By Cam Tait / Wednesday 18 December 2024 / Loading comments
Alfa Romeo is very clever at making ordinary cars that are incredibly beautiful. There are too many to mention here, but the Giulia turns heads today as it was a decade ago, while the Stelvio is one of the few D-segment SUVs that is rarely utterly lacking in style. Even the conventionally pretty ones, like the SZ and 156 GTA, still draw crowds of Alfaholics as dizzy as a month in front of a flame.
Nothing exemplifies the magic of Alfa better than the 75. It’s far from the company’s prettiest car and the proportions don’t seem to paint no matter what angle you look at it from. But compared to other three-box sedans of the ’80s and ’90s, the 75 was a natural theater. The decidedly chunky proportions, giant headlights and black side stripe running from nose to tail made rivals like the E30 BMW 3 Series look rather plain. It got even crazier when Alfa upped the ante, with beefier arches, deeper skirts and a boot spoiler, followed by the brutal 3. 0-litre V6, similar to the car you see here.
Again, still not the prettiest Alfa, boy does it look good. The big air dam up front, even meatier arches, and voluminous rear hump accentuated the 75’s less flattering angles, but the Turbo Evoluzione-mimicking look simply oozed determination. It (arguably) sounded better than the race cars too, with a 3. 0-liter Busso V6 revving to 5,800 rpm and 192 hp sent to the rear axle through a five-speed manual gearbox. Let’s even say oversized chassis with internal rear brakes and a limited-slip differential as standard. So while it may seem a little all over the place, a lot more thought has gone into everything underneath.
This example, however, is not a popular 75. This probably comes as no surprise, as even the most sought-after examples don’t look as polished as this one. It underwent a full recovery through Alfa specialist Alex Jupe, which involved dismantling the car to steel before fitting the glass-reinforced plastic wheel arch extensions and the Veloce frame kit. Everything was then repainted in the original color (AR555 for Alfa fans), and completed with anti-corrosion coverage for the frame, cavities, interior arches and chassis rails. The interior has also been refreshed, with crisp-looking Reautomobileo seats and a pristine three-spoke Momo Prototype steering wheel.
Everything you can see turns out to be in very good condition, as well as everything you can’t see. In addition to a cosmetic change, part of this ’75’s recovery included an 87,000-mile engine rebuild. Some innovations were made. as a smart move, adding the SZ’s high-compression pistons, as well as advanced cams, tensioner, hoses, and a lightweight flywheel. On the chassis side, the differential has been rebuilt to factory specifications, while the brakes and suspension have been upgraded to AP Racing and RS Racing items respectively.
Restomod has become a dirty word these days, but it perfectly sums up what has been done here. It looks like any other Veloce 75-equipped V6 engine, most likely runs much better, feels much more agile, and actually probably doesn’t require as much maintenance as an unrestored stock version. The directory claims the dealer spent £50,000 to leave it in its current state, making the asking value of £34,995 a little less difficult to obtain. Swallow. That’s still considerable value for a 75, as the old four-door wasn’t enjoyable in the same way as, say, a 156 GTA, but it just means you get the full vintage Alfa delight (hopefully without the headaches). ) for the same value as a used Giulia Quad.
Chat about all things motoring
Discuss more. . .
Win on Sunday, talk about it on Monday
Not everyone is created equal
Meet your hero Matt Bird in person
Do you need to vent?
Get the hottest news, events, and promotions sent straight to your inbox
By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms and conditions. Sometimes our emails include advertisements from our partners. You can unsubscribe at any time.
© 1998 to 2025 CarGurus UK Limited, all rights reserved
PistonHeads® is a registered trademark of CarGurus Ireland Limited
CarGurus UK Limited, 1 Ashley Road, 3rd Floor, Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 2DT
This site is through reCAPTCHA and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
© 1998 to 2025 CarGurus UK Limited, all rights reserved
PistonHeads® is a registered trademark of CarGurus Ireland Limited
CarGurus UK Limited, 1 Ashley Road, 3rd Floor, Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 2DT
This site is powered by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.