what's a 79 Sprint Veloce worth in OK shape?

[JHertzman@domain.elided]

Curtiss Norheim asks "Whats the difference between an Alfetta and a Sprint 
Veloce? and what's a 79 (?) Sprint Veloce worth in OK shape?"

Difference, very little. The Alfetta name was an attempt to borrow reflected 
glory from the magnificent 158/159 Grand Prix cars, which had been called 
Alfetta ("Little Alfa") because the last prewar formulas provided for both 
three liter and 1.5 liter cars; the 158 (1.5 liter 8 cylinder) was developed 
concurrently with the 316 (3 liter 16 cylinder) which had two 158 blocks, 
heads, and crankshafts on a single crankcase. Prewar, both were drubbed by 
Mercedes, but the postwar formula was 1.5 liters blown/4.5 liters unblown, 
Mercedes was in rubble, and the Alfettas did very well in 1947 and 1948, sat 
out 1949, and won back-to-back World Championships in 1950 and 1951. By 1967 
Alfa was enough of a consumer-marketing company to call a 1779 cc car a 1750, 
borrowing glory from the 1750 of 1929-1933 ("Dalla gloriosa 1750 il nome 
delle nuove Alfa Romeo", said the ads showing a Berlina with a Zagato 
Spider), and they followed it with the Alfetta, explaining that like the 159 
the new car had a transaxle for perfect weight distribution, as well as a 
DeDion axle which had also been used on the last 159 (in place of the 
previous swing axle.)

The sales department ascribed the relatively modest sales of the Alfetta GT 
in the USA partially to the American consumer's ignorance of Alfa's history, 
and for 1958-59 renamed the Alfetta GT (for the American market only) the 
Sprint Veloce (borrowing, again, from the 750/101 Sprint Veloces) and renamed 
the Alfetta (berlina) the Sport Sedan. There were a number of detail 
differences- gasketed glass instead of bonded, added trim- and added options, 
such as a sun roof, and for the sedan an automatic transmission, but there 
were fewer differences in the coupes than in the sedans.

For the second part of the question- "what's a 79 (?) Sprint Veloce worth in 
OK shape?" the answer is "less than it should be." In a great many respects - 
ease and cost of maintenance, economy of operation, lightness of steering- 
the late Alfetta coupes are much nicer cars than the GTV-6, just as the Sport 
Sedans are arguably much nicer cars than the Milano. For the person who has a 
good one, and doesn't NEED to sell it, a good four may be worth a lot more 
than a mediocre six. For the person shopping, the modest price and 
considerable performance of a fair six usually puts a lid on the value of a 
four, and those who really prefer a four often prefer the 105/115 cars. Good 
Alfettas are rare enough, and buyers who really want one are rare enough, 
that the value probably comes down to two people bargaining.

John H.
Raleigh, N.C.

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