I came across this Alfa in the parking lot of the local hardware store. Given the current Covid-19 crisis, probably stocking up on supplies for the Apocalypse. Given the looks of this Alfa, seems like apocalypses are something the owners have perhaps…planned for? But who would plan for the Apocalypse in an Alfa?
If I was going to pick a vehicle to make my way through the Apocalypse, an Alfa 2000 sedan would seem to be low on the list of possible choices. I mean, there are the obvious choices like an International Scout, or a Dodge Power Wagon, there are the quirky choices like a Volvo 240/140/Amazon, or maybe a Rambler American, there are classic choices like a 1957 Chevy, or maybe a 50’s Oldsmobile, there are the pre-war choices, like maybe a Model A or a T or Ford V8, or a Stovebolt 6, or moving upscale maybe a Packard or even a Duesenberg, there are the “movie choices” like maybe a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible, a “Bullitt” Mustang, a Dodge Charger, a Pontiac Trans Am, or maybe even a Peterbilt 281.
But an Alfa?
Alfa’s are sporty, they’re cool, they look good in red, they look good in yellow, they look especially good in green. They make one want to put on your sunglasses and your turtleneck, or maybe a Hawaiian shirt with the top buttons open and beautiful SO by your side, navigating the backroads to a great picnic spot overlooking a beach on the Italian Riviera. Alfa’s are for the beautiful and the young or the young-at-heart, for when the sun is shining, the wine is chilled, and the times are good.
Alfas don’t seem to be the first choice to ride through the Apocalypse in, at least to me. First, it’s not like they are known for being a paragon of reliability. Now I know that’s probably more the function of shaky electrics and the poor maintenance habits of your average American consumer, than anything inherent in the design – the Twin-Cam Alfa motor is a hearty and strong beast, for example, and the Giulia was a successful and long-lived design with many admirers. But still, I would wonder if the owner, we’ll call him or her “Mad Massimo” or “Mad Massima”, might spend too much time by the side of the road trying to sort out the fuel injection, or perhaps trying to synchronize the dual carburetors (not available in America, but possibly retrofitted). At least in this Alfa the radio reception has some chance of being good, so one could still tune in to the local Jazz station, if it still exists.
In order to make this Alfa further suited to the Apocalypse, the interior has been fitted with some snazzy seat covers made from what looks like burlap-bag material. Scratchy, but probably pretty durable.
The interior looks nice, with apoca-practical manual roll-up windows, the seats look like they are in good condition, and Mad Massimo appears to be keeping up with the news.
Plenty of room in the trunk for apocalpytical supplies, and the back seat looks like a great place for little Massimos or Massimettes – or space for picking up a hitchhiker who knows where one can get ahold of some more gasoline.
Mad Massimo sure does have a nice cockpit for navigating through to the other side. He/she didn’t opt for the “A” version with the automatic, which is probably for the best, given the circumstances – wouldn’t want to be standing by the side of the road trying to adjust the carburetors AND find a transmission seal leak. Really, the interior does look to be in really nice shape. In this Apocalypse, the Alfa is a sleeper, much nicer on the inside than the outside – though not bigger on the inside than the outside, that would be a Tardis, which might be the best choice to ride through the Apocalypse in.
It wouldn’t behoove Mad Massimo to have some snazzy rims, or even snazzy wheelcovers, in the journey through the end times. Some nice, clean steel wheels will do just fine.
One would not expect Mad Massimo to be a “joiner”, hence this sticker is a bit of puzzle. It turns out that Scuderia Non-Originale is a car club with the following promise: “The group’s founding directors promise to maintain their original commitment to hold no meetings, publish no newsletters, and collect no dues or fees of any type”. We were right, Massimo is not a joiner.
Mad Massimo means business. He/She’s made his choice. What’s your choice to ride through the apocalypse in?
Not sure it was ever called the Giulia, although it was based on it.
Exactly. Never a Guilia but always a Berlina (sedan in English)
I’m a huge fan of these cars. For me this is one of the most quinsential sedans ever.
Pretty much any Berlina I see these days (with sadly isn’t often) see is one in either very good or restored condition, so it is interesting to see one with patina like this one.
I’ve no doubt at all that they’re lovely to pedal, but the looks are a bit severe for mine. As a kid, I thought they were just some angry Mazda!
And you’re right: suddenly, when seen today, they’re all done up. For the longest time, many, many of them looked pretty much like this one here.
Perhaps folk found that, once you’d rebuilt the engine and trans and got a bill for $15K, you may as well fix up the body too.
Perhaps the author meant to write Romeo instead of Giulia? Either way, more a fan of the earlier Berlina but beggars can’t be choosers, any Alfa sighting is cause to hoist a glass of red.
Perhaps the burlap is the Northern Italian Shepherders version of the Japanese doilies.
Actually, I had just shorted “Alfa Romeo” to “Alfa” in my initial write-up. I always thought the Berlina was a sub-model of the Giulia, just with the bigger engine and slightly reworked body compared to the Giulia 4-door, kinda like, at least for a while, the Spider was also a sub-model, as was the Sprint GT coupe. But now y’all have corrected me, the Berlina was considered a model separate from the Giulia. Those details have been corrected (thanks Paul). Thanks for reading.
It’s got the patina! Looks like a regular driver. Perhaps “mad massimo/massima” has had the car so long, they have “bonded” with the car.
Still, I would take a pre-1975 “old” Alfa over an post-1975 Alfetta or Milano or a new one.
I have never seen one of these in the US in real life; not on Long Island in the 70s/80s, not in DC, not even in Michigan. I only see them for sale online.
It’s not patina. Indeed it’s rust primer, meaning that sheet metal is ruined forever. A real “deadly sin”.
These weren’t uncommon in Berkeley (where this one was photographed) in the seventies, so it could be a long-time local. A license plate frame from Griswold, the local dealership not far from this OSH hardware store, would have confirmed that. Like others, I too prefer the earlier upright Giulia sedan, but these have aged well, and this one looks well-loved. External patina with a clean interior is far better than the opposite.
That is the old OSH on Ashby, huh? I thought I recognized it. There was/is a fairly big Alfa repair shop off of Gilman near 880 a couple of miles north of this location that always had interesting stuff parked on the street when I used to knock around that area…
Looks like the Alfas are coming out of the woodwork. I had never seen one before on the road in the 40 years i’ve been driving and then…blam!…one ahead of me on the GSP northbound at exit 120 last week. Dark blue and in the same condition, with an elderly male driver…wow
I believe this particular body style Berlina was available with a 2.6 liter six cylinder also. There are some styling cues that give it away, but I don’t know how many.
As to the old Alfas coming out, perhaps because the value of old ones seems to have skyrocketed, they are coming out, both onto the street and online for sale.
The Berlina 2600 (Tipo 106) is a considerably larger car, produced in much smaller quantity than the Typ 105 sedans. The floorpan was used for the very handsome Spider and Sprint 2600 convertible and coupe versions, respectively.
These forebodingly-severe saloons may well have been the result of Italy’s ongoing partial infatuation with communism, as, surely, only a committee of grim-faced Comrades could’ve come up with such a look. You shall be allowed two boxes, atop which shall be allowed one further, and no more. Windows shall be large, the better to keep an eye on you. The infatuation being partial and the Committee still Italian, a heady and exotic spec of motivation is allowed to be fitted.
No, these Berlinas are less for the coming of the Apocalypse and more the type of frightening cockroach upon which one might expect the event itself to arrive. Why, on this one, for example, the deceptive red burnt away, ashen grey and burnt roof tin revealed, has clearly been in training close to the fires of Hell.
These chariots could survive anything, and look no worse. the time is clearly nigh.
But even staring into those four bulging eyes, I do not repent. “Rust away with you!”, say I.
These were widely used as police cars in Italy, including in the original Italian Job. Berlinas look good in Carabinieri green.
As for apocalyptic transport a Citroen 2CV van is light economical with scarce fuel and almost unkillable. Either that or a common pickup truck or van since it trades economy for capacity and North American parts availability.
Given that these were just a slightly reworked Giulia, which dated to 1962, your theory about Communist influence is not exactly likely. Never mind that the owners of A-R and Fiat and such were of course capitalists, through and through.
Capitalists indeed, and rich ones at that. But the Communist party did hold significant power in Italy in the ’50’s and ’60’s, and by the time this car was sold, they peaked at a third of all votes.
However, a more likely theory is that the commies pre-installed the rust, I guess…
That’s the case for the ’70s Fiat/Lancia products, to be sure. They were paid in steel for the Togliatti Lada factory, and the Soviet steel…they didn’t send their best.
I’ve always wondered why the Alfas of this period tended to rust badly too, when they where not part of Fiat at the time and therefore not the recipient of rubbish Russian steel.
The Berlina was very rarely used as a police car in Italy. The Guila being smaller was slightly more nimble for all those chases, and the Berlina, if it was used at all, it would have been used by more senior police eg a squad commander.
On the Fe2, I’m not sure it’s so clear. Alfa was essentially government owned for many years: given the parliamentary numbers and communist member votes needed therein from time to complex time, maybe they did get the Russian stuff too.
And that steel issue is itself not settled, to my knowledge. ‘Suds, for eg, supposedly rusted badly – and boy, did they ever, even in sunny Oz – because of unpainted bodies sitting idle outside during strikes, and/or strange production organisation that left shells outside too long. Or the Russians – and even there, the imperfect steel (if it was) may or may not have been an anti-capitalist plot, or just a poorly-made stuff-up arising from totalitarianism itself. Or not.
All I know is that plenty of Euro cars of the ’70’s could have awful rust without any suggestion of Russians and steel. I owned one, an ’81 Pug 505, in about ’93. It rusted in the most improbable sites, and when I went to get the electrics or mechanicals fixed (again) the specialists always had a lovely yard full of oddly-rusted Euros waiting for their fixes.
The Russian steel thing is an entire topic of its own! And I’ve got an instinct that at its heart lies nothing but a myth, the real answer being something much more prosaic such as universal ’70’s industrial strife and/or inadequate production methods.
Or not.
Man, i’m italian and i can tell you without any doubt that these cars have nothing to do with communism…with these Alfa just reworked the Giulia for cashing in a more profitable segment of the market by making it slightly larger and with bigger engines. It was essentially a rush job as the styling shows (basically a smoothed-out Giulia) and it was considered quite dull and unispiring even when it came out. This it’s still true today, where the Giulias, dripping with personality, are the collector’s darling, while the 1750/2000 aren’t worth as much (despite being more rare and just as good, if not more, to drive). These were aimed at the understated, conservative professional with an eye for performance or to the police high ranks while popular even with thieves/bank robbers, quite the polar opposite of the typical italian communist who often drove french small cars (Citroen 2cv, Dyane, Renault 4, etc…). BTW, Alfa sedans from the ’60/’70s are legends here in italy ’cause they were always involved in the chase scenes of ’70s italian crime movies, we call ’em “poliziotteschi” and ask Tarantino if he knows something about them 😉 !
Haha! I love it. I can see Don Camillo, and Mayor Peppone in some austere little French something or other. Ofcourse!
Must admit that I’m a bit glad to hear the 1750/2000 wasn’t loved much for its looks at home in period, as I’ve always assumed I was missing something there.
I should add, my communist comments weren’t serious, and also that I don’t really thinks it looks so awful, even if it’s quite some way short of great.
No problem with that, it was an interesting insight but even if these weren’t Alfa’s happiest effort for styling i can’t imagine a world where soviet union cars had an any influence on italian cars 😀 ! The poor conditions and the oversized US side markers do this particular example no favors though. Kudos for knowing Peppone&Don Camillo, I had no idea somebody knew ’em outside italy 😀 !
An Alfa would not be my first choice for the apocalypse either.
I am thinking a four wheel drive Suburban. Durable and easy to find spare parts from “donor” vehicles.
A casket.
As a teenager in the 90’s I always imagined a 4×4 Travelall as my end times ride, but the 8 or 9 MPG would be an issue. My current daily driver is an 03 Excursion Limited 4×4 with the 7.3 diesel, and with the factory 44 gallon tank and close to 20 MPG on the highway, I think I would hang onto it if things got a bit Mad Max. Maybe with a Smart Car dingy out back?
A classic Berkeley mobile. Great find.
Parking lot looks a lot like the Home Depot down the road in Emeryville being it is clearly garden supplies visible.
This is a car that I always like. This is the one an acquaintance had in San Diego around 1975. I recall asking what it was since it was not to be seen around town. More likely to see a 510 or 240Z not counting the common Bug. I did like riding in the car very much but never dawned on me to ask about reliability.
It’s the Outdoor Hardware Supply in Berkeley, near Ashby and 6th
All Berlinas were 5 speeds, Alfa never offered and automatic in it. This Berlina looks like its a coat of paint away from being a very nice car.
According to the Berlina register, there were 252 Berlina automatics built, and there are at least 3 of them extant in Australia:
http://www.berlinaregister.com/drvtrain.htm
Jerome,
Having owned a Berlina in the past, I must address a few mistakes:
“Typo 105” is chassis name for this model and is based on Giulia. The front axle was moved three inches ahead. The doors are interchangable between “Typo 105” and Guilia albeit different sheetmetal shapes. The upper portion of sheetmetal below the window frame is concaved on Guilia and convexed on “Typo 105”. The front and rear ends were stretched out and smoothed out for “Typo 105”.
You seem to forget about the 1750 version with smaller 1.8-litre motor, which was produced from 1968 to 1971. 2000 replaced it in late 1971 and continued in production until 1977. 1750 and 2000 had completely different dashboard and instrument clusters. Ditto for the grilles (narrower on 1750 and wider on 2000), headlamps (7″ low beams and 5.25″ high beams on 1750 and 5.25″ low and high beams on 2000), and taillamps (turn signal indicators and reverse lamps are on either side of brake and night illumination lamps on 1750 and stacked on 2000).
Actually, the production figure of 252 is for 1750A Berlina. Roughly, 2,200 units of 2000A Berlina were produced from 1971 to 1977.
My family had owned a 1971 Alfa Romeo 1750A Berlina that my father bought in 1972.
Thanks for correcting me on the number of automatics! I actually wasn’t trying to do a comprehensive history on this model, figuring it had already been covered pretty extensively in the CC I referenced within the text, also I’m no expert! But we find out more things everyday! What did you think of your Berlina? Thanks for reading.
My Berlina was akin to the high maintainence mistress who demanded lot of attention and careful handling. Exciting times when she was in good mood. Otherwise, temper tantrums followed, and a long period of consoling would shift her mood level from the darkest abyss to the gleaming sunshine.
It’s weird, or I guess not so weird- where I am, in the People’s Republic of Berkeley, I’ve noticed a marked uptick in people DD-ing their classics during this time. Less people driving, for sure, so maybe they just stand out more, but I can’t help but think it’s just like, “Pull out the Pagoda, hon; if we’re going to stand in line to get into Trader Joe’s, we might as well go in style.” Also, I saw a perfect green example of this car up the street from me a few days ago…I didn’t have my camera or I would have shot pics. (I really need to do a photo dump to the Cohort.)
I’ve noticed the same in Southeast Michigan. A lot less traffic, and a lot more classic cars.
Before the weather go nasty (as in snowshowers), we had some nice days. It’s a good way to decompress and maintain social distance. In cold have been 1972, with a small bumper C3 Corvette followed by an early 1970s small bumper Trans Am on a small, but busy, 25mph street. I also saw a similar vintage VW station wagon another day. Not typical at all.
As the owner of a CC, I’ll speak to this one. The light traffic allows for slow, tired old cars to get up to speed without as many angry, impatient tailgaters threatening to ram you from the rear. This is particularly nice on the Freeway.
For me the issue was never the freeway. However, to get to the freeway one has to navigate surface streets and many intersections with traffic lights. That is more nerve racking to me as I am more likely to either get rear ended at a light or have someone blow through a red light.
Chicago too. I’ve noticed multiple MG’s out and about on one 15 min drive.
What a find! And what a Daily Driver!
Yes, the styling wasn’t the greatest by the time this version emerged but everything else is there. Haven’t seen one in years.
Driving the classic during lockdown is a thing here waiting at a traffic light in my Hillman one Sunday a 20s Buick roadster pulled up alongside me, people are still exercising their old cars and the sparse traffic makes the roads a bit more like what they were designed for
What a fun way to read about an Alfa. Like some others, I don’t believe I have ever seen one of these in person. The Germanic Oldsmobile-driving Lutherans that populated my hometown would never have made such a frivolous choice. “You go looking for a nice 4 door sedan and you pick an – – Italian one? Phooey!”
The condition surprises me too, but perhaps it should not in that climate where the sun can damage the paint after a long life. The car has undeniable charm.
Car for the apocalypse? My answer will probably vary by the day, but today it would be a 59-62 Lark wagon, V8 and OD. Simple pre-war engineering in a more modern package.
Yes the Berlina does have charm, one of the reasons I love it. People should look closer at the design, it is more nuanced than a 3 box design would suggest.
People also forget that in its day, this was a 2 litre 4 cylinder sedan that could do 120 mph, with refinement. There were V8s at the time with 2.5 great engine displacement that could not match this. All the better to outrun the apocalypse zombies! And it had handling that was close to (if not) the best in the world in its class. A BMW 2002 was probably the only rival. All in an understated design. I find that rather staggering.
A Nissan Skyline GTR sedan from 1969 was a little quicker but had a specialised limited build engine (and with 6 cylinders and 4 cables per cylinder). Thr only 2 litre sedan I can think of that could match it was the JDM Toyota Corona GT, which came out in 1974.
In 1974 I bought a 69 1750 Berlina and it was comfortable, quick and handled extremely well. It also surprised me by being really reliable. Being a Canadian model it had dual 2 barrel carbs, but they always stayed in tune. The synchro on 2nd was pretty much gone, which I heard was common, but it forced me to learn how to double clutch. It did like super premium gas (Sunoco Ultra), but it got excellent fuel economy on the highway. Unfortunately the body could not stand up to Canadian snow and salt, so I replaced it in 1977 with one of the last new BMW 2002s available in Toronto. It was also a great car, but I preferred the Alfa.