Tag Archives: Boxer

1990 Alfa Romeo 33 Imola Edition

May 16, 2014 Graham

Do you ever see a car advertised somewhere and think "I wonder how they they got that one here!" Well, today is such the case with this 1990 Alfa Romeo 33. Still seven months shy of the 25 year importation ban to the United States, here is a quite good condition and rare to see Alfa 33 with some discrete modifications; but to me, the real story is how it would have ended up here at all. There must be a good story behind it, because let's be honest - if you're going to go through the difficulty of importing a younger car to get past the government ban, I'm guessing for most people the 33 wouldn't be the first choice of car. Yet here it is, with relatively low miles in seemingly great shape - but a somewhat unrealistic price:

Year: 1990
Model: 33 Imola Edition
Engine: 1.7 liter flat-4
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 55,000 mi
Price: $18,995

CLICK FOR DETAILS:1990 Alfa Romeo 33

This is a rare 1990 Alfa Romeo 33 Imola Edition. It is a European car that was brought to the US from Holland. It has a clear Florida title. I am listing this car for a friend who has owned it for a few years. He bought it from the Dutch man who brought the car to the US. The car is located in Palm Beach County, Florida. If you are seriously interested in the car and would like to discuss, inspect and test drive this awesome Alfa, arrangements will need to be made. The owner will then meet you in Florida so you can inspect the car. The owner has many Alfa Romeos in his collection of cars and is fastidious about maintaining all of them, this 33 is no exception.
The car is a rust free example, rare for any Alfa Romeo and especially for Alfasud / 33 models. The car has 87958 Kms (about 54700 miles). It is the original color Black Metallic #632. It was recently painted below the pin stripe as there were some small scratches in this area. The hood has some water marks on the paint. The spoiler was also stripped bare and repainted, but it has some unusual marks in the paint. The interior is black with black suede inserts on the seating surfaces. The headliner and all interior appointments are in excellent condition. The owner says that all the switches and functions work. The car has power front windows and power door locks. Rear window wiper. It has a Rockford Fosgate Stereo with Pioneer Head. The interior is such a nice and clean design and its condition is excellent. Surprisingly roomy for the size of this vehicle. It has rear spoiler. The car has its original Euro spec Carello head lights and left fog light has a crack.
The motor runs extremely well and is smooth and powerful. It has a performance chip that was installed by the previous owner and this 1.7 Boxer engine puts out about 120 hp. It is nimble indeed. It has a K&N sport air filter and Remus tailpipe. There is an OMP front strut brace. The transmission has typical Alfa grinding in third gear. Another complete transmission was recently sourced from Europe to be used to correct these issues and this is included with the car.
The strong suit of the Alfa 33 is its handling with its low center of gravity. This has been enhanced with the car being lowered and fitted with performance springs and Koni shocks at all four corners. Recently added are four brand new Serpent Auto Sport Rims with Yokohama S Drive 195/45R15 Tires at a cost of over 1500 dollars. It drives and corners and stops beautifully.
This Alfa Romeo 33 has such a beautiful and clean design with cues from both the Milano and 164 that are enhanced by its compact size. Add to that its rarity in this country and you have a very unique Alfa Romeo. If you would like more specific photos, please let me know and we can get them out to you. Thank you for looking.

While the combination of updated alloys and lowered ride height do give the 33 a more purposeful look that in some ways reminds me of the great days of the 155 Touring Cars, ultimately I think the updated wheels look a bit out of place. Obviously, that's a fairly easy fix if you want something more original and there are always plenty of aftermarket wheels to choose from so that wouldn't likely stop my purchase. Condition overall looks to be very good and original, and were you interested in collection such a model this would probably make a fairly good specimen. However, I just can't get over the sticker shock of a nearly $19,000 asking price - impressive condition and rarity to me just don't make this the odd Italian hatchback I'd choose to fret over. For me, the Lancia Delta Integrale makes much more sense as an object of desire - but as with many of the cars we look at, it sure is nice to just see something a little different even if it's not what you'd buy!

-Carter

Ferrari

1980 Ferrari 512BB

March 14, 2014 Graham

When it comes to magical moments in your life, as an automobile enthusiast there are few moments that exceed seeing your first Ferrari. For me, that was when I was quite young - about 5 years old, and a friend of my father had a very lightly used purple 512BB. I don't remember much in terms of details about anything else than walking up to that incredibly wide Ferrari, full of vents, ducts and lots of exhaust pipes. And the wheels! The wheels were so wide. To me, having gotten out of a Toyota Corolla, it might as well have been a spaceship.

And it needed to be a spaceship, because Ferrari was decidedly behind the times in the 1970s. The Daytona was an incredible car, there was no doubt; but compared to the Miura, the Daytona seemed like it was a dinosaur. Ferrari's response was to take the heart and soul of the Daytona, combine it with some lessons learned in the Dino, and make a Miura fighter. It wasn't just a response to the Miura though, it was a Miura beater. The two had similar engine outputs, but the 365 GT4/BB was just downright faster. Faster to 60, faster outright at nearly 190mph. The 365 GT4/BB was later replaced by the 512BB and later the 512BBi with their larger 4.9 flat-12s and remained the big dogs into the 1980s; the Lamborghinis may have sold more posters, but if you actually wanted a driver, you wanted the Ferrari. A few decades later, seeing a 512 still gives me goosebumps and while the Testarossa may have embodied Ferrari in the 1980s, it's still the 512BB that occupies my mind:

Year: 1980
Model: 512BB
Engine: 4.9 liter Flat-12
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 25,001 mi
Price: Reserve auction

CLICK FOR DETAILS:1980 Ferrari 512BB

1980 Ferrari 512 BB. Only 25,000 klms from new. This is a car that was brought to Canada after being sold new in Switzerland, then going to the UK for a couple years. Being a Canadian car, it did not have to go through the DOT certification that the cars had to do when being imported into the United States. This means that the doors were not cut open to allow the addition of cross members for side impact crashes, as well as various additions under the front clamshell. It makes this car more desirable that the average US car that is available on the market today. Its also a 512 that has never been involved in an accident, has the rare original bumpers, and has had a complete engine rebuild three years ago by Canada's leading 512 BB expert. The transmission was also freshened up at this time. Total invoices add up close to $80,000 for all this work. Have a look at the engine photos, and you will see the detail and the newness in them. Anyone that has been watching these cars know that this model Ferrari is more than likely the next one to rapidly increase like the others have done. Limited production numbers (929 carbureted cars) always dictate which ones become super investments for the future. There is a Ferrari 512 BB running this weekend at the Amelia Island Auction in Florida, and for those who doubt the future value of this car, watch for the results of that auction. This car is not a distress sale, but it will be sold. The last one I had last summer sold to the first person that came to see it. Don't let this one pass you by if your looking for an investment car. I would expect the price to double on these in the next 10 to 15 years. This vehicle is avail for inspection (which I encourage) at anytime. If you fly into Buffalo NY, I will pick you up and bring you back to the airport when your finished viewing. I have the spare tire, just removed it to charge the battery.

With $80,000 in maintenance, you have a bit of an idea of the value of these cars. They're not the cheap Ferraris to get, by any means. Forgotten for a while in favor of newer and older models, the 365 and 512s have been on the rise, especially top condition models like this. A desirable Euro-spec car but also all-original, it's rare to see them in this condition. Hagerty values top condition 512s at just shy of $160,000 - still far short of the Daytona and on par with the top condition GTC/4s. This car is already there with the reserve still on, but this car is from a different generation than the Daytona and if you're smart you could pick this car up and watch it appreciate over the next few years. Just, please make sure that your friend's 5 year old can stare at it up close for a while...

-Carter

Ferrari, Modern Classic

1983 Ferrari 512BBi

December 14, 2012 Graham

The march towards a mid-engined, 12 cylinder Ferrari was a slow one, but after Enzo Ferrari came under increased pressure from racing competition in the 1960s, he eventually warmed to the idea with the mid-engined Dino race cars, the street versions of the Dino that entered series production and the rear engined, V12 powered P and LM race cars. With the introduction of the 512BB, or Berlinetta Boxer, at the Turin Motor Show in 1971, Ferrari shot an arrow across the bow of Lamborghini and their Miura, the original mid-engined supercar. The BB would go on sale in 1973 and was powered by a longitudally mounted flat 12 engine that produced 380 horsepower, a heady number for the time.

None of these BBs were ever sold new in the US, as Enzo Ferrari didn't think it was worth the bother to federalize them. Luckily, some of these stunning cars made it over. This particular example, however, wasn't one of them. It is for sale in Luxembourg and painted in a rather uncommon shade a black, a hue which matches its sharp, ready to pounce looks.

1983 Ferrari 512BBi

It was not an easy task for Ferrari to replace the mythical Daytona in the early 70s. Begun in 1969 the “BB” project focused all of the best knowledge available at the factory to be putted into the design from what was aimed to be the ultimate sports car. The first prototype was shown in 1971, it was an extremely modern car compared to the period production. Many technical solution directly came from the track such as the flat 12 engine as the ones used in F1 or sport prototypes. The first “365 Berlinetta Boxer” were delivered in late 73 and in 1976 the car was renamed 512 BB to rebirth the famous le Mans cars’ name capacity being increased from 4.4 to 5.0 liter.

Finally in 1981 the fuel injected version 512 BBi was introduced and gained very much in terms of building quality, road holding (Michelin TRX tyres) and reliability. It was a stressless car easy to drive in the daily traffic, a big improvement to the previous carburated ones. From the supercars of the 70s and early 80s, the BB was the quickest and best driving one, only 1007 fuel injected versions were built.

This rare 1983 black Boxer is in exceptional original condition having never been repainted and always maintained to the highest level. It was delivered in US but soon came back to Europe in the early 90s as the owner was looking for a mint black BB. It comes with an interesting history file, books and tools and it recently received an important service including a new clutch. The car drives magnificently and is still lovely to drive at high speed on highways.

Price: €135,000

At $176,000 USD equivalent, this BB is a bit on the high side in terms of value. While they were a top performer at Ferrari in the day, the similar looking 308 that came along later can be had for much less, offers adequate performance and is cheaper to maintain. True, the BB offers more speed, but for most enthusiasts, the 308 would do just fine. This year, a 1983 BBi sold at RM Auctions for $112,750. Given that these cars weren't sold here new, it adds to their obscurity and seems to affect values a bit. Since this car is for sale in Europe, collectors might be willing to pony up more cash, but I'm not sure it would bring the premium being asked here.

-Paul