The Alfa Thread

[decay]

http://bringatrailer.com/2015/01/20/1600-5-speed-1961-alfa-romeo-giulietta-spider/

[LateFan]

First stuffed 4C

Out doing what it's supposed to do. He said he had cold street tires and was pushing too hard too soon, got overenthusiastic. Back end let go first and he spun into a wall. It said he normally races a 240Z, so he has experience.

Everybody has a Santos windshield banner - was it a sponsored track day?

[flyboyx]

Out doing what it's supposed to do. He said he had cold street tires and was pushing too hard too soon, got overenthusiastic. Back end let go first and he spun into a wall. It said he normally races a 240Z, so he has experience.

Everybody has a Santos windshield banner - was it a sponsored track day?


[ATTACH]93173[/ATTACH]

man, if my new 4c looked like this, i can tell you for a fact i wouldn't have that silly smile on my face.

[LateFan]

man, if my new 4c looked like this, i can tell you for a fact i wouldn't have that silly smile on my face.

yeah..

In other news that we already knew, the new Alfa Spider will be RWD and not an MX-5….

"According to a report from CAR, Harold Wester, brand chief for Alfa Romeo and Maserati, has confirmed that the new Spider will be developed in-house instead of in collaboration with Mazda.

“As far as the Spider goes, the final version is of course no longer the two-seater FCA codeveloped with Mazda but a derivative of project Giorgio,” said Wester. Project Giorgio is the internal name being used for the Italian automaker’s new rear-wheel drive architecture that will be underpinning several future Alfa Romeo models."

[rloewy]

“As far as the Spider goes, the final version is of course no longer the two-seater FCA codeveloped with Mazda but a derivative of project Giorgio,” said Wester. Project Giorgio is the internal name being used for the Italian automaker’s new rear-wheel drive architecture that will be underpinning several future Alfa Romeo models."[/I]

Unfortunately, this probably means it is 3-4 years away and very likely to not be as sporty/good as the MX-5.

[LateFan]

Unfortunately, this probably means it is 3-4 years away and very likely to not be as sporty/good as the MX-5.

I wondered about that - it'll be heavier and based on a sedan platform.

On the other hand, the GTV and Spider 1600 were based on the Giulia Super sedan, which everybody loves….so there's hope out there! (Either way, it'll be out of my range whatever they make it out of..)

[BlackbirdM3]

I think my Sprint would look great in that color. I just wish I could find a nose for it. Nose jobs on Sprints are not cheap.

Will

[rloewy]

I wondered about that - it'll be heavier and based on a sedan platform.

On the other hand, the GTV and Spider 1600 were based on the Giulia Super sedan, which everybody loves….so there's hope out there! (Either way, it'll be out of my range whatever they make it out of..)

The 105 series cars were designed more than 50 years ago. Unfortunately, I do not think this tells us much about modern cars.

I would also point that the 105 spider is, imho, much less enjoyable to drive compared to the coupe and sedan (I owned one in the past).

As a Miata owner for almost 20 years now, I really do not think there are many companies that can make a package as compelling as it is for a reasonably priced sports car. I had a chance to see the ND (upcoming model) - and it is probably the most appealing Miata since the early ones (NA).

Maybe the Alfa sedan will be a nice sports sedan for a daily driver. If it is, maybe I will be tempted to get out of my old Lexus IS300 for one.

[LateFan]

The 105 series cars were designed more than 50 years ago. Unfortunately, I do not think this tells us much about modern cars.

You're right.

I would also point that the 105 spider is, imho, much less enjoyable to drive compared to the coupe and sedan (I owned one in the past).

Unless it's 80 degrees, late at night, top down, riding with your wife, and you get to rip though a tunnel with the Webers echoing off the walls!


Maybe the Alfa sedan will be a nice sports sedan for a daily driver. If it is, maybe I will be tempted to get out of my old Lexus IS300 for one.

Yeah, just say no to Lexi. KIDDING!

[rloewy]

The Lexus is a nice car. I wanted to find another E30 - but could not find a clean one in the time I had to have a backup family car - so I opened the floor to other cars.

Looked at plenty of E36 and E46 Bimmers. Not a fan of the E46 - and unfortunately, the E36s I saw did not age very gracefully. Ran across the Lexus - it is a rare 5 speed - and it cost about as much as an E36 M3 but is 7 years newer, drives a lot more like an E36 than an E46 - and it is built like a tank. That thing still feels like new.

It is a really nice little car. Surprisingly comfortable for long drives - and not boring to drive for a sedan. They really are good cars and pretty good looking (with the exception of the tail-lights that I am not a fan of).

I would not say that I love it the way I loved my old E30 - but I am growing to really appreciate it - and my wife really seems to have taken a shine to it.

[LateFan]

I was just teezin'

We do a lot of camping and biking and hauling and open road trips, and it snows here, so we have an Audi A4 quattro wagon, a Volvo 850 T-5 wagon, an Alfa, and both my son's Land Rovers and E30s. The kids are no longer little, so maybe we need less wagons, but I'm putting a new engine in the A4 on weekends, so which one to keep?

I have to say, the 850 has the best seats of anything I've owned (including a 240T) - you can drive it all day. Park next to a new Soob Outback and it's a fairly small car….and 230 HP plus many torks!

[rloewy]

No worries. I have to admit that I never really cared for the IS300 until I drove one. Surprised me that it was the one I liked best of the ones I drove and within the price range I wanted to spend (big house remodel is really limiting what I want to put into a 5th car...).

BTW - I understand completely the idea of driving a roadster on a warm night with your better half. I actually think that my wife thought I was a real gentleman when we first started to date - because I used to open the door for her in the Spider. The truth was that the door handle inside the passenger side did not work. That was the only way to open that door...

My father used to own Volvos and Audis - but I have not been exposed to them in a long time - so no real idea which wagon to keep... Based on my 1970s experience, I would go for the Volvo 145 over the Audi 100LS - but it really does not help with more recent versions...

[LateFan]

Oh gawd, I recently almost bought an original 142GT. Dark blue. Funky alloy wheels, grille fog lights. Had to say no, too many projects, not enuf money. It's the Volvo E30 (or 2002).

That's funny about the door handle! I like that story.

But yeah, it has a lot of cowl shake on rough roads, which you don't have in the GTV. There is a neat chassis stiffener made by Ereminas that makes the underside of the chassis into sort of a truss, all hidden underneath. It's $500, but the people who've installed it say it makes a Spider feel like a different car. I'll have to see if it's in the budget while I rebuild my suspension, which is all original 1967 stuff right now.

This sits across from the old & busted Audi engine replacement… The top used to be black.

[rloewy]

This sits across from the old & busted Audi engine replacement… The top used to be black.
[ATTACH]93202[/ATTACH]

Pretty. Love the Duetto rear. Looks nicer than the chopped tail of the newer cars.

[LateFan]

Nose jobs on Sprints are not cheap.

OK, maybe we need a crowd funding for a nose job for Blackbird….

http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/giulietta-giulia-1954-65/44893-giulietta-sprint-nose-job-3.html