I saw a couple of these in France. The body lines look super unique in the flesh. I wonder how they handle.
Photography Credit: Jason Cammisa
Many of the imports headed stateside thanks to the EPA and DOT’s rolling 25-year roadblock have been hailing from Japan: Skylines and Supras, Civics and kei cars. Why not buck the trend with a nuovo classico from Italy?
That’s what detailer to the stars Tim McNair decided. He opted for a 916-chassis Alfa Romeo GTV. Styling is by Pininfarina, while power comes from a turbocharged 2.0-liter V6. “Lots of torque and power,” Tim says. “It also has a great sound. Even with the turbo, the V6 Busso sings.”
And there’s more to love about the GTV. “Car always turns heads,” he continues. “Interior is glorious with leather Momo seats.”
Then there’s the reality of parts availability. “Parts are odd,” he explains. “A few parts are the same as a late U.S. 164. There’s some crossover to other 916-chassis cars. Engine items are the most difficult, as the 2-liter was only sold in Germany and Italy.” Fortunately, he adds, service items can be found through the Italian eBay site.
Just don’t misplace the keys, he cautions. The shipping company lost his. To get the car running again, Tim had to replace the ECU, alarm module and the key itself–an eight-month ordeal because, unsurprisingly, the parts weren’t exactly available through traditional American channels.
But the pain was worth it. “It is a blast to drive,” he says. “It’s deceptively quick.”
I saw a couple of these in France. The body lines look super unique in the flesh. I wonder how they handle.
There have been a couple in the US for a while, seen them at Convetions way back. Not sure how they got them.
But other than looking and sounding good, IMHO, they are not that great to drive. All of the cars we've driven of that era fell short of my expectations.
Needs bodecia style spikes on wheels.
The consensus, from what I have read in British classic car magazines is that these are reasonably decent cars. They came with a variety of engines, inline and V6 gasoline engines, and even a turbo diesel if I remember correctly. There is also a "corresponding" convertible model.
But which bodystyle and which engine? The V6 and the turbo diesel stand at the top but even the 4 cylinder is a nice engine.
Anything that beautiful, does it REALLY have to cook?
Pete
In reply to Carsandbikes :
Most Alfisti will want the V6. The four banger is a Fiat Twin Cam - not a bad engine, but the V6 sounds a lot better, at least in the 156s I owned.
And if you want all the torque steer and then some, you'd want the 3.2L GTA version.
Oh, and the key issue is a well known problem with Fiat and Alfa of that time period. Fun when you lose the red key that you need to program another key, and it's not like you can get the car to an Alfa dealer over here to sort out the programming (which is $$$$ even if you don't need to replace the ECU).
If it were FWD I would be trying to get my hands on one as a forever car.
In reply to NOHOME :
Typo? They are FWD.
In reply to NOHOME :
NOHOME said:
If it were "RWD" I would be trying to get my hands on one as a forever car.
There, I fixed it to my thoughts for ya!!!
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