Milano Verde OE wheels questions

["John Hertzman" <johnhertzman@domain.elided>]

Dave Johnson, whose Verde reached him with four 16" aftermarket wheels and one
spare slotted Speedline (or "wineglass") wheel (as fitted to Milano Platinums
and late GTV 6s) asks what style of wheels the car originally came with and,
more broadly, what options existed, and "would still like to know what is
technically correct."

Short answer, I believe, is that all Verdes - that is, all examples of the US
version of the 75 three liter - came with the 15" 'phonedial" wheel. A first
reservation is whether this was 'a good thing'; the conventional scuttlebut is
that this was probably the softest, and most easily bent on a pothole, wheel
that was used on any US-version Alfa, which may be a good part of the reason
why there are so many Verdes running fitted with other wheels and no glut of
free phonedials being offered, like TRXs, for you-pay-the-freight. I suspect,
but don't know, that the 'phonedials' on Verdes may be a US-market aberration;
all the factory photos I have seen of non-US three-liters had wheels which
appeared to be the ones fitted to the "Gold" Milanos here. The factory photos
show the slotted wheels, in both four and five lug versions, on the 90, but
none I have seen on the 75.

So I went looking in my limited supply of non-US 75 factory literature. The
Owner's Manual for the 75 6V 3.0 (yes, 6V, not V6) lists Rims 6-1/2 J x 14",
Tyres 195/60 VR 14". The Product Bulletin for the 75 Turbo, which is arguably
the other hot 75, lists the same 195/60 VR 14" tyres on 6-1/2 J x 14" rims.
The "75 Caratteristiche e Prescrizioni" book covering all 75 models lists the
6-1/2 J 14" cerchioni e 195/60 VR 14" pneumatici for the 1.8 TB, 2.0 TS, 2.5
6V, 3.0 6V, and 2.5 TD, with narrower (and one smaller) rims for the lesser
variants, but does list a 6J 15" rim with 195-55 VR 15" tires as an option on
both the Turbo and the 6V 3.0.

The 15" factory wheels on US-market cars which fit with no alterations include
the standard GTV 6 wheels, the GTV 6 TRX wheels which nobody wants because of
the tire situation (odd size = limited availability = high price = free
wheels), the late GTV 6/Milano Platinum slotted Speedline (or 'wineglass'),
and the 'phonedial'. Two US-market factory wheels which fit with slight
machining (same bolt circle and offset, different hub clearances) are the
basic 164 wheel (the most elegant and understated of the lot, in my opinion)
and the 164 'directional' wheel which I personally would find unacceptable on
general principles. The slotted Speedlines (which I have on my Platinum) are,
for my tastes, an elegant borderline case of conceptually indefensible design
carried off with an only-in-Milan sense of style, which makes them, to my
mind, quintessential Alfa. The phonedials are, to me, the reverse, a good idea
done rather poorly. (YMMV, of course).

The best of the bunch, a reasonable design well executed technically and
inoffensive aesthetically, I would say is the basic GTV 6 wheel, which was
made in the same pattern by two or three different manufacturers, one of which
is supposed to have the edge on strength-to-weight. In my occasionally more
licentious moods I have been half-tempted to have a set powder-coated black to
fit on my black Platinum, with shaved or at least suppressed chrome and tinted
windows, but that would be more of a sinister/raunchy act than I could really
live up to, even if I wanted to. I still might powder-coat a set in a somewhat
darker gray than standard wheel silver, (about matching the Platinum's
leather) and that is what I would probably do if I had a Verde, regardless of
what color it was, right after I removed the more idiosyncratic trim elements.
Not that I would want a Verde -

With the exception of the 164 base wheel all of the 15" 5-lug 75/164 wheel
forms had previously appeared in four-lug 14" and some apparently in 13"
versions on the 33 and the Alfasud, overlapping the 'Turbina' form which
lasted through the Alfasud and appeared last, I believe, on the Alfa 6.

Enjoy yours-

John H.

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