Sports car chat
- Thread starter Whaleblue
- Start date
Lovely!
Had a couple of V6 Alfa 75s which were a good car for the cash, backed one into a horsebox and the other was rear ended when a lorry driver fell asleep; it protected me well.
Gearboxes got a bit rattly after 50k miles but nothing ever let me down apart from a dodgy set of NGK plugs.
Snufkin
pfm Member
A nice twist, an Italian car let down by Japanese spark plugs.
Alfas definitely count as sports cars. Even the bad ones like the 80s and 90s 33, 155, 145 etc. I had a 1992 Alfa 33, 4 breakdowns in a year. The last for a blown engine. I sold it to the mechanic I used, he swapped the engine and sold it. A month later it was back with a blown gearbox. Dodged a bullet there.
Anyone remember the Alfa Romeo Arna? A Nissan Cherry with Alfa bits. Worst of all worlds for me, Japanese style and handling, Alfa reliability. There are now precisely none left on the road in the UK. Please send no flowers.
Anyone remember the Alfa Romeo Arna? A Nissan Cherry with Alfa bits. Worst of all worlds for me, Japanese style and handling, Alfa reliability. There are now precisely none left on the road in the UK. Please send no flowers.
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
A mate had an SZ Zagato 25 years ago with a remap and loud ish exhaust. What an absolutely incredible, melodious engine that was. A strange looking thing, but I liked it. Many suffer horrific bodywork crazing now, which is a real shame.
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
I’d lay a fiver on the corrosion starting well before that. Poor quality recycled steel and salty air… funny.
Yank
Bulbous Also Tapered
A lot of that can be blamed on Italian labor relations. Frequent strikes meant that naked body shells sat outside for extended periods of time.
Earlier. In a day when Escorts and Minis needed welding within 7years of manufacture, any car that rots faster than that is impressive indeed. As a point of reference, a mate had a 1981 Lancia Beta that needed a LOT of welding by 1985. My friend was a bloody good mechanic and an ace welder, but he had months of work to fix it. It wasn't even 5 years old.
robbyd
pfm Member
Wouldn't call it a sports car, but it'll see them all off.
It's an HSV commodore gts-r (vt2) / but with a built motor, low comp forged pistons, steel rods, blower cam, headers, cam etc and a Whipple on top. And some big AP brakes! Have a Whipple 175ax waiting to go on... 25% more airfow.
Any gear will have you sideways on a roundabout and will light up the rears on an uneven dry road in 4th...
Great fun to drive - I'd use it more if I wanted to wake the neighbours up as early as I leave the house..
It's an HSV commodore gts-r (vt2) / but with a built motor, low comp forged pistons, steel rods, blower cam, headers, cam etc and a Whipple on top. And some big AP brakes! Have a Whipple 175ax waiting to go on... 25% more airfow.
Any gear will have you sideways on a roundabout and will light up the rears on an uneven dry road in 4th...
Great fun to drive - I'd use it more if I wanted to wake the neighbours up as early as I leave the house..
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
Chinese teflon tyres?
wow&flutter
pfm Member
I bought a couple of Suds back in the eighties, a 1980 ti and an 82 tix. The first was in white and only had an inch of rust in a seam below the rear lights. The later model was completely rust free. I remember selling the white one, the buyer told me he’d just been to see one where he could put his fists through the holes in both inner wings. He was astonished at the condition mine was in!
Although they both handled great ( the early model was better with the skinnier 70 series tyres) they were falling behind power wise against the newer hot hatches which I couldn’t afford!
Best car I ever owned. Superbly practical in every was and very fun to drive to boot. 52” telly in the back no problem, regular 35+mpg commuting to work, 4 people in at a squeeze (I am 6’4”).
Ran it as our only car for years, 90mile round commute in the snow (did over 20k a year for a few years), no worries with proper rubber:
upload image
Only got rid because the engine needed rebuilding at 160k. It had the jap optional adjustable suspension, lots of bracing, uprated rubber bushings, Toda exhaust system (inconel) and a few little go faster bits. No airbags, no ABS required concentration on the limit but boy was it quick on the limit wearing Toyo R888s!
Ran it as our only car for years, 90mile round commute in the snow (did over 20k a year for a few years), no worries with proper rubber:
upload image
Only got rid because the engine needed rebuilding at 160k. It had the jap optional adjustable suspension, lots of bracing, uprated rubber bushings, Toda exhaust system (inconel) and a few little go faster bits. No airbags, no ABS required concentration on the limit but boy was it quick on the limit wearing Toyo R888s!
Simon Dawson
Angry, Ill & Ugly
Of course you need the appropriate hairdo to drive an HSV: Mullet
robbyd
pfm Member
Not here dude!
flatpopely
Prog Rock/Moderator
Drive a Giulia and get back to me.
Drove a 33. Fun, but there are better hot, or warm, hatches.
Drove a mid 80s Spider. Underwhelming, I really wanted to like it.
Drove a 156 2.5. Good fun, but not as good as a 3 series and always being repaired.
20 years on, a Giulia is worth it? Maybe.