Restored Alfa Romeo 75 V6 for sale
Never the best looking Alfa to grace British roads - but this 75 probably has more going for it than ever...
Alfa Romeo is very good at making ordinary cars exceeding good-looking. There are far too many to name here, but the Giulia turns just as many heads now as it did ten years ago while the Stelvio is one of the few D-segment SUVs that isn’t totally deprived of style. Even those that aren’t conventionally pretty, like the SZ and 156 GTA, still draw a crowd of giddy Alfaholics like a month to a flame.
Nothing exemplifies that Alfa magic better than the 75. It’s far from the company’s prettiest cars, and the proportions don’t seem to quite work no matter which angle you view it from. But compared to other three-box saloons of the '80s and '90s, the 75 was pure theatre. The unapologetically blocky proportions, chunky lights and black side stripe running from nose to tail made rivals such as the E30 BMW 3 Series look rather plain. It got even wilder when Alfa turned the wick up, with Twin Spark packing beefier arches, deeper skirts and a boot spoiler, followed by the brutish 3.0-litre V6, similar to the car you see here.
Again, it’s not the prettiest Alfa but, boy, does it look right. The chunky air dam at the front, the even meatier arches and bulky rear bump all accentuated the 75’s less flattering angles, but the Turbo Evoluzione-mimicking looks just oozed purposefulness. It (arguably) sounded better than the racers, too, with a 3.0-litre Busso V6 burbling away to a 5,800rpm and 192hp being sent to the rear axle through a five-speed manual gearbox. Coupled with that was a properly sorted chassis, some might even say over-engineered, with inboard rear brakes and a limited-slip differential coming as standard. So while it may look a bit all over the place, everything underneath was much more considered.
This example, however, is no standard 75. This probably doesn’t come as a surprise, because even the most cherished examples don’t look as tidy as this. It’s been treated to a comprehensive restoration by Alfa specialist Alex Jupe, which involved stripping the car back to the bare metal before fixing glass-reinforced plastic wheel arch extenders and Veloce bodykit. The whole thing was then resprayed in the original colour (AR555 for you Alfa geeks), and finished off with anti-corrosion protection for its underbody, cavities, inner arches and chassis rails. The interior’s been given a spruce up as well, with crisp-looking Recaro seats and an immaculate three-spoke Momo Prototipo steering wheel.
Everything you can see looks to be in superb condition, and so too should be all the bits you can’t. Along with a cosmetic makeover, part of this 75’s restoration included an engine rebuild at 87,000 miles. A few upgrades were thrown in for good measure, including high compression pistons from the SZ, plus uprated cams, tensioner, hoses and a lightweight flywheel. On the chassis side, the diff has been rebuilt to factory spec, while the brakes and suspension have been upgraded to AP Racing and RS Racing items respectively.
Restomod has become a bit of a dirty word these days, but perfectly sums up what’s been done here. It looks just like any other V6-engine, Veloce-kitted 75, though it’ll likely drive a whole lot better, feel considerably more spritely and surely won’t be as high maintenance as an original, unrestored version. The ad claims the seller has spent £50k getting it into its current state, which makes the £34,995 asking price seem a little easier to swallow. It’s still on the high side for a 75, as the old four-door hasn’t appreciated in quite the same way as, say, a 156 GTA has, but that just means you’re getting the full classic Alfa experience (hopefully without the headaches) for the same price as a used Giulia Quad.
The looks however, what on earth were they thinking with that side swage line going up and down? It looks like the chassis had cracked at the bulkheads and it was hanging on for dear life.
Bet it's a lovely drive though-takes me back to my old Nürburgring days when Ron Simmons ran his raging fleet of 75s causing regular yellow and red flags. I recall one setting itself on fire down at Stavelot in Spa!
RE: Coupled with that was a properly sorted chassis, some might even say over-engineered (...)
> The 156 and 147 also are over-engineered, although many don't bother to find out
These cars are hard as nails and with proper maintainance and love they'll last. Yes, even the body parts.
Over here in the Netherlands is a real revival of 80s and 90s cars driven by young blokes. Well, under 40 that is.
A 75 V6 is a kit that can tail a 911 3.2 for quite a few miles. And it sounds better.
Had a really nice balance to them hence why RSR picked them as training cars rather than other cheap rwd’ers
Read an article where Ron Simons reckoned the 4-pots were even better handling but you lost the V6 noise
Plus the vid with Dale in the wet at the Ring is a good watch
Don't understand the bumper fitment comments. It looks absolutely fine to me. It's an '80s car, not a brand new Rolls Royce. Price doesn't seem that mad either given what other cars of a similar vintage are being advertised for.
The UK modified cars they called "Veloce" looked terrible, agreed. I wonder what Alfa Romeo had to say.. (They're probably busy dealing with Agnelli in 1987..). The italian Alfa's looked great IMHO. Both the 2.0TwinSparks and the 3.0 "America" with the impact bumpers (they were heavy tho).
Especially with 164 QV wheels, like my 1990 3.0 here:
Std 75 3.0 V6 from factory:
The car the SZ was based on, in some form or other. If this has a fraction of the SZ’s dynamics and sound it will be fabulous. I wasn’t a fan of the 75’s looks but time has worn me down and in a word of homogenised blandness this really appeals.
A couple of years ago I would have snapped this up but after losing a lot of thousands on a hasty integrale purchase, my silly car buying funds are depleted.
Quality interior-wise is truly horrible - my Fiat Argenta's like a Mercedes Benz in comparison - and they rust absolutely everywhere (except outer panels!) but driving it is sublime
but drive one on your favourite B-road, and not many can keep up... (certainly not a 155 V6) Even if its less 50/50 than the 4-cyl its still really balanced with its transaxle, my mate could not keep up in his E92 M3.People only see the exterior of these and do not realize how absolutely NO-COMPROMISE these 116-platform cars were. The more you look into suspension, geometry, dimensions you realize its truly an chassie-engineer's wet dream for a "Fast Car For 4 People". At all four wheels the focus was: Low Unsprung Weight. So, front torsion suspension, double A-arms, fully adjustable caster etc. Rear: DeDion rear suspension incl. clutch, gearbox, differential & inboard brakes.
No wonder production was more expensive than 155 which was plain Fiat Tipo underneath + parts of the exterior (same windows)
To me that looks just about perfect. Balance and proportion are built in with adjustability from the driving seat being the factor.
No gimmicks or aids and probably sublime noises to accompany the driving experience.
For the money asked, if I could I most likely would.
Had a really nice balance to them hence why RSR picked them as training cars rather than other cheap rwd’ers
Read an article where Ron Simons reckoned the 4-pots were even better handling but you lost the V6 noise
Plus the vid with Dale in the wet at the Ring is a good watch
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