tonight's top gear Alfa 4C-Page 2| Grassroots Motorsports forum |

turboswede GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
2/10/14 11:08 a.m.

Keith Tanner wrote:
Ian F wrote:
Adrian_Thompson wrote: Oh, how quaint, you watch on cable! 8 days late. Ep. was on Sunday Feb 2nd, Ep 2 was Sun Feb 9th. BBC America ep 1 is tonight. I'm a Brit so I watch in real time.
I wish someone could post a how-to for watching this without it getting deleted in 10 minutes... I don't have cable and have a lack of patience when it comes to computers.
There's a FAQ on Finalgear.com that might be useful. But if you have a lack of patience, perhaps you should get someone to help.

The other method mentioned is illegal and GRM doesn't want it posted on their website. Can't blame them for that.

However, you can also find them on some online video sites so you don't have to download them, go to Google and search for the TopGear series and episode you're interested in (S21E01 for example), click on Videos and it should show up in the list. You could even click on search tools and only show results for videos that are 20 minutes long or longer.

As for watching videos from your computer on your TV, there's been more than one thread in Off-topic on HTPC (Home Theatre PC's), just need to basically connect the video out from you laptop/computer/tablet/phone to the input of your TV. Lots of tutorials on the web about that as well depending on the devices you're working with.

If you need help, post over in off-topic and some of us will try to help.

alfadriver PowerDork
2/10/14 12:45 p.m.

Adrian_Thompson wrote:
alfadriver wrote: I hope Alfa can come back, and I also look forward to seeing the TG episode that covers this. But I don't see this car as being significant. Why? Well, this car has been here before- with a badge from Lotus and an engine from Toyota, and a slightly smaller price tag. And it didn't exactly sell like hotcakes. In terms of history, it's more a TZ than a GTA, which means it's that much more rare and that much less practical, and therefore that much less appealing to a market. It will sell, surely. But not in great numbers. I would be stunned to see that the P car is less practical to live with than the 4c.
That's why I was asking about its actual size. The Elise is just too small to be a real car. It's not easy to get in and out of, The complete lack of any interior just doesn't make for a practical DD. The fit, finish, smell and rattles of an Elise are just too kit-car-ish to be a real world DD for normal (None GRM) person. Let's take the MR2 Spider. I really am not a Toyota fan as is well known. But that car was easy to get in and out of, had a real interior and reasonable fit finish etc. If the Alfa is as practical as the MR2, blessed with those Italian Super model looks as opposed to the Toyota's ugly duckling I think it will sell well enough. No, not in the tens of thousands, but well enough for a flag ship. I have hope it's a reasonable size, they kept talking about how wide it was, but that's not an issue for American roads.

The big problem- both of the choices of chassis that it's based off of are not exacly user friendly cars. Its either a KTM based chassis OR a Lotus based chassis- both of which were gotten when Fiat was in bed with GM.

I'm not sure, but if either of those are the choice, well, it's no MR2 or Porsche Cayman. For this car, it may not matter, since it's not intended to me much more than the 8C.

The real car that I am personally waiting for is the ND version of a Spider (or should that be a Spider version of an ND?). The car that should have had a Mercury or Lincoln badge on it but never did. Being Miata based means a far more livable car. Not perfect, but far far more mainstream.

And IF Alfa wanted to build off of history, use that and the very similar RX8 platform, and build a short Spider, a mid GTV, and a long Berlina. Instantly, Alfa has 3 RWD cars in a platform that can go head to head with BMW. But that's just me.

Adrian_Thompson PowerDork
2/10/14 1:04 p.m.

alfadriver wrote: Its either a KTM based chassis OR a Lotus based chassis- both of which were gotten when Fiat was in bed with GM.

This is the Alfa chassis

The Lotus is a bonded aluminium chassis and the KTM X-bow has much higher sides

alfadriver PowerDork
2/10/14 1:14 p.m.

In reply to Adrian_Thompson:

So it's the KTM (it's a lot closer in concpet). maybe not the "no door" chassis that you posted, but those sills are both high and wide- relative to a real car.

And CF?? Yea, that still isn't high volume.

I wish it luck, the the real car that's going to make it for Alfa as a brand is the Spider. Assuming that they don't start selling the Dart as an Alfa. It's not as if they could not take the current Giula and sell it here, since they already do.

That's why I really don't trust Fiat with Alfa Romeo.

Alfa hasn't been the Alfa as we remembered it for a long, long time, and I don't think many here would hold it against them anymore. the Giula is a good looking car in a segment that sells a lot of examples, and even has plenty of room for high performance versions. For the most part, the Dart and Giulia would even appeal to different people- so just more of them. Alas, nobody can really figure out what Fiat intends to do with Alfa. Seems as if they want them to be a BMWish brand here, but outside of the 4C, Fiat isn't spending any money making a BMW like car. So just sell what you got.

dunno....

None the less, being a BBC-A person, I have to wait to see this episode.

Adrian_Thompson PowerDork
2/10/14 1:30 p.m.

Damn it Eric, stop it, you're shattering my illusions.

No car since I first saw the Volvo C30 that I ended up buying has had that instant get lust of 'I want it'. If I had $54k and they were in the showroom today by money would be on the table.

Possibly luckily it's not on sale right now and even if it was I'm not prepared to cough up $54k for any car.

I am though very very interested when it does hit our showrooms. I guess it will be through the Maserati dealerships, if that's not a word of warning I don't know what is!