I remember how back in the day the Alfetta in Germany's most prestigious automotive magazine "Auto, Motor und Sport" won against the BMW 520. They said it was quicker and handled better, and was generally sportier. Giving the crown to a foreign make was unheard of -- the only exception being when a Giulia won against a 2002, a few years before.
If it is the same article that I remember, the article was from 1972 (or first months of 73) and the comparison was between 3 cars, there was also the Lancia Beta, which was judged second.
My first Alfa purchase in Australia back in 1988. 79 2lt Alfetta which I partly restored and sold on to a friend. Its still in immaculate condition til today. Great handling car🇬🇸🇮🇹🍀🐍💪
I loved the Alfetta 1800 , seeing it in a small UK Alfa Romeo range brochure . Other friends thought the car too “boxy” in its styling , but I loved it because it was an ALFA! The UK press release cars of the 1800 were given a fairly lukewarm reception, which considering the sophisticated suspension / transaxle layout/ twin cam engines was a little surprising. CAR magazine , however, put it on the same rung as the Mercedes’ S class , saying it up up there with the best saloon in the world! The late great John Bolster from Autosport magazine was also full of praise. The later 1962cc models were given a better reception, describing it a a saloon with character and true Soul . They felt the gear change had improved since the earlier model despite keeping the same mechanical layout. I keep reading C.R s report from Motorsport time and time again , of the 2 litre model , saying it hung on to a 3 litre Ford Capri at a indicated 120 mph …..always makes me smile , Happy Days
Agree. Away from the more connoisseur motoring magazines most of the writers didn’t know what the heck they were talking about re: the Alfetta. The same can almost be said today. Great cars but not Alfa’s best looker - you can still get a good one.
Actually in real world terms, the earlier 1800 model was , as fast , if not faster than the later, 2 litre model , that replaced it. The later model was heavier due to more overhang when they extended the boot line, plus at some stage , Alfa , like Fiat with their 132 models fitted higher gear ratios in view with better fuel consumption. This was short sighted , as earlier models had excellent intermediate in gear acceleration figures without having to change down a cog, whereas you felt more likely to change down a gear for more responsive acceleration, if gear ratios are more “overdrive “ based.
I had three in total, all 1.8's. Basically my only beef with the car was its gear change, but through practice, I learned how to deal with it and get the most out of it. It may not be a design icon, but I loved how they made me feel. Two large dark blue dials in front of me, the sound and responsiveness of that twin cam engine and the excellent handling made me forgive its flaws. I searched for a good example about two years ago, but quickly found out that the value of these cars have risen to a level that I wasn't prepared to invest, so I bought another car with some more value for money, a Rover P5B Coupé.
My first Alfa was a 1977 Alfetta Sedan...2 liter. I loved that car and would own it today but for piece of road equipment owned by the city of Burbank destroying my car as it sat parked in front of my home. So, here I am, decades later, still happy driving my 2021 Giulia.
After rolling and turning my Alfasud to scrap, due to a drunk driver pushing me off the road, I got my first Alfetta. A 76 1.8 and oh how much fun I had with that car. It did 105 km/h on second gear. I had friends with tuned Volvos being cocky about how fast their cars were, I always left them behind with it. Sadly it rusted away, it was in a fairly bad shape already when I got it and when the head gasked blew on it I gave it away and got myself a 79 2.0 instead. Not as much fun but it was very reliable and I drove it for a number of years until I got my 75.
Cool! Rust unfortunately killed most Alfettas prematurely even in Italy’s mild climate, so I don’t want to imagine how bad these cars rotted elsewhere!
@@Matteo_Licata The inland parts of Northern Sweden, where I lived until about 20 years ago, weren't that bad since they didn't use salt on the winter roads. My first Alfetta had spent it's first few years in Gothenburg so it got a bad start to say the least. My second Alfetta had spent it's entire life up north so it was in a very good shape when I got it. It was decent until I spent a winter in the coastal region where they did use salt on the roads . It went downhill very quickly after that. Now that I live in Stockholm I see that most cars start to rust after only a few years. My current 156 is in a very good shape still but I've for the most part only used it in the summer so that's probably why.
@@Matteo_Licata ..my father bought a new Alfetta in 1977. Two hard & salty winter here in Germany had been enough to rust the blue Berlina down. So he bought a Giulietta 1.8. And this Giulietta had no rust issues.
I had a '79 2.0 litre in UK in 81, did 15,000 miles business travel throughout Europe and sold it a year later. It was a great car and - shock - 100% reliable. Wotta lode of fun!
It was only onscreen for under a minute but Cameron's Alfetta, rusty and primer-patched from half a dozen Chicagoland winters, was perfectly cast in Ferris Bueller's Day Off as a vintage-Ferrari collector's son's first car.
Too bad for that Ferrari in that film. But also for Cameron's Alfetta, which plays the part of the loser car while it was the best and fastest sedan of its time.
The red Alfasud in the background looks the same as the 1.3 super I had back in the 80´s. Love the Alfetta´s, remember seeing them used by the Carabinieri, even with the twin headlights, back then, If I remeber correctly.
Yep! Carabinieri patrol cars were always 1.8 models, and the car I show in the video is unusual, as it's an armored 2.0 they used to transport important high ranking personnel
Thanks for this video appreciation of the Alfetta! Especially with the double headlight configuration this Alfa Romeo left a mark in my adolescent memory even though Alfas weren’t a common sight in traffic where I grew up
Alfa = separate headlights, preferably round, preferably the larger exteriors: Oo v oO 😋 In retrospect, those rectangular headlights took the Alfetta out of its personality
The Alfetta 2.0 was my first sedan when I lived in Nice, France in the late 80s. What a great car it was, happy on highways or in the mountains. Sure, the V6 would have done it justice, but that 2L kept the car going. I must have had a special edition because it looked like the last version, with rectangular headlights, and the plastic C pillar covers, but it was the twin-Dellorto carburated version. I think I saw a 6C Sprint in the video? Wow, I'd love to see a video about this mystical beast. I always wan ted to find an AlfaSud Sprint donor car and a donor V6 to see what this car could have been. Thanks for those amazing videos!
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! You could still buy a carburetted 2.0 up until the end of Alfetta production. It was only the Gold Cloverleaf model that had the fuel-injected engine with VVT.
First Alfa I was aware of ...as my headmaster at primary school had one in the mid 70s...early 1800 twin headlight model in a dark green ...certainly cut a swathe amongst the Fords and BL products ... must say the styling has aged extremely well Matteo ...as with all Alfas ...very very good looking cars ....Excellent video as always 👌 👍 👏
It was a similar story with a Rover SD1 2000 I still remember from my childhood: because Alfettas and 131s were common here in Italy, that Rover caught my attention and I have never forgotten it. In the end, we tend to lust after what's unusual, what's more difficult to get :)
Glad you appreciated it :) There’s no way of knowing for sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if nowadays more 105 saloons survive than 116s. I don’t know why though, as both generations rusted equally badly at every latitude 😆
I love you how you got Guiseppe Busso in at the start!! Our beloved and Fabled Engineer! 🇮🇹🍀🏎️ He was an absolute God to Alfa. If only he was still with us, I'd send him straight to the F1 team to sort them out! 😎🇮🇹🍀🏎️
Best car I ever owned, even though the driver seat would tear on the side ( Was fix by Alfa 3x) It had that special something and smelled great too. Oh I still miss it😪
My dad's first Alfa , a rosso alfa 1600 in 1976. 2 years later, a blu azzuro 1800, followed by a red 2.0. After that he bought the 2.0 giulietta, which was sensational back then.
Here in Italy you rarely, if ever, see a four-door Alfa painted in the classic Alfa red. Which is a pity, as it looked great on the early Alfettas like the one your dad owned 👍
Your videos are always a sheer pleasure - well made, full of useful information, and they reflect your deep and understandable affinity to the beautiful Italian classic cars
1800cc with 122hp? That's quite a speedy power output for 1970s considering other passenger cars that has the same size as the Alfetta at that time were having lesser horsepower ratings despite being equipped with 1800cc engines.
I had a 1979 "sport Sedan" here in the USA. Probably the only one known in the state of Missouri ( were I live ) it was burgundy red with tan interior, they offered automatics here but mine luckily was the 5 Speed, even though I owned it back in the 1990s it got it's fair share of looks. At work one day a man walked around it for several minutes.. I told my boss I was going out to my car to see what was going on. I acted like I needed something out of the glove box.. with the clever vanity mirror inside it, instead of the usual sun visor. He asked me if it was my car, I said yes, he said I never knew Alfa Romeo's made a sedan! Most people only know about the spider. He seemed quite amazed by it. I auto-crossed at an AROC event, but didn't do so well. Later years I sold it ... For another Alfa. But today here in the states it's quite rare. I miss it a lot.. before I sold it I took the most pictures of any car I ever owned! As always another great video!! I'll still enjoy my 86 Spider! But after watching all these videos makes me want another. Unfortunately I should have saved/ kept my GTV6 their prices are going up. I'll keep looking for another.. Alfa!
Wow, thank you for sharing your ownership memories of a Sport Sedan, very interesting! I read that it was a very expensive car when new, costing about as much as a Corvette… Which mustn’t habe helped sales!
@@Matteo_Licata I bought it used.. non running, and spent $4000 to get it back on the road, I've commented a lot on your channel, I've owned many Alfa's, my first one was a 1978 Alfetta GT, in the states that year it was called a Sprint Veloce. I loved it but I didn't know about the rear transaxle, I let a friend borrow it, and he broke it. It was very rusty so my mechanic recommended that I didn't fix it, I always wanted a sedan for more comfort.. I'm 6'2" and Italian cars are for shorter people, well at least back then. So he told me about someone that had one.. I was looking for one that was up in New Jersey.. a far distance from St Louis., Missouri. So I called the guy up and set an appointment to see it.. this was back in 1992 I was in college then, he was going to give it to me for Free! It was stored in his garage and his wife wanted the space.. as the car was used as storage, too. In order for me to see it, he had to remove Christmas decorations, boxes in the trunk filled with miscellaneous stuff. I was thinking I probably should have just went to New Jersey instead. But it had only one rust spot on the rear wheel well.. so I think the wife knew I wanted it, so he came back and said that he would sell it for $500 USD. So since my mechanic previously worked on it, I figured it was worth it. But it took a long time to get it back. I love European cars, verses most American ones. Yes I did own several American cars too.. I'm going to turn 50 in October.. and have owned over 50 cars.. no I'm not a car dealer, but just love different cars. I really wanted an Alfa 6. But my mechanic said that the were so rare here.. I don't think they were even imported here. I love your content in the videos.. I just wish I had the time, space and knowledge it own more cars, but I'm trying to keep things simple. That's why I enjoy my 1986 Spider veloce!! Cheers!!
@@studiocalder818 I really miss most of my Old Alfa's.. especially my 1986 GTV6. It was a one owner car, with all maintenance records, including the original window sticker at $19,000. It had the velour interior, which held up much better than leather. It was totalled in an accident. I only had it for 6 months. But I did buy 2 other ones a 1983 and 1985. They just weren't as nice as this that one was. But here to see a vintage Alfa, only on an Alfa meet. I'm in the owners club.
A farmer (and Alfa fan) in North Yorkshire imported a left hand drive Alfetta before the official RHD release and my dad and I went to have a look at it. We loved it but nothing was going to tempt my father out of his Peugeot 504 injection in those days. I eventually had a brand new 75 Twin Spark in 1989.
The role the Alfetta played in 'blindata' versions transporting judges throughout the mafia crackdowns in the 1980s should also be applauded, nice to see you showing the Carabinieri car, I remember the classifieds of AutoSupermarket in the early 1990s had numerous used 'blindata' cars. This could be another video for you, the classifieds then seemed to have a lot of armoured cars for sale of various marques, no doubt sold new in the early 1980s with the threats of the red brigades and mafia etc
Indeed. Alfa Romeo officially introduced the Alfetta 2.0 "Protetta" in 1977, and period press says it sold about 20-25 of them each month, at nearly four times the price of the regular saloon. The sheer number of cars made and the fact that some weren't driven all that much means that armored Alfettas aren't difficult to find here in Italy even now. But, of course, few want them, as performance is leisurely at best and upkeep is more complex. By the way, that Carabinieri car in the video is an armored one: regular patrol cars were 1.8s, not 2.0s :)
Excellent video. Excellent car. It was always a rarity in the UK and somehow carried a lustre associated with its badge and its heritage. Outside Italy there were "issues" connected with ownership. Parts prices, parts availability, seemingly high insurance costs and so on. All of these factors and the relative scarcity of Alfa dealers kept new sales down and kept depreciation steep. Nonetheless, a lovely car. A car that is perceived very differently from one market to the next. Excellent video. Again.
Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, a patchy dealer network never helped Alfa's case abroad, and the company remained heavily dependent on the home market throughout its history, despite its planetary fame.
At last- my personal favorit in Alfa lineup ❤Mateo keep up up the great work of firing the heat of my italian car romance! Cause of Your channel I need to make more room in my garage...
Visiting Milano in the 80ies by car (black Alfasud 1500 TI) my Italian friends told to always watch out for the fast (specially if on a mission) Carabinieri Alfettas if noticed in the rear mirror and to get out of the way as quickly as possible! LOL
About two years ago I was on the lookout for a 70s 1800 model, as I had 3 of them in the late 80s and loved them. Certainly not the best cars I've owned, but definitely the cars that made me feel best. So basically I wanted to revive my early 20s, as you do when you're in your 50s, and searched for good examples that I could import into Portugal. I was shocked at the prices though. They have skyrocketed over the last few years to a point where they rival with cars that just offer more, so I went for a 1970 LHD Rover P5B Coupé instead, of which only 402 have been produced. It's in the final stages of a nut and bolt restoration. If you're interested, on my profile you can see a few videos of it. Still though, it hasn't stopped me from loving these Alfetta's and I'm sure one day I'll own one again. Always dreamed of making one perfect example with some technical improvements here and there.
A Rover P5B Coupé is a fascinating, charming automobile indeed. Always had a soft spot for these old Rovers, because very few were ever sold here in Italy, and therefore you rarely, if ever, saw them. Yes, Alfettas have been appreciating sharply over the last few years, which I consider a good thing after all: if the cars have value, it incentivizes people to spend on restoration and repairs rather than junking them. Hope you'll find the right Alfetta for you soon, by the way!
@@Matteo_Licata oddly enough, one of the best examples of the Rover actually came from Italy! It was bought by an English man who entered it last year in a very prestigious concours and won its class. Much like the Rover, I'm sure I'll stumble on the right Alfetta some day.
The GT6 looked great, by the way. Here in Italy only a few were ever sold, while the Spitfire was a success, especially in MKIV form. I’ve owned a Spitfire 1500 myself.
@@Matteo_Licata It was after that British Car phase my brother and I went full Italian, mainly Fiats but we really wanted Alfa's. Growing up in Southern California in the 70's there were two car cultures: Big V8 Muscle Cars and Imports.
We had one of these cars in my family in the early '80s I loved it it's simplicity it's ruggedness it wasn't overly garish, BMW steals a lot of its ideas from the Italians
I learn to drive on my father Alfetta 2.0 It was really a great car to have fun. Just needed the engine to be in temperature and be careful when you do 1 to 2 gear. But it was really fun to drive. Then he buy only V6 also great fun.
I had a 1975 Alfetta 1800. Most amazing car that blew most other cars away. Sure, the gearchange was a little mushy between second and third, but once you got used to it you could hustle down a road with the beautifully direct steering, balanced handling and lusty engine bellowing away. Pumped mine full of Waxoyl and only had one small rust patch on the top of the right wing. Nothing else in 8 years. One of my favourite cars. In fact, liked the handling so much I bought a GTV 2.5 a few years later. More performance but not quite the handling sweet spot because of the bigger engine, but still a pleasure to drive. However, at that stage Alfa had pulled out of South Africa which made getting spares and servicing a problem, particularly as Alfa SA was running down the parts bin and so a starter motor, for instance, could be from multiple manufacturers.
Great video again, Matteo.👏🏻 I have that 1779 serie 2 engine in my 1969 Gt junior. But i have the Weber 45’s and more sporty cams. The engine suits the car well. 120 hp does not sounds alot today. But we have to remember those cars was light, compared to todays cars. I remeber droling over the Alfetta at the dealer, when i was a young boy. Was the Alfa Romeo 90 a substitute for the Alfetta? I think the 90 only lasted 3 years (correct me if wrong)
Indeed. The Alfa 90 lasted only three years and was a stopgap model directly derived from the Alfetta. I'm writing a book about that story that will be out in Autumn...
Saw an Alfetta 2.0 of 1980 (together with a 1976 Toyota Celica 2000 Liftback) while I took a friend to his mechanic's place for his car to be serviced . Both are under wraps, I am tempted to buy them (the guy's ready to give them away) but the costs of restoration makes me hesitate a bit. Wish I could win at the lottery!!!
I imagine. Restorations are daunting from a resource perspective: lots of time and money. In the Alfetta’s case, sure it’ll require lots of welding too
I had a 77 Alfetta, on the way to work there were 7 burn lanes where at the light there were 3 lanes that squeezed down to 2 after the light so you could come up to a red light at full speed and then hit the burn lane and then go thru the intersection right as the light turned green and pass twenty cars. I held off a 5.0 Mustang thru all seven of them. I'd hit the burn lane while he was 3 cars back in the slow lane and then he would work his way through traffic and catch back up just in time for the next burn lane. When I looked in my rear view, I could see that he was pissed.......just sayin'........
The US version of Alfetta Berlina is a rare sight in CA then and especially today. You can see this Alfa in action in the Margaux Hemingway movie Lipstick. Not sure which one is prettier, Margaux or Alfatta... 2022 verdict both.
La regina del poliziottesco; and in the end the very last version was the rather blocky Alfa 90.... what a difference with the snappy "short nose" of the 70's.
"Berlina" isn't actually part of the name, it's merely how Italians call four-door saloons. I added it to the title to make clear that the video isn't about the GTV
Almost all car body styles are derived from the names of horse-drawn coaches and carriages. This a berline or berlina was a type of covered carriage associated with the city of Berlin but popular elsewhere. The name is still used in France and elsewhere for what on the UK is called a saloon and on the US a sedan.
@@BanjoLuke1 Although to clarify, berline/berlina/saloon is a broader category, since it includes hatchbacks as well which are considered a different type entirely in America (but didn't used to be), kind of an "is a hot dog a sandwich?" thing.
I've a photo I took in the late 1980s of that body kitted GTV6 on display at the original Museo in Arese as seen in the background at around 7;20, do you know the story behind it? It's obviously a factory styling kit but was it aimed at road cars or race homologation? It's not the best looker I must say...
I've repeatedly asked about the story of that car, as it's a weird contraption indeed: a GTV body grafted onto an Alfa 6 floorpan, with a 3.0L engine under the bonnet and a custom interior. No idea why they made it.
Never understood why italian buyers would buy US spec cars? Did they have more equipment, was it just prestige or were the larger bumpers welcome for urban dwellers?
My hunch is that Alfa Romeo had a surplus of US-spec components and tried to offload them to Italian customers. It did look rather smart though, and it came loaded with accessories. That's about it.
@@Matteo_Licata yes they were high spec I suppose. In the UK we had the limited edition SL with 2 tone paint, sunroof and various other extras fitted by the UK importer. The America theme was even carried on to the 75s, the 3 litres had the US bumpers which just added loads of unnecessary weight. My father bought one of the first 3 litre 75s in the UK in 1987, the front grille had the detent for the 'America' logo but no 'America' badge. I never understood why they put the America bumpers on the 1.8 Turbo, they must have weighed so much more than the regular bumpers.
Original alfetta is definitely one of the best looking sedan of all time!!
I couldn’t agree more .
Should they decide to bring it back , albeit somewhat retro , it would be a great idea.
I remember how back in the day the Alfetta in Germany's most prestigious automotive magazine "Auto, Motor und Sport" won against the BMW 520. They said it was quicker and handled better, and was generally sportier.
Giving the crown to a foreign make was unheard of -- the only exception being when a Giulia won against a 2002, a few years before.
That's something I didn't know, thank you for sharing!
If it is the same article that I remember, the article was from 1972 (or first months of 73) and the comparison was between 3 cars, there was also the Lancia Beta, which was judged second.
My first Alfa purchase in Australia back in 1988. 79 2lt Alfetta which I partly restored and sold on to a friend. Its still in immaculate condition til today. Great handling car🇬🇸🇮🇹🍀🐍💪
It’s great that the car still exists, cool 👍
I loved the Alfetta 1800 , seeing it in a small UK Alfa Romeo range brochure . Other friends thought the car too “boxy” in its styling , but I loved it because it was an ALFA! The UK press release cars of the 1800 were given a fairly lukewarm reception, which considering the sophisticated suspension / transaxle layout/ twin cam engines was a little surprising. CAR magazine , however, put it on the same rung as the Mercedes’ S class , saying it up up there with the best saloon in the world! The late great John Bolster from Autosport magazine was also full of praise. The later 1962cc models were given a better reception, describing it a a saloon with character and true Soul . They felt the gear change had improved since the earlier model despite keeping the same mechanical layout. I keep reading C.R s report from Motorsport time and time again , of the 2 litre model , saying it hung on to a 3 litre Ford Capri at a indicated 120 mph …..always makes me smile , Happy Days
Agree. Away from the more connoisseur motoring magazines most of the writers didn’t know what the heck they were talking about re: the Alfetta. The same can almost be said today. Great cars but not Alfa’s best looker - you can still get a good one.
The back end was as stable as an S Class. I easily outran 5 litre V8s on the highway. 122 bhp 😆
Actually in real world terms, the earlier 1800 model was , as fast , if not faster than the later, 2 litre model , that replaced it. The later model was heavier due to more overhang when they extended the boot line, plus at some stage , Alfa , like Fiat with their 132 models fitted higher gear ratios in view with better fuel consumption. This was short sighted , as earlier models had excellent intermediate in gear acceleration figures without having to change down a cog, whereas you felt more likely to change down a gear for more responsive acceleration, if gear ratios are more “overdrive “ based.
I had three in total, all 1.8's. Basically my only beef with the car was its gear change, but through practice, I learned how to deal with it and get the most out of it. It may not be a design icon, but I loved how they made me feel. Two large dark blue dials in front of me, the sound and responsiveness of that twin cam engine and the excellent handling made me forgive its flaws. I searched for a good example about two years ago, but quickly found out that the value of these cars have risen to a level that I wasn't prepared to invest, so I bought another car with some more value for money, a Rover P5B Coupé.
My first Alfa was a 1977 Alfetta Sedan...2 liter. I loved that car and would own it today but for piece of road equipment owned by the city of Burbank destroying my car as it sat parked in front of my home. So, here I am, decades later, still happy driving my 2021 Giulia.
So happy that Alfa Romeo is still going !
Me too! Hope they'll make cool cars for a long time still!
@@Matteo_Licata Its in their blood !
After rolling and turning my Alfasud to scrap, due to a drunk driver pushing me off the road, I got my first Alfetta. A 76 1.8 and oh how much fun I had with that car. It did 105 km/h on second gear. I had friends with tuned Volvos being cocky about how fast their cars were, I always left them behind with it. Sadly it rusted away, it was in a fairly bad shape already when I got it and when the head gasked blew on it I gave it away and got myself a 79 2.0 instead. Not as much fun but it was very reliable and I drove it for a number of years until I got my 75.
Cool! Rust unfortunately killed most Alfettas prematurely even in Italy’s mild climate, so I don’t want to imagine how bad these cars rotted elsewhere!
@@Matteo_Licata The inland parts of Northern Sweden, where I lived until about 20 years ago, weren't that bad since they didn't use salt on the winter roads. My first Alfetta had spent it's first few years in Gothenburg so it got a bad start to say the least. My second Alfetta had spent it's entire life up north so it was in a very good shape when I got it. It was decent until I spent a winter in the coastal region where they did use salt on the roads . It went downhill very quickly after that. Now that I live in Stockholm I see that most cars start to rust after only a few years. My current 156 is in a very good shape still but I've for the most part only used it in the summer so that's probably why.
@@Matteo_Licata ..my father bought a new Alfetta in 1977. Two hard & salty winter here in Germany had been enough to rust the blue Berlina down. So he bought a Giulietta 1.8. And this Giulietta had no rust issues.
I had an Alfetta bought in year 1972. Wonderful car. I loved it passionately. Only rust was its damnation!
One of the very first cars that turned me into an Alfa fan. Great cars, sporty but family??? I love them. Thanks.
I had a '79 2.0 litre in UK in 81, did 15,000 miles business travel throughout Europe and sold it a year later. It was a great car and - shock - 100% reliable. Wotta lode of fun!
The model 1972 was much more beautiful than the later models.
Agree!
It was only onscreen for under a minute but Cameron's Alfetta, rusty and primer-patched from half a dozen Chicagoland winters, was perfectly cast in Ferris Bueller's Day Off as a vintage-Ferrari collector's son's first car.
Too bad for that Ferrari in that film.
But also for Cameron's Alfetta, which plays the part of the loser car while it was the best and fastest sedan of its time.
I had this same model with Weber carburetor, awesome powerful car
I love Alfetta, I ❤ Alfa Romeo...thanks
Happy Birthday, Alfetta! Looks better than ever. Thank you so much for another great video! Ciao 🙋♂️
Yes, the Alfetta’s lines have really come of age, at least those of the clean, unadorned early models
The best car I had ever.
Just fantastic !!!
The red Alfasud in the background looks the same as the 1.3 super I had back in the 80´s. Love the Alfetta´s, remember seeing them used by the Carabinieri, even with the twin headlights, back then, If I remeber correctly.
Yep! Carabinieri patrol cars were always 1.8 models, and the car I show in the video is unusual, as it's an armored 2.0 they used to transport important high ranking personnel
Thanks for this video appreciation of the Alfetta! Especially with the double headlight configuration this Alfa Romeo left a mark in my adolescent memory even though Alfas weren’t a common sight in traffic where I grew up
Alfa = separate headlights, preferably round, preferably the larger exteriors:
Oo v oO 😋
In retrospect, those rectangular headlights took the Alfetta out of its personality
The Alfetta 2.0 was my first sedan when I lived in Nice, France in the late 80s. What a great car it was, happy on highways or in the mountains. Sure, the V6 would have done it justice, but that 2L kept the car going. I must have had a special edition because it looked like the last version, with rectangular headlights, and the plastic C pillar covers, but it was the twin-Dellorto carburated version.
I think I saw a 6C Sprint in the video? Wow, I'd love to see a video about this mystical beast. I always wan ted to find an AlfaSud Sprint donor car and a donor V6 to see what this car could have been.
Thanks for those amazing videos!
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! You could still buy a carburetted 2.0 up until the end of Alfetta production. It was only the Gold Cloverleaf model that had the fuel-injected engine with VVT.
The Alfetta was one of my favorite Alfas ever 😎🇮🇹✌️👍 A Classic Berlina Sedan at it’s Best !
First Alfa I was aware of ...as my headmaster at primary school had one in the mid 70s...early 1800 twin headlight model in a dark green ...certainly cut a swathe amongst the Fords and BL products ... must say the styling has aged extremely well Matteo ...as with all Alfas ...very very good looking cars ....Excellent video as always 👌 👍 👏
It was a similar story with a Rover SD1 2000 I still remember from my childhood: because Alfettas and 131s were common here in Italy, that Rover caught my attention and I have never forgotten it. In the end, we tend to lust after what's unusual, what's more difficult to get :)
Another great video. I didn’t realize Alfa made so many of these cars! I see far more 105s on the road than Alfettas these days.
Glad you appreciated it :)
There’s no way of knowing for sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if nowadays more 105 saloons survive than 116s. I don’t know why though, as both generations rusted equally badly at every latitude 😆
Maybe it's because of sales numbers in your country.
A Jethro endorsement is worth an Oscar from the Alfisti family 😃
@@studiocalder818 sure is, he's a legend
I love you how you got Guiseppe Busso in at the start!! Our beloved and Fabled Engineer! 🇮🇹🍀🏎️
He was an absolute God to Alfa. If only he was still with us, I'd send him straight to the F1 team to sort them out! 😎🇮🇹🍀🏎️
🤣🤣
Best car I ever owned, even though the driver seat would tear on the side ( Was fix by Alfa 3x) It had that special something and smelled great too. Oh I still miss it😪
My dad's first Alfa , a rosso alfa 1600 in 1976. 2 years later, a blu azzuro 1800, followed by a red 2.0. After that he bought the 2.0 giulietta, which was sensational back then.
Here in Italy you rarely, if ever, see a four-door Alfa painted in the classic Alfa red. Which is a pity, as it looked great on the early Alfettas like the one your dad owned 👍
@@Matteo_Licata the grey silver 1800, like in the movie, where hardly seen overhere in the Netherlands. It probably was an expensive option back then.
grazie Matteo per un altro fantastico video buona giornata
Grazie a te!
My dad had a saloon in 1974 in the UK followed by the Alfetta GT a few years later, the sedan was fab.
Nice video. The Alfetta was underrated a long time. Good to see that changed.
Indeed. These were piling up in scrapyards when I was growing up, and it’s good to see them finally getting due respect
My first car. Solid. I planted it into a pylon in Melbourne’s Black Spur. The standard Michelin’s were not great in cold, wet weather 😊
Your videos are always a sheer pleasure - well made, full of useful information, and they reflect your deep and understandable affinity to the beautiful Italian classic cars
I'm glad you think so! Thank you for your appreciation and kind words
Thank you. Viva Alfa Romeo!
My opinion....the best Alfa Romeo ever. It was my first car also (2000 QV from 82). Miss this car.
I much prefer the round headlights on the first generation (singular or double) As ever the video was educational and informative!
Me too! Thank you very much!
I was always intrigued by the Berlina's style
They have aged incredibly well.They still look modern😍
That’s the power of good design :)
@@Matteo_Licata 👍🏼
1800cc with 122hp? That's quite a speedy power output for 1970s considering other passenger cars that has the same size as the Alfetta at that time were having lesser horsepower ratings despite being equipped with 1800cc engines.
Well, that was Alfa Romeo's specialty, after all
@@Matteo_Licata Was the power output achieved only when using high octane leaded gasoline (red benzene)?
I had a 1979 "sport Sedan" here in the USA. Probably the only one known in the state of Missouri ( were I live ) it was burgundy red with tan interior, they offered automatics here but mine luckily was the 5 Speed, even though I owned it back in the 1990s it got it's fair share of looks. At work one day a man walked around it for several minutes.. I told my boss I was going out to my car to see what was going on. I acted like I needed something out of the glove box.. with the clever vanity mirror inside it, instead of the usual sun visor. He asked me if it was my car, I said yes, he said I never knew Alfa Romeo's made a sedan! Most people only know about the spider. He seemed quite amazed by it. I auto-crossed at an AROC event, but didn't do so well. Later years I sold it ... For another Alfa. But today here in the states it's quite rare. I miss it a lot.. before I sold it I took the most pictures of any car I ever owned! As always another great video!! I'll still enjoy my 86 Spider! But after watching all these videos makes me want another. Unfortunately I should have saved/ kept my GTV6 their prices are going up. I'll keep looking for another.. Alfa!
Wow, thank you for sharing your ownership memories of a Sport Sedan, very interesting! I read that it was a very expensive car when new, costing about as much as a Corvette… Which mustn’t habe helped sales!
@@Matteo_Licata I bought it used.. non running, and spent $4000 to get it back on the road, I've commented a lot on your channel, I've owned many Alfa's, my first one was a 1978 Alfetta GT, in the states that year it was called a Sprint Veloce. I loved it but I didn't know about the rear transaxle, I let a friend borrow it, and he broke it. It was very rusty so my mechanic recommended that I didn't fix it, I always wanted a sedan for more comfort.. I'm 6'2" and Italian cars are for shorter people, well at least back then. So he told me about someone that had one.. I was looking for one that was up in New Jersey.. a far distance from St Louis., Missouri. So I called the guy up and set an appointment to see it.. this was back in 1992 I was in college then, he was going to give it to me for Free! It was stored in his garage and his wife wanted the space.. as the car was used as storage, too. In order for me to see it, he had to remove Christmas decorations, boxes in the trunk filled with miscellaneous stuff. I was thinking I probably should have just went to New Jersey instead. But it had only one rust spot on the rear wheel well.. so I think the wife knew I wanted it, so he came back and said that he would sell it for $500 USD. So since my mechanic previously worked on it, I figured it was worth it. But it took a long time to get it back. I love European cars, verses most American ones. Yes I did own several American cars too.. I'm going to turn 50 in October.. and have owned over 50 cars.. no I'm not a car dealer, but just love different cars. I really wanted an Alfa 6. But my mechanic said that the were so rare here.. I don't think they were even imported here. I love your content in the videos.. I just wish I had the time, space and knowledge it own more cars, but I'm trying to keep things simple. That's why I enjoy my 1986 Spider veloce!! Cheers!!
@@des9655 👍🏼👍🏼 You deserve an Alfista flash with low beams
@@studiocalder818 I really miss most of my Old Alfa's.. especially my 1986 GTV6. It was a one owner car, with all maintenance records, including the original window sticker at $19,000. It had the velour interior, which held up much better than leather. It was totalled in an accident. I only had it for 6 months. But I did buy 2 other ones a 1983 and 1985. They just weren't as nice as this that one was. But here to see a vintage Alfa, only on an Alfa meet. I'm in the owners club.
A farmer (and Alfa fan) in North Yorkshire imported a left hand drive Alfetta before the official RHD release and my dad and I went to have a look at it. We loved it but nothing was going to tempt my father out of his Peugeot 504 injection in those days. I eventually had a brand new 75 Twin Spark in 1989.
The 504 was a nice car too. Pretty rare nowadays here in Italy, where not that many were sold new in the first place.
Another great and insightful video Matteo. Thank you for your dedication.
Glad you enjoyed it Dave! 👍
I owned a 76 Berlina and it was a cool car.
My GTV 2000 suffered from tin worm but died of propshaft failure. I loved every minute I was behind the wheel though.
The role the Alfetta played in 'blindata' versions transporting judges throughout the mafia crackdowns in the 1980s should also be applauded, nice to see you showing the Carabinieri car, I remember the classifieds of AutoSupermarket in the early 1990s had numerous used 'blindata' cars. This could be another video for you, the classifieds then seemed to have a lot of armoured cars for sale of various marques, no doubt sold new in the early 1980s with the threats of the red brigades and mafia etc
Indeed. Alfa Romeo officially introduced the Alfetta 2.0 "Protetta" in 1977, and period press says it sold about 20-25 of them each month, at nearly four times the price of the regular saloon. The sheer number of cars made and the fact that some weren't driven all that much means that armored Alfettas aren't difficult to find here in Italy even now. But, of course, few want them, as performance is leisurely at best and upkeep is more complex. By the way, that Carabinieri car in the video is an armored one: regular patrol cars were 1.8s, not 2.0s :)
@@Matteo_Licata I just remember seeing loads of cars for sale, not just Alfettas, with 'blindata' in the description, German cars also
Excellent video. Excellent car. It was always a rarity in the UK and somehow carried a lustre associated with its badge and its heritage.
Outside Italy there were "issues" connected with ownership. Parts prices, parts availability, seemingly high insurance costs and so on.
All of these factors and the relative scarcity of Alfa dealers kept new sales down and kept depreciation steep.
Nonetheless, a lovely car. A car that is perceived very differently from one market to the next.
Excellent video. Again.
Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, a patchy dealer network never helped Alfa's case abroad, and the company remained heavily dependent on the home market throughout its history, despite its planetary fame.
What nice little car and another great video. Thank-you
At last- my personal favorit in Alfa lineup ❤Mateo keep up up the great work of firing the heat of my italian car romance! Cause of Your channel I need to make more room in my garage...
Thank you! Rest assured that I’ll keep my focus on Italian motoring tales in the future. There’s still so much to talk about! 👍
The early version in silver looks great!
It does indeed!
Visiting Milano in the 80ies by car (black Alfasud 1500 TI) my Italian friends told to always watch out for the fast (specially if on a mission) Carabinieri Alfettas if noticed in the rear mirror and to get out of the way as quickly as possible! LOL
About two years ago I was on the lookout for a 70s 1800 model, as I had 3 of them in the late 80s and loved them. Certainly not the best cars I've owned, but definitely the cars that made me feel best. So basically I wanted to revive my early 20s, as you do when you're in your 50s, and searched for good examples that I could import into Portugal. I was shocked at the prices though. They have skyrocketed over the last few years to a point where they rival with cars that just offer more, so I went for a 1970 LHD Rover P5B Coupé instead, of which only 402 have been produced. It's in the final stages of a nut and bolt restoration. If you're interested, on my profile you can see a few videos of it.
Still though, it hasn't stopped me from loving these Alfetta's and I'm sure one day I'll own one again. Always dreamed of making one perfect example with some technical improvements here and there.
A Rover P5B Coupé is a fascinating, charming automobile indeed. Always had a soft spot for these old Rovers, because very few were ever sold here in Italy, and therefore you rarely, if ever, saw them. Yes, Alfettas have been appreciating sharply over the last few years, which I consider a good thing after all: if the cars have value, it incentivizes people to spend on restoration and repairs rather than junking them. Hope you'll find the right Alfetta for you soon, by the way!
@@Matteo_Licata oddly enough, one of the best examples of the Rover actually came from Italy! It was bought by an English man who entered it last year in a very prestigious concours and won its class. Much like the Rover, I'm sure I'll stumble on the right Alfetta some day.
The Long-nose, Square-Light 2000 Super remains a dream-car for me...
Very underrated cars in their day I think. Still has good lines in the pre-plastic bumber versions.
Not in Italy, luckily
Another Awesome Video !! the "Giubo" coupling reminded me alot of the Rotoflex coupling on my Truimph GT6 Mk3.
The GT6 looked great, by the way. Here in Italy only a few were ever sold, while the Spitfire was a success, especially in MKIV form. I’ve owned a Spitfire 1500 myself.
@@Matteo_Licata It was after that British Car phase my brother and I went full Italian, mainly Fiats but we really wanted Alfa's. Growing up in Southern California in the 70's there were two car cultures: Big V8 Muscle Cars and Imports.
We had one of these cars in my family in the early '80s I loved it it's simplicity it's ruggedness it wasn't overly garish, BMW steals a lot of its ideas from the Italians
She's an adorable but clever four door saloon of its time ❤💯😍
I learn to drive on my father Alfetta 2.0 It was really a great car to have fun. Just needed the engine to be in temperature and be careful when you do 1 to 2 gear. But it was really fun to drive. Then he buy only V6 also great fun.
I had a 1975 Alfetta 1800. Most amazing car that blew most other cars away. Sure, the gearchange was a little mushy between second and third, but once you got used to it you could hustle down a road with the beautifully direct steering, balanced handling and lusty engine bellowing away. Pumped mine full of Waxoyl and only had one small rust patch on the top of the right wing. Nothing else in 8 years. One of my favourite cars.
In fact, liked the handling so much I bought a GTV 2.5 a few years later. More performance but not quite the handling sweet spot because of the bigger engine, but still a pleasure to drive. However, at that stage Alfa had pulled out of South Africa which made getting spares and servicing a problem, particularly as Alfa SA was running down the parts bin and so a starter motor, for instance, could be from multiple manufacturers.
So cool to hear you've enjoyed your Alfetta so much, thank you for sharing!
Mi è sempre piaciuta più della Giulia. La sua linea è fantastica.
Great video! Thank you very much. With heart and so much information. Wow!
Wow, thank you! Glad you enjoyed it so much 👍
Happy Birthday alfetta ..😘😘
Great video again, Matteo.👏🏻
I have that 1779 serie 2 engine in my 1969 Gt junior. But i have the Weber 45’s and more sporty cams.
The engine suits the car well.
120 hp does not sounds alot today. But we have to remember those cars was light, compared to todays cars.
I remeber droling over the Alfetta at the dealer, when i was a young boy.
Was the Alfa Romeo 90 a substitute for the Alfetta? I think the 90 only lasted 3 years (correct me if wrong)
Indeed. The Alfa 90 lasted only three years and was a stopgap model directly derived from the Alfetta. I'm writing a book about that story that will be out in Autumn...
Saw an Alfetta 2.0 of 1980 (together with a 1976 Toyota Celica 2000 Liftback) while I took a friend to his mechanic's place for his car to be serviced . Both are under wraps, I am tempted to buy them (the guy's ready to give them away) but the costs of restoration makes me hesitate a bit. Wish I could win at the lottery!!!
I imagine. Restorations are daunting from a resource perspective: lots of time and money. In the Alfetta’s case, sure it’ll require lots of welding too
I had a 77 Alfetta, on the way to work there were 7 burn lanes where at the light there were 3 lanes that squeezed down to 2 after the light so you could come up to a red light at full speed and then hit the burn lane and then go thru the intersection right as the light turned green and pass twenty cars. I held off a 5.0 Mustang thru all seven of them. I'd hit the burn lane while he was 3 cars back in the slow lane and then he would work his way through traffic and catch back up just in time for the next burn lane. When I looked in my rear view, I could see that he was pissed.......just sayin'........
The Italian 5 series. Only with better engineering!
That's right, haha !!! (and better handling on the road, but worst gearbox to be honest)
The US version of Alfetta Berlina is a rare sight in CA then and especially today. You can see this Alfa in action in the Margaux Hemingway movie Lipstick. Not sure which one is prettier, Margaux or Alfatta... 2022 verdict both.
There is also an Alfetta featured in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Cool, I’ll check that movie out then!
La regina del poliziottesco;
and in the end the very last version was the rather blocky Alfa 90.... what a difference with the snappy "short nose" of the 70's.
Thanks Matteo. Very interesting. Although it was very boxy, I love the looks of these.
Just wondering what the significance is of Berlina in the name?
"Berlina" isn't actually part of the name, it's merely how Italians call four-door saloons. I added it to the title to make clear that the video isn't about the GTV
@@Matteo_Licata thanks. Explains why I see it used so often. Always wondered if it had something to do with the city, but clearly not.
Almost all car body styles are derived from the names of horse-drawn coaches and carriages. This a berline or berlina was a type of covered carriage associated with the city of Berlin but popular elsewhere.
The name is still used in France and elsewhere for what on the UK is called a saloon and on the US a sedan.
@@BanjoLuke1 Although to clarify, berline/berlina/saloon is a broader category, since it includes hatchbacks as well which are considered a different type entirely in America (but didn't used to be), kind of an "is a hot dog a sandwich?" thing.
@@BanjoLuke1 thanks
I've a photo I took in the late 1980s of that body kitted GTV6 on display at the original Museo in Arese as seen in the background at around 7;20, do you know the story behind it? It's obviously a factory styling kit but was it aimed at road cars or race homologation? It's not the best looker I must say...
I've repeatedly asked about the story of that car, as it's a weird contraption indeed: a GTV body grafted onto an Alfa 6 floorpan, with a 3.0L engine under the bonnet and a custom interior. No idea why they made it.
@@Matteo_Licata wow, never realised it was on an Alfa 6 floorpan, so front gearbox?
Grandissima auto
WOW the US versions looked just like BMWs.
But sold significantly worse 😂.
Alfa wanted a piece of the 2002’s market, but somehow failed to gain traction.
Similar recipe to the E21 from the era
Never understood why italian buyers would buy US spec cars? Did they have more equipment, was it just prestige or were the larger bumpers welcome for urban dwellers?
My hunch is that Alfa Romeo had a surplus of US-spec components and tried to offload them to Italian customers. It did look rather smart though, and it came loaded with accessories. That's about it.
@@Matteo_Licata yes they were high spec I suppose. In the UK we had the limited edition SL with 2 tone paint, sunroof and various other extras fitted by the UK importer. The America theme was even carried on to the 75s, the 3 litres had the US bumpers which just added loads of unnecessary weight. My father bought one of the first 3 litre 75s in the UK in 1987, the front grille had the detent for the 'America' logo but no 'America' badge. I never understood why they put the America bumpers on the 1.8 Turbo, they must have weighed so much more than the regular bumpers.
Whoever put the oil filter on the diesel 2.0 never changed oil on a car in their life.
I had the GTV 2.0 version of it .
It was the only car in the world that rusted faster than its 0 to 60 time .
🤣
Got that one covered too: ua-cam.com/video/pO06_RtUnhM/v-deo.html