View Full Version : My Alfas
bshorey 05-26-2009, 08:07 PM Hi All,
I spent some time this past weekend cleaning out my garage. At one point, I had all the cars out of the garage, so I decided to line them all up and take a picture.
From left to right (all are Alfas):
1) 1988 Milano Verde, our 24 Hours of LeMons car. Paid $500, finished 3rd place last year, going to run it again this year.
2) 1984 GTV6, 1,341 original miles. Some assembly required.
3) 1983 GTV6 3.0, tons of fun.
4) 1977 Alfetta, all Euro
5) 1976 Alfetta
6) 1972 Berlina (my very first Alfa was a 1969 Berlina, I've been hooked ever since. I spent years trying to find another in decent condition before stumbling across this one)
7) 1972 GTV, one of the prettiest cars ever built
8) 1972 Spider (I own the entire 1972 line up of Alfas offered for sale in the US!). I have owned this car for more than 1/2 my life now!
tentoze 05-26-2009, 08:13 PM That GTV is awfully sweet.
dread31 05-26-2009, 08:17 PM Awesome collection. You love those Italians, dont you?
Trower 05-26-2009, 08:27 PM :drool:
markdi 05-26-2009, 08:30 PM which one is the fastest ?
wajobu 05-26-2009, 08:33 PM Yes, and a big YES to the GTV! Nice collection!
bentpencil 05-26-2009, 08:39 PM A customer of mine has an Alfa that is some kind of rare bird. He paid "25 bucks" for it (which is his license plate, by the way) and totally restored it. The next time I see him I'll find out what it is. I know he's won awards showing it.
skippy_ps 05-26-2009, 08:50 PM What a cool collection of some beautiful automobiles. :thmbsp:
Murray
mhardy6647 05-26-2009, 08:59 PM I saw an old Alfa sedan (one of those really square ones) in Littleton Common crossing 2A/110 tonight driving home from Westford (Kimballs). Mebbie it wuz youse.
Bigerik 05-26-2009, 09:02 PM More a GTV6 kinda guy myself. About as good as Alfa got, IMHO.
Seriously nice collection.
jeffe 05-26-2009, 09:41 PM I like my Alfa's too! My 1st was a '79 Sprint Veloce. An '84 Spider Veloce in the garage right now. A GTV.... I will have one someday! Nice collection! :thmbsp:
70salesguy 05-26-2009, 09:48 PM I have shown your post and picture to my wife.
She has agreed to say nothing about my collection of American Iron for at least a month! :thmbsp:
Trower 05-26-2009, 09:58 PM I have shown your post and picture to my wife.
She has agreed to say nothing about my collection of American Iron for at least a month! :thmbsp:
haha
Sandy G 05-26-2009, 10:15 PM Clarkson & the Top Gear crew were kinda unkind to a bunch of 1500-pound (cost) Alfas recently...
Trower 05-26-2009, 10:27 PM Clarkson & the Top Gear crew were kinda unkind to a bunch of 1500-pound (cost) Alfas recently...
Yes, but they really do love them, they admit it on a regular basis.
Gunner 05-26-2009, 10:41 PM My only one, an 89 quad with 23,000 miles.
markdi 05-26-2009, 11:17 PM Why would top gear pick on alfas ?
They look like nice cars to me.
Sandy G 05-27-2009, 06:15 AM Alfas ARE nice cars- these were beaters, their next stop was the wrecking yard, Clarkson & Co. were having a bit of good, dirty fun w/'em.
botrytis 05-27-2009, 07:22 AM Top Gear makes fun of all manufacturers - actually the American Co's get beat up more!
Very nice collection!
Sandy G 05-27-2009, 07:39 AM Yeah...But since we Americans only recently learned to walk upright-At least, according to Clarkson-the fact that we are able to make cars at all is astounding in itself...
Wornears 05-27-2009, 08:01 AM The Berlina is such a sleeper. How do you find any time for audio fun with all those enticing Alfas?
Robie 05-27-2009, 08:32 AM Very nice collection!
Sam Cogley 05-27-2009, 09:07 AM Yeah...But since we Americans only recently learned to walk upright-At least, according to Clarkson-the fact that we are able to make cars at all is astounding in itself...
Considering their attitude towards most American cars (though they have positively reviewed a few), I've always found it hilarious that they use an Allman Brothers tune as the theme song.
MarkD 05-27-2009, 10:13 AM I love Alfa's. I had an '83 Spyder that I bought new. I gave it up long ago but still miss it.
Great collection.
Nice Stable.....
Back in the day I owned a 1966 Giulia Super. Was amazing for its small size and power. I loved the sound those twin 40 DOCE webers made. The 1st wife ended up with it and I kept the Jag. I don't think it had a very happy life with her as she did not know how to operate the 5 speed very well :tears:
soundmotor 05-28-2009, 09:35 AM How do you like the Alfetta?
I only have driven one once but it left a great impression.
bshorey 05-28-2009, 05:16 PM which one is the fastest ?
First, to all, thanks for the kind words! I'll try to respond to a few individual posts as well, but I wanted to tell everybody thanks for all the kind words!
The fastest in my garage is not shown, it's a 1974 Maserati Bora (yes, I do love Italian cars!). The fastest Alfa is a toss up between the Verde LeMons car and the GTV6 with the 3 liter motor in it. The Verde probably has more top end, due to the 3.55 rear end ratio, the GTV6 has more acceleration, same motor with a 4.10 rear end.
Of course, none of these are really known for accelerating. But on a track they're all a hoot!
bs
bshorey 05-28-2009, 05:18 PM I saw an old Alfa sedan (one of those really square ones) in Littleton Common crossing 2A/110 tonight driving home from Westford (Kimballs). Mebbie it wuz youse.
Twasn't I, mine are all inside waiting for the rain to stop.
bs
bshorey 05-28-2009, 05:18 PM More a GTV6 kinda guy myself. About as good as Alfa got, IMHO.
Seriously nice collection.
Agreed. One of the reasons I have two of them..
:)
bs
bshorey 05-28-2009, 05:19 PM I have shown your post and picture to my wife.
She has agreed to say nothing about my collection of American Iron for at least a month! :thmbsp:
Glad to be of service!
:)
bs
bshorey 05-28-2009, 05:21 PM The Berlina is such a sleeper. How do you find any time for audio fun with all those enticing Alfas?
I find myself more and more staying out of the garage and inside playing with audio in the cold winter months, and outside playing in the garage during the warmer summer months.
Of course, the older I get, the less I find I want to tinker with either, and the more I find I want to listen to the audio and enjoy driving the cars!
The third floor of the barn is slowly turning into the man cave..
bs
bshorey 05-28-2009, 05:26 PM How do you like the Alfetta?
I only have driven one once but it left a great impression.
I love the Alfettas, very underrated car. The blue one is fully Euro, with the lighter bumpers (US Alfettas had 60+ lbs of bumper on each end of the car), hotter cams, and better headers, the car really drives well!
For those that don't know Alfas, the Alfetta was pretty advanced, in 1972 it came out with a DeDion rear suspension, rear transaxle, inboard rear brakes, coupled with the existing alloy twin cam motor, it was and still is quite a package!
They have perfect 50/50 weight distribution, the later GTV6 and Milano had an extra 100 lbs over the front wheels, so while they have a little more oomph you can feel how nimble the Alfetta is in comparison.
Unfortunately, with a pair of GTV6's and a pair of Alfettas, I don't really need four cars with essentially the same body, so the Alfettas are on the block. But I've enjoyed them while I've had them, for sure!
bs
markdi 05-28-2009, 07:03 PM some pictures of the motors would be nice - - pretty please:thmbsp: :D :yes:
grillebilly 05-29-2009, 08:09 PM Quite a nice stable of cars...I think I would also be in awe of your garage.
I have some experience doing Alfa engines, the 1600 and 2000 cc all aluminum twin cams. They were ahead of their time, hemi head, OHC, shim bucket style valve adjusters, and aluminum main caps. The head studs went so far down in the crankcase that torquing the head would affect the main housings. When doing main bearing alignment the head needed to be torqued in place. The engines were very light and were well suited for sport racers in the SCCA classes.
Very nice collection, you must be a proud daddy :thmbsp:
Gohan 05-29-2009, 10:22 PM Nice Alfa collection!
Gohan
tlgibbs 06-10-2009, 07:47 PM I looked at the cars pictured in this thread and thought "nice Alfa's". Maybe they aren't that bad. They sure look nice in the picture. Then I think of my 1978 Sprint Veloce (Alfetta) I owned in college. It looked nice too. I thought it was quite the sports car. There was only one problem. Actually there was more than one problem. Usually only one problem at a time, but sometimes one right after another. Nothing weird or unusual. I mean everybody wakes up to flat tires when it's cold because the alloy wheels shrink enough during the night to lose air and go flat, right? Lots of people have exhaust manifolds that have two pieces that seemingly can not be bolted together without somehow rattling apart and then resulting in a car that sounds like a tank? Yeah, but I was an Alfisti. Never mind that the synchros in the transmission could go out with a few bad shifts. Everyone should know how to double clutch. Never mind that the engine had to be overhauled at 60,000 miles and the transmission at 75,000. My car was designed by Giugiaro and it was a sexy beast. Air conditioning? I had it. It never worked, but I had it. And those puddles of oil I left everywhere I parked for more than 60 seconds? Those were my way of leaving little reminders that me and my precious Sophia had been there. It's been said that you can never have too many friends, and the Christmas cards I got from the Alfa parts distributors all over the country were testament to all the great friends I met because of my Italian auto. I never even had to lock my Alfa. There was nobody else on God's green earth that could start the thing! I could give detailed instructions to anyone who cared to try and they still could not start Sophia. No, she only responded to my touch. I remember many road trips taken with my friends in my Alfa. The breakdowns just added to the adventure. You really haven't lived until your car breaks down on the Pennsylvania turnpike at 3am in a torrential downpour. Yes, having 18 wheelers drive by and soak the disabled car with wheel spray so close that it felt like we were going to get overturned is really living! And all those consumer satisfaction surveys that consistently ranked Alfa Romeo either dead last or close to it? Obviously the big name auto manufacturers were buying off J.D. Powers and Consumer Reports and all the others. It was a big anti-Italian conspiracy, I tell you. And all the people who did not buy Alfa's? They just didn't get it. I say bring the Alfa's back to America! My life has been a little boring lately. I want to experience the thrill that only an Alfa can deliver! :thmbsp:
imready 07-04-2009, 10:22 AM I used to own 2 Alfa's, neither in running condition and I still have one of them. It's a 67' Duetto spider. Pretty solid car, almost all there. I accidently let the grill go to Italy with my other 67' duetto , which was an Italian car, gauges in Italian but left hand steering. Most of my British cars ( 73' MGB,74' Triumph TR6 , 87' Jaguar XJS)are closer to being done, so the Alfa sits and waits for me . Also have a 74' Jensen Healey that is too big a project and is going bye bye. Cool car , has a 907 Lotus engine, which is unfourtunately hurt.
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