1969 Alfa Romeo Spider 1750 Veloce


Details

The Alfa Romeo story began in June 1910 when A.L.F.A (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili) was founded in Milan, Italy. Their first car, the 24hp, was a great success and the Alfa name became synonymous with motor racing in the early years. In 1915 Nicola Romeo took over the company and during war time its focus was on military equipment, however, it wanted to build cars. Soon after the very first Alfa Romeo motor vehicle, the Torpedo 20-30hp, was built.

Through until the 1950’s Alfa Romeo was responsible for some of the most exclusive road cars and most successful race cars ever built. Following the Second World War the company was in financial difficulty and it decided a change in direction was necessary to survive, and rather than hand build luxury sporting cars it decided to focus on mass production. Hence, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint was born. Alfa got the formula right and as testament to the success of this model the car was in production for over a decade from 1954 through until 1965.

Throughout the 1950’s and 60’s Alfa built a number of different models including four door sedans, two door coupes and convertibles, however, regardless of model their cars always had a sporting edge. They were a ‘driver’s car’ first and foremost.

Launched in 1963 the Alfa Romeo 105 Series was introduced to replace the very successful 101 Series Giulietta. Designed by Bertone (Giorgetto Giugiaro) the shape was purely Alfa with many styling cues taken from the Alfa Romeo 2600 and 2000. The first model introduced was known as the Giulia Sprint GT which was powered by Alfa’s proven 1600cc engine. A convertible version known as the Giulia GTC and more powerful Giulia Sprint GT Veloce were subsequently introduced. Other standard models in the 105 Series range that evolved from 1965 were the 1750 GT Veloce, 2000 GT Veloce, GT 1300 Junior and GT 1600 Junior.

In 1966 Alfa Romeo introduced the Duetto, or simply the Spider as it became known, which was a great success and the model remained in production for three decades. The car evolved with technology over time and the engine capacity increased from 1300cc to 2000cc, however, the DNA of these fabulous little cars remained essentially the same.

Today the first generation cars are most highly sought after and its unique ‘osso di seppia’ or ‘cuttlefish-bone’ design is one of Pininfarina’s finest.

Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale a lovely 1969 Alfa Romeo Spider 1750 Veloce.

As confirmed by the Certificato Di Origine on file this particular car was originally delivered new to Newark, New Jersey in the USA. It is a factory left hand drive example (Type 10562) with a production date of the 26th July 1969 that was delivered on the 31st July 1969. The car’s original colour scheme was bianco (white) skai rosso (red) interior.

The car’s very early history is not known, however, it found its way to California and in to the ownership of Jerome Keller. There is small note book on file where Keller kept meticulous records regarding the history of the car. He acquired it on September 18th 1978, at which time the car carried the registration 313 ANH and the mileage was 73,830 miles. The last entry in the book is dated 3rd April 1999 and the odometer is noted at 130,406 miles. Keller owned the car through until early 2001 (as confirmed by the registration papers on file) and it was sold to a J Van De Heuvel in The Netherlands as a ‘restoration project’. The car was restored soon after being acquired by Van De Heuvel and there are body restoration photos on file, dated May 2003, confirming a bare metal body restoration. The car had an engine rebuild in 2015 and shortly after it was offered for sale. The Spider was acquired by an Australian Alfa Romeo enthusiast who lived on the Gold Coast. Immediately after acquiring the car and before importing it into Australia a change in circumstances resulted in him selling the car to a close friend. Whilst still in The Netherlands the car had around $5,000 spent on a suspension rebuild and other miscellaneous works. There is an Import Approval on file dated 21st June 2016 and the car was subsequently imported in to Australia. The car had a Queensland compliance plate fitted in January 2017.

Since arriving into Australia the car has joined a significant collection of classic cars and been used sparingly.

Today the car presents and drives beautifully. The Alfa Romeo white really suits the Spider and even though the paint is fifteen years old it still has a good depth of colour. There are some minor blemishes and imperfections evident in the paint, but overall it is very good. The body and chassis have been extensively wax oiled and the product is visible in places around the car eg under the bonnet, boot, the engine bay and underneath the car. All of the exterior trim, chrome, lenses and the glass are also in good condition.

The cockpit on this little Alfa is ‘just a lovely place to be’. All of the trim is in very good condition as are the carpets, dash, instruments and controls. The soft top is also in very good condition and is a snug fit when put up and most likely water proof!

Being an American delivered car it would most likely have been fitted with fuel injection when new. It is understood that carburettors were fitted to the car when it was in The Netherlands. Mechanically the car looks to be fully sorted and it offers a wonderful driving experience. The engine starts easily and settles into a smooth idle even when cold.  After a short time to warm up, the car is ready to go. These 1779cc engines are perhaps Alfas finest and this one is certainly ‘on song’.  The engine pulls strongly through the rev range, the gearbox is slick and the car steers, stops and handles as one would expect. The car sits on Vredestein tyres and the wheels & hubcaps are also in good condition with no major scrapes or dings.

The car has been extensively wax oiled at some stage and you will see evidence of this and some residue in some of the photos.

Today the odometer reads 06235 km which we understand is the mileage travelled since the car arrived into the Netherlands in 2001.

Accompanying the car is an excellent history file, Alfa Romeo Certificato Di Origine, spare wheel and jack.

These early unique ‘osso di seppia’ or ‘cuttlefish-bone’ design Alfa Romeo Spiders are becoming harder and harder to find, particularly in this condition.


Specification

  • -
  • Alfa Romeo Spider 1750 Veloce
  • 1969
  • Convertible
  • Manual
  • 06235 km
  • 1779 cc

SOLD

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