Monthly Archives: August 2020

Alfa Romeo, Bertone

1983 Alfa Romeo Alfa 6

eBay is down this morning, so we took a look at what is currently available on the Italian classifieds. Italian sellers are wise to the worldwide interest in Italian cars that were once outdated and obsolete, and optimistic pricing abounds as a result. On the one hand, it can act as a barrier to entry for some enthusiasts, but on the other hand, the strong pricing has ensured the survival of some unique vehicles without a storied past. For example: today's 1983 Alfa Romeo Alfa 6.

The Alfa 6 is largely based on the Alfetta chassis, adding length and wheelbase to that vehicle's torsion bar double wishbone front and DeDion rear suspension. It shares a rear-mounted transaxle with the Alfetta with LSD as standard, and maintains the Alfettas inboard rear brake configuration. Its namesake V6 engine displaces 2.0L in this tax-avoidance model aimed at the Italian market. 2.5L versions saw the use of a Bosch L-jet fuel-injection system after the 1983 refresh, though the 2.0L versions kept the carburetors of the early cars. An odd feature of the refreshed cars is the Bertone logo on the C-pillar, added when Bertone updated the styling of the cars.

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Alfa Romeo, Giugiaro

1976 Alfa Romeo GT

For a spell, we were convinced that the best way to get a sample of Alfa history was to bridge the gap between the new and the old. New to us was the torsion bar front suspension and DeDion rear suspension with rear transaxle and inboard rear brakes. And old was the venerable 4-cylinder hemi Alfa powertrain. We took one on as a project for our dad, and never managed to piece it together before it became apparent that it was never going to get the attention that it deserved. Then along came a running a driving example that wouldn't require assembly - today's blue Alfetta GT.

We remember late spring snow flurries coming down as we insisted that our dad purchase this clean, low-mileage Texas car in 2016. It came in on a transporter, and while the car was dry as expected, it was pretty apparent that the original paint wouldn't clean up. Add to the fact that 1976 wasn't the best year to be a SPICA car, and the Alfetta was clean, original, and dry, but not the most inspiring car to have taking up a garage space.

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Fiat

2013 Fiat 500 Turbo Cattiva

We hadn't heard of the Cattiva edition of the Fiat 500 until we found this example during our search this evening. The special appearance package includes a darkened headlights, taillights, and side markers, as well as a black paint on the roof and spoiler, and a dark finish to the wheels.

More interesting than the Cattiva package is the fact that this 500 is a Turbo model. To end up with a 500 Turbo, you start with an Abarth, detune the engine somewhat to 135hp (basically remove the sport button overboost on the Abarth), and add some comfort back in the form of a muffler, soft suspension tuning, and a bit of suspension travel. To us, it represents the best of both worlds, though we might be convinced to delete the muffler to achieve that Abarth growl.

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Giugiaro, Maserati

2002 Maserati Coupe GT

Yesterday we discussed the bold designs of European cars during the early 2000s. Todays Maserati Coupe GT originates from that era, but lacks the boldness that we associate with cars out of the same period. The milquetoast exterior of the Coupe GT can be partially attributed to the fact that it is itself a refreshed edition of the Maserati 3200 GT, abandoning the boomerang taillights that set the 3200 GT apart on the road. Evaluating the contemporary Ferrari 456 and 550, the designs for front-engined exotic Italian coupes at the time were pretty restrained in comparison to what was offered from Alfa Romeo and Fiat.

This Coupe GT features the 6-speed manual transmission that is a less common sight among Coupes. As a refresher, the GT moniker denotes the manual transmission option, but many listings seem to stumble on this naming convention, so when shopping for a manual example, it's a good idea to comb through the Cambiocorsa offerings to make sure that you don't miss out on any mislabeled GT cars.

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Alfa Romeo, Centro Stile Alfa Romeo, Pininfarina

1995 Alfa Romeo GTV

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We first saw a modern Alfa Romeo GTV in 2006, which was right at the conclusion of a period of daring designs from many of the European brands. Citroen was offering the wild C6 sedan, Fiat had offered the Barchetta and Multipla, and the Smart Roadsters were common on European streets.

In the mid-2000s, designers got around to taming these more radical designs, slicing creases into the smooth bodywork to bring them up to date. The GTV became the Brera, and though that car has a number of satisfying details, we have to award the GTV the prize for chutzpah. A favorite detail of ours is the fact that when the hood is lifted, the headlamps are revealed to be contained within a single housing that the hood had previously separated. The Kamm tail with a 164-style light strip and the sharp body line from front to rear are equally strong styling statements.

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Centro Stile Fiat, Fiat

1981 Fiat Strada

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We're late for our Saturday post (it's already technically Sunday), so we'll make this a quick one. Yesterday consisted of a train ride from Detroit to Chicago to pick up a Milano Verde that we sorted for a Lancia expert. The drive home was comfortable and uneventful, and now having finished up some work on the Rabbit pickup project, it's time to blog.

The Strada was the English-marked version of the Fiat Ritmo, though we didn't even realize that these were offered in North America until very recently, when a reader asked if we could locate one. The answer was no, because these were reportedly not so reliable when new, and as such, flocked in droves to the junkyards. Though not so embraced in Italy from what we hear, we still like the way these look. The details are more enjoyable than those on the contemporary VW Golf, but the overall shape isn't quite as satisfying to us.

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Centro Stile Fiat, Fiat, Uncategorized

1994 Fiat Coupé

The Fiat Coupé fits squarely in the center of one of our favorite categories of European cars, but we don't really have a good name for it. The Audi TT, Alfa Romeo Brera, and to some extent, the BMW Z3 all join the Coupé in a group of small coupes and roadsters that place a major emphasis on style without feeling a need to maximize performance.

We've said it before, and we think it bears repeating: most driving on the street is substantially below the grip limit of a given vehicle, and most street driving inputs do not require perfect body control or steering feel. A car designed to perform well in everyday driving can be more satisfying to drive on the street than a car set up for ultimate performance. So, we really find nothing wrong with these styling statement coupes, where some turbo lag and uncontrolled body motion might accompany more aggressive driving.

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Alfa Romeo, Bertone

1972 Alfa Romeo 2000 Berlina

The Berlina was introduced in 1968, 6 years into the Giulia's run. It was offered alongside its short-wheelbase sibling until 1977. Mechanically very similar, the Berlina sports more staid styling in comparison to the creases and bulges on the Giulia. All things equal, we'd take a Giulia over a Berlina anyway, but the reality is that a good Berlina fetches far less money than a Gulia in similar shape.

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