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Prices for (non-164) Alfa Romeos have been getting somewhat crazy in recent years, but it’s still possible to get a restorable 1970s or 1980s Spider for non-insane bucks. The proof of this is that rougher examples still show up now and then at the self-service wrecking yards I frequent. In this series so far, we’ve seen this ’74, this ’78, and now today’s ’81.
The interior is ugly, but it doesn’t show the atomic-testing-grade obliteration that Colorado convertibles get when left outside for years with no top.
Alfa Spiders love to rust, even in single-digit-humidity Colorado.
Not worth restoring, but a good parts car.
Its final parking place is next to a Mazda RX-7.
11 Comments on “Junkyard Find: 1981 Alfa Romeo Spider...”
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Great engine.
Too bad about the Spica mechanical fuel injection in earlier models.
Still see several around Ottawa in good shape.
This car would have had Spica when new. It was standard in the US from 1969 through 1981. Apparently, the ’80 and ’81 iterations of Spica for the US were the very worst.
Or, arguably, the very best. Spica has a terrible reputation because it is incredibly complicated to tune correctly, but just like any other ‘classic’ engineering solution, it’s just part of the nature of the car.
It’s like people complaining about the carbs on a classic like an E-Type or an older Bentley – sure, you could replace it with something likely simpler, newer, and ‘better’ – but you wouldn’t be driving the original car. That’s important to some people.
Unless you are talking about almost anything done by Maserati in their road cars between ~1970 and ~1995. It’s ALL wrong.
No engine pics? Perhaps it was already removed.
113? Well at least someone drove it.
That’s probably 113.596 miles.
I am probably in the minority, but I think these things are ugly.
Back in the 60’s, before they cut off the rear end, these were sweet.
But for the last 20 years, it’s been hard to justify vs. a cheap Miata that will run forever.
Most of my exposure to these was models like this one, the week before they were towed away. Never really did anything for me.
The 1981 cars had the worst power of the Spica injection. The 1982 got Bosch injection that carried over for a number of years. I love the shape of the 91-94 spiders but dislike the dash changes that went along with the re-skin. The dual binnacle dash like in this one are super cool.
Kinda sad IMO ;
I’m no Alfa lover but I grew up thinking they were special in a very good way .
Oddly these from the late 1960’s through mid 1970’s are perennials in the So. Cal. self – service junkyards , rust & dent free , just sun baked
In the first few years of the ‘ Charity Car Auction ‘ craze (when YOU got to write in the donated vehicles $ value) there were scads and scads of these from inside storage , they ran O.K. but rarely fetched over $125 at the auctions .
Not worth the cosmetics needed I guess .
-Nate