East Coaster of the Day: 1982 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce
Art Hill’s 1982 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce is an early third generation of the iconic Italian sports car.
The rear-drive roadster was built and marketed between 1966 and 1994 in four series, each with performance and slight design modifications.
Art has owned this classic for two years and it’s easy to understand his love for the sporty two-seater. The classic shape, scrumptious interior and the manual shifter, coming out of the lower dash all add to the unique qualities of this heritage car.
Art loves the buttery smooth dual overhead cam 2.0-litre engine, with an aluminum block and cylinder head.
The vehicle was ahead of its time with dual electric mirrors, power windows, electric fuel injection and leather upholstery. Other standard features included reclining bucket seats, woodgrain steering wheel (which is lovely), tinted glass, a windshield antenna and intermittent wipers.
Alfa Romeo was founded in 1910. The name of the brand is a combination of the original company name, Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili (A.L.F.A.), and the last name of Nicola Romeo, an entrepreneur from Naples, who took control in 1915.
The company was quick to enter to the racing fray, producing a race car three years later.
Alfa Romeo won the inaugural world championship for Grand Prix cars in 1925. It has had the most wins of any marque in the world (under the Ferrari name, but that’s a whole other story).
Art tells us his next project on the car (because we all know project cars are never ‘finished’) is to ‘replace those hideous bumpers’.
His wife doesn’t mind the bumpers, required by the U.S. at the time, but we are going to agree with Art on this one.
