Spider project, Need Info/History

ike3131

I just picked up a 78 Alfa Spider Nikki Lauda Special Edition that had been locked in a basement garage since 1985. Its in fairly good shape w/no rust or dings but hasn' been startrd so don't know what I'm up against yet but oil is clean like it hasn't been run on yet so hoping I got lucky. I'm trying to find any info I can on this car before diving in. "Anyone know any thing about these "Italian Jobs?"Any info appreciated, thanks

stickguy

sounds like basically a stripe package, with a few trim accessories. So probably not much different in value, and mechanically the same.

http://www.carbuildindex.com/14935/1978-alfa-romeo-niki-lauda-edition-restoration/

texases

Are you needing advice on what to do mechanically?

Mr_Shiftright

Basically it's just a normal Spider Veloce with special striping and a fiberglass spoiler on the back, and a dash plaque I believe. It is rather rare, and there are probably no more than a few hundred of them around, but whether it adds much value to a normal Spider is debatable. As we say in the classic car world: "it has to be rare AND someone has to care". So if you are planning a restoration, that'd be great, but keep your budget in mind, as you are probably looking at a car worth in the $15K--$20K range when you are done with the full restoration. As you can easily calculate, if the car is in "rough" shape, it's going to cost you way more to restore it than it is current valued.

But I'm sure Alfa enthusiasts would like to see one at a show, so hopefully you can get it back on the road without too much difficulty.

Of course, NEVER attempt to start it with that dirty gas tank and whatever crud remains in there. If you want to start the car you'll have to use an external fuel supply.

The SPICA injection system can be tricky, but once it is set up by a knowledgable individual, it is not as troublesome as the rumors suggest. It's most people fiddling with it who don't understand it who cause the problems.

So anyway, to verify the car as genuine, look for the dash plaque, the spoiler, the blue and white stripes and most important, that it is red in color---the only color in which the Niki Lauda addition appeared.

These are fun cars to drive and can be quite reliable. Sounds like a nice project if you can keep your costs in check. Common problems for this car are rust of course, leaking head gaskets, valve seat compression and bad synchros in the transmission.