WTB: Giulia GT/GTV stepnose

[DaveT]

Hi there,

It's time to come clean and admit that I can't shake this yearning for an early 105 Giulia GTV. Somehow 20 years has gone past since I first fell in love with a red stepnose for sale out the front of Monza Motors in Malvern... I couldn't afford one then so I settled for Fiat 124 Coupes and Spiders (restoring these and then removing my brain to buy an Alfa 164 guaranteed an ongoing state of financial decrepitude for the next 16!)...then I got distracted by Peugeot 205 gti's...and finally lured to RS Clio's...

Anyway back to the topic. Preferably I'm looking for a nice solid example, however I will consider those in need of a bit of work, but I'm not really interested in rust buckets or hastily patched up and painted bodges. I've been keeping an eye on the market over the past few years and have a pretty good idea of what cars are actually selling for. Recently I missed out on two of the best examples I've seen, one was a two times SA concourse winner, the other a newer concourse worthy restoration, both lovely cars. Unfortunately one was a little over my budget, the other I missed out on by a few days.

Cheers
DaveT
Email: david_thomas1@bigpond.com

[ItalCarGuy]

Try Tony McKone (w) (02) 4577 5144, very well respected Alfa mechanic in Sydney. I think he is selling one. He probably worked on it under warranty too when he was at Alec Mildren Motors in the 60's!

[pancho]

it's a bad disease. 

[DaveT]

Ooooh Pancho, that's Trevor Fay's car I'm kicking myself I missed, check out the engine bay, sorry don't know how to attach a pic but here's a link: http://www.international-auto.com/index.cfm?fa=ad&aid=275

Thanks for the lead Derek, will give Tony a call.

[ItalCarGuy]

I was a bit shocked when I saw Trevor's for sale. He was one of those detail minded guys. A shame he had to sell.

[pancho]

Dave, not sure of your budget though this looks good.

http://www.healeyfactory.com.au/productsb/_products_sub_group_details.asp?id=1179

[DaveT]

Yeah Pancho I haven't seen it in the flesh but that one looks great, but way, way over my budget. I'm not sure what to make of the fact that Trevor's car and the other concourse car that sold recently both sold for about half what that one's advertised for.

I may be wrong but I think at that price it may be sitting on the internet for a very long time. There's another white one (it's actually pearl but looks white in the photos) on drive, it's NQR in lot of areas but from what I can make out is quite a solid car, it's been for sale on drive for years and there's really only one reason it hasn't sold and that's price.

[massiveluvbuddy67]

Hi Dave,
IMHO opinion there are very few around that are right. If Trevor's car has been sold someone got themsleves an excellent/brilliant car at a bargain price. (I wish Trevor all the best and hope he is as well as can be expected). Have a chat with Hugh or Bruno they will know if any good ones are around as the good ones are word of mouth within the various state clubs. The difference between a good car and an average car is now becoming many 10's of thousands unless you are very handy and can do the work yourself. Stretch and go further, the cars will not depreciate.
The car at the Healey Factory won the Vic concourse a couple of years ago. I think it runs a 2 litre engine BUT the body etc is superb. Exceptional! I know there is over $80k in the car. Offer low $40s and it will likely be yours and you will own one brilliant car, IMHO. BUT it is not original. The body is a masterpiece from Paul Rankin.
(If you buy it would be great it comes along to club events too!).
Best Regards
Phil

[Davidm1600]

Boy how prices on stepnoses have escalated over the years.  I only wish i had one in my collection, but suppose unless I get lucky I will have to be content with my series 1 1750 GTV, not that this is bad.  Like too many I guess I like the idea of having an Alfaholics inspired GTA replica !!

[EZEE]

Hi Dave,

I can only add to what the guys have been saying. Good ones are hard to find, I too have been looking for a while with no luck - wasn't aware of the two you mentioned (so maybe not looking hard enough ) but that SA one looked awesome! I was so desperate to buy a "step nose" that I recently jumped on one of sorts - a GT1300 Junior - its ok as a daily runner and I got my "look" but already I have spent almost double what I thought was the bargain purchase price (well not quite but could get there soon) and I only have a patched up version if you know what I mean.............so to bring it to the standard of these concourse/restored/well kept ones I reckon I could easily have no change from anywhere upwards of $40k...?  Moral? Buy the best you can, we all have budgets I know but stretch it.....and if you find two.......

Cheers

EZEE

[DaveT]

Thanks guys for all the responses, it's made me think...which is something I try to avoid, especially on a Friday night...when I was restoring my 72 124 BS Fiat Spider (resurrected from a rolling shell with 50% of the parts missing to a two time concourse winner) I did as much of the work myself as I could. Mainly because I wanted to but also because I just couldn't afford to pay someone else to do it. In terms of actual monetary outlay when I sold it I was happy to get back close to what I'd put in...but of course I wasn't factoring in the countless hours of my labour! Obviously a car that's been restored predominantly by specialists will cost a lot more to restore than a car predominantly restored by the DIY enthusiast. In both scenarios when the time comes to sell, both parties understandably wish to recoup as much of their expenditure as possible, but for the enthusiast DIYer they're much more likely to accept less, because they've invested less. Just a thought and maybe only one of many variables that go into deciding what price to put on a well restored car.

I'm also aware there can be quite a step between a local concourse winning car, a national concourse winning car and an international concourse winner car...some of the cars at MotorClassica were of a truly gob smacking level, a grey E type Jag and a Bentley 8 spring to mind.

I certainly don't wish to devalue anyones car. I just wish someone would sell me there concourse winning stepnose for $5000 

Cheers
DaveT

PS Phil thanks for your PM, I PM'd back but I don't know if you got it. Let me know.

[ANG156]

Just a quick note on the car at the healey factory. It is my understanding that the 1600 cars all had allen key cam cover bolts not the regular bolts that appeared on the later models. Don't want to sound pedantic but it is the details that make such a car.

[Davidm1600]

I guess there is also another factor to consider in respect of such things.  One of the real problems in buying a concours winning car (be it of a standard suitable to win your local car club show/at a State or even National level), is that such cars generally don't get driven for fear of damage  (by your own hand or others) and/or putting more miles on the clock. 

To me that is the opposite in the purpose in having the car or even a motorbike of your dreams for that matter.  Such cars IMHO basically belong in museums, a bit like a precious artwork or ultra rare piece of antique furniture, sadly never to be used and enjoyed.

So, in view of that, aiming a little lower enables the enthusiast to get what they want but allows them to drive the car, enjoy it for what it was designed to for, but is not going to be too concerned whether it picks up the odd stone chip, or that there is after a decent fang a little road grime, on the car.  Afterall it can be cleaned off later on and paint chips touched in.

To me the cars shown as gorgeous as they are need to be taken for a decent Italian Tune up, on some nice windy roads.  In the end, I doubt personally I could justify a purchase of $50K for a stepnose irrespective of how well it has been restored or the level of investment.

BTW Dave don't give up hope yet, while you may not find a concours winning stepnose for $5K, a guy I know down here only a year ago or so found one in Canberra for the princely sum of around $3K.  Sure it is not perfect, the interior is wrong, it has filler in the nose, but no rusty daggy bits hanging off it, and an ugly glass sunroof, but it is basically straight, it is a 1600 Veloce Sprint in red and he drove it home to Tassie.

I have over the past few years seen the odd one or two cars coming up for sale on Carsales, for less than $10K so it still may be possible to find what you are looking for.

[DaveT]

I agree totally David. I had exactly that problem when I finished my spider, every time I took it out I was worried about it, it was insane...What if I get a stone chip? What if it rains and I get the underneath dirty? What if I park it and someone opens their door on it or nudges it while parking? Inevitably in the 2 or 3 years post restoration all of these things happened and it became a chore to keep it 'concourse', I just wasn't enjoying it as much as I knew I should, in fact I enjoyed it more during the restoration than after. At the time I was looking to buy a house, so the decision was made to pass it on whilst at it's most valuable. The thing is though, the new owner is enjoying it as it should be, it still looks great but he's not bothered about keeping it concourse.

I guess for a new owner of a concourse car there's no baggage because they haven't been through the restoration 'journey'. So with that in mind I'd happily buy a concourse car (on the off chance it was within my budget) as long as the owner was OK with me using it as intended and not getting out the toothbrush after every drive.

I will consider cars that need a resto, if the body had little to no rust...an unlikely car I know...but preferably I'd like a good solid example I can enjoy and tinker with, so I don't end up doing the same thing as above.

Cheers
DaveT

[Davidm1600]

Absolutely Dave, I too have been there, and am very slowly going there with some other projects I am working on.  So yes, that always is the dilema.  Hence in the end, I think I prefer tidy and very nice to concours, as I can live with and enjoy them as I had hoped to do.

Good luck in the hunt for the right Stepnose.