Wing Mirrors or Door Mirrors?

Can anyone help? I have a 1967 Duetto (1600, RHD) which is nearly at the end of a protracted restoration. I've got shiny new round mirrors to put on it, but can't make up my mind whether they should go on the wings, as in the brochure, or on the doors, as I've seen other cars of the same age.

For practicality, the doors would be best, but what's right? LHD cars of this vintage have their mirrors on the wings. All the RHD ones I have seen have them on the doors.

I am confused

Originally Posted by osney

Can anyone help? I have a 1967 Duetto (1600, RHD) which is nearly at the end of a protracted restoration. I've got shiny new round mirrors to put on it, but can't make up my mind whether they should go on the wings, as in the brochure, or on the doors, as I've seen other cars of the same age.

For practicality, the doors would be best, but what's right? LHD cars of this vintage have their mirrors on the wings. All the RHD ones I have seen have them on the doors.

I am confused

I wonder if this was a market thing. I have even seen LHD cars with a single door mirror.(assuming the car even had a mirror.)
Definitely dual mirrors would have been unlikely.( Even my 1983 Alfetta GTV 2.0 came with only a single mirror from the Factory.). But dual mirrors are almost a necessity these days .
Personally, if either wing or door mounting was occuring in 1967 then the door would be a better choice.

Hi Osney - My 1970 Spider have 2 round door mirrows (with Alfa logos) but I don't know whether they are a later fitment.
Simelar ones are on sales from various Classic Alfa specialists.

I would go for the door just for practicality.
If they are on the wings you can't adjust either from the driver's seat!!

Make sure you drill through the door then fit them with nuts and bolts with a spreader plate across the back. Don't just self tap them into the door skin.

The parts book shows the mirror mounted on the wing just in front of the A pillar about in line with the rear edge of the bonnet. If you're going to concour the car, I'd put it on the wing. Otherwise, it's nice to be able to reach it from the drivers seat. Also note that a concourse correct Duetto would have only one outside mirror, not two.

Originally Posted by papajam

The parts book shows the mirror mounted on the wing just in front of the A pillar about in line with the rear edge of the bonnet. If you're going to concour the car, I'd put it on the wing. Otherwise, it's nice to be able to reach it from the drivers seat. Also note that a concourse correct Duetto would have only one outside mirror, not two.

Is this a RHD parts book or a LHD parts book .
Questions for a RHD car would include.
Also did the car come with mirror/s standard or optional or no mirror/s at all.
If it is a UK sold Alfa Romeo for example , then what were the regulations at the time.
Did they allow Mudguard(wing/fender) mirrors as opposed to door mirrors.There may be a good reason why you have only seen this car with door mirror/s as that may have been how they were released in your part of the world.

NB In theory up until 1968 the car would have 1 mudguard/wing/fender mirror (LHD)

Maybe the Duetto Register can help

Originally Posted by Stori

Is this a RHD parts book or a LHD parts book .

Also did the car come with mirror/s standard or optional or no mirror/s at all.

Both. Althought the pic in the book is of a LHD car.

Yes. Apparently it depends on the model in question and if the customer requested an outside mirror. After looking at a fair number of factory press photos, parts books and what not, it would appear that for the Spider 1600 (Duetto), the single, wing mounted mirror without Alfa logo was fitted at the factory. Additional press photos however show that the Spider 1300 Junior and the 1750 roundtail Spiders to have a door mounted mirror also fitted at the factory.
The Coupes and Saloons OTOH do not have a mirror either on the wing or the door except for vehicles exported to France (wing mounted). To support the lack of a factory fitted mirror to Coupes and Saloons is Alfa Info Sheet #61.71.2.2 dated 4/71 which states, at the customers option, where the door mounted mirror is to be installed by the selling dealer.
The outside mirror with the Alfa logo, which carries a 105.64 Montreal part number, first appeared around the time of the introduction of the 2l cars in 1971.


FWIW, the US Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 49, Chapter V, Section 571 Standard 111, Paragraph S.5.2.2 states in part 'The (outside) mirror shall not be obscured by the unwiped portion of the windshield and shall be adjustable in both the horizontal and vertical directions from the drivers seated postion.' Sounds like a door mounted mirror to me.
Might I add that the earliest reference for safety standards I could find for US market cars was for seatbelts dated 3/67 followed by a slew of stuff, possibly to include the above mentioned standard, taking effect on 01 Jan 1968. In essence, wing mounted mirrors were legal on US cars at least thru 1967.
But as always, YMMV.

(your market may vary)

I've fitted round mirrors to the doors on my duetto. They look pretty cool, but visibility on the nearside is poor because the window frame gets in the way.

If I had my time over I'd fit to the wings.

Gausie