A bit of an ugly duckling, sure, but they've certainly got charm...
The Alfa Romeo 75 is probably a car that is never going to win any beauty contests and, being a car developed by Alfa in the 1980s, it's probably not what you'd call a low-maintenance proposition.
Like all 75s, it gets near-perfect weight distribution, courtesy of rear-wheel drive, a five-speed transaxle and rear brakes mounted centrally on the axle (though that doesn't sound ideal from a maintenance point of view).
Unlike all 75s, however, this is one of the final 1,000 produced (number 713, to be precise). As with all of the final-run 165hp Turbos, this meant it got Recaro seats, special alloys (not the OZs in the picture), leather-covered gear knob and steering wheel, and a numbered plaque on the dash. But while it's obviously a tasty and well-preserved car - and a seriously rare one - we're not sure it's £12.5K rare...
...And we did say 'one of the coolest' 75s, because the same dealer also has this 1987 Alfa Romeo 75 Turbo Evoluzione for sale. Around 500 of these oh-so-80s beasties were produced to satisfy Group A touring car homologation requirments.
Sadly, their racing cousins' careers were hardly covered in glory. Although the works Alfa Corse hired such hands as Nicola Larini, Gabriele Tarquini, Alessandro Nannini, Jacques Laffite and even Mario Andretti to compete in the 1987 World touring Car Championship, the team failed to achieve any success, and Alfa withdrew after the European rounds of the series.
But the legacy of that ill-fated programme is one of the more obscure and intriguing homologation specials of the 1980s. You'll have to pay through the nose for it though: the seller wants £24,500 for this one.
Alfa Romeo 75 1.8 Turbo QV limited edition Engine:1,779cc four-cylinder turbo Transmission:5-speed manual Power (hp):165@5,800rpm Torque (lb ft):167lb ft@2,600rpm MPG: na CO2: na First registered:1992 Recorded mileage:76,000km Yours for: £12,500
I had a two litre Twin Spark for a number of years in the 1990s. Did over 100,000 miles in it. It remains my favourite car that I have ever owned.
There is no way that I would pay that sort of money for a 75, but from time to time I dream of finding an immaculate 3 litre or Twin Spark. There used to be a garage called Lombarda Sport that did fantastic looking rebuilds on 75s with lovely Momo leather interiors, not sure if they are still around.
I've hankered after a 75 for a few years now but never owned one. I do remember being tempted by an Evoluzione for sale at a used car dealership near Rome when I lived there in the late 90's - 00's. It was on their forecourt for 7.5k IIRC....
Was looking at these just yesterday. Love the 75's. When i was a teenager dad had a twin spark in white with revolution alloys and a red 3.0 V6. Got to drive them on occasion and i have always had a soft spot for them.
Regarding these two am i the only one who thinks the pricey one with red wheels looks rubbish compared to the other? The rear wheels look like space savers ffs!
Amazing how values for old Alfas are creeping up now - noticed pre-90s Spiders are starting to go through the roof (har har) too. Perhaps the public is slowly waking up to the brilliance of old Alfas (judging by the number of Mitos and Giuliettas I'm seeing around London, they're certainly awake to the new ones!) and pushing the prices up accordingly. Or else, Alfa nuts are just, er, nuts.
if they get 12k for that car i will run the london marathon naked, not a pretty sight. (like the car). in fact if someone is prepared to give over £1,500 i will buy them a white jacket and straight jacket to go with it,
I'm sticking with the consensus view, the cars look great, but that is a crazy price!
Funny how a lot of cars that weren't "lookers" at the time now look so great, I guess it's a reflection of far too many bland similar looking boxes on the road nowadays (wow I'm sounding old).
