Garage Find: 1987 Alfa Romeo Spider Quadrifoglio
The last iteration of the Alfa Romeo Spider in the U.S. saw it get gradually smoother, helping to better mask the ugly safety bumpers that marred the Graduate when it entered the dark period known as the malaise era. As the late 80s rolled around, color-matching was all the rage, and the Spider got the same treatment. By the time it left the market entirely, Alfa Romeo had done a remarkable job of freshening up an archaic design. This 1987 Alfa Romeo Spider hasn’t been started in years, but has at least remained protected from the weather in the seller’s garage. Find it here on craigslist for $10,000 in North Carolina.
As much as I love these cars, that seems like a strong ask for a Spider that’s been sitting. Apparently, it was listed for $5,000, and the seller claims it was a typo. The Spider is very original, and it has a few things going for it indicate it hasn’t been messed with in the time it’s been off the road. The Alfa will come with its original owner’s manual, Alfa Romeo branded atlas, Alfa Romeo pen, and other items from dealership. Those items are almost always are lost after a few years and/or if ownership changes hands. And that’s not all: it even comes with an Alfa Romeo-branded fender cover for when you’re leaning over the side, replacing spark plugs and wires.
One of my favorite details about vintage Alfa Romeos is the company’s love of red carpeting. It went all the way to the trunk, toon, lining it wall-to-wall in deep crimson. The nicely bolstered bucket seats, three-spoke steering wheel, and upper-console mounted shifter are all staples of the Spider, and those pieces all look to be in good shape here with some typical creasing to the leather seats. The mileage is indicated as being just under 66,000, and the convertible top is said to be original to the car. Alfa-branded floormats still cover the carpet, and overall, the cabin looks quite tidy.
The seller notes the Spider hasn’t been started in several years, but offers no reason for the neglect. It certainly looks like the kind of vehicle that was once well-loved by an owner, as the body and interior both remain in good shape and the engine bay appears clean. The seller advises that a full fuel system clean-out will be needed before attempting to fire up the car, which makes sense – and new spark plugs and wires are likely a smart investment as well. The Alfa Romeo Spider will likely never appreciate dramatically price-wise, but appreciation continues to go up as the supply of rust-free examples goes down. Would you bring this vintage Alfa Spider back to life?
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Comments
10k is an unrealistic number for this car. Spend the money to get it running and it will be worth more. If I’m not mistaken the Quadrifolio models also came with a removable hardtop. I used to work on these at the dealer way back. The later ones were underpowered, leaked oil, and flopped around under their own weight. Get a pre 73 Spider without all the safety gear and creature comforts. They are totally different cars which exhibit the true character of Alfa.
alphasud’s comments pretty much dovetail with what I remember from driving several late-model Spiders, as well as a friend’s Duetto: lots of cowl shake in the late examples, which I attributed to the heavy bumpers hung out at each end, handling that was less, well, Alfa-like than in earlier cars, and tepid performance (the automatics were especially awful…).
A shame, really. I still have a warm spot in my heart for Alfas, but the last examples don’t make the cut.
i would give that 5K mentioned all day long.
HA! Guy posted it for $5K, got 1000 emails and calls, and realized it was priced too low, and then went too high.
That’s exactly what happened. We added it to the tips when it was still at $5k because it looked like a good buy at that point. Not so much now…
Helped a friend open up an Alfa/Porsche dealership in ’83 as service manager. We sold quite a few of these but not as many as the new 4 door sedans which surprisingly handled better than the roadsters. Engines held up well but the electronics either worked or didn’t from car to car. If you’ve ever driven any of the Alfa ’60s or early ’70s cars then you would really see how much better they were compared to the late ’70 and ’80s models.
I’ve never seen one like this. How many were imported to the US, two?
Not so sure it’s such a good buy. I paid $2300 2 years ago for my 89 Spider Veloce with 100K….in North Carolina.
It did come with a hard top (I have a 1998). It is well designed, fits nicely, has both a heated rear window and a courtesy lamp built in. Probably adds $1000 to the value of the car. Quads came in three colors: Red, silver, and black.
At 115 HP, the car is underpowered, but still fun to drive. Rust hides under the battery and in the spare tire well.
I remember when the Graduate edition came out. I graduated high school in 1986, and I remember thinking (dreaming) of my dad giving me one for a graduation gift… “For my graduate,” with a tear in his eye. Of course, that didn’t happen.
But I did manage to get a ‘73 Porsche 914 that year!😉
Had a 914. I’d rather have an Alpha Romeo
I know at least 5 were imported in ’83 and early ’84 because we had them go through our dealership. Ray T hit it right. Had to be the only roadster/convertible built in that era with cowl shake. Too bad. They could have been much better.
If this is a Quadrifoglio, where is the badging? It should have a green 4 leaf clover inside a white triangle on each fender and one on the rear of the trunk lid. I see no indication of this being anything other then a Spyder besides the title of the ad. Am I missing something?
Located in Raleigh, NC
I had a black 1989 Quadrifoglio, and loved it. These included a factory hard top, standard, which was a remarkably attractive design. If not included, it’s a problem. My car was very reliable. The non assisted steering was a bit of a bear. I think the price is cook-koo. Once started, you will certainly find other items that need to be addressed, beyond just the varnish in the gas tank. If this were a running car, it would be worth more than $10K. As it sits, who knows what demons are lurking in there? I just said “no” to a PERFECT ’87, at $17K. It was a better deal