Some people call cars like this a barn find. I like to refer to this Alfa as a time capsule. It was not stored in a nasty barn but stored in an attached garage for its entire life. It is a true 1 owner vehicle that was traded in on a car to me. I own Auto Doctor Inc in Merriam, S and my name is Curtis. I grew up working for my dad in his shop where he specialized in German and Swedish cars. I started my shop Auto Doctor Inc 4 years where I specialize in German/Swedish cars as well but also work on several local Ferraris and other rare cars that everyone else refuses to work on. We have had a dealers license for over 2 years now to help with extra income but we are primarily a repair shop. Please google my business and see all the people out of town that purchased cars sight unseen from me and I shipped the cars to them and see how happy they are. I do not misrepresent vehicles as I am an honest man and have a reputation to uphold.
I have the original title for this car from the State of Kansas that shows it was purchased brand new. I also have a copy of the originial sales receipt where he purcahsed it, e has the orignial The single owner is still alive and I speak with him often as he is a car fanatic and is always asking me questions. I went to his house to see this car when he called me asking if i would take it in as trade and it was covered in dust and cobwebs on the outside. It clearly hasnt been moved for over 20 years, e thought the last time he drove it was around 1988-1992. He said the battery went dead and he never replaced it or heard it run again. I was a little skeptical about maybe it had a major problem but i rolled it in 5th gear and the engine was not locked up. I had it towed to my shop where we pulled the lower oil pan to clean out the ancient oil and then we changed the coolant, rake fluid, earbox fluid, ear differential fluid, uel filter, ir filter, park plugs, park plug wires, hermostat, elts. We pulled the valve cover to make sure the chain was intact before cranking it and checked the valve clearance as well because the original owner admitted the valves were never adjusted. We then cranked the engine and it fired up on the 5th or 6th try. It was absolutely unbelievable. She purred like a kitten! After letting it idle for quite some time I drove it around the block. It was running rich after it warmed up so we pulled the thermostatic actuator and checked it according to specs and it was bad. We ordered a remanufactured one from Centerline Alfa installed it and it ran much better but had to do a fuel injection tune up to get it running perfect. The engine starts quicker then many new cars and does not smoke oil, as, r coolant. The engine runs flawlessly.
This car is nearly all original. It has the original radiator hoses, uspension, ngine, ransmission, one of that has ever been touched. The tires are date stamped from 1974 and the original owner says he thinks they are original but they may have been replaced once. He installed a radio, peakers, nd voltage gauge. He said it has never been driven after the first time the roads were salted until spring. It clearly shows that is the truth with the lack of rust. This has always been a spare vehicle to the owner so it was never driven daily after the first few months according to the owner. There is NO rust on the floor pans, ocker panels, tc. There is some rust around the door handles and a few other places on the car. The paint shows its age and has several dings and scratches. It will need a new paint job to look perfect. He gave me a few boxes of parts with it and I have several left over parts I never installed including a fuel injection belt which i suggest is installed before many miles are put on it. The tires are also not safe to drive on very far although I have put at least 20 miles on it if not 30 miles at speeds under 35.
The bad: paint is old and scratched, inged, tc. Second gear synchro is bad (as they all were when driven hard and slammed into 2nd gear constantly). Temp gauge is inoperable but I often checked the temperature of the cylinder head and coolant and it never went above 200F. Fuel gauge was always working but now works intermittently. Oil pressure gauge and odometer work great.
If you come see this car then you will know the mileage is correct. There is no dry rotting or cracking of the control arm bushings, ie rod boots, alljoint boots, hock bellows, tc. That is undeniable proof the mileage is real to me as well as the interior. There is wear on the drivers seat but if you are familiar with alfa romeos you know how cheap the interiors are and how they wore prematurely. There is no other obvious wear on the interior at all. Carpets are like new.
I thought I would be able to keep this car for the rest of my life but I am forced to sell some of my toys so I can finish other projects. We will have an 1989 Esprit for sale soon and a limited edition 914 (can am package) on the market soon as well. Thanks for your time and if you have any questions feel to call or text me. 913-four8four-O215. Thanks for looking! If this Alfa Romeo doesnt sell on here I will probably list it on Bring A Trailer next.