My new affair with Alfa.

Probably best to start here

http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/spider-1966-up/

 

drive a Guilietta or Guilia Spider. I've had many, many Spiders and other Alfas from '56 through the '80s, and in the final analysis, the earlier cars are just way better. More fun to drive, much prettier, more exotic in every way. I restored a '69 spider and I was so disappointed in the flexible chassis and overall crappy quality that I sold it within a few months of completion. There is a reason they sell frame stiffeners for all the late Alfa spiders. I have a '69 GTV and a '59 Veloce spider that I've owned for over 30 years, and I have also added another '59 Veloce (Bill Gillham is just finishing the restoration, as I no longer have the time and he is way better at it) and I bought a original complete, decent Giulia Spider Veloce a few years ago that will be my next restoration. I have other Italian/British/German cars that I really like, but there is no question in my mind that the early Alfa veloces (and even normales) are really special cars. My advice is to buy an earlier spider, as in the long run you will get more enjoyment out of it, it is easier and in most cases cheaper to work on, and it is just way cooler. There's a pic of my first '59 on the Alfa Romeo picture thread (grey/red).

 

the series II spiders sure are nice...I have one that is just the sweetest sports car experience, I absolutely love it! Looks, sounds, reliability (Santos Foreign in SoCal did the restoration) and it is SOLID! This is a '73, tastefully modded (leather in place of vinyl, lightweight gears, weber conversion, etc....)

Bravo Alfa!

 

oops, meant to provide photos, here you go...
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...you are a year too late!

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=207061

I got 'flamed' pretty bad when I attempted to sell at a high price in US$ The dollar was at 1.6+ euros at the time. I feel like this car is still worth crazy money, you just won't EVER see an Alfa Spider with this level of restoration. I LOVE the car and am pleased that circumstances led to me hanging on to it! Good luck in your search, you will be pleased with any of the Alfa range you have discussed here, they are a GAS!

oh yeah, I highly recommend you go after the most restored (by someone else $$) car you can find. They are pricey to restore yourself.

 

Lovely.

Big thumbs up on the Webers and the leather!

 

Nice little cars. I had a 1750 boattail. Got rid of it and kept the 1750 GTV. Liked them both(flip of a coin, one had to go).


Tom Tanner/Scale Designs/Ferrari Expo-Chicago

 

I always wanted to take a 'boattail' and mod it out with custom front and rear to resemble some of the 'show' Alfa's of the period....but I am too purist to go there

 

One day i will get my Spider again and give it the treatment i couldnt afford back when i was a student..Bigger carbs, brakes, stiffer suspension and free exhaust..

 

Adil, can't wait to see the car!

 

I have a 1750 spider ('69) that I'm restoring. I love it. Cool car, easy to work on, ton's of fun to drive.... What's not to like???
Since I got it drivable, I have yet to take my Ferrari out (if that tells you something about the car)
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still have it! They are pure sweetness, especially set up correctly. Duetto's definitely have me drooling. I love 'em best with Cromodora Daytona's and Momo Vega's! PLEASE post up photos of yours!!

I have 5 sets of wheels/tires for my Alfa, fun to change the look, and not too expensive to 'play' around with extra wheelsets! I did see a rare set of Shankle mags (sweet looking) go for BIG money on eBay recently, I wanted 'em, but they went for serious $$. Anyone else see that?

 

If you are talking about the Shankle wheels from the late 1970's-early 1980's,
they will rub on the inner rear wheel lip unless you take the lip down. Very tight fit. I think they are 8 1/2 wide. I forget the offset. I have them on my Bertone GTV(also tight fit). They look almost like the wheels on the Abarth 131 rally.

Tom Tanner/Scale Designs/Ferrari Expo 2010

 

Tom, I think they are Shankle Melber Majors or something like that, that's a mouthful for a freakin' set of wheels, lol! Sweet looking, but now I don't feel so bad if they require modding, etc., wouldn't want to bother

 

Mang

Could you provide a link or an auction number for the Shankle mags. I searched completed auctions for any reasonable combination of "Shankle" "wheels" "Alfa" that I could think of and got no results. I am interested and curious because I have some wheels on my GTV that I have not seen elsewhere and I got a comment on a post in the vintage section here on F-Chat that the wheels on my car in the picture were sought after. If you could spare a moment, the post is titled "I only need a few more parts". It is in the vintage Ferrari section, 2nd page, about 1/3 of the way down. Be prepared to be dazzled by the brilliance of my Alfa. ;>)

Thanks.

 

those are the ones, still have 'em? I don't have a link to the ebay ad, but it was for a NOS set of 5 (old stock and new/40 yr old. = very nice)! Sent you a PM.

What are the size of yours? I am thinking they are 14" x 7"? Too bad about that RUST!

 

That chassis flex is one thing that makes Spiders a challenge for the novice and a hoot for experienced drivers. With judicious use of power oversteer, I can practically turn my 2000 Veloce in it's own length, the back wheels chattering in a petit Jeté à la seconde.

 

This is a ridiculous statement. Chassis flex is extremely irritating to any experienced driver, only a novice would think this was a positive attribute (not that I am denigrating novices, learning is fun and we all start somewhere). Doing donuts is not exactly the test of good cars handling, either. I suggest you buy a frame stiffener and see how much better your Spider drives (or does donuts, if that's your thing). Alfa spiders are all great cars, but the quality dropped over time. I've owned all of them and I am just telling it the way I see it.

 

On a track, sure. But you use different techniques on the track, on a rallye stage, and on an urban commute.

A flexy car can be fun as a change of pace. 25 or 30 mph is agonizingly boring in the 328 or EVO. In the Alfa, you can have a bit of fun at low speed.

Heck; the Alfa spider has a solid rear axle. A purist would call it a "truck".

 

Not to hijack this thread but I thought someone may be interested in getting a steal, selling my new restored Spider.



http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/vbclassified.php?do=ad&id=1152