1961 Alfa Romeo Spider 2000
The 1961 Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider,(Type 102,) is a hand crafted grand touring convertible. A total of 3,443 examples were built by coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring between 1958 and 1962. It featured a 1,975cc twin cam inline four engine with dual Solex carburetors making 115 hp, paired with a floor shifted 5-speed manual transmission.
For consignment, a 1961 Alfa Romeo Spider 2000 showing 50,615 miles, but the true miles are unknown. This presents as a restorable Italian classic with a new top included.
Exterior
Fittingly, Alfa Red is the color used on this example and if not the most desirable, certainly the most common. And while it has its issues as we'll see, from 20 feet the car looks perfectly presentable. From the front, the unique dual ducted hood distracts the eyes just before you settle on the epic Alfa center grille and silver lined horizontal side grilles behind the split bumper and bumperettes. Robust trim frames ornamental fender vents on the side and the wrap around bumpers create visual uniformity. Stepped tail lights cap the rising rear fenders and bookend a slightly sloping decklid. 400mm wheels, almost 16-inch in diameter, are distinct as most roadsters were running 14's at the time, and a curved windshield also gives the car some distinctive traits. Imperfections include the absence of the canvas top on the frame, various chips in the paint, chemical drops on the hood and door, an intentional hole on the rear deck and others on the side vents, metal that is pitted, various scratches, and a bubble in the paint.
Interior
There are no door panels here, allowing a view of the inner window workings where we note some rust on the driver's side lifter rail. From there, we turn our attention to a couple of very nice black leather bucket seats and a rear package tray walled in by black leather panels. Our steering wheel and instrument cluster look original and well designed, showing some age and patina and it doesn't take much to imagine this area sparkling again. Even the rear view mirror has some deglazing and the shifter shaft could use some paint. Below it is some decent black carpet while the trunk is filled with hubcaps and other spare parts and houses the battery.
Drivetrain
Driver quality bordering on barn find conditions are under the hood but also beckons to be restored. This is a 1975cc DOHC inline four cylinder rated at 115 horsepower and fueled with a pair of Weber 2-barrel carburetors and rowed into motion with 4-speed manual transmission sending power to the rear axle and 4.11 gears.
Undercarriage
Plenty of patina underneath with typical age corrosion and surface rust, along with residual oil about. Here we have drum brakes on front and rear along with coil springs for the suspension. A single exhaust flows through a stock style muffler finding exit via a chrome tip out back.
Drive-Ability
Despite the cosmetic challenges, the Alfa starts up and eagerly propels the Spider onto the test loop where it performs well, tracking straight and stopping on demand. We're out in the cold with no top so keep our drive short, long enough to note the headlights, brake lights, and front turn signals are not working. All other functions on board operate as they should and we take our topless, Italian redhead back to the mall. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.
This Alfa presents a fantastic opportunity to own a fairly rare foreign car and the epitome of Italian spiders. With good bones, a little TLC will go a long way with this virtual diamond in the rough. We're big fans of British roadsters, but there's something special about an Italian in red!
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8 acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person. There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee is not included in the advertised price.
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