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This Alfa 75 was 20 years in the making for her owner. As a young man a friend lent him a near new example which bowled him over for a number of reasons, here in his own words:

“My memories of the car are of the sound of the engine, the lightness and balance of the car and an eagerness to be driven.  I also remember the absurdity of design – try (i) reaching the stereo (ii) closing a window and changing gear at the same time or (iii) releasing the U-shaped handbrake without pinching your skin! 

Strangely, it’s these quirks that drew me back to the car some 20 years later. The angular shape, the contoured side strip which wraps around the top edge of the boot, the shape of the rear lights and even the plastic front window vents – all lend the 75 an unmistakable silhouette.  You certainly can’t confuse the 75 for any other car and in the sea of modern cars it’s worth celebrating the unusual.  I’ve owned other (newer) cars but it’s almost impossible to enjoy them on public roads.  Two to three seconds with your foot down will land you in illegal territory.  The 75 allows you to enjoy changing up through the gears, feel the mechanical pull of acceleration all the way through the range and listen to the soundtrack from that glorious engine – without setting off speed cameras all around you.  Driving, for the pure enjoyment of it, is a recipe for happy days and that’s the reason behind the 75.”

The first task was to source a suitable car with as little rust in it as possible. After many fruitless hours searching the internet I recalled another client mentioning some months earlier that he may consider selling his car due to lack of use. Bingo!

The donor car was a very original early 3.0 with the American spec bumpers. The brief was to create a fast road spec car with Veloce style body, updated interior and upgrades to the engine, brakes & suspension with the remaining items of the running gear (prop shaft & gearbox) stripped and rebuilt too.

Body:

1. Full strip down of all lights, front & rear screens, body kit etc.
2. Graft GRP front wheel arch extensions to the original steel front wings.
3. Supply Veloce type front & rear bumpers.
4. Carry out a full repaint in the original colours, including all body kit parts and the grey waist line moulding.
5. Complete Dinitrol 4941 underbody anti-rust protection.
6. Inject all cavities, chassis rails, inner arches etc with 4 litres of Dinitrol cavity wax.

Engine:

1. Remove engine from car.
2. Engine strip down to bare castings.
3. Supply new liners & SZ spec pistons.
4. Crack test crank shaft & rods, lighten flywheel and balance the complete bottom end of the engine.
5. Gas flow both cylinder heads & intake runners to match & new valves & guides, re-cut valve seats.
6. Reassemble the engine with all new bearings etc.
7. Fit C&B fast road cams.
8. Refit engine to car with custom made tubular exhaust manifolds, straight through centre section and Ansa Sport rear silencer.

Gearbox:

1. Remove gearbox from car.
2. Strip gearbox down & clean all parts.
3. Vapour blast gearbox casing to remove all corrosion etc.
4. Paint gearbox casing in aluminium finish paint to protect from further corrosion.
5. Inspect gearbox internals and replace as required with inner & outer synchromesh rings being replaced as a matter of course on 1^st to 4^th gears.
6. Refit gearbox to car.

Suspension:

1. Replace bushes as required with polyurethane items.
2. Fit 105 series caster ball joints and adaptor plates.
3. Fit AJM handling kit comprising of uprated rear springs & front anti-roll bar.
4. Reset front ride height on torsion bars to achieve correct setting to match rear.
5. 4-wheel laser geometry set up to AJM specs.

Brakes:

1. Supply & fit AJM 295mm front brake kit.
2. Fit new rear brake callipers, discs & DS2500 pads.
3. Fit braided stainless brake hoses throughout.

Wheels:

1. 5 x Custom made NTM Alfa SZ style 7×16 3 piece split rims.

2. 5 x 205/45/16 Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tyres.

Interior:

1. Source correct original spec Recaro 75 LE seat materials.

2. Retrim front & rear seats & door panels to original patterns.