8C Spider reviewed

Mostly reasonable and fair-minded review of Alfa's 8C Spider at the Financial Times.

Alfa to unleash a MiTo Cloverleaf version? Hope so

Legend returns on MiTo | Auto Express News | News | Auto Express

It looks as if Alfa fans are in for a spot of luck. The Italian firm has announced the latest driver-focused version of its MiTo hatchback, the Cloverleaf.

Car magazine briefly notes the 159 and its engines

Read it here. No analysis, just the facts. More depth soon, perhaps?

A nice crop of racing Alfas.. and the odd interloper

Just stumbled over this nice link to US track cars, excellent pics, classic Alfas and more...

Alfa Romeos to be rebadged as Dodges? And vice-versa?

I guess it's possible, but does it make any sense? Perhaps they will share parts and platforms only?

It's not something I'd get worked up about. If they were close enough design-wise and the Dodge was cheaper I'd buy the Dodge and stick Alfa badges on it...

Slightly more on the new 159 1750 'Berlina'

A link from India on the new Berlina 1750.

Alfa 169 goes Canadian, based on Chrysler 200C

As I said before, it all makes good practical sense.. now tell me, what did the "Alfa Romeo - Milano" label once mean?

Jeep Cherokee to become Alfa CXover/A? Yeeeech

It makes sense to grow a brand, it makes sense to share components. But an Alfa-ised Jeep Cherokee? Oh puke! Please let this not happen... 

The devil's work... Top Gear and the 147GTA Autodelta 328

It's a bit of fun, isn't it?? At least whilst we still have petrol, anyway.

Another GTA....! The 8c GTA, no less!

Well this is worth a read, although it's waaay out of my price range and it won't be the greenest car around. "Following in the footsteps of the 1965 Giulia Sprint GTA, it’s a model designed to blur the lines between a no-compromise race car and a comfort-oriented road machine. Alfa has cut no corners: the new vehicle is the most extreme to leave the factory gates."

Read more: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/239929/new_alfa_8c_gta_is_here.html

The Berlina 1750 is back.. although it's called a 159 turbo

Can't say I really miss the Berlina, but the 2.0l did move pretty well for a medium sedan... well now the 1750 moniker is back, but on a 159 instead of the Berlina... or so they say.

No surprises really

Some videos... the 147 replacement is the Milano. And the MiTo GTA is still "go", despite rumours.

Why do motoring journos "love" Alfas yet put them down? Habit? Deeper psychological need?

I don't really understand why this happens, and it's so common it's almost universal:

The 159 came here in 2006 sans not only the automatic transmission option — crucial these days if you’re serious about attracting more than a few hundred punters (such as myself) — but also the refinement, efficiency, performance and various other things hoped for by those of us who, against all reason, hold Alfa Romeo in some regard.

Agreed, I prefer a manual too, but many people like the auto (presumably for reasons of simplicity, reliability, lowered skill requirement and/or laziness I guess). But why say that it's "against all reason" to hold Alfa Romeo in some regard? It gets repeated so many times that it's become viral, something that many people repeat, even if they have no personal experience with the brand.

It must be part of that psychological imperative to label things again. Oh, and manuals are (arguably) simpler to make and repair and generally offer more car control with lower fuel consumption. As long as you use them properly. It all goes out the window with EVs anyway so let's not bother arguing about it.

How the world has changed. Another take on that Alfa GTV6 brochure #images

Alfa GTV6_brochure_058a
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

I just realised, of course, that the classy driver is in fact a classy passenger patiently waiting for that adventurous pilot/husband/boyfriend of hers to finish with the flying, already, and take her to that trendy restaurant featured elsewhere in the brochure.

I suspect Alfa's marketing is a bit sharper now. I remember it used to tagged with "the line, the style, the power". At least that stuck in my head. I have no idea what tag line they use now, so they aren't reaching me, anyway. And I'm probably in the target market.

In hindsight, a faintly hilarious Alfa GTV6 brochure, circa 1982

Alfa GTV6_brochure_060
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Ah, nostalgia. This brochure is a hoot in many ways, if you want to look at it like that... but it was a serious marketing effort at the time. Alfa Romeo was spinning a tale here, of a car that races the wind, overtaking lesser cars at will. One loses count indeed. It reads like a poor translation from the Italian in parts, giving the impression that the car was actually built for classy women with a penchant for upmarket, trendy restaurants and hooning. I suspect that after she leaves the airfield she completes some nice circle work before drifting into the sunset. Or it could just be my imagination.

As a side note, although I vaguely knew GTVs existed, I saw my first one in the flesh, so to speak at Camden Aerodrome, Sydney, whilst awaiting a flight in a glider. It struck me then as a car that had style, and that I wanted to own. It was the very early 1980s. Maybe there's some truth in this Alfa + flying demographic.

ALFA RL SPORT e Super Sport

ALFA RL SPORT e SS_049
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

I've owned several Alfas and along the way have collected bits and pieces... including this set of old ALFA drawings in a red folder. It came from a dealer, when I bought my Giulietta, so I assume as promotional material Alfa was releasing it for everyone's edification.... including yours, if you choose to look.

I can't believe I'm testing another aggregator... Posterous, anyone?

Here we go again... another post-once, post-to-many service. At first
glance it's slick, but without the finer control of some:
http://posterous.com/

Posted via email from gtveloce's posterous

200BHP from what size engine?

I did read this right, didn't I?

Starting from April 2009, the new 159 will be available with a brand new engine: a 1750 cc turbocharged petrol engine that conforms to Euro 5 standards and develops 200 HP between 4,750 and 5,500 rpm with 320 Nm of torque at only 1,400 rpm.

Of course it's turbocharged, but it's still a long way from the standard 1750 of yore. The 1962cc twin cam, twin carbed GTV in my garage only has 130BHP. And that was considered pretty good, if not absolutely amazing, not so far back. I do like acceleration, but do we we need this much power? Or will the 159 be made of lead and concrete?

LeMons, as in lemons. Just a bit of fun with a $239 car

It's what they are for, I guess: driving, and racing. If it moves, a human will race it.

one of the participants is Charleston-based “Team Dog Ciao” – get it? it sounds like “dog chow?” – driving a 1974 Alfa Romeo Spyder.

When the cheap oil is all gone I think we'll still be doing this - racing cars. And this grass-roots racing is much more interesting than that F1 circus money-go-round.

Kissinger said what? Oh, FIAT and Chrysler again

FIAT and the US car makers. It has a tail a mile long and it's a tale worth telling, but let's hear from Henry first:
Even Henry Kissinger spoked about a “very good wedding, a perfect alliance between two firms very different from each other but at the same time complementary”.

I thought Ford looked shakiest 2 years ago, but GM has out-done them by going closest to the edge and looking deep, deep into the void. Let's not forget that GM did a tie-up with FIAT, too, that cost them a packet to get out of. And now sick and sorry Chrysler, having failed to make merry with Daimler Benz, is looking for FIAT for salvation. My guess is that FIAT will get more out of this deal than Chrysler.

I think they meant to say...

You just have to read this translation, presumably from Ancient Latin to early Sanskrit... the pics are worth it, too:

Earlier this year, Alfa Romeo announced that in observance of the 46th anniversary of the Registro Italiano Alfa Romeo or ‘RIAR’ for small, it would start off a particular number form of the MiTo that would be produced in a bare 46 examples for the members of the supranational cudgel. RIAR has at present started to receive orders from its members for the circumscribed sprint MiTo that is powered near a 155HP 1.4-liter Turbo engine.

Launceston's 1923 RLSS runs just twice a year - and it did so yesterday

A famous car in a nice spot...

A RARE 1923 Alfa Romeo RL Super Sport was the centre of attention yesterday as it was driven around the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery car park, Launceston. QVMAG curator of history Jon Addison said that the car was one of only five remaining in the world. This was the first time the Alfa had been driven for about two years, but it is started twice a year as part of its regular maintenance program.

It's a bit like my '82 GTV, which also seems to run just twice a year (oh, OK, maybe 6 or 7 times a year).

How to sit in a car and drive it

It's really quite simple. To control a car properly you need to be close enough to the pedals to easily and quickly operate them, and close enough to brace yourself (with the footrest and your knees) when cornering. Which is quite close. Indeed, it means your legs are splayed and braced against the door and the centre console. If they are too straight you cannot brace and will be unrestrained in a corner. Instead you will roll from side to side.

Now you also need to control the steering wheel, so you need to be quite close to that, too. Forget the straight-armed F1 look from the 1940s and 50s, that may look cool - or stupid - but it doesn't give you leverage on the wheel. So you should be close to the steering wheel with legs splayed. You'll find that position is perfectly attainable in most cars but especially so in older Alfa Romeos. They are made to be driven.

However apparently most people prefer to keep their legs straight, and older Alfas typically don't allow that as an option, at least not if you are taller than about 5feet eight inches or 180cm, whichever comes first. Which is why we get silly comments from car reviewers who don't understand how to actually drive a car:

Sit inside the 147 and the memories of Italianate driving positions that we grew up with in Alfasuds and Giuliettas are banished forever. Seat, pedals, steering wheel, gearstick and mirrors all appear to be positioned around an anthropomorphic figure of a human being rather than a gibbon (as was the case with the old 145).

One day a 'reviewer' will actually seek to explain this, rather than just expose their personal misunderstanding.

Renault and Alfa... from the distant past

Whilst contemplating FIAT "buying" 35% of the disabled Chrysler I stumbled over an interesting previous arrangement that Alfa (now owned by FIAT) had with Regie Renault: The 8 design looks very similar to the Alfa Romeo front-wheel drive prototype tipo 103[1] (1960), because Alfa Romeo and Renault had a business relationship in the 1950s and 1960s. Renault was marketing Alfa Romeo cars and Alfa Romeo was building the Renault Dauphine (1959–1964), Ondine (an up-market version of the Dauphine) (1961–1962) and R4 (1962–1964) under license in Italy. In total 70,502 Dauphine/Ondine and 41,809 R4's were built by Alfa Romeo.[1]

If I knew that, I'd forgotten it! I do remember the Alfa and Nissan (ie ARNA) tie-up, and the FIAT and GM deal (that FIAT drew most benefit from, methinks.)

Nice Mito review - but otherwise rubbish

Nice review of the sensibly-sized 1.4l Mito Benzina but why do they ruin it with unsubstantiated generalisations like this:Take a look at the 2300B and 2900B tourers from the Thirties to see what I mean. It had another brilliant run in the Sixties with its production car-based GTAs, but it all went wrong in the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties. Alfas weren't pretty any more. In fact, to be honest, they were rubbish.

All of the '70s Bertone-bodied cars, the Spiders, the Alfasud, the sleek Alfasud Sprint, the lovely Alfettas (especially the GT and GTVs)... to call them all rubbish says that this writer has (a) no idea and (b) will write anything just to stir things up. Add on top of that the GTV6, the 164, the 156, the 147... sure they had some duds, too, but they were never as bad as the press made out (unless they completely rusted away, which admittedly did happen at times).

It would have been a decent read, otherwise.

Alfa 159 gets a refresh

Sales down, Alfa resorts to crisper sheetmetal.. Of all the cars in the world, the Alfa 159 is one of the last we would have thought needed a refresh. Unfortunately, the sedan's styling hasn't translated into a market success for the Italian automaker, so they've opted for a facelift. Thankfully they haven't messed with the near perfection of the 159's lines too much, sharpening up the already razor-sharp lines in the hope that the updated 159 will help the brand hold down the C-segment in Europe until the Giulia that's set to replace it rolls around late next year.

Chrysler? Some goss on what FIAT and Alfa are planning...

Oh dear. Maybe this Chrysler deal is for real.

Testing of the Milano is in its final stages ahead of a launch at Geneva in 2010. This prototype, snapped recently, appears to have a stubby gearlever. It carries an AMT designation on a window sticker, which refers to a dual-clutch transmission that Alfa is developing. Documentation released recently by Chrysler to support its claim for funds from the US government lists dual-clutch transmissions as one of the technologies it is hoping to ‘borrow’ from the Fiat Group. The Milano is also understood to be based on an all-new platform, rather than a highly modified Bravo chassis. Alfa’s replacement for the 159, the Giulia, will be built on a long-wheelbase version of the platform. It is due in late 2011. Chrysler’s planning document suggests that Alfa’s 166 flagship will make a comeback as a platform variant of the rear-drive 300C, a car based on the mid-1990s Mercedes W210 E-Class.

OK, so Milano replaces the 147, the Giulia replaces the 159 and the 166 comes back from the dead based on the ugliest block of metal on the planet (OK, maybe the Nitro is worse) the 300C. I'm definitely not in that market, anyway!

New from Alfa - "multair" electro-hydraulic valves for "Milano"

Well it may not be totally new in concept, but at least FIAT is trying to pack as much efficiency into its petrol engines as it can... Alfa Romeo will pave the way for a major overhaul of its range in 2010 and 2011 by revealing its Multiair direct-injection petrol engines at the Geneva show. The Multiair units will be seen first in next year’s replacement for the 147 hatch, due to take on the name Milano.

So the new 147 will be called "Milano"? As in an Alfa 75-replacement? We shall see.

Some MiTo GTA pics

Worth a look if you like small, hot cars... MiTo GTA.

Ahh thatt's better - small and almost affordable

Phew.

Externally, the Veloce can be distinguished by red brake callipers, a rear spoiler, a sports rear bumper with an air-extractor, and exclusive 17-inch alloys. And you can distinguish the 155 version from the fact that it is probably pulling away from you. Press the DNA button forward and wait for Dynamic to kick in - it's not instant - and you can feel the revs change as the throttle-response is re-geared, as if a miniature after-burner has been ignited. And the thing is, you know it's meant to feel that way. Compared to, say, the VW Polo, which is first and foremost a rather passive city car beefed up for the GTi version, the Alfa Romeo Mita strikes you as having been born a 155 Veloce, and then developed into milder versions to satisfy a compliance officer in his small, germ-free, risk-assessed office somewhere in the corner of the factory. I guess the lesser models are for regular blood-donors - you would have to be a few pints short not to choose the 155.

Skip the GTA, go for the MiTo Veloce 155 then?

Well it looks great but how much will it cost??

I'm not sure my budget will stretch this far....

The cover has finally come off of Alfa Romeo's hyper hot hatch. The high-performance Mito GTA concept will take the stage in Geneva with aggressive styling, less weight, a stiffer suspension, and 240 horsepower.

Driven - Alfa GTV V6

Have I shared this one already? It's worth watching over and over...

My '82 GTV with '84 interior

82 GTV with 84 interior_0516
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Never looked inside an '82 GTV? Note that this car is half an '82 (the tan) and half an '84 (the black) inside! Note also Alfa's faux Recaro 'mesh' seats (the originals had a laminated wooden headrest - you'd know them if you saw them). Also worth pointing out are the round window winders in the back - not levers.

More 149 pics

Click and follow to find more pics on the 147 replacement... Feast your eyes on Alfa's brand new hatch! This is how the sensational 149 - a direct rival to Ford's Focus - is shaping up. Based on the same platform as the Fiat Bravo and Lancia Delta, the replacement for the 147 will blend the raw beauty of the 8C Competizione with the style of the MiTo in a larger, family-sized package. The front end's generous curves and circular headlamps take their inspiration from the MiTo, while the sharp, arrow-like nose and deep Alfa shield grille are borrowed from the 8C Competizione.

Nice car, shame about the spelling

Why is it so hard to spell 'ALFA' correctly?

The Alpha 156 is as much a sports model as family car. The Italian maker seems incapable of designing one that's mere transport, injecting a special flavour into even machines that would be built as “ordinary” cars by others.

Alfa Romeo GTV6 2.8L

Wow. Yuck. Amazing. Awful. Great. I can't decide. One thing for sure - it would give me a headache sitting in it.

GTV 6 with straight pipes - part 2

It looks great, sounds wonderful. I'm sure it's also immense fun to drive... but I'd be worried, tense and anxious about what type of day the police officer has had just before they pull me over for an illegal exhaust...

GTV6 with straight-out-the-side pipes

Dreadful to live near, sounds wonderful; but surely this is a car no police officer could resist pulling over?

New 149 has that 8c look...

Rounded, swoopy, with big round headlights. It's a hatch. The new 147 is looking good.... and may get a classy name: Some rumors speak of an alternative name, "Giulia", at 149

Now there will be a Chinese Alfa?

Does it matter where it's made? Probably not. It just doesn't sound as traditional somehow. Unless we dig back to Marco Polo - now there's a link.

Alfa in China will make its 166, a difficult thing for Alfa fans to digest even though the 166 hasn’t had shades of brilliance throughout its long career. The car will be manufactured by Guangzhou Auto, a Fiat and Nanjing partner in Perla production (derived from the world car Palio and Siena ed Albea project).

My GTV has a battery in the boot

GTV 116 boot_0147
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Want to improve weight distribution? Run out of room in your engine bay? Want to run a long wire to your boot but didn't have a good reason to do so? Well the Alfa GTV Tipo 116 got the 'battery in the boot' treatment whenever aria condizionata was added... and that's why the battery is in the boot. It's got a nice bit of stiffened carpet to cover it, just pulled away in this shot. That's the fuel feed pipe just to the right of the battery, btw.

And yes, you can still put a bike in there, just take the wheels off first.

The headlamp how-to: the screw that holds it together

GTV-the screw that holds_0672
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

There are 3 screws, 2 of which aim the lamp. The screw near my hand (ie top and inside) holds the lamp in place. The outer top and lower screws adjust the beam, so don't move 'em, or if you must move 'em at least count your turns accurately and screw them back the same number. A spring clip also holds the outer, top adjusting screw in place. Yes, you must unclip that. You then pivot the unit gently out from the body and up. There's a "prong" on the unit that fits into a hole behind the lower screw. It locates the headlamp unit in place. Job done!

The GTV headlight unit

GTV-headlight unit_0671
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

OK, I got it out and got the rubber boot off as well. The boot was tough to shift and I was worried about tearing the "tabs" that I pulled on. Make sure it goes back on properly, to keep the weather out.

3 screws matter. Top left screw (left as in the picture) holds everything in place. Top right adjusts (or aims, if you prefer) the headlamp, as does the bottom screw. Don't move these, or if you do ensure you set then as they were. There's a clip on the top-right screw that holds the lamp. And the bottom screw conceals a hole into which the lamp unit sits via a locating "prong".  

It's the lowbeam that blew, the centre single-spade connector. The other connector is for the parking light. I changed that 10 years ago so it should be fine ;-)

The 116 that blew a headlamp

GTV-removing headlight_0673
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

Just before annual registration time, of course. It's a common and simple task, really, but also it's the first time in 10 years So I had to remember all over again how to do it... it's clear that you can't access it from behind, so it must come off from the front.

So here are a few pics on the subject of removing and replacing a 1982 GTV (Aussie spec) halogen headlamp. Bear in mind this is a low beam unit with parking light - not a sealed beam. I think the sealed beam unit fits on and is aimed in the same way though.

How it was...Catalina Park rallycross in the '70s

A different scene from the deserted, disused track it is today... funnily enough I like it better as it is now!

A lap around Catalina Park

An interesting lap around an overgrown Catalina Park as it is today, unfortunately going the wrong way...

Alfa Giulietta 2 1981

Alfa Giulietta 2 81
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

This just keeps bringing back memories. What a great car the Giulietta was... barely different from the Alfetta sedan, sort of a wedge-shaped interpretation of the 116 platform. Not quite an Alfetta, not yet a GTV. In between. If I collected Alfas in a parallel fashion (rather than serially) I'd have one of these again. (But not the plastic-coated 2.0 version.)

Interesting but full of rubbish

The Mi.To looks great, and is at long last the right size: ie, not a luxo-barge. There's an interesting read behind this link:Martinelli left F1 at the end of 2006, specifically to head up Fiat’s engine department. As such, he’s had a winning hand in Alfa Romeo’s new peach of a petrol plant, a lively lag-less little 16-valve 1.4-litre turbo that also does duty in the Fiat Grande Punto and Bravo, albeit with 4 kW less than Alfa’s 114.

Just beware, it's full of idle rubbish like: Let’s face it: Alfa is not what it used to be. With the exception of the 159, 156, Giulietta and a handful of Quadrifoglio or GTA models, the brand has sadly been scarred over the last 30 years by a long and steady decline.

Obviously not a fan of the amazing Alfasud sedan, ti and Sprint Veloce, the wolf-in-sheep's clothing Alfetta sedan, the Alfetta GT and GTV, the GTV6, the lovely Nuovo Giulietta, the 75 (AKA Milano), the 33ti or almost anything since! OK, the ARNA was a bit sad, and the 145 wasn't all that it could have been, but honestly...! ALFA Romeo must surely wonder what they have to do... isn't the latest crop, the 147, 156, 159 and Brera enough?

Apparently not. Most shocking of all was to find that Alfa had gone soft since its brief mid-’90s renaissance. Steering got dopey, gearchanges sloppy and ride mushy.. "Dopey" steering must refer to the 147's turning circle, not sure what else it could be. Sloppy gearchanges? Has this guy driven a rear-transmission Alfa? That is sloppy. And a mushy ride? Alfas soak up the bumps, and roll. Not as bad a French car, but obviously so. Only the hardened-edge of the GTAs truly eliminates the bodyroll and high-speed comfort of the classic Alfa. Yet they still run fast and corner hard. That is the essence of it.

I can remember swapping from a stiff-as-a-post Ford Escort with "Rally Pack" to a stock 1982 Giulietta and being amazed at the body roll. It put me off until I realised I was going 5-10kmh faster around sharp corners in the dry, twice that in the wet -and much faster again over bumpy roads that I had previously had to slow down on... simply a better suspension setup.

Yet most people when given a car to drive are clots and clods with no finesse and can't see or feel what they have... which is why we shouldn't trust anyone else's opinion, certainly not mine, just your own.

It's been done before but here we go again

Maybe this will work? Sharing some components with BMW's MINI makes sense, in fact it's high time the car industry woke up and realised it needs to rationalise all of the wasteful duplication of components, including engines. Some 'sharing' goes on at the supplier level already, and some also happens within a multi-brand company - Ford switchgear in an Aston, for example, or various components shared between VW Group products. But it needs to grow much faster in order to cut out waste and remove the carbon emissions that plague this industry.

WHAT do you get if you cross a Mini with an Alfa Romeo? No it's not a joke, Mini owner BMW really is joining forces with Alfa Romeo maker Fiat to build cars together.

We just don't want another ARNA debacle, Alfa Romeo ;-)

Under the rear: my GTV

GTV_a006
Originally uploaded by gtveloce

My all-time 3rd most popular photo on Flickr! And it's just the rear end of a production coupe... not a supercar or something rare at all.

Anyway it's a look underneath my 1982 Alfetta GTV showing the rear mounted transaxle, de Dion tube, Watts linkage and inboard disc brakes. Most cars of course don't have de Dion tubes, so that's a bit special. The Watts linkage is more common. The rear mounted transmission is much more rare and gives the car better weight distribution (ie 50:50) and a polar moment of inertia that lends the car stability rather than twitchiness.

The inboard brakes are also unusual on a road car, but were an Alfa specialty in the late 70s and throughout the 80s, both with their rear and front drive cars. On this car it meant that even the rears could overheat a tad on mountain descents... but OTOH the rear wheels didn't have to carry the extra unsprung weight so an Alfetta could menace much more powerful cars around corners. (The Alfasud from this era had inboard front brakes, which probably worked better than the Alfetta's rear brake arrangement and helped to make the 'Sud a great handler - but suffered from the occasional accidental ill-placed drop of engine oil... ooops.)