Okay, so it was a bit of a cheap trick to call this listing a 12-cylinder Alfa. If you ran them simultaneously, would that count? Honesty nonsense out of the way, we can focus on the cars. Brothers from an Alfetta mother and an Alfa 6 father, these are a pair of great, underappreciated 1980s cars. While everyone is busy chasing E30 BMW M3s, you could get into one of these, either of which is likely to be faster and just as exciting as any E30 car. Stock, the 3.0 6C engine put out 188bhp, and with the addition of S cams, you could get around 200bhp in an under-3000-lb. car. Find this pair of 6-cylinder Alfas for $5000 in Walnut Creek, CA.
Yes folks, step right up, that’s a mere $416 per cylinder! Sure, it’s more than the BMW 750iL from a couple of weeks back, but maintenance will be far easier on this. You can start by changing the timing belts since these are of indeterminate age. Unfortunately, the GTV6 appears to have been parked outside while its owner is busy with college, after work to install the rebuilt 3-liter hit an obstacle.
The shape really does look nice, even in the 1980s plastic fantastic version of this body shell. One could say the color is a bit bland, and the seller would agree as he was preparing for a repaint in red. You could also argue that red is too predictable on an Italian car, and where would that get you? Well, if you stick to factory colors, there are black, metallic dark blue, silver, white, and maybe more. Or you could stick to the original color – the lazy way out – and do other things to make up for the bland color. How about a champagne-color car over some gloss black wheels? Some of the later Alfa Romeo factory wheels also look great on these cars.
The engine in the GTV6 is a 3.0 liter version of the famous Busso designed powerplant, fully rebuilt with S cams, pistons, and liners. The transmission is a rebuilt unit with lightened gears from a Milano Silver, and the differential has been rebuilt. Unfortunately, it is not clear if the latter two parts are installed – does the car come with a new transmission that is meant to replace an extant unit, or has the old one been pulled and rebuilt? Either way, the whole drivetrain is said to have 0 miles. So what is the catch on this car? Well, aside from the questionable status of the transaxle, the poor paint and torn interior, there is a wiring problem. The seller reconnected the battery backwards and melted some of the loom. While this part is provided with the car, you’ll still have to figure out where it all fits together.
The other 6 cylinders are restrained within this 1987 Alfa Romeo Milano Verde. Argue all you like about the shape, but it is very much of its time, and the angular car now looks rather handsome. The 3.0-liter Verde was also equipped with the magical V6, Recaro seats, and suspension/brake upgrades. While the coupe is definitely the more attractive of the pair, there’s a lot of appeal in being able to take your friends along for the ride.
The ABS master cylinder and pump have been replaced by a Milano Silver system, since the trouble-prone ABS failed. The car now needs a new master cylinder to be a driver again, and with 146,000 miles and 20K on a rebuilt head, you should be good to go for a while. The body is said to be a little rough but rust-free, and the Recaro interior shows its age. This was the seller’s former daily driver, so with a bit of debugging, should be good to go back into regular service. One day we’ll look back and wonder how these cars were so cheap – grab yours now, before the M3-chasers set their sights on something more affordable.
Tags: alfa romeo, coupe, Feature, gtv6, hatch, hatchback, italian, milano, sedan, verde
Rusty But Trusty 
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