MAARC Digest

PCH, Italian Coupe For About A Grand Edition: Lancia Beta or Alfa Romeo GTV?

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:59 GMT

Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! You don't need to be a millionaire to own a classic Italian machine. A thousandaire has enough cash!

Face it, what does the $9,000,000 '62 Ferrari 330 have that a Malaise Era Alfa or Lancia doesn't have? Wait, don't answer that! Instead, consider this: for around 1/9000th the price, you can have a sporty machine from the very same country!

What kind of car can you get for $1,250 these days? Maybe a 15-year-old Sentra, speckled with shopping-cart dings and filled with the smell of countless spilled McDonald's chocolate shakes? Or an Olds Cutlass Ciera with a potato for a gas cap and Bondo-and-rust clusters falling off on every speed bump? How depressing! But wait- what if we were to find you a genuine Alfa Romeo GTV for that price? A car with just 58,000 miles on the clock, because more than half its life has been spent sitting in a garage… waiting for you to rescue it? No, really! Here's a "garage find" '74 Alfa Romeo GTV (go here if the listing disappears) for next to nothing. It appears to be complete, and the seller says the "motor and tranny seem to be somewhat clean and oil free," which we hope isn't referring to their innards. Who knows, it ~~will never~~ might start right up with a simple tune-up! You might need to do a little metal cutting and pasting once you do have it running, because the seller admits that it has "all the usual rust problems of an alfa," and the registration paperwork will require ~~negotiating labyrinths of bureaucracy you never imagined existed~~ a bit of work, due to the car's "unknown title." Is an unknown title worse than a missing one? Never you mind about that stuff- just buy this project and start enjoying the benefits of an Italian ~~basket case~~ daily driver in ~~about 10 years~~ no time!

Everyone loves an Alfa, of course, but what would Fabio drive? A Lancia, of course! You can still buy Fabio's Appia, which hasn't dropped in price by a single lira in the last couple of years, but you might not have the pecs and/or hair to pull off looking cool in a cute little sedan. But buy this '75 Lancia Beta (go "http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/jalopnik/2009/11/75_lanciabeta-ss.jpg"/>here if the listing disappears) and you'll find your image on the covers of paperback bodice-rippers within weeks of getting it running. Of course, that might be ~~akin to cleaning the Augean stables~~ a couple of weekends of work, considering that it needs a "new timing belt to run and a little TLC" (translation for those of you who don't speak Craigslist-ese: "Something terrible is wrong with the engine, including what you hope will be just the timing belt"). But hey, Mr. or Ms. Thousandaire, imagine yourself behind the wheel of a genuine Italian sports coupe and it will all seem worthwhile.

Project Car Hell's Greatest Hits

New Book Chronicles Dreamy Alfa Romeo Montreal

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:20 GMT

Introduced in the 1970s with a uniquely recognizable shape, the Montreal foreshadowed the automotive excess to come. Now there's a book about it.

We haven't gotten a chance to stick our noses into this one yet, but based on the photography and the subject alone it's worth a peek. At 208 pages it's hefty for a book dedicated to one car, but we're betting a healthy amount of that is dedicated to car pr0n.

THE DREAM CAR!

Alfa Romeo Montreal – The dream car that came true
by Bruce Taylor

With its stylish Bertone coachwork and race-bred 200bhp V8 engine, the iconic Alfa Romeo Montreal is one of the most stunning series production automobiles of the twentieth century. Almost 4000 Montreals were built, and today sound cars are still readily available at very affordable prices. Now the spirit of the car has been captured in a comprehensive pictorial tribute book from Veloce Publishing. The new book is a visual testimonial to a powerful and beautiful coupé that was born as a futuristic concept and transformed into a ‘dream car come true'. This beautifully illustrated 208-page hardback volume is available now from bookshops or from www.velocebooks.com. In a portfolio of over 575 illustrations, it paints a unique and detailed graphic portrait of this elegant and powerful classic GT, revealing why it is immensely enjoyable to drive and turns heads wherever it appears.

The author, Bruce Taylor, says: "Veloce Publishing have made a splendid job of this unique pictorial tribute to the exotic Alfa Romeo Montreal. This beautiful new book portrays every aspect of the car, and shows discerning enthusiasts that the Montreal is a hidden treasure that is well worth seeking."

Along Came a Spider for $24,950

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:00 GMT

Little miss muffet may have suffered from arachnophobia, but today, Nice Price or Crack Pipe has a fly-yellow Alfa that can sit on our tuffet any time it wants.

Rarely does a group as disparate as this join together as one in a collective dry heave of revulsion over a contender, but that's what yesterday's Auto Zoned-out Jeep Grand Cherokee engendered in 93% of you. To clear that acrid taste form your mouths, today we're going to look at a lovely latin- one you wouldn't be surprised to find sunning topless in San Tropez.

Not San Tropez, but sunny Brentwood California was where disillusioned and kind of creepy Ben Braddock bedded his father's business partner's wife, and then attempted to do the same with her daughter in the movie The Graduate. As played by Dustin Hoffman, Ben's unrequited advances upon daughter Elaine required multiple trips between LA and Berkeley, which were accomplished to the toe-tapping sounds of Simon and Garfunkel, and in an Alfa Romeo boat-tail Duetto. That was back in 1967, and for the next 26 years, the Alfa spider creaked along, receiving the occasional egregious body appendage and cabin-confining safety equipment. In the late ‘80s, Alfa set to the task in replacing the aging Giulia spider with a new, front-wheel drive car that would meet all the requirements of a modern automobile, and would put them in good stead against competitors from BMW and Mercedes.

That car went by the internal model number 916, and was designated in the market as the GTV (in 2+2 coupe form) and Spider (for the 2-seat droptop), both based on the Fiat Tipo platform and featuring a choice of transverse 4 and 6-cylinder engines. Introduced in 1995, these cars were designed with the North American market in mind, however Alfa Romeo folded their tent here before the cars could launch. They did debut elsewhere, and were reasonably successful in the market for the next 10 years.

This yellow 1998 Spider has been spinning its webs in Oregon - where it is claimed to be legally licensed - and has an asking price of $24,950. It has the 1,747-cc Twin Spark 4-V engine, which is good for about 145-bhp. That's due to the variable valve timing and multi-length intake runners which provide, not only a healthy power output, but a flatter torque curve than you would expect out of an Italian four cylinder. Despite that, the variocam is a maintenance issue on these engines, and, like waterpumps, you should replace the variator when you do the timing belt, just in case.

The interior is in excellent shape, but the fight-club black and blue color choice is a bit strange. The Spider is strictly a two-seater, and the roof is made of traditional canvas rather than the metal that is fashionable in today's upper-end drop tops. But that just makes this car's appearance all the more unique. And unique it is with a Pininfarina-designed wedge shape that is still arresting today, 14 years following its launch. There don't appear to be any major issues with the body, nor do the double-five spoke alloy rims seem to have been curbed at any time. The 33,000 kilos on the clock indicate that there hasn't been much opportunity for either to have happened.

With the exception of the rare and expensive 8C, Alfa Romeo doesn't appear to be making a comeback in the U.S. anytime soon. This lovely and, potentially equally rare, spider may be one of the few ways to get into a modern Alfa here, and as the saying goes- you're not a true car person unless you've owned an Alfa. So what do you think of that $24,950 price? Does that put the curds in your whey? Or, like the tuffet-warming miss, does that amount scare you away?

You decide!

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There's Nothing Wrong With A 1965 Ford Cortina That A Honda S2000 Engine Can't Fix!

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:00 GMT

Well, you need a few things in addition to that Honda F20C to get that Cortina set up properly. A full roll cage helps, as does a completely hot-rodded suspension. Welcome to Jeff's Garage!

Those of you who come to 24 Hours Of LeMons races already know Jeff; he's the guy who makes the LeMons carnival function correctly when it clanks into your town. A former pro racer who got his start in his early teens with a hooned-out autocross MGB, Jeff now prefers Italian iron. Remember his DOTS '65 Giulia SS?

When he first obtained the Cortina, it was powered by a semi-hot Fiat Twin Cam engine. After the punishment of quite a few rallies, the ol' Fiat gave up. What next? Hmmm... you can get wrecked Honda S2000s pretty cheap these days!

My crappy photographs don't really convey the super-slick setup of this Anglo-Japanese monster; Jeff was a fabricatin' demon to get this Hell Project together. All the Honda wiring and ECMs are in use, and it runs fine; all that remains is a bit of brake work and a couple of thousand little details. 1,800 pounds and 247 horsepower is a combination that sounds pretty good to us! And with legendary wheelman Jeff at the controls, it's gonna be ~~terrifying~~ a blast! Anyone who has ridden with this guy in a rental car on a race track can vouch for that. Did you know that a Honda CR-V can do 110+ at Carolina Motorsports Park? Neither did I!

And that's just the beginning of the fun stuff to be found under Jeff's house. The entire footprint of Chez Jeff's Oakland abode is taken up by an 1,800 square foot garage. For starters, here's Mrs. Jeff's ride: a lowered 1966 VW Transporter with a built-to-the-hilt 2,000cc engine.

Just inside, you'll find this 1971 Fiat 850 Sport Coupe, also belonging to Jeff's SO; don't those Alfa wheels look good on it?

When she doesn't feel like driving the bus or the Fiat, there's always her '69 Alfa Romeo Duetto.

Sometimes Jeff needs to change things up with this 1971 BMW 2002Tii with "lots of mods."

Tired of four wheels? Hop on one of the Lambrettas!

Tired of internal combustion? Hop on a Bianchi!

REPORT: The Not-So-All-New Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep And Alfa Lineup!

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:15 GMT

One week before Chrysler's planned media unveil of Fiat's future plans for Chrysler, The Wall Street Journal's reporting nine current vehicles will be axed from the lineup and one Chrysler plus three Alfa Romeos will be added. Full list below.

Basically, Chrysler gets to be the brand of — umm — a minivan, a large sedan and a little cinquecento. Dodge gets gutted and apparently becomes the retro brand. Ram pickup trucks are — umm — maybe their own brand? Jeep gets back to basics (yay!) and Alfa Romeo randomly shows up, adding a small car, a smaller car, a mid-size and the 8c competizione.

So basically, Fiat's grooming Alfa Romeo to replace Chrysler. Full details below:

Chrysler

* ~~PT Cruiser~~
* ~~Sebring~~
* Town and Country
* 300: Redesign in 2011
* Fiat 500: 2011

Dodge

* ~~Caliber~~
* ~~Nitro~~
* ~~Avenger~~
* ~~Grand Caravan~~
* Charger: Redesign in 2011
* Challenger
* Journey
* Ram trucks (separate brand?)

Jeep

* ~~Commander~~
* ~~Compass~~
* ~~Patriot~~
* Wrangler
* Grand Cherokee: Redesign in 2010

Alfa Romeo

* Mito
* Milano (replacing 147)
* New Mid-Size Sedan
* 8C Competizione

[via WSJ, Kicking Tires]

2,200 Miles Across Mexico In A 1964 Alfa Romeo: El Taxi Perdido Takes On The Carrera Panamericana

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:00 GMT

Alfa Romeo maestro Conrad Stevenson doesn't just restore vintage racers for well-heeled clients- he's entering a 45-year-old Giulia in the 2009 Carrera Panamericana!

The team started off pretty well yesterday (qualified 18th out of 110 cars), but fuel pump woes seem to be holding them back at the moment. Follow their story on El Taxi Perdido's site!

1991 Alfa Romeo 164 L

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 07:00 GMT

Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. You don't see many 1990s Alfa Romeos on the island.

Actually, you don't see many Alfas on the island, period; our last one was this '65 Giulia SS, which we last winter. Before that, we had this 164 L- a '91, just like today's car. What are the odds?

Alfa Romeo stopped selling cars in North America in 1995, and it was pretty clear to car shoppers that they'd be folding their tents for quite a while before that year. That means the original purchaser of this car loved the idea of a sporty Italian sedan so much that he or she didn't give a damn that the car would soon be an orphan, repairable only by cranky non-factory-authorized mechanics using parts shipped from Europe at fabulous expense. We can totally respect that decision.

First 500 DOTS Vehicles • DOTS FAQ

Alfa A Key Ingredient To MasterChef's Winning Recipe

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:00 GMT

Alfa Romeo Australia is pleased to have been announced as official vehicle supplier to Channel Ten&os;s hit series Celebrity MasterChef.

1970 Targa Florio: Racing In The Streets

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:40 GMT

The monster Sicilian road race was the last of its breed to succumb to world automotive sissification in 1977. Before that, guys were racing 500+ HP sports prototypes through tiny Sicilian villages while locals crowded in, straining for a peek.

This particular shot was taken at the 1970 race, where local boy Nino Vaccarella is on his way to third place in the big Ferrari 512 prototype.

And who beat him? Two of John Wyer’s nimble Porsche 908’s:

Vaccarella would be back the next year in the much more suitable 3-liter Alfa Romeo T33 and take the title. This was the car with the center-mounted rearview mirror sticking out like the love child of a periscope and a Martian fighting machine from The War of the Worlds:

Alfa Romeo Developing 3.0-Liter Twin-Turbo V8, Could Come Stateside

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:00 GMT

According to Autocar, Alfa Romeo's hard at work on a new 3.0-liter V8 engine based on Fiat's "Multiair" variable valve technology. Question is, will this engine find its way to the US?

Fiat is basing the 166, the sedan this image is being developed for, around the next-gen 300C. That not only means the 166 will finally be RWD, but also that it should be designed to pass US crash and emissions standards from the off. With Fiat eyeing Chrysler's US dealer network it's a logical assumption that Alfa, particularly its new larger sedan, will find its way here.

Autocar says to expect both naturally aspirated and twin-turbo versions of the engine, Alfa's first V8 since the Montreal died in 1977. [via Autocar]

Lamest Day LeMons Into Second Half, Subaru Impreza Leads!

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:00 GMT

Would you believe a Subaru leading as the we get deeper into nighttime racing? It hasn't even been raining! Yes, the Team Paisley '98 Impreza has a couple of laps on the number two contender.

That number two contender is the Booby Prize Racing '96 Nissan 200SX, a car that the LeMons Supreme Court picked during the BS Inspection as the Under The Radar Candidate Most Likely To Contend. Looks like we guessed right this time!

In third we have the 1993 Honda Civic driven by Team "Corvette." No, we don't get the team name either.

Right behind the Honda is one of the top finishers from the last New England LeMons: the Scuderia Limoni Alfa Romeo Milano.

In fifth, we have another dominating New England veteran, the Scuderia Testa di Spillo Milano. Oh yes, two Milanos in the top five. Could this be the first-ever LeMons victory by an Italian car? Check in later to find out!

Race On! Burnt Amazon, Needlessly Complex Milano Back On The Track

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 08:10 GMT

We're racing again, this fine Sunday morning in South Carolina, and a couple of cars that seemed out for the duration are back in action!

The Tunachuckers were up late fixing their toasted engine compartment (thankfully, they brought many spare parts), and after a full rewiring job, carburetor repair, and a lucky brake hose find (the fire started when a brake hose burst and sprayed the exhaust manifold), they're back out there. Meanwhile, the Milano team spent all day and all night getting their engine back together- not bad by Alfa standards- and they're now roaring around the track. Things are about to get very, very hectic in the penalty box, so I need to go dispense some justice; check in this afternoon for possible updates.

Race Just Starting, Alfa Romeo Blows First Head Gasket Of Weekend

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 09:45 GMT

Remember that super deal on a pair of Alfa Romeo Milanos that Seatbelt123 got? The team put together one good Alfa out of the 2-fer-$299 pair... and then fried the engine during practice last night.

The car looked pretty fast on the track, but the huge clouds of white smoke pouring out the tailpipe seemed like a bad sign. They had some gaskets overnighted from Virginia, and even as the cars race (the green flag just dropped about 20 minutes ago ago), the team continues to work on their engine. We hope to see this fine Italian machine duking it out with its Fiat 124 Spider rival within the next hour or two!

A Morning at the Classic Car Club of Manhattan

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:00 GMT

On our way to drive the Ariel Atom at Lime Rock Park, we stopped by the Hudson Street headquarters of the Classic Car Club of Manhattan. At 6 AM on a Sunday, nobody was around—except the cars.

Steps from the Manhattan entrance of the Holland Tunnel, the club’s HQ is a vast open space, dotted with classic cars, supercars and the machinery to keep them alive and healthy. You can see the whole roster of cars available to their members at the club’s website. Until you pony up the funds to become a member, enjoy this quiet stroll through what they had in the shop as John Krewson and I were about to head out of town.

1974 Triumph TR6

Insert overused joke about not driving this very far from the club.

2006 Ariel Atom

The club’s Atom is a 2.5 model: the chassis is an Atom 2, whereas the engine is the same Honda unit found in the Atom 3 Krewson drove at Lime Rock Park.

1975 Ferrari 308 GT4

Look at the wall and you’ll see a line painting of this very car—executed by none other than Camilo Pardo, designer of the Ford GT. Which, incidentally, is one of the cars in the club’s fleet of modern supercars.

1966 Ford Mustang Fastback

Behind the Mustang is John Krewson and behind him are old German and Italian exotica.

Buckets

Car paraphernalia at the head of a service bay, right below Pardo’s painting of the Ferrari.

2007 BMW Z4M Coupé

The last car to come with the awesomest engine ever made by BMW: the straight-six 333 HP S54B32, also found in the E46 M3. Behind the Bimmer is the Atom.

Lewd Signage Above Atom

That rod is what will prevent your head from coming apart should you flip the Atom.

The Atom’s Headlight

Further proof that Ariel’s supercharged shopping cart is in fact street legal.

Screws

Cars need fixin’ at times!

Toolbox

I spoke English and was allowed to stay. Those with keen eyes shall spot the 24 Hours of Lemons sticker (it’s below and to the right of the flag previously seen on the grounds of the State Capitol in Columbia, South Carolina).

The Offices

Krewson knows I’ve got my viewfinder trained on him. Notice artistic paint overflow.

1996 Porsche 993 C4S

The last of the air-cooled 911’s. This car has one of the sexiest rear wheelarches in recorded history. Also, water cooling is for sissies.

1974 Triumph TR6

What was I saying a few captions ago about not driving it far from life support? Oh, never mind.

1975 Alfa Romeo GTV

Do not approach this car if you’re not wearing a well-cut suit. It will sense your lack of style and expend all the voltage in its battery to shock you into submission.

Alfa Romeo MiTo Hots Up For Frankfurt

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:00 GMT

The MiTo, Alfa Romeo&os;s new small car that arrived in Australia just a few weeks ago, gains a hot new version at the Frankfurt International Motor Show

The Ultimate Automotive Survivors: 50 Cars Made For At Least 20 Years

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 12:00 GMT

While the Beetle, Ambassador, Mini, and 2CV each enjoyed more than four decades of production in pretty much their original form, we mustn't overlook the other long-term survivors of the automotive world.

Even 20 years is a long, long time in automotive-design years, and so we've established that as the cutoff for this list. We're not talking about model names that have been around forever (e.g., Crown Victoria, Century, Bluebird), but a particular chassis/generation of a car that remained fundamentally unchanged over its lifespan. We're not including light trucks, mostly because it's damn near impossible to sort out Soviet military stuff. Obviously, a lot of quasi-arbitrary judgment calls had to be made with some of the candidates- does a different engine or totally restyled body make for a distinct vehicle?- and so we're confident that we've provided something to enrage every one of you, be it a car that totally qualified that we blew off or a totally undeserving car that we sneaked into the list. For example, were there differences between the first few generations of the Ford Fiesta sufficient to make that car ineligible for this list? We said yes, which Fiesta zealots will no doubt consider to be fatwa-grade heresy. In any case, we've probably made some mistakes, and we've definitely missed some cars that belonged on the list. Fire away with the hate mail, by all means!

Things get somewhat sticky when it comes to Fiats built outside of Italy. We think the Polski Fiat 125p shouldn't get lumped in with either the Fiat 125 or the Fiat 1300/1500, it being a cost-cutting mashup of the two, so we're giving this 24-year veteran its own place of honor in the Jalopnik Cars Of Immortality Hall Of Fame. Likewise, by the time VAZ got around to the VAZ-2107 (aka Lada Riva), its design had diverged sufficiently from its Fiat 124 ancestry that we consider it and the 124 to be separate cars. You 124 fanatics don't need to fret about that outrage, though- thanks to production in India and Egypt, the 124 doesn't need the later Ladas to nail down 31 years.

You may have noted the conspicuous shortage of American machinery in this list; other than the first-gen Ford Falcon (built in Argentina until the 1990s) and the Checker Marathon, there were no easy calls to be made for American manufacturers. We've included the rear-wheel-drive GM T Body, because of the bewildering swarm of Kadetts, Chevettes, I-Marks, and low-production South American clones that flew forth from that design; we're saying 21 years for the T, and you're free to argue your guts out about it. How about the GM B platform, which stayed in service from the '61 Buick Invicta to the '96 Chevy Caprice? The General performed nearly half a dozen major redesigns of the B platform over the decades, and not enough components interchange between one B generation and the next for it to be considered the same car for 20 solid years. Same goes for the Ford Panther platform (1979-present) and the hordes of Chrysler K derivatives (eternity). The Model T was only made for 19 years, so it doesn't make the list (unless someone can dig up some proof that it was being bootlegged in the Maldives), nor does the Willys Aero, even with all those years of production in Brazil. What really broke our hearts was the Rambler American/Renault Torino, which almost made the list at 18 years of production in Wisconsin and Argentina (we were looking for loopholes to prove that the '64 Rambler American was actually a cosmetic facelift of an earlier version, but no dice).

This project got really challenging when we got to Chinese-built versions of Japanese and Korean cars. The line between "facelifted license-built copy" and "based on heavily modified chassis design" gets increasingly blurry in China, and most likely we've overlooked a couple of 20+ year Chinese versions of Mazdas or Suzukis. Chinese Volkswagens were a lot easier to figure out, but how about Malaysian Mitsubishi clones- or are they clones?- sold in China? Ai-ya!

Here we go, fifty cars that were built for 20 years or longer, as close as we could get to the right order:

Volkswagen Type 1
65 years (1938-2003)
The Beetle was built in Germany from 1938 through 1980, which would have put it in second place on our list, behind the Mini but just in front of the 2CV. However, production in Brazil (1950-1996) and Mexico (1955-2003) gives the little Ferdinand Porsche-designed ass-engine air-cooler a whopping 22-year-edge over the Mini.

Morris Oxford / Hindustan Ambassador
55 years (1954-present)
The case could be made that the previous generation of the Oxford, which debuted in 1948, was similar enough to the '54 that the Oxford/Ambassador deserves 61 years instead of 55. However, the Amby is still being made! That means the much-beloved little Indian car has a shot at catching the Beetle. Engines have come and gone (the '09 Amby has Isuzu power), but the essential Oxford-ness of the car remains.

Austin Mini
43 years (1957-2000)
An Old Mini with airbags? Yes, the car that started the front-wheel-drive/hatchback revolution managed to stay relevant into the current century. Park one of these next to one of those BMW-built imitators and you'll see what a small car really looks like!

Citroën 2CV
41 years (1949-1990)
How much power does a car really need? Ask a Citroën engineer in the late 40s and he'd tell you: nine horsepower! Later models had nearly four times that, with 33 horses being the max from the factory. Of course, some had a little more than that when they went racing. Nearly four million were made.

Fiat 128 / Zastava Skala / Nasr 128 / SEAT 128
40 years (1969-present)
How many versions of the groundbreaking front-driver 128 are out there? Why, even Enzo Ferrari drove one! In addition to being a huge hit in Europe, where it was built until 1985, Zastava continues to build 128s (branded as the Zastava 55) to this day; as of last year, you could still get an Egyptian-made Nasr 128.

Austin FX4
39 years (1958-1997)
We can't include the Checker Marathon in this list without also including the most iconic of the old London Black Cabs. The FX4 was built by different manufacturers over the years and went through quite a few engines, but it remained essentially the same vehicle. Two Austins in the Top Ten!
Image source

Fiat 1100 / Premier Padmini
38 years (1962-2000)
Clearly, the key to getting your car built for a few extra decades is to make Indian buyers love it. As the Fiat 1100, this car was done in Italy by 1969, but India's Premier Automobiles Limited kept on making the 1100 (badged as the Padmini) until 2000.
Image source

Hillman Hunter / Iran Khodro Paykan
37 years (1967-2004)
Hey, Rootes Group machinery survived into the 21st century! The Paykan got Peugeot power eventually, but it remained a Hillman at heart. Paykan production equipment was sold to a Sudanese company a few years back, though we've had no news so far of any gleaming new Paykans being built there. Wait a couple of decades and we may see the Paykan hang in there to beat the Beetle's longevity record!
Image source

Peugeot 504
37 years (1968-2005)
The 504 was built for 15 years in France, then continued production in Argentina until 1999. Africans still loved the 504 after that, with production continuing in Kenya (2004) and Nigeria (2005). Don't be shocked if someone starts building the 504 once again.

Renault 12 / Dacia 1300
37 years (1969-2006)
The 12 was yet another Renault success story, with production on five continents and millions sold. The last Renault-branded 12 was built in Turkey in 1999, but Romanian automaker Dacia made the 12-clone Dacia 1300/1310 until just a few years ago.
Image source

Fiat 131 / SEAT 131 / Tofaş Murat 131
35 years (1974-present)
Also known as the Brava and Mirafiori, the 131 had ten years of Italian production, then lived on in Spain, Turkey, and now Ethiopia.
Image source

Volkswagen Golf Mk1
35 years (1974-present)
Yes, you can still buy the first version of the biggest-selling VW car since the air-cooled Beetle! South Africans love the Mk1 Golf so much that they've been making them since 1974.

Renault 4
33 years (1961-1994)
Usually, a Renault made for more than 30 years indicates that some Warsaw Pact nation built it under license for a couple of decades past the point of relevance in the home market. Not so with the 4! Intended as competition for the hugely successful Citroën 2CV, the Renault 4 outlived its rival by four years.
Image source

Moskvitch 408/412
33 years (1964-1997)
You'll have to pick up the definitive guide to Soviet cars to get the whole Moskvitch 408 story, but here's one fun fact: when the hard-currency-strapped Soviet Union started importing Moskvitches to the UK, the price tag for this fairly substantial car was £22 less than the tiny Mini. Including cars made by the Izhevsk Mechanical Works, the 408/412 stayed in production until the late 1990s.

Ford Falcon (first generation)
31 years (1960-1991)
Imagine going to a Ford dealership and having a choice between a new Sierra XR4i and a new '62 Falcon. That's how it went down in Argentina, where facelifted but still recognizable first-generation Falcons were made until 1991. You could even get a diesel Falcon! We're just disappointed that Ford Of Argentina didn't keep building the '69 Fairlane fastback into the 1990s.

Peugeot 404
31 years (1960-1991)
Kenyan production kept the 404 (car of choice for Ho Chi Minh) going for extra decades.
Image Source

Fiat 124 / VAZ-2101 Lada / SEAT 124 / Tofaş Murat 124 / Premier 118NE
31 years (1966-1984, 1986-2001)
Image source

Renault 5 / SAIPA Sepand
30 years (1972-2000)
We North Americans knew the 5 as the Le Car; we missed out on the goofy European 5 ads but we did get some cheezy ones of our own. European production halted in 1996, when the last Slovenian 5 left the assembly line, but Iranian carmaker SAIPA made the 5 (badged as the Sepand) until 2000.
Image source

Vauxhall Victor FE / Hindustan Contessa
30 years (1972-2002)
We could probably stretch the ancestry of the Contessa back another couple of generations of Vauxhall Victors, but 30 years is pretty good. Do the owners of Contessas, with their early-70s British styling, look down on the Ambassador drivers stuck with 40s British design?
Image source

Fiat 126 / Polski Fiat 126p
28 years (1972-2000)
The original Italian-built 126 made it to 1980, but fortunate Polish buyers could get the Polski Fiat version for another 20 years.
Image source

Zastava Koral / Yugo
28 years (1980-2008)
Is this car really a Fiat 128? We think the Koral (aka Yugo) differs enough from its progenitor, and has sufficient history of its own, to merit its own entry in our all-time survivors' list.

Volkswagen Passat Mk2 / Santana
28 years (1981-present)
Is the Mk2 Passat close enough to the Mk1 to move the start date back to 1973? We say it's not. As long as the Chinese keep building Santanas, however, the second-gen Passat will keep moving up in the ranks.

Alfa Romeo Spider
27 years (1966-1993)
Will Alfa freaks be proud that this design stayed in front-line service for so long, or splutter about the changes that "modernized" their car over the years?

GAZ-3102 Volga
27 years (1982-present)
Image source

VAZ-2107 / Lada Riva
27 years (1982-present)
We'll be seeing one of these at the 24 Hours Of LeMons next month!
Image source

Checker Marathon
26 years (1956-1982)
Many different engines, but the Marathon stayed the same.

Mitsubishi Lancer (3rd gen) / Proton Saga
26 years (1983-present)
How much of the Lancer Fiore remains in today's Saga? Nearly all of it, apparently.
Image source

Daihatsu Charade / FAW Xiali TJ7101
26 years (1983-present)
See how much useful information you can extract from the FAW website about this fine automobile, then let us know if we were totally wrong in assuming that it's still a Charade.
Image source

Fiat Uno
26 years (1983-present)
The Uno was made all over the world, but Brazil is the last Uno holdout, building sedan and wagon versions.
Image source

Porsche 911
25 years (1964-1989)
Was the 911 essentially the same car until the 964 version? Quite a tough call; if we exclude the 911 from the list, we'll be fending off a rain of Molotov cocktails from enraged Porsche fanatics who feel left out. Including it will make many of those same fanatics mail us some Unabomber-style packages, since we're implying that the 911 hasn't always been at the very leading edge of performance-car technology. We decided that sufficient parts interchange between '64 and '89 models to get the 911 on this list.

Fiat 127
25 years (1971-1996)
The Argentinean version of the 127-based Fiat 147 wagon continued until 1996, 16 years after Fiat stopped building the car in Italy.
Image source

Lada Samara
25 years (1984-present)
There's no Fiat content in the all-Russian Samara, and you can still buy yourself one! After the end of the Soviet Union, the Samara got some pretty entertaining commercials.

Volkswagen Jetta Mk 2
25 years (1984-present)
You can still buy the second-gen Jetta in China, where the car is badged as the Jett

Alfa Romeo MiTo DNA Is In Your Jeans

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:00 GMT

Alfa Romeo has joined forces with one of the UK&os;s leading clothing designers to help raise money to support the international Jeans for Genes charity

Acura ZDX: Design, Deconstructed

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 07:00 GMT

Well into the second century of the automobile, new vehicles can't help but be a portmanteau of earlier designs. Even those that believe they're a new segment. Let’s see some of the recently-revealed Acura ZDX’s forefathers.

Profile

The BMW X6 was the first SUV to address the needs of people who desire urban combat stockiness and a coupé profile in the same vehicle. The X6 has since become the most recognizable of this attempted creation of a new breed of vehicle. The ZDX appears to borrow both its roof profile and its side windows from the Bavarian monstrosity:

Look close and you can even see its slightly nipponized Hofmeister kink:

Rear Window

The huge, sloping pane of glass paired with a thin vertical strip at the back as a rear window was most likely invented by Marcello Gandini for his 1967 Lamborghini Espada:

It has since appeared on cars as diverse as the Pontiac Aztek:

—and the Honda CRX, showing that the styling is not alien to Acura’s mothership:

Gandini’s solution is an elegant way to increase rear visibility in a profile which tends to reduce it.

Rear Doorhandles

To steal from Alfa Romeo is forgivable, as they are without doubt the masters of styling details. Like many Japanese carmakers, Acura is no stranger to this practice. The inspiration for the ZDX’s rear doorhandles looks like it comes straight from the Alfa Romeo 156:

The 156, one of the greatest sports sedans ever made, is a 1997 design by Walter de’Silva, currently head of design at the Volkswagen Group.

Photo Credit: Acura, Balázs Fenyő (Lamborghini Espada), NetCarShow.com (Pontiac Aztek), Wiros/Flickr (Honda CRX), nordschleifenfan/Flickr (Alfa Romeo 156)

Hood Scoop Of The Week: 1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ1

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 14:00 GMT

We featured two Detroit scoops in a row (the Maverick Grabber Dual Domes and the Road Runner Air Grabber), and now we must give Italy some well-deserved Hood Scoop Hall Of Fame recognition here.

We can thank Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet for suggesting the tears-to-our-eyes amazing treble scoop setup that Alfa Romeo installed on the Giulia TZ1 in 1964.
But that wasn't the only great hood scoop Alfa Romeo (or maybe it was all Zagato's doing; I'll need to consult with Alfa expert Conrad Stevenson to get the story) put on their race Giulias during this period. How about this hinged setup, which may have provided inspiration for Chrysler's Air Grabber designers?

Image source: AllSportAuto

2009 Alfa Romeo 159

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

Alfa Romeo 159 is an exclusive sedan combining refined Italian style with the "elegant sportiness" of Alfa Romeo. The Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon on the other hand combines the style, performance and handling of a genuine sports car with the flexibility of use and luggage space versatility of a prestigious station wagon. The versions exhibited offer two new Euro 5 compliant engines which ...

2008 Autodelta Alfa Romeo Spider J6 3.2 C

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

The new Spider J6 3.2 C is Autodelta’s no-compromise interpretation of the stunning Alfa Spider, which collected the prestigious accolade of ‘Cabrio of the Year’ upon its launch at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. It is Autodelta’s second bespoke model to be based on the exciting ‘new generation’ of Alfa Romeo models, and its market arrival follows the very successfu ...

2008 Autodelta Alfa Romeo 159 J4 2.2 C

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

Just a week after the Autodelta 159 J4 2.2 C received its world première in Amsterdam, the brand new high performance sports saloon will make its public dynamic driving debut at Belgium's legendary Spa-Francorchamps race track on the occasion of Spa Italia (28/29 June). AUTODELTA 159 J4 2.2 C TO MAKE DYNAMIC DRIVING DEBUT AT SPA ITALIAThe new Autodelta 159 J4 2.2 C features a specially-deve ...

2009 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

Put together by Alfa's Centro Stile and production limited to 500 cars, this new open top Alfa Romeo 8C Spider immediately entices with that unmistakable "Italian elegance", a unique and inimitable style that hints at its typically sporty Alfa handling.Under the bonnet is a powerful 8 cylinder 4.7 litre engine producing 450 HP, matched to a 6 speed robotic gearbox, the new Alfa Romeo 8C ...

2009 Alfa Romeo Mi.To

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

An up-to-date and innovative car, a name redolent of history. The name Mi.To has great evocative resonance for Alfa Romeo, since it was chosen as a sign of a deep-seated link between the past and future of the brand: between Milan, the city of design that brought the car's style into being, and Turin, which will be responsible for its industrial production. A decision that highlights the brand's s ...

2009 Alfa Romeo Brera S

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

Few sports cars are developed specifically for Britain's roads. Those that have been tend to become true 'driver's cars'. Alfa Romeo is planning for the new, limited edition Alfa Romeo Brera S to join those ranks.After a year of intensive suspension and chassis development at Prodrive, the world-leading motorsport specialist, the result is a sports coupe that subtly enhances all that is good about ...

2008 Alfa Romeo Unique Alfa Customization Program

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

Exclusiveness and personality’ have always been distinctive features of the Alfa Romeo brand, a fact borne out by the broad choice of bodies, engines, exterior outfits, interior furnishings and options, enabling customers to order the car that meets their needs and their desire to be different. To extend this broad choice even further, and in response to the growing number of requests from ...

2008 Alfa Romeo 147 CNC Costume National

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

Frankfurt sees the debut of the new 147 CNC CoSTUME NATIONAL, the fruit of collaboration between Alfa Romeo and stylist Ennio Capasa. It was inspired by the music world Pop, Indie, and Garage by street culture and by the multimedia world. This special series will have a production run of 1000, and will be characterised not only by the exclusive Eldorado White paintwork with its exclusive mother-o ...

2007 Autodelta Alfa Romeo GT 3.7 Super

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

Autodelta present the world’s fastest Alfa GT – the 293 km/h 405 bhp Autodelta GT 3.7 Super Autodelta is pleased to present for its world première the most dynamic and powerful version of the Alfa GT Coupé yet – the 405 bhp supercharged Autodelta GT 3.7 Super. With its top speed of 293 km/h (182 mph) and a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time of 4.9 seconds the Autodelta GT ...

2007 Autodelta Alfa Romeo Brera J5 3.2 C

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

The Autodelta Brera J5 3.2 C (C stands for “Compressore”) is a cutting-edge blend of Italian fashion and the pursuit of ultimate performance through advanced technology. It redefines Autodelta’s never-ending quest to draw the maximum dynamics and driving pleasure from Alfa Romeo’s exciting production models, and is the culmination of more than a year’s intense resear ...

2007 Autodelta Alfa Romeo GT Super Evo

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

Alfa Romeo enthusiasts’ attention worldwide has over the last year has been firmly focused on the “new breed” of exciting Alfa Romeo models. And at the same time the attention of Autodelta’s design and engineering team has been on working through the rapidly-growing order book for the new 340bhp Autodelta Brera J5 3.2 C, as well as finalizing bespoke high-performance versi ...

2007 Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

The definitive version of the gorgeous exclusive Alfa 8C Competizione, Gran Turismo car that is to be produced in a limited edition makes its debut in Paris. The car, designed by Alfa Romeo, is directly derived from the concept car that aroused such admiration at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show and has benefited from the best technical and industrial know-how that the Alfa-Maserati Sports Centre ca ...

2007 Alfa Romeo 147 Q2

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

In addition to the new transmission, the Alfa 147 'Q2' is also identified externally by a number of stylistic details: satin finish whiskers, grille and mirror housings, special 17" alloys, a rear spoiler, chromed exhaust terminal, lower stance and the 'Q2' logo at the rear. Inside, this version has a particularly sporty outfit underlined by instruments with red scale background and white li ...

2007 Alfa Romeo GT Q2

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

Alfa Romeo presents the self-locking front differential ('Q2'), which improves all the strong points of a front-wheel drive system in terms of active safety, increasing driving enjoyment and control. The innovative system provides some of the advantages typical of four-wheel drive, but at a significantly lower cost and weight. The system is now available exclusively with the 150 bhp JTDM engine o ...

2006 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider Concept

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

Alfa Romeo 8C Spider was the winner of two important awards in the 2006 Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance, held on Sunday 23 April in Cernobbio, on Lake Como. Entered for the competition by Wolfgang Egger, manager of the Alfa Romeo Style Centre, the 8C Spider won the “Villa d’Este Design Award” and the “BMW Group Design Award”, both for concept cars. The t ...

2006 Alfa Romeo Autodelta Brera J5 3.2 C

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

Autodelta is proud to introduce the Autodelta Brera J5 3.2 C, the newest bespoke model created by the world-renown aftermarket Alfa Romeo design and tuning house; their first exclusive model based on the “new breed” of Alfa Romeo models; and a car that leads a new generation for the London-based firm. The new Autodelta Brera J5 3.2 C (C stands for “Compressore”) redefines ...

2006 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

2006 Alfa Romeo Spider [PICTURE UPDATE]

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

The forthcoming Geneva Motor Show will see the world debut of the Alfa Spider, a complex, sophisticated creature which both recalls the long Alfa Romeo tradition in this sector (from the Giulietta Spider in the ‘50s to the Duetto and the Nineties model), and rolls out some cutting edge solutions in terms of mechanical specifications and engines. The new Alfa Romeo Spider is a generously-s ...

2006 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47 GMT

The forthcoming Geneva Motor Show will see the world debut of the Alfa 159 Sportwagon and the Alfa Spider, thus completing the range set to take Alfa Romeo into the future. The Alfa 159 Sportwagon represents a consummate blend of Italian style with the performance and handling of a genuine sportscar, combined with the flexibility of use and versatility of space you would ...

2005 Alfa Romeo 159 2.4 JTDM

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:46 GMT

Destined to become the new benchmark for sporting saloons, the latest creation from Alfa Romeo has an important mission: to replace a successful car (the 156) of which over 680 thousand units were produced. In other words, a model at the very top of the category, which we preview below. The undoubted star of the Geneva International Motor Show, today sees the launch of the Alfa 159, destined ...

2006 Alfa Romeo Brera

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:46 GMT

The new Alfa Romeo Brera is to make its debut at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show, the venue chosen for the first public appearance in 2002 of the original Giorgetto-Giugiaro designed concept car, which has gone on to gain international acclaim. Due to go on sale by year's end, the new Alfa Romeo Brera incapsulates those characteristics most synonymous with the brand - sportiness and elegance - ...

This Junkyard Alfa Romeo GTV6 Won't Get To Go Out In A Blaze Of Racin' Glory

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 13:00 GMT

We've seen some members of the Alfetta family excel in 24 Hours Of LeMons races, with one coming in third at the Goin' For Broken race in May. No such luck for this one!

You see the occasional 70s or 80s Alfa Spider in the self-service yards these days, but Alfettas and GTVs are about as common as junked Porsche 928s. This one seems about 95% complete, so let's hope its parts get rescued and live on in other Alfas… before The Crusher uses it as an appetizer for its main course of Lincoln Town Cars.

This is the fuel-injected 158-horsepower Alfa V6. Hmmm... there's room for a turbocharged-beyond-reason Buick V6 in this engine compartment!

I thought about buying this pretty Veglia clock for the next Junkyard Boogaloo Boombox, but the hands-setting mechanism was broken.

Celebrating 450 Old Vehicles Down On The Alameda Street: The Other Europeans

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 16:00 GMT

As we continue to celebrate 450 cars photographed down on the Alameda, California street, we're going to follow up the Germans with the rest of the Europeans: Italy, France, Sweden, and the UK!

Just click on any of the thumbnails below to jump to the original post about that car.

1937 Beardmore	1953 Citroën	1956 Morris	1959 Morris
1960 Peugeot	1960 Triumph	1961 Morris	1963 Land Rover
1965 Austin	1965 Alfa Romeo	1966 Jaguar	1966 Lancia
1966 Volvo	1969 MG	1969 Volvo	1969 Volvo
1969 Citroën	1970 Volvo	1971 Volvo	1971 MG
1972 Triumph	1972 Steyr	1973 Volvo	1973 MG
1974 Jensen-Healey	1975 Citroën	1975 MG	1977 Fiat
1977 Volvo	1978 Jaguar	1978 Saab	1980 Volvo
1981 Fiat	1982 Fiat	1984 Jaguar	1985 Alfa Romeo
1985 Saab	1985 Peugeot	1986 Jaguar	1988 Renault
1988 Peugeot	1989 Ferrari	1989 Alfa Romeo	1991 Peugeot
1991 Alfa Romeo	1991 Rolls-Royce

Detroit Luxury • Non-Big Three Americans • The Germans • The Wagons

Legendary Alfa Romeo Shop Registers 500 GigaRads On Jalopnik Cool-O-Meter

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:40 GMT

I've been running into Northern California Alfa restorer Conrad Stevenson pretty regularly- he's the Ecurie Ecrappe crew chief and a LeMons perpetrator, after all- but I'd never visited his shop… until now.

When you're done reading the descriptions attached to the images below, you can check out many, many more photos of the Conrad Stevenson Restorations shop by clicking this link (provided the Server Hamsters are in a good mood, of course).

One word: Whoa!

If you're a vintage Alfa Romeo racer, you probably know all about Conrad Stevenson Restorations. Conrad is the guy who built this 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 racer, which will be returning to Laguna Seca for the Historics next month. Image source: Concept Carz

Starting with a correct 6C chassis and engine, Conrad handcrafted the body from scratch on an English wheel. All the documentation on the 6C 2500 SS was destroyed during World War 2, so his main reference for the project was the tattered magazine page you see in this photo.

Naturally, the shop- which is a comfortably funky warren of buildings and shacks in a typical Bay Area industrial neighborhood- is packed to the rafters with all manner of Alfa components. Alfa Twin Cams are everywhere!

Most of the shop space was being taken up by customers' race cars (including a pair of mid-50s 1900s), since the clock is ticking for Monterey, but some of Conrad's personal rides were hanging around. How about a lightweight 280-horsepower turbocharged '65 Giulia wagon- which even hardened racers describe as "terrifyingly fast"- as your daily driver?

What self-respecting Alfa guy would use a primered-out Dodge Tradesman as his parts hauler? Not Conrad! Check out the huge cargo area of this mid-50s Romeo 2, a two-stroke front-wheel-drive diesel machine that was used as a San Francisco piano moving truck for most of its life. Conrad also has a '64 Ford Ranchero for those occasions that require a truck that can muster up more than 19 horsepower, yet still require an Italian-grade sense of style.

Here's a future parts hauler: a 1963 Fiat 600 Multipla, a lifelong California car still sporting its original black plates. Conrad mentioned that he's tempted to drop a large motorcycle engine in this little van, but he's already got the "big-block" 800cc Fiat Engine in mid-rebuild now.

Here's the car that gets Conrad instant entry into the not-so-exclusive Project Car Hell Poster Child club: a scratchbuilt, tube-frame, mid-engined, street-legal (in theory) supercar powered by the 2.6 liter DOHC V8 out of an Alfa Romeo Montreal. The transaxle comes from an Audi 5000. Conrad, for all his artistic metalworking genius, is a mechanical engineer by training, so most of his super-technical explanations of roll centers and suspension design went right over my head. The body will be made of hand-formed aluminum, of course, and the concept behind the styling will be, in Conrad's words, "What Italian designers of the 1930s would have built, had they had access to 21st-century materials and knowledge." I'm definitely going to keep a close watch on this project as it progresses (in fact, I've volunteered my not-so-skilled labor for it, in case Conrad needs some duct tape work, Pep Boys hood scoop application, etc.), so stay tuned for updates!
If you need to see photos of the CSR shop, just head over to the big ol' gallery page.

Conrad Stevenson Restorations

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:39 GMT

I got so many shots of interesting Italian machinery at the Conrad Stevenson Restorations shop that I had to put the galleries in a separate post. Enjoy!

Project Car Hell, Affordable 60s Alfa Romeo Edition: 2000 Spider or 1750 Berlina?

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:00 GMT

Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's coolest... and most hellish! Look how well the trio of Alfas did at Lemons New England- great cars, obviously!

Hanging around with the 24 Hours Of LeMons HQ crew, I've learned that they're the most Alfa-centric bunch of car geeks you're ever going to find; most of them started out on British sports cars and then realized that you have more fun when your ride has performance to match its unreliability… and the next step generally involves ditching the GT6 or MGA or whatever and buying an Alfa Romeo. It's true- Alfa Romeo has made plenty of fundamentally superior cars over the years, and so what if they're all nervous and complicated and all the parts have to be hand-carved from the wood of the True Cross by a 98-year-old man in a dirt-floor Genoa workshop illuminated by a whale-oil lamp? You need an Alfa! And we don't mean some easy-to-find Reagan Era Graduate or 164 here. No, we're talking Sophia Loren-grade machinery from the 1960s! Multiple carburetors or Spica mechanical fuel injection! Partito Comunista Italiano firebrands preaching revolution on the factory floor!

The 2000 Spider sure was a looker, wasn't it? Just concentrated essence of Alfa Romeo, for sure, but it's no easy task to find one for your personal Hell Garage these days. You sigh in relief and start looking for a Miata, right? Wrong! We've found you this 1961 Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider (go here if the ad disappears), just 80,000 miles on the clock and a price tag of just 1,700 bucks… or best offer! No doubt you're already spraining your fingers dialing up the seller at this moment, but we do have to throw in a couple of minor caveats. First, there's rust. Maybe a better way of putting it would be it's rust, as in very few fugitive iron atoms have managed to barricade themselves against marauding bands of oxygen molecules. What the heck, you expect some of the red stuff in Massachusetts, no? The car rolls and the drivetrain appears complete, though the seller acknowledges that the engine is most likely frozen solid. Many trim pieces come with the car, and you even get some glass! Come on, it couldn't be that difficult!

We love Spiders, but say you need to do some grocery hauling from time to time? You need a vintage Alfa Romeo daily driver, we say, and that means you should start shopping for a Berlina sedan. No, no, don't give up- affordable project Berlinas are definitely out there. Say, this $400 1969 Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina (go here if the ad disappears). Now, if you've ever seen Double Indemnity, you know that a Medford, Oregon, man means what he says and says what he means, and that's just who's selling this car. Ted knows that he doesn't need to go to the hassle of typing out a whole bunch of pointless description when he's selling a classic Italian sports sedan for the price of a clapped-out Olds Ciera with a couple of rods hanging out of the block. Is there an engine? A transmission? Legal paperwork? A plutonium-240-fueled Soviet radioisotope thermoelectric generator kicking out neutrons in the trunk? Hey, we can't say, but all we need to do is repeat the phrase "400 dollar 1750 Berlina" and you get the point.

Project Car Hell's Greatest Hits

End Of Day One: It's Your Typical Civic vs Volvo 240 vs Alfa Romeo Milano Race!

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 20:30 GMT

The first session of racing at the New England 24 Hours Of LeMons is done, and we've got a Top 10 composed almost entirely of Civics, Alfa Milanos, and Volvo bricks!

Is it possible that an Italian car might win the 24 Hours Of LeMons? Hell yes! An Alfetta nearly won the Goin' For Broken LeMons in Reno a couple months back, and the three Alfas currently running in second, third, and fifth places finished third, fifth, and sixth, respectively, in the 2008 New England LeMons.
How about a Volvo winning the race? It's never happened before, though we've seen quite a few Swedes in quasi-serious contention in the past. But the Swedes and Italians will need to get past the Kielbasa Kids' early-90s Civic sedan- you may recall that the Kielbasas finished second at the last New England race- and that looks to be quite a challenge. Here's the standings list at the end of Day One:

1. Kielbasa Kids, Honda Civic
2. Scuderia Limoni, Alfa Romeo Milano
3. Scuderia Testa di Spillo, Alfa Romeo Milano
4. Vermont Cow Tippers, Volvo 240 wagon
5. Team Pro-Crash-Duh-Nation, Alfa Romeo Milano
6. Team Submarine, Honda Civic
7. Keystone Kops, Volvo 240 sedan
8. The Crazy Swiss & Crazy Chic, Nissan 240SX
9. Rhinoceros Racing Team, Honda Civic
10. Police Brutality, Lincoln Continental Mark VIII

Meanwhile, the Index Of Effluency contenders appear to have been narrowed down to a mere two cars: UDMan's Team Trailing Throttle Oversteer '63 Chevy Corvair, which finished the day in 22nd place, versus the Adopted From Jets '71 Saab 99, 36th place.
Of the other contenders, the '74 Monaco tragically became a Ford Escort by race day, the Chard Beef Buick Regal (last year's New England IOE winner, pictured above) has suffered from a universe of mechanical woes (40th place), and the Safari Taxi Co. Peugeot 504 and Craptation Chevy Citation X-11 are out of it for the weekend (nuked engine for the Citation, massive systemic failure of all components- except, apparently, the ashtray- on the Peugeot). We've got BZR shooting photos for us, so check in later for a gallery of some sort.

Alfa Romeo Brings Style And Performance To A New Australian Market Sector

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:00 GMT

Alfa Romeo&os;s unique combination of style and performance is now available to a whole new Australian market sector with the launch of the Alfa Romeo Mi

Engine Of The Day: Alfa Romeo Twin Cam

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 08:30 GMT

For some reason, I thought we'd already given EOTD honors to this fine engine- more than 40 years of front-line service and endless racing glory certainly qualifies- but such was not the case.

It took an angry tirade from the inimitable Wheels Of Satan, complete with cries of perceived anti-Alfa discrimination in favor of the AMC Straight Six, to call this oversight to my attention, so here we go! The Alfa Twin Cam was produced from 1954 through 1994, with displacements ranging from 1,290 to 1,995 CCs, and was installed in Giuliettas, Spiders, 164s, you name it. It's aluminum, it's got two cams, and it's a hemi! We've seen plenty of Afla Twin Cams in the 24 Hours Of LeMons, and they do pretty well when they're not throwing rods.
[Wikipedia]

Rolex Sydney Hobart Favourite Smashes Pacific Race Record

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:00 GMT

Alfa Romeo, the Australian-built super maxi owned and skippered by Kiwi yachtsman, Neville Crichton, has smashed the race record in the TransPac race

First Production Alfa Romeo 8C Spider To Run At Goodwood

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:00 GMT

Alfa Romeo will celebrate their 99th anniversary by racing historic racing and concept cars, including the first production 8C Spider, up the driveway at this weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed. Our own Crazy Euro Car Boy will be there.

The new 8C Spider is based on the 8C Competizione, sharing the coupe's Maserati-sourced 450 HP 4.7-liter V8 as well as its sexy good looks. Along with the first production 8C Spider, Alfa Romeo will roll out a couple of their classics including the 1924 P2 Gran Premio, 1931 8C 2300 Tipo Le Mans, 1975 33 TT 12, 1968 Carabo Concept and the 1978 Navajo Concept. With this gorgeous grouping of cars in attendance, Goodwood promises to be quite the place to be this weekend. [WCF]

ALFA ROMEO CELEBRATES ITS 99th BIRTHDAY AT GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED
A year shy of the Italian sporting marque's 100th birthday, Alfa Romeo will be preparing for next year's Centenary with an historic hill climb by the first 8C Spider production car to be seen on the move in Britain, at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed.

A firm favourite at last year's British Motor Show, the Alfa 8C Spider - based on the 4.7litre V8 Alfa 8C Competizione coupe - will be joined on the hill by iconic motor racing cars from Alfa Romeo's historic museum collection in Arese, Italy.

These include the 1924 P2 Gran Premio which won the first World Championship in 1925 driven by Gastone Brilli-Peri; the 8C 2300 tipo Le Mans which was purchased by Sir Henry Birkin in 1931; the 6C 3000 CM driven to second place by Juan Manuel Fangio in the 1953 Mille Miglia and the 33 TT 12 which brought the 1975 World Manufacturer's title to Alfa Romeo.

Two Alfa Romeo concept cars have also been entered in the Cartier Style et Luxe in the "Serious Wedge - Studies in Angular Sports Car Design 1965-1980" category, both of which were designed by Bertone.

The 1968 Alfa Carabo concept marks a revolutionary stage in supercar design, with its hydropneumatic-powered gull-wing doors and multi-coloured one way glass windows. Yet another demonstration of Bertone's experimental forward thinking design is the 1978 Najavo, which represents a concerted effort for a new aerodynamics focussed direction in sporty coupe design.

The Alfa Romeo stand will feature both Alfa 8C Spider and Competizione supercars, as well as the new sporty compact MiTo, Spider, Brera S and 159.

Alfa Romeo is a proud sponsor of the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

2009 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider
1924 Alfa Romeo P2 Gran Premio
1931 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Tipo Le Mans
1975 Alfa Romeo 33 TT 12
1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo Concept
1976 Alfa Romeo Navajo Concept