counterpoint to the Sprint out of Mexico I wrote about yesterday.
Bravo on a nice picture. I like the new yellow headlamps. I’m still at odds with the wire wheels. We’ll see how much value the clover leaf stickers and headlamps add.
Update January 12 2012: I have it on good word that this car has been sold.
Update January 7 2012: The time they are a changin’ for our favorite little coupe. Just 18 months ago this 750B Sprint 08689 struggled to reach $25,000 on eBay, and now, today it is listed for $64,500 by Fantasy Junction with a big ‘Sale Pending’ sign under it. It looks amazing in the photos, and with a two liter engine should be a blast to drive, but this price for an Abnormale? I guess.
A little wide in the stance with these wire wheels. Attention to detail is impressive, as is the coat of shine.
