Black 1987 Spider Graduate, Rebuilt Transmission, New Top Paint And Tires on 2040-cars

I have been an Alfa enthusiast since 1996 thanks largely to my wonderful mechanic, a factory-trained enthusiast who makes it his mission to keep my and my friends' Alfas happily on the road. He is an Alfa owner himself and is constantly upgrading his own cars in his time off. He had this 1987 Spider Graduate for a little while before going to work on it last year. He has driven it 3,000 miles since finishing the projects, so it's road-tested and ready to enjoy this spring. He planned to keep this one for a few years but as often happens in Alfaland, another project came along so his car is for sale.

As the photos show the car is straight and handsome. It has fresh paint in its original "nero" black color, which many consider the best color on this generation of Spider as the distinctive rubber spoiler and other trim blend well. The paint shines, and reflects the clouds and trees going by. Brand new cloth top with a  clear rear window. The interior is nice driver quality. The seats have been upgraded to black leather ones with red stitching from a Veloce model. They feel great but the leather is 25 years old and has some seam splits and other flaws. Another notable Veloce upgrade are the beautiful five-spoke alloy wheels. Mounted on those wheels are new Pirelli tires -- new tires make such a difference in ensuring Alfas handle beautifully. A nice modern addition to the car is a Pioneer CD stereo with four speakers (the Graduate came with only two; rear 6X9s have been added).

The owner overhauled both the engine and transmission. This man is a genius with trannies -- he has rebuilt several for me and he always hits home runs. This Spider has no synchro issues. It downshifts exceptionally smoothly. It starts every time and runs like you'd expect a Spider of this vintage with 72,000 miles should.

Additional recent work this year includes: Front brake calipers, front and rear brake pads, a tie rod end, lower ball joints, clutch master cylinder, and gas tank replaced along with main and tank fuel pumps too. Add that to things like the new top and tires and we are talking about thousands of dollars invested to make this car reliable and strong -- and ready for your Springtime driving pleasure!

One thing my friend decided to do, since the car was for his own use, was remove the air conditioner. Why carry all that weight if it's not working, and in these cars, with the top down and vent windows open, a/c is sort of superfluous anyway. If the buyer desires it, the a/c unit, minus the compressor, would be made available at no charge. But it's not currently in or with the car. As shown in one of the photos, the A/C knob is not attached.

This Alfa looks sharp and runs well. It's a very decent representative of the marque. Remember just 10 or 15 years ago when you could buy a 1960s Alfa, a Duetto or GTV, in this sort of shape for under $10,000? Mm hm... Well those days are now gone, and currently many 1970s Alfas are climbing into the $15-20,000 range too. I am confident that a 1987 Spider like this one is a solid investment, not going to go down and really likely to go up even as you enjoy the heck out of driving it!

I am including photos that give an honest view of this Alfa and I have more if you want to see anything or I can shoot video of it running. I've owned a dozen similar Spiders and as an Alfa Club officer and concours judge, I am glad to share my insights. Alfas that have been sorted as this one has are not hard or expensive to keep happy. The Alfa Romeo Owners Club, www.aroc-usa.org, has chapters to keep you connected around the country and there are great sources for parts online. I've never had to wait more than a day or two for any part and they cost no more than VW parts from the same era. The car is garaged at my house in Alexandria, VA, convenient to National Airport (DCA) if you want to fly in and drive home, or I'm glad to meet a shipper. If you're local come by for a test drive. Thanks for your interest!