Alfa Romeo has a knack for building some of the most beautiful Italian cars ever designed and yet many are still available for quite affordable prices. In addition to the affordability, many of the most beautiful Alfa Romeos ever built also offer a level of usability that is often lacking from other 1950-80s classic sports cars. One of the very best examples of this duality of striking design and usability is best summed up in the ClassicCars.com Pick of the Day, this 1967 Alfa Romeo Duetto offered by a dealer in Santa Ana, California.
Examples of the Alfa Duetto can sometimes be had for as little as $20,000 but, if there was ever an example of buying the best example you can find, it is with the Duetto. I say this having bought a Duetto with a lot of needs many years ago, and the car was never what I expected or was told it would be. Instead, it was a car with hidden rust and other issues, ones that I spent lots of money rectifying over 18 months. Don’t do it this way — simply start with a car as nice as this one appears to be.
The seller describes this Duetto as being being recently purchased from its long-term Italian lady owner from at least the past 30 years. As you can see, it is finished in white paint with black vinyl trim. It has had what they call a quality respray, which presents very well with just a few small issues issues. It also has a black cloth top including a top boot. It is riding on its factory steel wheels with correct hubcaps.
The brightwork, stainless steel, glasswork, rubber seals, and molding pieces are completely original and are in excellent condition throughout. This is a Duetto that appears to have never been apart, which is evidenced by the door and trunk fit.
The interior is almost completely original and untouched, with the exception of replacement black carpets and a driver’s seat panel vinyl repair. The seller adds that the soft top fit is excellent and has been upgraded to a black cloth type with a new header seal. The car’s vinyl boot is perfect and original, as well as the rear drape upholstery.
These cars drive as well as they look, and are the very essence of what makes Italian sports cars so special. The bottom hinged pedals are unique to these round tail cars and are different than everything that came afterwards. The five-speed gearbox is a lesson of just how good a shift linkage can be, and the four-wheel disc brakes are as good or better than any car of the era regardless of the price. The seller states that this example drives fast and tight with zero issues, and is completely on-the-button. The engine compartment is highly original and untouched with all original clamps, clips, air hose, etc. Recent work performed includes having the original 15-inch rims have been freshly powdercoated in the correct silver and then clad with the correct size Vredestein 165HR15 Sprint Classic radials, new front and rear brake pads, new tailpipe and rear muffler, a major service that includes lube, all fluids replaced, an ignition tune up, and new air cleaner. In addition, the seller has replaced the headlight covers with a new Carello headlamp cover set and the rear taillights with a new set of Euro Carello taillights.
The Duetto is a very special car. It was the last Pininfarina design that was personally overseen by the firm’s founder, Battista “Pinin” Farina. It is one of the easiest Italian cars to own, and parts are easy to get and easier to service. This looks like a great example with a lot of nice originality and, with an asking price of $54,900, represents a good value in the the current collector car market for a Duetto. If you have always wanted an Italian roadster, this 1967 Alfa Romeo Duetto is the personification of these cars.
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