Today’s Pick of the Day is something extra special, a car that is a truly legendary Italian roadster, one that starred on screen in the film The Graduate with Dustin Hoffman behind the wheel, from a storied Italian manufacturer. It was also the last project that design firm Pinifarina founder, Battista “Pinin” Farina, had a personal hand in designing. How’s that for a special car? That car is the Alfa Romeo Duetto.
Though it was officially named the 1600 Spider, this Alfa’s original name Duetto was a result of a contest held in Italy to name the car. Unfortunately the name Duetto was close enough to the Volvo name of Duette that they cried foul, and the result was that only the first year or two of the round tail Alfa Spiders can truly be called Duetto.
The Pick of the Day is a 1967 Alfa Romeo Duetto listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealer located in St. Louis, Missouri. (Click the link to view the listing)
The dealer offering this lovely Alfa describes it as a fantastic example, combining the highly desirable 1750 twin-cam engine in the classically styled ’round tail’ body. This specific Duetto left the Milan factory as a 1600 model, but was later fitted with a higher output 1750cc engine, which is a fairly common upgrade. Among Alfisti (Alfa fans), this version of the venerable alloy twin-cam four is considered one of the very best. This one is equipped with Euro-spec dual carburetors and factory correct air box and is backed by a five-speed gearbox.
They state that the white paintwork is excellent, and the body is impressively straight, exhibiting consistent, even shut lines, and brightly polished stainless bumpers and brightwork. This car also wears the stylish and protective Euro-spec Perspex headlight covers and the correct offset angled exhaust.
This car is riding on Vredestein Sprint Classic tires mounted on period-correct steel wheels with hub caps and sits nicely on the road with an appealing and authentic look. This car also features upgrated springs and dampers to further enhance cars handling and the undercarriage is said to be tidy and clean.
They add that the cockpit is sparse yet stylish and functional, and features correct dark red vinyl on the seats along with red and contrasting black door cards. They also state that the dash top and bottom are free of cracks and shrinking and the instrument panel is correctly finished in body-color.
The folding soft top is in the correct durable black vinyl and is in fine condition. Red carpet has been added to the transmission tunnel, and it has proper rubber mats on the floors, an aftermarket Nardi wood-rimmed steering wheel, a period-correct Blaupunkt radio, and original Jaeger gauges.
The seller closes their ad by stating that this lovely and charming Alfa Romeo is ready to carve up your favorite winding ribbons of tarmac and represents a wonderful opportunity to add Alfa’s sophisticated, stylish, and eminently enjoyable slice of La Dolce Vita to your stable. The ad also states that best offers are welcome and trades also considered.
As I said at the beginning, these are wonderful cars but the key is to buy the very best example available. This Duetto from the description and the photos looks to be exactly that. I have owned one of these cars and they are very special cars. My wife Ann still considers it to be the most beautiful car I have ever owned, and I’m not sure I disagree. This Duetto is the kind of example I would seriously consider buying for myself, if I was in the market for one.
The asking price for this Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider is being offered for a market correct price of $73,500. This car looks to be an excellent buy at this price, and if you are looking for one of these cars I would not hesitate to buy this one.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
Wow! Cool car, but that’s a breathtaking price. Market correct?