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aaahhhh, wow! the alfa turns out beautifully…..
gorgeous….
looking forward to more news on her..
gorgeous….
looking forward to more news on her..
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Thanks! Can't wait to see and drive her on Saturday!Originally posted by haul View Postaaahhhh, wow! the alfa turns out beautifully…..
gorgeous…. looking forward to more news on her..
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I've been waiting for the latest teaser shot from the guys at Differs...
And here they are... Really please with the way the Porsche script and bumper stripes look... We were tempted to leave them off, but I think they make Schtroumpf look better... I guess I could have run a poll!
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I think we miss the report on this very nice built..Originally posted by dwa911 View Post
Thanks! Can't wait to see and drive her on Saturday!
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hahaha... clearly the Alfa is winning here...
So we picked up the Alfaholics 101 Spider-R on Saturday... 200 mile motorway run home in 35 degrees... It was a little warm... 4,000 RPM is about 85 MPH, and not that bad for 3.5 hours on the motorway...
Tucked away in her new garage home, and an early Sunday morning seaside coastal drive to Dungeness from Sandgate - to the "End of the Line Cafe"... And, sure enough someone else had the same idea... a guy with an Lotus Elan 50 GP win commemorative edition in JPS black and gold sparkle...
Can ran like the little jewel that she is... we were really impressed with the build and the blend of comfort and sportiness in the suspension, etc... The engine sings to 7,200 RPM - the agreed rev limit... and is just a joy... A few little things for the snag list, and will be addressed on her next visit back to Alfaholics...
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I am happily impressed by this gorgeous looks and the stunning color choice…just wow… and a 105 engine reving at this rpm is sure a pure joy to
listen and drive….
bienvenuti a la familia
all the best from bavaria
haulComment
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Thanks Haul... It is the first Alfa I have ever driven, let alone owned... I am pleasantly surprised and impressed as well... brilliant little car... I can see why they gave Porsche some good competition in racing...Originally posted by haul View PostComment
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Always good to keep the wife happy! Great color choice.
Alfas are what first got me interested in motorsports. An unauthorized drive a la Ferris Bueller in my best friends Dad's rallye car. A Conrero modified Giulietta '59 vintage... intoxicating.Comment
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One concern, no shoulder harness or seat belt?Comment
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Thanks for the kind words! Indeed, it is always good to keep the wife happy - easy if she is in to cars!Originally posted by flatsixer View Post Nice! My unauthorised drive, was nicking my brother's 65 mustang fastback with a 289 HiPo 4 speed... I think I still have marks on my rear-end from my dad's belt... And of course the "this hurts me more than it hurts you"...
The Alfaholics guys spent a lot of time figuring out how to mount 3 point seatbelts so they would be functional, safe and not get in the way of the top going up and down... They did a great job... Although, TBH, after driving home on the motorway and realising how tiny and exposed the little Alfa is compared to even a modern Fiat 500, let alone a BMW or SUV... I'm not sure seatbelts will matter if we are ever in an accident...
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Lovely photos of your Alfa and especially it's 'motorhome', very efficient !
As for Alfa giving Porsche some competition.. I have owned two GTA's and a Coda Tronca SZ, in my estimation neither holds a candle to period 911's, in overall build quality or performance.Comment
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Thanks for the kind words... As this is the first Alfa, I've owned, will completely go with your experience with the GTAs and SZ... I was thinking more the old Chuck Stoddard days in the late 50s, early 60s (pre-911) when he won SCCA national championship in a Giulietta Spider Veloce... I'm guessing against 356s... But, don't really know TBH... In any case, love this car, but it isn't even close to the 911...Originally posted by Aussie24 View PostComment
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No first drive updates?Comment
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Sorry... Started a new role 5 weeks ago, and all consuming...Originally posted by flatsixer View Post
The Alfa drives amazing... Wife is super happy... There were a few minor snags, and few things we are looking to fine tune... Not this is fine tuning of what is a fantastic car, just dialling it in to my wife's tastes and feedback...
1) the original 101 spider chassis were designed without any real caster... so the self centering could be a bit better... we are looking at how we can add some... was done with shims back in the day... we may look at slightly different geo in the A-arms, etc... or may just stick to what worked in the day... more on that later...
2) the steering gets progressively heavier as more steering input is added, so we will play with running on Pirelli CN36 vs modern tires to see if that has any impact...
3) on occasion, there is a small exhaust smell that makes its way into the cockpit at certain speeds... seems to be higher speeds 80+ MPH on motorways... imagine it is the aero vacuum created and the exhaust is straight out behind the driver (I'm not an aerodynamicist, so this is conjecture on my part based on the amount of turbulent air blowing forward in the cockpit)... later Alfa spiders - mid 60s and later - had a turned down tail pipe tip, so we may experiment with that to see if that...
4) a few minor scratches in the paint on the underside of the chassis that are easy to take care of
5) a very slight weep of oil from the sandwich plate for oil cooler lines between filter and block... replaced the gasket, and solved...
That's it... more later
Shakedown for Schtroumpf will happen on 24 SEP... My wife and I will drive over to the Netherlands early morning (about 4.5 hrs from where we live in the UK - 35 min on the Eurotunnel and quick drive through France, Belgium and into the NL) have lunch with the Leon and Joost, etc... and head out for a few hours to see if there are any snags we see or fine tuning to be done... Then the guys will sort, and we will do again a couple weeks later... Then She comes home!
Cheers!Comment
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Nice update. apart from the exhaust tip, check that your trunk seal is well placed and doing its job. I've had this problem on several cars and amazing as it sounds exhaust fumes were being sucked by a leaking trunk seal.
Cant wait to hear more about Schtroumpf!Comment
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