ricambi #12-64 - Italiancarclub.com

Summer 2003
FLU Officers
FLU Board
John Montgomery
[email protected]
Scott Phelps
[email protected]
864-304-6537
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Haz Neuman
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Scott Hill
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Visit the web for the latest in what’s happening in YOUR club.
1
www.flu.org
FLU is spreading, if you would like to start a FLU chapter in
your area, please contact John Montgomery for information
on how to become an official FLU chapter. Join the fun!
Atlanta
FLO-FLU
Pittsburgh
John Montgomery– (770) 932-2380
[email protected]
Evan Statman– (954)325-3866 (days)
[email protected]
Al Dubinsky– (412) 521-8561
[email protected]
Blue Ridge
Indiana
Roamin Chariots
Don Robinson– (804) 556-5125
[email protected]
Mike Walsh– (765) 987-7558
[email protected]
Ron Colon– (405) 325-9498
[email protected]
Carolina FLU
Mid-Atlantic
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Meady Thomas– (919) 365-7087
[email protected]
Haz Neuman– (410) 836-1102
[email protected]
Jonathan Drout
[email protected]
Texas FLUud (Houston)
DC National Capital
North East VT/NH/ME/RI/MA
Mark Hergan– (410) 747-3646
[email protected]
Scott A. Phelps– (802) 763-2499
[email protected]
Delaware Valley
Northeast Coast CT/NJ/NY
Frank E. Lembo– (570) 388-6269
[email protected]
Arman Labrada– (201) 741-0182
[email protected]
Detroit
Ohio Valley
Harry Granito– (734) 936-4338 (days)
[email protected]
Jim Keller– (740) 383-2343
[email protected]
East Tennessee
Ottawa Canada
Brett Melancon– (865) 525-1554 (days)
[email protected]
Jeff Schneider– (613) 733-5657
[email protected]
Mike Rutenberg
Texas TXFLU
Al Williams
[email protected]
Toronto
Scott McCraw– (416) 487-7169
[email protected]
WYNSO (Western New York, So. Ontario)
Darryl Stacey– (716) 822-3812
[email protected]
Ottawa Canada
North East
VT/NH/ME/RI/MA
Toronto
Detroit
Northeast Coast CT/NJ/NY
WYNSO
Pittsburgh
Ohio Valley
Mid-Atlantic Delaware Valley
Indiana
DC National Capital
Blue Ridge
Rocky Mountain
East Tennessee
Carolina FLU
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Romin Chariots
Texas FLUid
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FLO-FLU
www.flu.org
2
Dear Members,
Welcome to our 20th Anniversary Fiat
Freak Out in Asheville, North Carolina!
Who would have thought in 1983 that we
would not only build, but also continue to
grow a family of Fiat and Lancia enthusiasts? This weekend we will make history
with the biggest FLU celebration ever at
America's largest private home, Biltmore
Estate. Fiat Freak Out is more than an
annual event; it's a powerful love story
between a very special group of owners
and their wonderful Italian machines.
Take a long look up and down the rows
at the FFO showfield. Every FLU
member should be extremely proud of the
quality and quantity of Fiat and Lancia
automobiles. The amount of time, effort
and money that went into each example is
impossible to calculate. Behind each car is a
unique owner who made the sacrifices
necessary to make it a reality. Twenty years
after Fiat departed North America, we
have scores of pristine cars to show the
world. Ironically, the quality on the
showfield has never been better, now
second to none when measured against
other marques. It is a tribute to the sheer
determination of the members and our
fantastic supporting vendors. We never
had the luxury of direct manufacturer support like other clubs, but our incredible
resolve proves that it's not really necessary.
I want to let you in on a little secret. As
President of Fiat Lancia Unlimited, it's a
great honor and humbling experience to
see our members and their cars reunite
each summer. The club has made a lot of
positive changes over the years including a
full color Ricambi magazine, the incredible www.flu.org website, 20 FLU
Chapters, a great Board of Directors; the
list goes on and on.... Yet, these elements
are only part of the success story.
Here's the secret so listen up....Look very
closely at the participants this weekend.
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www.flu.org
You will see passionate enthusiasm, genuine excitement and pride of ownership
reflected in the happy faces of the membership. The high flying spirit of the FLU
is what drives this club; it's something you
feel all the way down to your soul. Make
no mistake, that is the secret of success to
Fiat Lancia Unlimited. As a result, my job
and that of the officers and FLU Board is
easy.
Take a long look
up and down the
rows at the FFO
showfield. Every
FLU member should
be extremely proud
of the quality and
quantity of Fiat and
Lancia automobiles.
This weekend we are blessed to have our
founders, Bobb Rayner and Dwight
Varnes here in Asheville. Past Presidents
Scott Hill and Jim Aitken are present,
along with former Ricambi editors Darryl
and Deb Stacey. Look for veteran members like Haz Neuman (our VP), Susan
Ruptash, Bob Dezzany, Jim Manbeck,
Bryner Raudibaugh, Mahlon Craft,
Woody and Lena Woodson, John &
Francis Delker, Damon and Michele
Kane, Mark and Nancy Cantamessa, Tim
and Valerie Beeble, the entire Hilferty
Family and so many others who helped
mold the solid foundation we enjoy today.
Half the membership cannot be here this
weekend; we'll miss them and hope they
will attend next year. Your presence here at
the 20th Anniversary will be remembered
for years to come in the stunning panoramic photograph that will be viewed around
the world in the next few days. Think
about that for a moment. You represent
FLU, the best members and owners of the
finest Fiat and Lancia cars of their kind in
the world. Never forget your heritage.
There are some special people who
cannot be with us, and we need to recognize their continuing contribution even
though they have passed away. We pause
to remember John Rich, the California
Importer who put Fiat on the map in the
USA in the early 1960's. Fiat Club of
America's Santo Bimbo passed away this
spring. Brendan Maley wrote the FLU
corporate by-laws, yet only to leave this
earth long before his time. May they rest in
peace knowing that we carry their vision
and example into the future.
I want to recognize one more special
FLU member who's name is Mark Jones.
Mark is one of Asheville's native sons and
an avid X 1/9 autocrosser. He passed away
in 1996, but it was his goal and inspiration
was to someday bring Fiat Freak Out to
his hometown of Asheville. Mark's vision
has been written on my heart and that of
the entire FFO team. We know his
spirit has led every step of the way to the
fulfillment of his dream and remains with
us this weekend. Why is it that God gives
us so many wonderful people, yet some are
called away all too soon? Perhaps it is a
lesson for us to savor the precious gift of
time we have to share; and remember that
whatever life brings, it is our duty to make
the best of every opportunity to serve one
another.
FLU is especially proud of this huge
Anniversary edition of Ricambi magazine
that you are now reading. Several months
The FIAT Freak
by Bobb Rayner
www.flu.org
4
15th Anniversary Odyssey, Then and Now.
Whilst the club justifiably
celebrates 20 years of
Freakouts, two thoughts
crossed my mind. First, the
same year Dwight and Bobb
found each other and started
the whole ball rolling, Michele
and I tied the knot. Secondly,
only more recently it occurred
to me that I was celebrating an
anniversary of sorts this year as
well, having both owned my
X1/9 and been a member of
FLU for 15 years. Call me
nothing if not loyal.
The occasion of my 20th
wedding anniversary is beyond
the editorial prerogative of
Ricambi, although I will say it's
been great. On the other hand,
15 years of X1/9 ownership
does warrant some reflection.
So in no particular order here
are some musings comparing
the experience (and other unrelated matters) then (15 years
ago) and now.
Then: I had hair.
Now: Less.
Then: Fiat Lancia
Underground.
Now: Fiat Lancia
Unlimited.
Then: I joined the club at
Carlisle...in the rain.
Now: It still rains at
Carlisle.
Then: I bought one slightly
rusty X1/9.
Now: I have the same car
(still slightly rusty)
and another in parts
(also slightly rusty,
but red, red, red!)
Then: One tee shirt from
International.
Now: Half my wardrob
filled with various
Fiat related tee
shirts.
Then: Just me and my X1/9.
Now: Friends all over
the world.
Then: A spare tire.
Now: More parts than I
could ever possibly
use...just in case!
by Damon Royal Kane
Then: FFO: Great friends,
cars, the concourse
and banquet.
Now: Pretty much the
same, only classier
digs.
Then: The novelty of the
car was intoxicating.
Now: It's like an old friend
that I understand
very, very well.
Some other thoughts.
I find it interesting that as the
years go by, I learn a bit more
and more about the car. The
funny thing is, that unlike most
other aspects of continuing education in my life, the technology
that I am learning about the car
is frozen in time. The only variable is time itself, which can
wreck havoc on bits of the car,
particularly the rubber and plastics, even though it is lightly
used and a garage queen.
Consider this. Even though
the X1/9 is an Italian car, it was
built expressly for the USA.
Strange to think that the Italians
knew so little about us as
Americans when they designed
the X1/9.
For Example:
The straight arm/laid
back driving position
The sizing of the car for
those with long torso or
long legs, but not both
The nominal considerations about quality
The high revving
engine
And of course, the
road manners.
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www.flu.org
The car totally reflects
Italian sensibilities. Thank God.
There is always something
to fix on the car. Mostly now it
amounts to keeping up with
time and undoing previous bad
ideas. For example for the former, "Didn't I just replace the
fuel filter?....No, that was 11
years ago". Or for the latter,
"Do I really need power windows in a car so small I can easily reach over and twist open
the opposite window"? Same
for installing AC in the
car....What was I thinking???
Thanks to Bobb, Scott,
Dwight, Jim Aitken, Jim
Manbeck, Bruce Harber, the
Danilak
Brothers,
Paul
Valente, John Padden and
many others here, and Marco,
Gianni, Elisabetta, Bones,
Ewen, Alan, Gomer, Ian,
Hugh, Gerd and many others
over there.
Fond memories of Brendan
Mailey and Gerry Goode.
As much as I like the car...I
enjoy the people I have met
because of it more!
I'm banking on another
15 more years, no sweat!
FLU members, PLEASE send photos of your rides to [email protected]
www.flu.org
6
The Moretti Sportiva-One of the Most Beautiful of All Etceterini
by Pat Braden
Reprinted from Bravo
Winter 1993 Volume 4, Issue 4
The first time I ever encountered a Moretti Sportiva, I
almost tripped over it while
trying to cross a street in
Taranto, Italy. The coupe was
bright yellow but it was so low
that I didn’t even see it at first.
My immediate thought was
that it was so small that it
couldn’t possibly crush my
toes, though it had passed very
close indeed. As the driver
accelerated away, I knew
instinctively that it could only
be a Moretti. And I knew, in
the same moment, that I had to
have one.
Moretti is one of that group
of cars known as etceterini.
That is a group of Italian limited-production cars which
includes Abarth, Bandini,
Siata,
Taraschi
and
Stanguellini. For reasons of
economy, most etceterini are
based on Fiats.
Geneva
The economy of Italy was
once again changing. From
rapid post-war growth, the
Italian economy was slowed by
labor unrest. Fiat went on a
long buying spree, absorbing
Abarth,
Siata
and
Autobianchi, then Ferrari,
Lancia, and finally Alfa
Romeo. Compared to the latest three additions to the Fiat
stable, the etceterini have virtually disappeared within the
Fiat Organization.
The 850 Moretti Sportiva is
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www.flu.org
The Moretti Sportiva is a beautiully designed and rare sport coupe based on the Fiat 850 chassis.
perhaps one of the most successful
short-wheelbase
designs of all time. Looking at
its photos, the car’s proportions
do nothing to suggest its
diminutive
dimensions.
You’re not really prepared for
how small the car is. The success of the design goes to the
masterful blending of curves
along the wheelbase. No line
seems truncated, and each ends
logically and blends with the
overall profile. Other Moretti
models imitated the voluptuous lines of the Sportiva, but
none of them catches the irresistible charm of this covetable
coupe.
Headroom in the 850
Sportiva is severely limited and
so is leg room, so a tall driver
has to crouch in order to fit.
The steering wheel is necessarily tiny. As you would expect
of a rear-engined car, steering
is very precise and light.
While the Sportiva is completely Fiat-based, Moretti
stands out from its stablemates
because it manufactured a variety of its own engines. And, of
all etceterini, Moretti is the oldest.
Yet the company’s history is
almost unknown. A brief
book on Moretti is long out of
print- and in Italian. The most
available information is the
short history included in the
Moretti sales brochures of the
Sportiva era.
Morettis were never officially imported to the U.S. It is
true that Moretti was once very
interested in the U.S. but safety
and emission regulations put
them in fear of our market. A
few cars were campaigned
here in the ‘50s by Ernie
McAfee and Thornton High,
apparently to test the market.
When I bought my Moretti
Sportiva in 1967 I was able to
carry on an active and cordial
correspondence with Moretti
from my home in Naples. But
as soon as I mentioned my
return to the U.S. correspondence stopped abruptly and
parts already paid for never
appeared.
A few Moretti Sportivas
were brought to the U.S. as
gray-market cars by a private
individual in the Northwest in
the mid-1960s. He appears to
have brought in about 28 cars.
That figure is based on the
number of Sportiva finnedalloy oil pans which were
swapped with stock 850
stamped-steel pans before the
cars were sold. The tell-tale
alloy pans were all discovered
in a warehouse. The current
estimate is that there are perhaps 15 salvageable Sportivas
in the U.S., with parts from
another nine. So far as is
known, only one Moretti is
currently running in the U.S.,
and that is Merkel’s car shown
here.
The reason more aren’t running goes to the lack of rust
proofing on Italian cars in the
1960s. One winter in Michigan
was all that was necessary to
dissolve the floor pan on my
Moretti, and all the remaining
cars share serious rust problems. Mechanically, the cars
are just about bulletproof, but
the bodies need protection.
Giovanni Moretti was born
in Reggio Emilia in 1904. He
lost his father in 1913 when he
was 9 and had to go to work
doing menial mechanical
work. When his mother died
in 1920, he sold the family bicycle to get enough money to get
to Turin, which was the largest
industrial city in Italy. He was
hired by Ladeto e Blattoa, a
motorcycle firm.
Even though employed full
time, Moretti set up his own
evening motorcycle shop and
from that, formed his own
company in 1925. He began by
building both Moretti motorcycles and automobiles. By
1939, he had become successful
enough to hire Aquilino
Branca as his designer.
During the second world
war, Moretti formed ˇ
Societa Anonima Motocarri
Elettrici Moretti ˇ
(SAMEM) to manufacture
electric trucks. At war’s end,
his company introduced a
mini-car with a 350 cc twocylinder water cooled motorcycle engine. These Moretti
Citas darted through the ruins
of post-war Italy along wih
hordes of Isettas and Moto
Guzzi
three-wheelers.
SAMEM made Moretti a wellestablished car builder.
By 1949, the Italian economy
was beginning to turn around,
and Moretti introduced a more
powerful four-cylinder car
with a displacement of 600 cc.
A version of this car was developed as an overhead-cam 750
cc coupe which Moretti
entered in a grueling, 16,000km Trans-Africa race. Moretti
took 1st and 2nd in class, a success which prompted him to
create the Tour de Monde, a
750 cc sport car which was
standard Moretti production
until the 850 Sportiva was
introduced in 1967.
The fact that the early
Morettis had engines of
Moretti’s own manufacture,
qualify him to take his place
among such Italian manufacturers of high-performance
sporting cars as Ferrari and
Lamborghini. Moretti-powered Morettis scored wins at
the Bologna-Raticosa and
Sestriere rallies and at courses
such as Monza, Vallelunga,
Gorizia, and the Mille Miglia. sion offered 62 hp but there is
Moretti Formula Junior cars some question whether or not
proved successful both in Italy an example of that model was
ever produced.
and the U.S.
Moretti retired in 1970, passSince his old designer Branca
was devoting himself as a full- ing control of his factory to his
time driver of Moretti sons, Gianni and Sergio and a
Formula Juniors, Moretti cousin, Giuseppe. Later in the
turned to Giovanni Michelotti same year, the company was
to design his cars. Michelotti absorbed by Fiat. In 1971,
was just one of several famous Moretti models included the
a
stationdesigners associated with Midimaxi,
Moretti, Elio Zagato being wagon/sport-utility vehicle
based on Fiat 126/127 compoanother.
The economy which fueled nents, and a 4-wheel drive verMoretti’s success was based on sion, the Panda Rock.
cheap labor and an expanding The car corners well because of
market. Between 1960 and its low profile, but the 850’s
1962, Moretti realized that his company could not
continue by making complete cars.
Engine development proved especially burdensome.
So in 1962, Moretti
signed a deal with
Fiat to produce
special-bodied cars
The steering wheel is necessarily tiny. As you
on Fiat chassis. He
would expect of a rear-engined car, steering is
changed his comvery precise and light.
pany’s name to
Moretti Fabbrica Automobilie independent rear suspension is
Stabilimenti Carrozzeria SAS waiting to bite the unwary near
and hired Danny Bravand, an the limits of adhesion.
ex-Michelotti designer, as the Performance from the diminutive engine is leisurely and the
chief Moretti stylist.
In 1967, Moretti introduced noise level high, though amazthe Sportiva series of Bravand- ing top speeds are available
designed cars. The coupes thanks to the car’s superb aerowere built on the Fiat 850 dynamics. I enjoyed an indisedan floorpan and shared that cated 160 km (100 mph) at 7200
car’s 50-hp engine. The more- rpm- about 1200 rpm over redpotent 850 Spider engine was line and 50 rpm short of valve
offered as an option, along float- in my Sportiva on a long,
with wire wheels, a lowering deserted road in southern
kit and a T-top. A 1-liter ver- Spain.
www.flu.org
8
Charting the Changes
Nostalgia buffs and enthusiasts of domestic cars in the
‘40s, ‘50s, and ‘60s will tell you
that each new model year
brought with it the anticipation of change. What would
be different in that model
year? Bigger fins, sharper
colors, larger bumpers?
Many of those same enthusiasts bemoan the fact that
many of the foreign cars
lacked those year to year
changes. Those cars managed to remain the same year
after year after year.
Fiat is no different. A 1200
sports model from 1959 bears
little outside difference from a
1965 1600S, although the cars
were different under the
hood. The 1968 124 Spider
looked much the same as the
same model 10 years later.
We all know that there
were differences, though.
They were small differences,
but just the same, they were
different. True enthusiasts
will talk for hours about the
small, virtually imperceptible
changes between model years.
Quite often the real differences were found under the
hood. From year to year
there were changes in engine
and transmission combinations, and also the minor cosmetic alterations that came in
between.
The Fiat 1200 – 1600S series
Fiat’s first entry into the
sports car market was with
the 1200 sports model in 1959.
The 1200 was based on the
chassis and powerplant of the
1200 sedan, with an outer
body designed and manufactured by Pininfarina. It was
powered by a four-cylinder,
overhead valve 1221cc engine
that produced 58 horsepower.
At the same time, at the suggestion of Pininfarina, the
1500S was also produced.
The cars were identical,
except that the 1500S was
driven by an OSCA-built 1.5
liter four cylinder engine with
overhead cams that gave off
80 horsepower. Considerably
more of the 1200 models were
produced than the 1500s,
which may add collectibility
of the 1500S in years to come.
A factory-approved, removable
hardtop and a fixed-roof
model also appeared in
the same year.
by T.A. Sunderland
By the end of 1960 disc
brakes became standard on
the front end of the 1500S.
Two years later, in 1962, the
1500s was upgraded to the
1600S, with an enlarged
OSCA engine (1568cc) that
bumped horsepower up to 90.
In 1963 the 1200 was
enlarged to 1481cc and 72
horsepower and renamed the
1500 Cabriolet. In the same
year the 1600S got rear disc
brakes and a slightly modified
front end with a four-lamp
nose. After that point the
changes were more sobtle and
cosmetic. Bucket seats were
added in early 1964. Leter
that same year the instrument
cluster was changed to
include a tachometer which
incorporated water temperature and oil pressure readings.
Two years later, in 1965,
both models were outfitted
with a five-speed, all synchro
gearbox, an addition which
later also appeared in the 124
models. Also in 1965, fourway hazard lights were added
to all Fiat models.
Left & Above- very few of these
1959 fiat 1200 Sport Coupes ever
made it to the shores of the US. It
is not known how many, if any,
are on the road today in the US.
9
124 Sports Coupe & Spider 2000
The 124 series started in
1966 with a boxy sedan and a
wagon version. The first 124
sedans came with a 1197cc
overhead valve four cylinder
engine. The cars featured
front-disc, rear rum brakes
and a 95.3-inch wheelbase.
The package was finished off
with coil suspension throughout and front wishbones.
The first 124 sports models
appeared in 1968, including
the 2+2 Coupe, designed by
Fiat and based on the original
platform. Both models featured four-wheel disc brakes.
The convertible Spider was
on a 5.5 inch shorter platform,
made by Pininfarina. Several
refinements were made to the
chassis of the Spider for the
sake of improved handling.
The engine was a 1438cc
Above- Shown above is a wonderful French market series 2
fiat Sport Coupe. This car is
currently owned by Chris
Granju.
Above- Shown here is a fine example of
a 1985 1/2 Pinninfarina Spider owned
by Jeff and Donna Schneider.
Below- Here is an example of an early
model Fiat Spider. this beautiful Fiat is
owned by Jim Scurria. (sp?)???
upgrade with a crossflow
twincam cylinder head and a
tooth-belted cam drive, the
first in the world. With
engine and carburetor modifications this car produced 96
bhp. The five-speed gearbox,
which first came in the 1500
Cabriolet and the 1600S also
came as optional in the
Spider.
A year later in 1969 the
five-speed gearbox became
standard on U.S. models.
The bumpers were standardized to a larged one-piece unit
in the front and a two-piece
unit in the rear.
In 1971 the engine was
upgraded to 1608cc amd 104
bhp, considered to be one of
the best powerplants in the
entire line. Two years later
U.S. emissions regulations
caused Fiat to experiment.
The engine changed once
again to 1592cc with no
change in horsepower.
In 1974 the engine was
enlarged to 1756cc, but it
dropped down to 92 bhp.
The coupe left the ine-up.
Also in this year Fiat went to
one-piece bumpers front and
rear, characterized by two distinctive, oversized black rubber pads on each unit.
In 1975 the 124 went to a
high-impact bumper. In 1979
Fiat produced a 1995cc
engine, thus was born the
Spider 2000. Two years later
in 1981 the Spider 2000 featured the addition of fuel
injection. A Pininfarina limited edition also came out in
this year and offered leather
upholstery, air conditioning,
special paint and an upgraded
trim option. For 1982 and
1983 the 124 also came in a
special turbocharged version
from Legend Industries. It
was the fastest of all the U.S.
spiders, with 120 bhp.
Fiat X1/9
The mid-engined X1/9 was
announced in 1972 and
immediately was compared to
the more performanceoriented mid-engined sports
cars that had preceded it. It
first came to the U.S. in 1974
and through 1979 the car
boasted the same 1290cc, 75
bhp engine. The X1/9 proved
to be a popular design and
Fiat, seemingly unwilling to
interfere with a good thing,
refrained from making any
changes in the wedge-shaped
body design. A crash bumper
was added in 1975, backed up
by gasfilled shocks.
The addition of a five-speed
transmission came in 1979,
replacing the original four-
speed. The glove compartment was changed from a
drop-down tray to a lift-up
design and the bumpers were
again redesigned to become
much more compatible with
the lines of the X1/9. They
are the same bumpers that
were on the most recent
model.
In 1979 the engine was
enlarged to 1498cc but lost
horsepower, which went
down to 67 bhp, thanks to
U.S. emission restrictions.
Bertone had manufactured
the bodies from the very
beginning. Thus, when Fiat
decided to discontinue the
model in 1981, Bertone
decided to continue U.S.
sales. It was under Bertone’s
Above- This is a beautiful 1986
Bertone X1/9 owned by FLU
president John Montgomery.
guidance
that
Bosch
L-Jetronic fuel injection
replaced Weber carburetion,
bumping horsepower up to
75. The passenger compartment was also enlarged.
Bertone continued to export
the X1/9 until 1989. During
this time the car enjoyed
popularity in SCCA racing.
www.flu.org
10
MOFLO 2003 - The 4th annual Midwest Outing of Fiat and Lancia Owners
Five years ago a bunch
of lonely Fiat owners from
Oklahoma and Kansas decided
they should get together from
time to time and exchange
Fiat stories. This group later
formed the Roamin’ Chariots
Chapter of FLU, to include
Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri,
and Arkansas. Four years
ago some of these desperate
Fiat owners, while chatting
on Mirafiori.com decided they
should have a meeting in Osage
Beach, MO on the Lake of the
Ozarks. It’s a resort town in
the middle of the state and
equidistant from two population centers, Kansas City and
St. Louis. Four Fiat Spiders
showed up with their owners,
two cars from Kansas, one
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from Iowa and one from
Missouri. Frankly, that was
more than I thought would
show. There were even a couple of people that came in
non-Fiats just to visit. By the
second year the word had
spread and the information
on the event went out early.
Fourteen cars showed up for
the event mostly from the
four states that make up the
core of the Roamin’ Chariots.
The third year people from
other parts of the country
were getting curious about
this strange event in the
Midwest. Over twenty cars
were there from as far away
as
Florida,
Maryland,
Georgia, Colorado and even a
tow along from Utah.
The Fourth Annual
MOFLO was held the 6th,
7th, and 8th of June with
another fabulous turn out.
With cars from Texas,
Colorado, Tennessee, Iowa,
and Maryland we have again
gone beyond the “local” flavor
of the first two events. You
know you’re doing something
right when someone drives a
Fiat Spider 1,200 miles each
way two years in a row and
pledges to “see you all next
year”. In attendance were
eleven Fiat Spiders, four
Lancia Scorpions, one Lancia
Beta Coupe, one Fiat 131
sedan, one Fiat X 1/9 and one
Fiat 850 Coupe.
The event officially kicks
off on Friday afternoon with
By Mike Greer
a cookout poolside. Chef
Allen Lofland cooks up some
of the best burgers and dogs,
and it’s all you can eat (or
want to eat) with refreshments. Registration takes
place during this time and
registrants receive their commemorative MOFLO dash
plaque, a symbol of their
heroics to drive the distance to
make it to MOFLO.
Although there was some
light rain early in the day (you
have to keep the lake full), it
cleared off by mid afternoon
and people started arriving
with their tops down or open
as the case may be.
Saturday we awoke to the
sound of a Fiat twin cam with
an exhaust problem. This
was one of only a couple of
emergency repairs that had to
be made. Given the total
miles driven to the event (I’d
estimate about 8,000 one way)
that speaks well for the overall condition of these 20 and
30 year old cars. We also
awoke to another beautiful
day in the Ozarks. It was a
little cool early in the morning, low 60’s, and the dew sat
heavily on the line of cars in
the motel parking lot. One by
one the doors opened and,
blurry eyed from the late
night BS, owners approached
their cars and the coffee and
donuts. Everyone wants their
car to look it’s best, be it show
car or daily driver, it’s a matter of pride. Amid the flurry
of preparation, owners still
take the time to offer tips on
how they fixed this or that on
their cars. By 10:30 or so
like a family reunion, only
where everyone owns a Fiat
or Lancia. We grill hamburgers and hot dogs, sit around in
lawn chairs and look at the
cars over and over again.
We had many very nice
cars again this year. The cars
range from meticulously
maintained originals like the
red 1967 850 Coupe of Mike
Shay’s, that still has the original bias ply tires (he drove the
almost 400 miles on new tires
mounted on modern rims
and we convinced him not to
change them for the show
since we had a drive scheduled afterwards) and John
Houchin’s black X 1/9. John
is the second owner and I
haven’t seen a finer example
of an X anywhere. To,
detailed restorations like Bill
Acklin’s fly yellow spider, that
was a nice car a couple of
like Delmer Teet’s red
Scorpion, Kris Dickson’s red
Spider and Mike Greer’s
green Spider that still show
very well. What’s exciting, it
the number of people that
said, “wait till you see my car
next year.” It’s fair to say the
competition is heating up, for
a show where the only award
is the admiration of your fellow participants. We did
break from tradition this year
and vote for “Best of Show” at
the Saturday night dinner.
The winner, Mike Shay’s
1967 Red 850 Coupe, will
appear on next year’s
MOFLO 2004 dash plaque.
After the car show we took
a 40-mile drive through the
twisty roads around The
Lake of The Ozarks. It was a
wonderful day to have the top
down with the sun out and
temperatures in the mid to
for dinner and were treated to
their choice of prime rib,
baked tilapia, or pasta primavera with chicken. The
food was great and the company was just fantastic. After
dinner, we voted on the “best
of show” and announced the
winner. There was only one
more item on the agenda for
Saturday night, go-kart races.
Yes, as is our tradition at
MOFLO, the young and
young at heart take a spin or
two (literally) at the local
track. We have a great time
and you don’t have to worry
about 30 year old suspensions.
There are no winners and losers, but some stiff competition
non-the less.
Sunday morning means it’s
time to start packing up and
thinking about the trip back
home. It was another beautiful top down day for those of
everyone had completed the
required cleaning and were
anxious to head to the park
and the car show. Although
we have a pavilion reserved at
the park, just in case, with the
nice weather most prefer to be
closer to the cars and take
advantage of the warm sun.
The scene at the park looks
years ago but is a breath taking yellow and black attention getter now. Or Allen
Lofland’s freshly restored
black Lancia Scorpion with
the full Montie treatment. If
Fiat had made cars this good,
they would still be selling
them here. And there are a
number of older restorations
upper 70’s. The caravan of 18
or so cars was quite impressive as we wound our way
from the park back to the
motel.
After the drive we had a
few hours to relax and get
cleaned up for the big dinner
on Saturday night. Twentyeight hungry folks showed up
us with that option. With
some long good-bys people
started filing out of the motel
parking lot headed for home
with one thought in their
heads, MOFLO 2004 on June
11 to 13. Hope to see you
there next year.
www.flu.org
12
“Frankly my dear, we don’t give a damn how far it is!”
Big plans had been underway since last winter for the
journey to the 1996 Fiat FreakOut. Brett Melancon and I
cooked up the and scheme of
towing two X1/9’s to New
York using my new Chevy
Suburban Turbo Diesel. We
had our mitts on an enclosed
25’ racing trailer which to me
was as significant as installing
a flux capacitor in a DeLorean.
Brian Sullivan in his ’83 “X”
and James Seabolt in his 124
Spider could draft this juggernaught in style all the way to
New York City. “Yea, we’ll go
up there and “whup up” on
those Yankee Fiats
in the concours!”
Ah, yes, the best
laid plans. . .
The 25’ trailer
fell through at the
last minute (the
owner came to his
senses). Brett and
Brian decided that
2200 miles in one
weekend wouldn’t
do their cars any
good. But desperate men do
desperate things . . . We still
had the Chevy “War Wagon”,
and with a borrowed 14’ trailer, decided to tow one X to
New York. Brian and I carefully secured my squeaky clean
X to the trailer, filled the
Suburban with diesel and
started out for Brett
Melancon’s house in Knoxville
on Wednesday night. I figured
with any luck there would be
no rain and the car will just be
13
www.flu.org
by John Montgomery
Top- Chris Granju, James Seabolt, Lance Christian and John
Montgomery pose for a rest stop photo by Brett Melancon.
John, James and Brett met Lance and Chris at this gas station
by chance on the way to FFO. All roads lead to FFO.
Left- John Montgomery poses with his X1/9 and the Italian
flag.
Right- The FFO ‘96 provided many beautiful Italian cars to
admire.
“dusty” by the time we get to
Poughkeepsie. My ’86 “X” hasn’t been driven in the rain for 2
years and all those little hard to
clean places were ready for the
judge’s inspection. Within one
mile out of the garage, the
skies opened up with a furious
downpour complete with hail!
Rooster tails of water spray
shot 20 feet high from the open
trailer tires. “ I feel lucky
Brian!” We were prepared
with all sorts of spares that are
standard issue for Fiat road
trips. Everything for the car
was aboard . . .air pump, tool
set, ignition parts, extra Agip
oil, even a complete set of belts
and hoses. I only forgot one
thing . . . I left my suitcase in
the foyer by the front door
back home . . . “I feel lucky”.
We arrived at Brett and
Beth Melancon’s home in
Knoxville at 1AM, towing one
soggy but otherwise intact
X1/9. We spend thirty minutes
inspecting Brett’s fabulous ’81
rhd X1/9. A shame that it
won’t be going to
New York, it’s
truly a show stopper of a machine!
Thursday morning Brett’s son
Blake sounds reveille while his
wife Beth prepares a special
breakfast including a local
favorite called “chocolate covered biscuits”. A few of those
and two cups of coffee should
keep us revved up until our
next rest stop, Damon Kane’s
house in Pennsylvania. Brett
loads his gear into the truck
and we hit the Interstate 81
north with the wind to our
backs. Two hours later we
hook up with James Seabolt in
his beautiful yellow 124 Spider.
James holds the world record
for the amount of tools that
can be stored in the trunk of a
Spider! His car is ready for the
long “driving day”ahead, and
it feels like we’re carrying
more equipment than the
Ferrari F-1 team!
The Spider tucks in behind
the Suburban and we’re cruising at 80 or so, but the 124
needs fuel every few hours.
The truck will run about 700
miles between fillups with it’s
The sun is setting as we
approach the Pennsylvania
line. It’s sort of like coming
home for me, being a Pittsburg
native and reportedly one of
the three people who owned a
Fiat in western Pennsylvania
during the 1970’s. We’re stopping at Damon and Michelle
Kane’s home in North Wales,
PA, near Philadelphia. We exit
Interstate 81 to the PA
Turnpike east, only to be
greeted by “PENNDOT”
road crews with 30 miles of
turnpike construction. We
meander down the rain slick
one lane toll road with less
than 2 feet of clearance on
huge 46 gallon tank of diesel.
We stop in at Hagerstown,
MD for food, fuel and a trip to
K-Mart for essentials I left
back home in my suitcase.
Remember
those
old
American Express commercials...“Don’t leave home without it”. Well, the same can be
said to underwear.
either side of the trailer. I
remember why I wanted to
move south.
After 15 hours we arrive
after midnight at Damon’s
beautiful new home, where we
were greeted like the prodigal
son in the bible story. Damon
offered us an ice cold beer
upon arrival, and I for one was
more than happy to take him
up on it. Damon and Michelle
were the most gracious hosts,
and we got the full tour of the
spectacular house, garage,
workshop and basement (X1/9
parts warehouse). Damon
even had some super cool
Bertone hats made and each of
us received one to show off at
the Freak-Out. I predict that
Damon will open the first
Bertone museum here in the
United States (if he can get the
idea past the homeowners
association) because he has virtually everything ever made
connected with Bertone. Some
of the things he has probably
do not exist anywhere else in
the world. We slept well that
night, and really appreciate
Damon and Michelle’s hospitality. Thank goodness the
war’s over and Yankees can
take in a few rebels without
fear of retribution.
Friday morning brings rain
and the discovery of a bad
trailer tire. Damon makes a
quick call and we find a
replacement right away. The
group pulls out of Philly and
fuels up at a Hess station in
New Jersey. We can’t believe
that we are not allowed to
pump our own fuel. I make a
note to suggest this idea to my
Georgia congressman which
would solve Georgia’s unemployment problem and get all
those homeless people off
Atlanta streets! What a concept, let them pump gas!
We
trek
towards
Poughkeepsie in the rain,
scraping together toll money
and chattering on the 2 way
radios. Damon’s “X1/9” looks
great running beside us, while
James and Caesar in their
Spiders clear a path on the
New York Thruway. Only 30
minutes from the Best
Western Hotel, James’s Spider
suddenly goes dead on the side
of the highway. Ironically, the
2 way radios quit at the same
time. The next 20 minutes are
spent trying to start the Spider
and the possibility of rolling
my X1/9 off the trailer to make
room for James’s car is considered. The volume and velocity
of Friday’s New York
Thruway traffic makes the
decision to call a tow truck
unanimous, and we roll into
Poughkeepsie a little humble,
since one of our own didn’t
maker it there under it’s own
power. James discovered a
loose kill switch wire that was
the cause of the Spider’s sudden demise. Theft is a big
problem in the south as you
know. We post pictures of
stolen cars, trucks, bass boats
and wayward wives on the
sides of milk cartons along
with the more traditional pictures of missing kids.
Once we arrived in the
parking lot, I realized it was all
worthwhile. There were
dozens of Fiats, Lancias, several Alfas and a few exotics
sprinkled around the place for
good measure. The guys from
Arizona driving the Ford
Escort (with the 1982 Lancia
Zagato grill attached) really
blew me away. One of our club
members says there are no ’82
Zagato grills left in the world.
Yet these guys are running one
www.flu.org
14
Doug and Bob’s Excellent Adventure
by Doug Edmondson
In my youth, employed as a
parts runner and sometimes
mechanic for a Brit-car dealer,
I was exposed to a new world.
A world beyond the AAR
'Cuda's and Boss 302's of the
day. A world where precision
driving meant more than
straight-line acceleration.
While working with Jag's,
MG's, Lotus's, Triumphs, etc.,
the occasional Spider would
drift through. It was clear to
me that something special was
present. For one, I could
actually fit my 6'2" frame in
one. Then there was the wood
dash, the style, class and that
special Italian "thing". The
gear-head in me also made
note of the twin cam and other
points of interest such as not
ever having seen one on fire.
While slightly distracted by
Lotus Europa's, a love affair
developed.
Fortune smiled upon a wishful youth and circumstance
handed me an opportunity to
actually obtain both a nice
Spider and a relationship with
a certain redhead I had been in
lust with since senior year. The
relationship with one outlasted
the other. As I finished doing
a valve job on the '70 Spider, it
occurred to me that going on a
road trip would be entirely
appropriate.
Knowing I'd need a
navigator and a "hold that
while I tighten this bolt"
person, my thoroughly crazy
best buddy was pressed into
15
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service. We'll call him Bob.
Why? Because, that's his
name.
Bob and I were both free for
the summer, so we gathered
up what funds were available
and headed off from Chicago
and into the evening's sunset.
Fully laden with New Riders
and Arlo 8-track cassettes,
backpacks and plenty of tools,
we took off with absolutely no
destination in mind. So, if you
are willing, I'll relate some of
the travails and joys of my first
road trip in one of our beloved
Spiders. Bear in mind that I'm
not claiming common sense as
an asset in those years.
President Nixon and one
convertible top clip resigned as
we entered the outskirts of
Chappell Nebraska. That was
ok though, it was on Bob's
side.
On discovering that there
wasn't much difference
between the outskirts and
the inskirts of Chappell
we pressed on. About six feet
into Rocky Mountain National
Park a sizable rock leapt into
our path and consumed the
exhaust system. Inspection of
the damage and our wallets
revealed that our cone of
silence was gone and we
would not be sneaking up
on anyone for the rest of the
trip. Leaving behind a trail
of traumatized wildlife and
vacationers, we pressed on.
Monarch Pass provided the
challenge we needed. We
About six feet
into Rocky
Mountain
National Park
a sizable rock
leapt into our
path and
consumed the
exhaust system.
could get to within about π
mile of the top but could go no
further. The car would just die
at the same point every time.
Coasting back down to Salida
in complete silence at breakneck speeds offered rewards
for our multiple attempts.
Oddly, it turned out the fuel
pump was the problem and it
would somehow just die at
that exact point. I still cannot
explain it.
Salida Colorado was of
course just littered with Fiat
fuel pumps. We opted for an
electric pump and it served
well for many years.
gauges
simply
refused to stay put
where God intended. Simultaneous
under steer and
over steer must be
experienced to be
appreciated.
The luggage rack
also disengaged and
took our bags and
tents on their own
adventure down a
serious cliff. Bob
was commissioned
to retrieve our
essentials and he
did. I told you he
was crazy and if you
saw this cliff you
would not doubt
it. Finding the
few half collapsed
stone face. Most of his shins
and the palms of his hands still
remain on that stone edifice
but he did bounce well at the
bottom.
With my now handicapped
navigator, we pressed on. I am
still comforted with the
knowledge that the rain that
would enter his broken
top-clip side of the car must
have been so refreshing to him
in his time of need.
Press on we and that
wonderful Fiat did. Enjoying
too many misadventures to
relate here, we wandered up
through the Tetons and
Yellowstone. Into Canada.
Banff and Lake Louise.
Hindered only by campers in
1st gear and other inadequate
vehicles and drivers, the wind-
mine buildings was ample
reward for the efforts.
Climbing nearly vertical
cliffs at Arches National
Monument seemed as sensible
as anything we had done so far.
Bob slipped and performed a
memorable sliding descent
down the face of a sheer sand-
ing mountain roads were Fiat
heaven. That '70 Spider just
sang all the way. Well, screaming through the open headers
may be more descriptive. We
got as far north as Dawson
Creek, the beginning of the
Al-Can highway. Somehow
common sense prevailed and
Top- Inspection reveals the new
zero backpressure exahust system
courtesy of the Rocky Mountains.
Right- Fiats and silver mines, not
an everyday sight.
My family had been
involved in a silver mine
on Horseshoe mountain
during the depression. I was
determined to visit the site.
Never mind that this required
traversing 20 miles of something resembling a road. The
washboard gravel provided a
shaken, not stirred journey.
Since slow proved futile, fast
made perfect sense. Several
dental fillings and most of the
we opted not to continue
north. Back across Canada and
into the U.S. at Sault Ste
Marie. Not realizing that the
toll agent was connected with
the customs people we maintained our high level of sophistication. There we sat, two
long haired freaks in a
exhaustless Fiat as the agent
gazed upon us in wonder.
When asked where we were
from, I pondered, "that seems
a silly question, we're in car
with Illinois plates". Of course,
this made it look like I had to
think about it. He then looked
to Bob who wasn't paying
attention and asked him. In a
rare moment of brilliance, Bob
waived his bandaged hands
and replied, "I dunno, same
place he is". We were asked to
pull up under the canopy.
Another, more serious agent
strolled up, spit tobacco on the
fender and asked, "you boys
wouldn't be pot heads would
you"? You could always count
on Bob when it really mattered. He spoke up boldly, "no
sir, we're students". I thought
sure this would resolve issues
but somehow, it did not.
Two hours later, after
nearly every single inch of our
belongings and the car had
been dismantled a very
disappointed customs agent
advised us to get the hell out of
there.
Down through the Upper
Peninsula and into Wisconsin,
with the Can-Am races at
Elkhart Lake in mind, we
pressed on. The UOP
Shadows of Jackie Oliver and
www.flu.org
16
Florida FLU Chapter Formed
The Start of some fun in the
sun with FLO-FLU!
Owning one of these great
marquees is a wonderful thing.
People have said to me
throughout the years “what is
so special about those little rust
buckets to you” and oh “how
could you drive one of those
Fix It Again Tony’s”? Or how
about “drive a Miata and
you will never have any
problems”.
The appreciation for these
great cars comes from driving
them. Start the engine and
listen to them hum. Put down
the top if you are able to and
then place the car into first
gear. As you drive down the
road you begin to feel the love
and enthusiasm that the
manufacture had intended the
car owner to have with these
automobiles. Granted being
able to drive on a winding tree
lined road in the mountains
makes the thrill and love even
more enjoyable, but let me tell
you something the drive up
and down the beach on a nice
day with the water to one side
of you is just as exuberating!
Introducing FLO-FLU, the
Florida Fiat Lancia Unlimited
Chapter, this chapter is here to
share the enthusiasm of these
great marquees in the state
of Florida. There will be
gatherings to show our
cherished automobiles to the
public. We will drive over the
Sunshine Skyway, down
through the keys, around Lake
Okeechobee, and even have
beach runs on the hundreds of
by Evan Statman
miles of roads that are directly
next to these gorgeous beaches
as well as throughout other
places in this wonderful state.
Discussions will take place on
how to repair, maintain, and
locate parts for these classic
cars. Even a party or two will
occur.
Our founder, Evan Statman,
has a love affair with his
deceased Bertone of 7 years
that he has not gotten over, so
he finally went out in May of
2003 and acquired an 84 Pinin
that he is restoring. Evan felt a
need to put together this
chapter for the FIAT &
LANCIA enthusiasts that are
in the state of Florida. The
chapter is designed to bring
people from different walks of
life together that share one
common interest: the love for
these fantastic automobiles!
There are no chapter membership dues, but being a
member in FLU is mandatory
in order to participate within
FLO-FLU, some events may
require certain fees in order to
participate.
To find out more about
FLO-FLU and to be active
in the newest FLU chapter
visit
our
website
at
www.fiatflorida.com and take
a moment to contact
FLO-FLU to let us know
that you want to be an active
participant. You can even
contact Evan directly at
[email protected], he
would love to hear from all to
talk about this love affair.
“Quattro Macchine Nero!”
Bobb Rayner, “The Fiat
Freak,” believes that one
can’t have too many
Italian cars....especially
if they’re sinister black!
Left to Right: 1991 Alfa
Romeo 164, 1991 Alfa
Romeo 164S, 1979 Fiat
X1/9. Foreground:
1987 Bertone X1/9.
(Photo: Jennifer DiCanio)
17
www.flu.org
The Famous Spider Windbreak
Helpful Tip...
Last year Delmer Teet and
Ron Conlon made up two of
these simple devices to block
the wind that whips from
behind the driver at highway
speeds. Here is an update on
their effectiveness and plans
to make your own.
The materials are 1/4”
plexiglass or lexan and some
straps. These I found hiding
in the garage from old
projects but they are not
expensive. Lexan is harder
and scratch resistant but the
plexiglass polishes well. The
tools were a hacksaw, drill
and file. Dimensions are
36”x12” with rounded corners
to taste. Seatbelt notches are
1”x 3”. Mounting holes or
slots are 3” from the edge (not
the seatbelt slot which would
be 2”) spaced 6” apart and 1.5
inches from the lower edge.
More than 12” above the seat
back (not headrest) will get
too close to the top mechanism
and lower than 10” will muss
your hair.
Comments on these are
from using one for a year. It
works well to keep a hat on
and cut down on wind
buffeting. It is all but invisible.
With the windows down, side
draughts will still take a hat
particularly at intermediate
speeds – 30 to 45 mph – or
when a big rig passes in the
other direction. With the
mount on the seat, you will
By Ron Conlon
remove the windbreak for
town driving. This prevents
scratching from stuff being
tossed in the back and eases
top operation from the seat.
The seats can still be adjusted
but can make the top edge
look slanted if they are too
The famous Spider windbreak shown installed, adds function
AND style to any Fiat Spider.
feel an occasional push from
behind as a gust hits it. In just
the correct angle of sun, it will
reflect straight ahead and into
your mirror. This happens
only at dawn and dusk. The
straps mean I can easily
Here is an easy way to reach
those tight spots where only
the screw will fit. Cut a section of vacuum hose, and slip
it over the tip of the screwdriver. Push the head of the
different. I usually balance
the look. The rearview mirror use is as normal. There is
a lot of wind now from
between the two seats under
the windbreak, which is fine
in summer but tends to lift
my full rim hat above 70mph.
So I added a flap of heavy
material between the seats
hanging from the windbreak
to address this. The straps are
horizontal but could be
placed on the vertical to wrap
the headrest itself. The plexiglass could be a lighter grade
but heavier is not going to
help anything.
There are alternatives to
this approach. A screen material like the plastic bug
screens will work if stretched
across a roll bar. Certain types
of car shades will do a good
job inexpensively. There is a
net bag that covers both headrests and or seats. I have seen
one of these on a Bimmer that
looked awful but looks can
be fixed and old pantyhose
would have been better
looking on this car. Pantyhose
works, by the way, if you cut
the legs and crotch out and
pull it over the two seats
and headrests. It comes in
appropriate colors but the
teller won’t believe you if you
tell ‘em what it is for. So
don’t try.
screw into the hose and that’s
it.
www.flu.org
18
Fiat, Fiats and more Fiats!
Part 1: Turning 40ish
Fiat, Fiats and more Fiats.
I restored my wife’s red ’78
Fiat a few years back. A
restoration that amongst
other things included spending too much money, and
upgrading the twin cam
motor to its true performance
potential. Only trouble was
the Missus did not like me
pegging the tach hard over.
Something along the lines:
“You blow this motor and
you’re sleeping in the garage.”
Mind you there are pluses and
minuses to that, however, I
thought the better of it and
took it easy.
But the urge just didn’t go
away. That twin cam motor
just wanted to rev past the
redline. Then a funny thing
happened in my life - I
crossed the mystic 39 to 40 age
The red Fiat Spider
after restoration. The
lady in the picture is
my very patient wife,
and the car’s owner
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barrier. No longer was I
young, but suddenly I was
middle aged - something my
parents were, but how could
it happen to me? And where
did the two teenagers living
in my house come from? Let
alone a son who was on the
verge of overtaking me in
height. At 40, climbing hills
took a bit longer, reactions
times slowed a bit, beating
young upstarts now took skill
to overcoming physical shortcomings, and we don’t need to
mention the sex drive thing.
Well, as with many males
teetering over the age of 40,
there were few options but to
accept grime reality and then
go live in the past. My past
included learning to drive a
standard box on a friends ‘70’s
Fiat 124 Sedan. My daily
mode of transport tended to
be the bottom end of the
automotive food-chain; $35
rusty Japanese cars with
4-bangers. The Fiat Sedan
was exotic while the Fiat
Spider was a ‘supercar.’ (Hey
I was the son of an immigrant.) Even so, I fell in love
with 4-bangers, and eventually came to appreciate the
virtues of high revving
engines. So even today our
daily drivers tend to have 4bangers, but are much newer,
more refined, and loaded
with options.
Early in our working
careers my wife acquired the
Fiat
Spider
‘supercar’.
Wonderful car, but after ten
years and a growing young
family the spider wound up
rusting in the backyard. It
was eventually resurrected
and treated to a full restora-
tion, and now after 17 years of
owning the same car, it has
become part of the family.
Yet that Spider rekindled
my love of the performance
4-piston DOHC engine.
The Spider is a car were
Pininfarina and Fiat took all
the beauty and grace and
placed it squarely into the 124
chassis, with just a bit spilling
over onto the 124 Coupe. A
beauty, I might add, that
graces my lovely wife (That’s
just to keep me from sleeping
in the garage too often).
However, this left all the ugly
for the Sedan version. So
while the Sedan may have
great underpinnings, it’s one
ugly box. Treat it to ‘70’s
(s)lime green paint and you
have a classic something.
So there you have it - I’m
longing to drive cars from my
past, and the wife insists that I
don’t abuse her Spider. It’s a
catch-22. A car fitted with a
great engine, but much too
beautiful to abuse. Then
again, ever notice how many
club members own more than
one Fiat? I could...get...my...
own...Fiat - to go racing.
Then I run across a motorsport club that races ‘Classic
Sedans.’ Basically slightly
modified ‘60’s and early ‘70’s
European sedans! Oh la la that is something to look into.
This is something that took
considerable skill - you need
to look sad; out of sorts. You
need to get the wife to ask,
“Are you alright?” Yeah, I’m
alright, it’s just this 40 thing
has got me down a bit.” “Is
there anything that would
help?” she inquires a bit further. Now at this point, you
can’t appear to over-anxious,
“Well, I dunno, I was thinking about some fun things
that I used to do in the past,
like racing cars.” Now, at this
point, no big negatives from
the wife can be taken as tacit
approval.
Part 2: Britain versus Italy
There are various forms of
vintage racing, covering
many types of vehicles from
pre-war blower Bentley’s
through older pure race formula cars. Nothing quite that
exotic (or expensive) for me,
but rather Classic Sedans.
Something that is on the track
at 9:00 in the morning well
before any featured event,
and well before most people
even make it to the track.
Not having actually ever
track raced cars in the past, it
was all pretty intimidating.
In addition to belong to a racing club, there are three basic
aspects to vintage racing:
(1) Obtaining a race license,
(2) Preparing a race car to
go fast on the track, and
(3) Preparing a race car that
meets all the safety rules. I
had no experience in any of
these items.
Finding a vintage race
qualified car is relatively
straight forward if you want
to drive the more common
stuff. The British have always
been passionate about racing
and the vintage-racing scene
tends to be dominated by
British stuff: MG, Austin
Healey, Mini, Lotus, etc. So
these tend to be the available
cars. But I wanted to race a
124 Sedan! After all I knew
the 124 car inside-out and I
had a garage full of 124
running gear after restoring
the wife spider, plus great
contacts in Fiat-land. And
while the 124 Sedan may be
ugly, it had the potential to be
a great vintage racer, sporting
a twin DOHC engine, fourwheel disc brakes and an
available 5-speed box. So,
given my choice of car, I
kinda bit off more a bit more
than I should have. Although,
I will admit the British racing
boys have been pretty helpful
in getting me going in the
right direction, even if they
though I was a wee bit over
the edge with my Fiat.
Obtaining a Race License
was tough. This involved an
intense 3-day driving school.
After street-driving for some
25 years, I thought I was a
pretty good driver. Well
maybe on the street, but not
on the track. Lots of stuff
to first unlearn, before l
earning to drive on a track.
And truthfully, taking
instructions is not one of my
stronger points. The race
school quickly broke into two
basic groups: the younger
guys who wanted to be professional race car drivers, and
us over 40 guys who were,
well, chasing a dream. At
least I was not alone. In
addition to race school, I spent
a full day on a race track
driving my family car round
and round practicing track
driving and gaining track
experience. It was absolutely
incredible feeling being the
fastest (albeit only) 4-door car
on the track. I spent the
whole day being past. I didn’t
even get to pass even a single
car. I would head down the
back straight, accelerator
matted, hit 170 km/hr only to
get passed over and over
again like I was standing still.
Mind you, other drivers
didn’t bring their family cars
to the track, but rather were
testing and setting-up their
regional race cars.
Part 3: The New Jersey Connection
Finding a Fiat 124 Sedan is
not easy. It seems that everyone who once owed a 124
Sedan did not recognize the
collector value of such a car
and not even a single example
seemed to escape the crusher.
That is until Bruce’s Parts Bin
in New Jersey came through.
Bruce had a ’74 124 Sedan
with an autobox. Now there
is a good potential race car
candidate. Anyways, I wanted it and a deal was struck
and arrangements to purchase the car were made.
Now, I live in Canada and
Bruce’s Parts Bin is in the
New Jersey. That meant I
needed to “Export” the
car from the USA and
“Import” the car in Canada.
Unfortunately, I hadn’t sorted
out all the subtle details about
this Export/Import thing. So
when I appeared at US
customs to take the car out of
the country, US Customs
‘seized’ my newly purchased
Fiat! Yikes! Now, while US
Customs officially seized the
car, it never actually came off
the trailer, as the US Customs
officials correctly realized I
was not trying to steal a ’74
Fiat Sedan. I had a clean title,
and a bill of sale, and after a
vehicle title search, the car
was indeed, NOT stolen. My
only transgression was not
presenting the title to the
Customs official 72 hours in
advance of exporting the car.
I was fined the minimum fine
the official could levy ($100)
because after all, as it was
explained to me: “The US
Customs Service does not
want a ’74 Fiat Sedan” and
was given an export permit.
As a bonus, I got a great US
Customs seizure notice as a
momento.
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20
More MOFLO
The groundwork for this
year's MOFLO trip were actually lain the previous summer
on a different 'Western Fiat
Rescue' adventure.
I was passing through
Southern Texas headed westbound on my way to Las Vegas
for an assignment for work.
Because my Grandmother had
wanted to come along with
me, stops along the way to visit
family became mandatory. Of
course, whenever I find myself
traveling any 'out of the norm'
route, I also try to work in
stops to visit FLU and
Mirafiori friends old and new.
Since we were in the Houston
area paying a visit to my Stepsister and her family, I gave
Brian Harston a call.
We arranged to get together
at his house for me to meet
him and his family, and to buy
some parts that he had been
saving for me. Had a great
time meeting Brian and his
family, and the X1/9 seats I
bought from him are real
beauties! In the course of our
conversation and knowing I
am a big fan of such cars, Brian
had mentioned he had
recently 'found' an originalowner Fiat 131 for sale, and
put me in touch with Marc, it's
owner. I arranged to meet with
Marc as well, and spent all of
maybe 15 minutes checking
out the car in Austin, Texas.
It was pretty solid and
straight, but also needed a few
things to be roadworthy, main-
21
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by Shaun Folkerts
ly a radiator electric fan, a rear
side window, and some other
minor attention here and
there. But his price was more
than fair, and one just doesn't
find cars like this one in the
Northeast any more. So I told
him that I was most definitely
interested in buying it, but
whatever-months, but just
could not seem to find a good
opportunity to claim the car.
Starting a new job in the
fall (2002) and buying a
fixer-upper home the following spring did not help. But I
had a great time at the last
Roamin' Chariots event
to Pennsylvania. He hired
a local associate to paint the
car, and found some time to do
tune-up type work on it.
Finally, when all was done,
we secured a temporary
registration for the 131 and
drove it northward to Missouri
on June 6.
unfortunately had to hold off
on doing so until my Las Vegas
assignment was completed due
to logistics and time limitations. I thanked him for showing me the car, and left his
driveway to meet Austin
native friends Josh, Mel, and
Justin to deliver parts to them
and go for dinner. I kept in
touch with Marc via email in
the subsequent year-and-
(Eureka Springs, late summer
2002) and wanted to find a way
to get to the next one.
I began exchanging group
emails with the 131's owner,
Marc, and Texas-based friends
Josh Poage Csaba Vandor.
Eventually, we devised a plan Csaba would pick up the car
from Marc and trailer it back
to Fort Worth to be prepared
for the drive from there home
June 6 started normally for
me. I drove to work with my
bags packed for a three-day
weekend away, and had
arranged for a friend/
co- worker to take care of my
cat and dog in my brief
absence. The company I work
for had different plans. I had
anticipated leaving the office at
no later than 3PM that Friday,
catching a ride to Allentown/
Bethlehem airport with a
co-worker, and leaving work
behind for a few days. At
quarter-to-three, my boss paid
me a visit, asking "can you
come up to Rock’s office for a
minute?" Sure, Dan. Wasn't
exactly a minute, but then
again, considering the conversation, I’m glad it wasn't.
Turns out the company is
looking to expand into a new
market and wants me to be an
integral part of it. But the
downside is that I needed to
find a way to land myself in
Houston by Monday evening.
Well, I'll do what I can.
Luckily, Rock had to excuse
himself from our meeting to
attend a different meeting, and
I rapidly scavenged a laptop
computer and rushed out the
front door to the waiting car of
my ride to the airport. Made it
up there in great time, and had
a relaxed check-in and boarding process.
Once aboard the plane, seated and seatbelted in, I noticed
that the delay seemed excessive
in backing out from the terminal. Finally, a flight attendant
picked up the microphone and
introduced the other woman
in the business suit standing
behind her, who had just
boarded the plane. "I'm sorry
to have to tell you this, folks,
but Chicago is experiencing
some weather, and we won't
be able to leave here for at least
another hour. Anyone who
wants to get off now and
try to make other flight
arrangements is welcome to
try. Those who stay on the
plane will most likely miss
their connecting flights."
Wonderful. I have Csaba, and
a friend of his whom I’ve never
even met, driving from Fort
Worth to Springfield to pick
me up, and I won't be getting
there until the same time the
next day. I made a couple of
calls to the airline and decided
to take my chances with a
sprint from one terminal to the
next at Chicago (since they
were only a couple gates apart)
– assuming the Allentown
flight gets me there with even
enough time to do that!
Somehow, it did – and actually
worked out well, as there was
no waiting for the connecting
flight. Off one plane, straight
onto the other, and on the way
to Springfield.
The plane actually arrived
ahead of schedule. I walked to
the baggage claim, and called
Csaba's friend Jerry on the
cellphone while waiting for
the carousel to start. Csaba
was handed the phone, and we
began to figure out how to
meet. Turns out that he was
just parking the car in the
parking lot right outside of
Frames are beautiful
chromed plastic with
black accents.
$10 each + $3.50 shipping for 1-3 frames
$4.00 shipping for 4 or more frames
Show your club support
and buy FLU frames!
Contact Shaun Folkarts
at 631-262-7392 or
e-mail at [email protected]
www.flu.org
22
Stumbling into the Dark Side
23
It all started with an innocent email from Mark Perkins.
He graciously alerts all the Fiat
enthusiasts in the area whenever he sees an interesting car
arrive at the charity auction
house he works for. This time
he had spotted an ’87 Bertone
X1/9 that was straight, and
only had a little rust in the
front, which also showed some
body damage. It was red,
except for a white hood, didn’t
quick to point out, and that car
is in many ways similar to the
X1/9. Here was an opportunity to at least take the money
factor out of the equation.
Non-running Xs don’t fetch a
whole lot at these auctions,
according to Mark. In fact, a
few weeks earlier he had given
the auction guys some petty
cash to stop a nice black ’86
from being sent to the crusher
after it received no bids. At the
tired Escorts, and looking
rather sad with its odd colored
hood and tattered bumper.
But once you stepped to the
side, it looked like a whole different car. There was surprisingly little rust, just one patch
ahead of the rear wheel, and
some spots on the front. Inside
it was in great shape, with
everything present. No cracks
or tears, just dirty. After I
spent some time figuring out
run but seemed to be complete
and only showed 42k miles.
I’ve always considered
myself to be more of a
Spiderman than an X-head,
I’ve owned my 124 for more
than 10 years, but the fascination remains... The difficulty
lies in the ever present money
and time crunch. I still have a
Matra Simca Bagheera waiting for some serious restoration work, which my wife is
very least I could go and take a
look at it, I kidded myself.
Mark graciously arranged for
me to inspect the car on a
Saturday. That was a treat,
because normally inspection is
limited to the few minutes
immediately preceding the
auction.
I sensed the first tingling
when I went to see the car. It
was sitting in a corner,
between worn Volvos and
how to open the engine lid
with a broken cable, I saw the
engine bay was surprisingly
clean, and showed off a
rusty header with a big
exhaust…Hmmm.
There
were ominous signs of coolant
leaks down the back of the
engine block and I feared for a
bad head gasket. Mark had
told me it wouldn’t start, but
cranked fine and all other electricals worked. There was also
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an odd shaped cut-out behind
the engine into the rear trunk,
or whatever X-heads call that
compartment, and I wouldn’t
figure out the purpose of it
until later.
The wheels were nice
looking 5-spoke aluminum
alloys, with a Revolution
wheels center cap, and the car
sat nice and squat, somewhat
lower than I remember seeing
other Xs. I couldn’t see much
of the underside of the car, but
I remember getting a glimpse
of some orange colored struts.
All in all it looked to be a tidy
little car, if I could overlook the
neglected details.
Tuesday, auction day, rolled
around and I got there early,
because non-running cars are
always sold first. It’s quite a
spectacle to visit one of these
auction events, and if you’ve
never been, I highly recommend it. You’ll see a few
couples looking for a good
deal, but they leave the
non-runners alone. Then
there are some hobbyists, looking for something they can fix
up cheap. Most of the people,
however, are used car dealers,
out for a resell bargain. It was
hard to miss the scantily clad
Latin lady, firing off orders to 5
guys around her. To my
surprise she bought most of the
half-wrecks surrounding “my”
X, maybe she runs a scrap
yard?
You’re supposed to hang out
by the car you want, and the
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24
Fiat Freak Out 2003 General Itinerary
Friday, July 18
3:00PM - on
Registration / Hotel check in
7:00 - 9:00PM
Friday Night BBQ at
Poolside, Holiday Inn
Sunspree Resort
8:30 - 9:30PM
Board of Directors meeting
(All members welcome)
9:45 - 11:00PM
Internet users meeting
Display & Vendor hours
Friday, 3 PM to 10 PM,
Sunspree Foyer
25
Breakfast at Biltmore!
Deerpark Restaurant on
Estate property
(3 mile drive from Biltmore
Estate lawn)
9:30 - 9:45AM
Drive to Biltmore Estate
Winery Concours field
10:00 - 2:00PM
Concours Car Show at
Biltmore Winery
12:00 - 1:30PM
Catered lunch / Winery tours
2:30 - 6:00PM
Blue Ridge Parkway scenic
drive
Concours awards banquet
dinner in Sunspree Ballroom
10:00PM - on
Poolside nightcap refreshments / Parking lot party
Display & Vendor hours
Saturday, 10 AM to 2 PM,
Winery Concours Field,
Biltmore
Sunday, July 20
6:00 - 8:00AM
Breakfast on your own.
Sunspree buffet or table service available.
Saturday, July 19
7:30 SHARP!
Panoramic photograph on
the lawn at Biltmore Estate
6:00 - 7:00PM
Cocktail hour at Sunspree
Resort
8:00AM
Autocross
<http://flu.org/ffo2003/autocr
oss.asp> group departure
from Sunspree
8:30 - 9:30AM
7:00 - 10:00PM
8:00 - 6:00PM
www.flu.org
A la cart activities: Biltmore
Home, gardens and winery
tours (at FLU group rate) •
Chimney Rock Park drive •
Lake Lure boating, swimming & whitewater rafting •
Aprilia scooter rentals •
Trolley tours • Shopping •
Scenic drives • Sunspree
Pool
6:00 - 8:00PM
Autocross awards dinner at
Sunspree
Display & Vendor hours
Sunday, Autocross Venue,
Biltmore Square Mall
Sunday, 6 to 9 PM, Autocross
Banquet, Sunspree Foyer
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26
Friday
Friday
events
27
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28
Saturday
Sat
events
29
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30
Directions From Entrance to Exit
Please remember, YOU MUST BE IN THE GATES NO LATER THAN 8AM
OR YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PURCHASE TICKETS TO ENTER THE
GROUNDS. SPECIAL PRICES ARE AVAILABLE FOR FLU MEMBERS
Show
Field
Brunch
Panoramic
Photo
31
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Start
Here!
The Biltmore Estate is currently over 250 acres of beautiful gardens and natural beauty. We
have developed this route that
will take you from the front gate
of the estate to allow for the
greatest enjoyment of the scenic
beauty and required destinations.
Please follow the route for the
show day, you may return later
and explore at your leisure.
Using the map below, follow the
yellow route for about 3 miles
from the front gate to the
Biltmore House for the historic
panoramic photograph. From
there, go about 3 more miles to
the beautiful Deerpark restaurant. If you have signed up for
the brunch, proceed to the buffet
and enjoy. If not, you may visit in
the designated parking area until
the group is ready to proceed to
the show field. this would be a
great time to get that last minute
detail work completed. From the
deerpark, we will proceed as a
group about 2 miles to the show
field at the Winery. There will be
signage and directors to show you
where to park your car once you
approach the Winery area. Once
the show is over, we will exit the
Estate as a group down the scenic
road that takes us past the inn on
Biltmore Estate. remember, you
MUST BE IN THE GATE NO
LATER THAN 8am to get free
admission to the grounds for the
show and panoramic photo.
Special discount tickets are available at club prices if you wish to
visit the house at a later time.
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32
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34
Sunday
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36
A special thanks goes out to this years Fiat Freak Out sponsors. Please thank them.
Vick Autosports is home for the serious driver who demands
more performance from his FIAT. We stock and manufacture
the finest FIAT performance products in the world. We maintain a large inventory of high performance street products
like pistons, cams, headers, Delrin bushings, springs and
sway bars. If those products are not serious enough for you,
we have more. New exclusive Vick Autosports products for
2001 include Crowder High Performance Connecting Rods for
1500cc SOHC, 1800 & 2000cc DOHC, 12.5:1 pistons for SOHC
and 12:1 for DOHC, electronic ignition conversion systems for
X1/9s AND Spiders as well as 4/2/1 headers for Spiders.
Full turn-key engine building for high performance street,
autocross and race applications.
We can help you get ready to “fling it around turns” too!
37
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A special thanks goes out to this years fiat Freak Out sponsors. Please thank them.
FPO
“Supporting FLU Since 1983”
World’s greatest Fiat/Lancia Catalog!
We supply parts & accessories for these models
Bayless Fiat/Lancia World
Collectors’ Restoration Edition No. 26
Over 135 pages! Only $4.00/$10.00 Intl.
Fiat 1953-1989
Pininfarina
Spider 2000
124 Spider
124 Coupe
124 Sedan (all)
Bertone X 1/9
X 1/9 1500
X 1/9 1300
Strada
131 Brava
128 (all)
850 Spider
850 (all)
600 (all)
500 N/D
1500 (all)
1200/1100
Lancia 1975-1983
Beta Coupe
Beta Scorpion
Beta Zagato
Beta HPE
Beta Sedan
Exclusively Fiat &
Lancia since 1971...
We ship worldwide.
800-241-1446 • 770-928-1446
Fax” 770-928-1342 • www.baylessfiat.com
www.flu.org
38
A special thanks goes out to this years fiat Freak Out sponsors. Please thank them.
FIAT
Parts & Accessories
Fun
Import
& Toys
Performance
and power
at your
fingertips...
www.international-auto.com
• Order Online!
• Over 90,000 different parts
and accessories in stock,
and ready to ship.
• Check current inventory online.
• Same day shipping!
• Largest US supplier.
For your free 76-page catalog call
1-800-788-4435
www.international-auto.com
Route 29 N, Charlottesville, VA 22906
804-973-0555, 24-Hour Fax 804-973-2368
39
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A special thanks goes out to this years fiat Freak Out sponsors. Please thank them.
Blast from the Past...
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40
Dwight’s Drivel (reprint)
This morning in the paper
I read a road test on a car that
I am paid to be interested in:
the new Saab 900. Curious to
see what the lowest form of
automotive press had to say
about a product that will
hopefully keep a roof over my
head, I reached the boiling
point of my patience. It is
high time I spoke out about
one of my greatest pet peeves
when it comes to reading
about cars:
The author complained that
there were no CUP HOLDERS.
WHAT IS IT WITH
THESE GUYS??!!! A corporation spends billions of
dollars coming up with a new
and unique automobile and
all a magazine scribe can
think of to criticize is that it
can’t hold a Slurpee for him!
What is it with this liquid
obsession the world has developed in relationship to driving?
A customer of our dealership recently purchased a
Hyundai Scoupe Turbo.
While the car is hopelessly
Asian (meaning reliable
enough to make you forget
maintenance), it is rather
perky to zip about in. Since
the Turbo version gets the hiline stereo, it makes do with-
Johnson’s Jolly
The Jolly 500 Ghia apparently was a gift to President
Johnson from the Fiat
Company. It is a very rare
automobile. In fact, during
his retirement,and after the
establishment of the Lyndon
B.
Johnson
National
Historical Park, the park
curator encouraged the
President to restore the vehicle to its original condition,
41
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but the restoration effort
ended when the President
was unable to find any
replacement parts. The car
was often used as transportation between the various outbuildings and was especially
enjoyed by the children of
those that worked for the
President, giving them a
chance to practice their driving skills.
by Dwight Varnes
out the beverage containment
devices. This customer’s first
request to me was not for the
bolt-on intercooler, but for
cup holders! I managed to
keep a cool exterior profile,
but my inner voice was
screaming ‘Cup holders?!’
Were they thinking about cup
holders when they decided to
enter a Scoupe Turbo in the
Pike’s Peak hillclimb? Do you
think Rod Millen was wondering where his cup holders
were when he was sliding
broadside around hairpin corners with a 500 foot drop off?
Do you think cup holders
ever entered his rally-driving
brain when he set a new class
record in that car?! Do you
think when he was designing
a AWD turbo intercooled
Elantra for the following year
with so much horsepower it
wouldn’t go in a straight line
that he was sure a Big Gulp
could go along for the
ride???’
I have NEVER owned a
car with a cup holder. I hope
to never own a vehicle so
equipped. Considering that
most of us are propelling a
3,000 lb. vehicle at several
miles per hour and already
have the distractions of
radios, radar detectors, car
phones, rambunctious kids
and nuclear shedding dogs
trying to ride up front traveling with us (long sentence,
eh?), the last distraction we
need is a boiling/freezing beverage jiggling around a few
feet from our crotch area. So
please, until every car has
ABS,
traction
control
and radar/sonar accident
avoidance systems, can we
forget about the stupid cup
holders??!!!
New Italian models to be introduced --POWERED BY GM!!!
Next thing you know dogs and
cats will be sleeping together!
Future Italian Models Update
ALFA ROMEO 158 The
GM 'Premium' platform
based 156 replacement will
make its debut late next year.
The entry-level version will be
a 150hp 1.8 JTS followed by
two all-alloy units, a 170hp
2.0JTS and a 190hp 2.2 JTS.
The new Orbital/Fiat-GM
Powertrain 'Electron' alloy V6
engine which has been heavily
revised by Alfa Romeo engineers will come in two specifications: a 230hp 2.8 V6 JTS
and a 260hp 3.2 V6 JTS.
Topping the range will be a
300hp probable 2.2-litre capacity supercharged engine while
the GTA will boast a twinturbo version of the new 3.2-litre
V6 JTS with 400hp. For Alfa
Romeo's North American
comeback in 2006/7 a
US-aimed GTA version will
feature Maserati's 4.2-litre V8.
Diesel options will come in the
shape of an entry-level 120bhp
1.9-litre unit utilising second
generation Multijet technology, a higher-specification
version with 160bhp, followed
by a 200bhp 2.4 Multijet and a
range
topping
3.2-litre
Multijet with an expected
230+bhp on tap. As Alfa
Romeo gear up to take BMW
head on, so the size of the new
158 will increase, 180mm
longer, 90mm wider but
30mm lower than the current
156. This will form a trend as
the 147 replacement will be the
widest car in its class. ALFA
ROMEO TZ3 The 'Sportiva
Evoluta' is now to be known as
the TZ3 when it is expected to
be unveiled at the Frankfurt
Motor Show in the autumn,
almost a year after it was
pulled at the last minute from
appearing at the 2002 Paris
Motor Show. Most likely to be
built by Zagato, Alfa Romeo
later this year will be the
Fulvia HF Coupe, which will
commence production next
summer offering GM's
230bhp 2.0-litre turbo and a
possible JTD power option.
The Stilnovo concept sheds
light on a new revolutionary
C-segment Lancia due in late
2006 which will aim to blend
practicality and ease of use
with performance of a pure
found on-line sby Jeff Davinson
examples and incorporating
Maserati's 4.2-litre engine and
transmission along with 4x4.
ENGINES 2006 will see Fiat
developing a new generation
of petrol engines with full
electronic valve control version
of the VVA (Variable Valve
Actuation) system, which will
be called UniAir. A simpler
VVA update will be used on
1.6-2.0 engines from late next
Bow tie Power!?!?
business head Daniel Bandiera
is now considering a higher
specification Ferrari V12
engine as a follow up to the
launch engine which will
either be a twin-turbo 3.5-litre
V6 or Maserati's 4.2-litre V8.
Bandiera is also thinking in
terms of a luxury sporting
saloon from Alfa Romeo
which could compete with
Maserati's new Quattroporte.
LANCIA: NEW NICHE
MODELS Lancia will gear
up for their 100th anniversary
with several new limitedproduction models. First up
sportscar. Recreating the HPE
( High Performance Estate )
concept. A second C-segment
Lancia the same year will
replace the Integrale, offering
4wd a new design concept
making major use of
aluminium and composite
materials and will be powered
by a redeveloped version of
GM's 2.0-litre turbo unit with
300bhp available. The new
Integrale will use the Alfa
Romeo 148's floorpan as
a basis. Alongside these will
come the new Stratos
sportscar, limited to 1,000
year. MASERATI The new
Quattroporte luxury saloon is
now expected to use a 5.0-litre
version of the 4.2-litre V8 as
used by the Coupe and Spyder.
Maserati engineers were
believed to be unhappy with
the initial results utilising
the 4.2-litre engine in this
super-heavy saloon. An
Audi-developed 4x4 system
will be added within a year
as a sportier version appears
offering a detuned version
of the Ferrari Enzo's 600bhp
6.0-litre V12.
www.flu.org
42
If You Think it is Hard to Find Parts Now...
by M. F. Weiss
(Rear Engine Fiat Club, Sun Valley, CA)
I was trying to buy parts for
my FIAT the other day. It
was no big deal, just a routine
maintanance that I was trying
to catch up on, and two different vendors mentioned the
same thing to me. They were
thinking of leaving the business to go into something a little more profitable. Now I've
always said that the fastest
way to lose money in the car
business is to go into FIAT
parts or service. But there is
an existing infrastructure of
parts and service that, if even
partially lost could be devastating to all of us FIAT car
owners. It's hard enough to
find certain kinds of parts
now - you know the ones I
mean. Imagine how bad it
could get if certain people
packed it in.
Now you might say OK,
that's the nature of laissezfaire capitolism, and I agree.
But believe me, if they were
gone, nobody would step in
and fill the void. There is just
not enough money in it. This
is why we need to pay attention to who is still out there
selling parts and we need to
patronize the best of them or
Now I've always
said that the fastest
way to lose money
in the car business
is to go into FIAT
parts or service.
face the consequences of their
demise. Even the big guys like
IAP or maybe Bayless are not
immune, but certainly the little guys are at risk, now more
than ever. I'm sure that we are
all experiencing the same loss
of disposeable income that
would normally find it's way
to our little jewel. If you are
not, hey fantastic. But I am,
and almost everyone I know
is. So the net result is that less
funding overall gets chan-
nelled to these vendors and
I'll guarantee you that they
are having a tough time right
now as well. It's the opposite
of trickle-down economics.
In the case of 850, 600, and
500 it has been a little challenging to find trim parts for
some time now. For the 124s,
only the Spyder has trim
available. The Sport Coupe
and Sedan are nearly extinct.
The X1/9 still appears in the
yards, but it is definitely thinning out and most foreign car
yards no longer have a guaranteed X1/9 there any more.
Many vendors still have X1/9
parts, but the situation is
changing rapidly. Even here
in Southern California, it is
truly amazing how many
X1/9s are currently falling out
of use. The parts supply cannot be far behind.
Even the network of private garage supply has fallen
rapidly in recent years. This is
exactly the reason that we no
longer have a swapmeet.
Nobody has parts they want
to sell anymore. Those who
have spares, for the most part,
collected them for their own
cars and do not want to sell
them at swapmeet prices.
They want top dollar and go
to Ebay in hopes of scoring
big. I can't blame them for
this. It looks to me like e-commerce has obsoleted the swapmeet.
Parts are where you can
find them these days, and to
my way of thinking, once
located, FIAT parts are still
very reasonable compared to
say BMW or MG of the era.
Soon I expect to see
homeless panhandlers holding "Will Work For FIAT
Parts" signs. It could be me
out there. If you see a guy
whose sign mentions needing
camshafts for his Abarth, that
would be me. Be generous.
Small Car Performance-service for the car enthusiast
CUSTOM PAINTING
PERFORMANCE
UPGRADES
NEW AND USED
PARTS
books4cars.com
4850 37th Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98118 U.S.A.
ALEX & RUTHIE VOSS 206.721.3077 phone
206.721.3055 fax
888.380.9277 toll free
[email protected]
Don Robinson
804-798-8346
[email protected]
43
www.flu.org
Pick up parts really cheap -used parts, new parts, parts cars.
WE MUST MAKE SPACE--
Blast from the Past...
Too Many Cars, Never Enough Fiats
Since the 1950s, I have been
a sportscar driver. It all began
when I saw a red 1953 MG
TD on a used car lot as I
drove home from work in my
Studebaker Starlight Coupe.
I stopped to take a look, and
found the price to be reasonable for an interesting little
car that appeared to be, and
proved to be in very good
condition. So, my lifelong
love of sportscars began.
The MG was traded for a
mew 1970 TR4 which was
traded two years later on a
nearly new Jaguar XKE. The
Jag ws traded (just before it
bankrupt me) on a new
TR250. I was still driving the
Triumph, and considering
a needed set of new redline
Dunlops, when, one day
at lunch, a young man
approached, introduced himself, and identified himself as
the used car manager for the
local Buick dealer. He asked
if I still drove sportscars, and
when I answered “yes”. said
he had taken a car in trade
that he knew nothing about,
and asked me if I would take
it for a spin and give him an
opinion. He said the car, a
Fiat 124 Sport Coupe, had
been purchased by the
husband without consulting
his wife (an always fatal error)
and she wanted a Buick!?!
I had never looked at a Fiat,
let alone driven one, so I
jumped at the chance. I was
delighted with the car--fast,
45
www.flu.org
by Jack Hackler
maneuverable, and only a few
months old, with very low
miles.. I traded the TR on the
Fiat, and have never looked
back at British cars. I later
found, the Fiat was quite
economical, an attribute that
would be valuable during the
gas crunch of the ‘70s.
to look for another 124 spider.
A good friend had bought a
yellow 1973 spider from a
boat dealer in Akron, but,
after purchasing a new
Ferrari 308GTS, decided his
garage had grown smaller,
and offered the Fiat to me. I
was happy at the chance, and
In 1973 I purchased a new
Fiat 124 Spider for my wire
(without consulting her). She
insisted on adding an after
market air conditioner,
which, of course, virtually
ruined the car, but, not to
worry, I lost the car in a messy
divorce. Knowing my feeling
about the Japanese, who tried
valiantly to kill me in WW2,
she immediately traded the
Spider on a Nissan. I was still
recovering from the divorce
settlement, and was too
impoverished to buy it back
from the Nissan dealer.
Without a Fiat, but with
finances improving, I began
the day after the purchase,
took it to a service station for
an oil changed. The original
owner, a nut on oil filtration,
had installed an auxiliary oil
filter. The service station
attendant showed me the
canister, and said he didn’t
have a filter element large
enough for it. I made a note
of the manufacturer’s name
and location in California,
and called with the part number. They told me that they
didn’t make an element for
that canister, but to use a new
roll of toilet paper.
I had purchased a 1988
Pontiac GT, and in 1989
bought a lovely Platino
Bertome X1l9. and decided
that maybe I should sell the
124 Spider to Charlie Bates,
which had indicated an interest. I had a lot of fun with the
X1l9, running hill climbs and
rallies, but I missed the 124
spider, and began a search for
another. I looked in newspapers wherever I traveled, and
eventually looked at several.
Most of them were dogs, and
I had no intention of embarking on a restoration project.
Eventually I found one that
appeared to be in fairly good
shape, It ran well, had a good
interior and no visible rust,
but it had always been in the
midwest, so I knew I had to
keep my eyes on the body.
After running it for about a
year, and still seeing no rust, I
had the car repainted. It was
beautiful.
One glorious August
evening in 1990 I driving
along a well-traveled city
street when I approached a
gasoline station. It was one of
those stations where the
pump islands are arranged
perpendicular to the street. A
young man was filling the
tank of an old Ford pickup,
which he had left running,
and went inside to pay. Just as
I passed the station in my
x1/9, the truck slipped into
reverse and came racing out
into the passenger side of my
beautiful X1/9. It was a total
loss. Fortunately, he had
insurance, and the Company
was contacted, arranged for a
loaner for me (I had two other
cars, but didn’t tell them)
and began to try to find
replacement “of like kind and
quality” for my car.
Over the Labor Day
Weekend, I decided to go to
Auburn, Indiana, for the
Auburn Cord Duesenberg
Festival, which had always
intrigued me. The week
before Labor Day is the time
of the “world’s largest” classic
car auction--about 6000 cars
go on the block at the Kruse
Auction grounds just outside
Auburn. Wandering around
with my camera, I spied what
appeared to be an X1/9 back
in the corner of the immense
lot. I walked back to inspect,
and found a pristine x1/9,
reading 403 miles on the
odometer!
I called the
Insurance Company, they
arranged with a dealer in Fort
Wayne to purchase the car,
and I flew there to pick it up
the following weekend.
In 1991 an acquaintance
died with two Alfa Romeo
Spiders, and his survivors put
one up for sale. It was a black
beauty with two tops, air
conditioning and an Alpine
stereo. I bought it, and now
had four cars. It was tough
(and expensive) to keep them
all in good shape, so I gave the
Pontiac GT to my son-in-law,
who thought it was the last
word!
My longtime girl friend
had moved to Charlotte, and
visits became more frequent.
On onesuch trip, in the Alfa
Spider, I stopped at the
Charlotte Alfa dealer to
have the oil changed. While
waiting, I visiting, I visited
the showroom, and saw gorgeous giallo 1994 Alfa Spider
CE, and fell in love. On my
next visit to Charlotte I took
the title to the black Spider,
and traded.
I moved to Charlotte in
1995, with the yellow Alfa,
the X1 9 and the Fiat 124 spider. After making a few
friends and joining the Alfa
Romeo Owners Club, a 1984
GTV6 I had admired came
up for sale, and I bought it. A
college student living next
door bought the 124 Spider,
and I was back to three cars.
But, once again, I longed
for a Fiat 124 Spider. Gary
Baucom, at the shop that does
my work, told me of a good
one that was for sale because
of a divorce. I understood
that problem entirely, and
traded the Bertone and some
cash for the 124. It is Ardesia,
and I have put a new black
top on. It is beautiful and
runs like a clock.
Compared with the Alfa
Spiders, the Fiats win hands
down. Lighter and more
maneuverable, (even without
power steering) with a 2000 cc
engine, they may not have the
fit and finish of the Alfas, but
the Fiat spiders are the most
fun you can have with your
clothes on.
That’s the story. Too many
cars, never enough Fiats. The
love of Fiat 124 spiders has
been a long saga, but worth
every minute.
By Brett Melancon-1988
www.flu.org
46
Carlisle Fun in the...Rain
Thanks to Shaun Folkerts and Brett Melancon for the photographic reminder of Carlisle 2003.
May next year bring better weather and MORE FIATS!
Chris Judd and buddy Jim keeping dry and
having fun in the FLU hospitality tent.
Espen Segal standing proudly in front of his
new 3.0 Milano.
Canadan must've snuck into Brucie's tent
when he had his back turned!
Hard to make out in this image, but this was
the dreary Sunday morning scene in the
steady hard rain.
Ryan Kooken shows off
the best running X1/9
at Carlisle while John
Montgomery looks on.
Jeff Davison staying dry.
Scott Phelps, his friend from Vermont Andy,
and Ryan Kooken in the FLU hospitality tent.
FLU Prez John Montgomery and new
member and Zagato owner Tim Timko.
Will Holding and a cold James
Seabolt in the FLU tent.
Late Saturday night a group followed me home to check out my cars and the new building, which somehow got the name "Garage Mahal".
Thanks to Brett Melancon for this image.
47
www.flu.org
Ok, here we go... tuning Weber DCNFs
I've got three of these
DCNF webers and the following worked pretty well.
I'm pretty sure it's fairly standard proceedure for any
multi-weber set up.
Drive the car until it is fully
warmed up and then go
home. Disconnect the linkage
from the carbs. Turn the idle
mixture screws on each carb
(total of four - these are the
ones you found down by the
base of the carb) fully in and
then back out two turns. This
is supposedly the proper
range but you will have to
fine tune them later unless
you are lucky and two turns
out turns out to be perfect for
you.
Next start the car and
adjust the idle speed adjustment screws (not to be confused with the idle mixture
screws - there is only one idle
speed adjustment screw per
carb and it doesn't go into the
carb - it pushes on the throttle
lever) until the car will idle at
the speed you want. Probably
this is about 1/2 to 1 turn in
from when they first start hitting the throttle plates.
Depending on your linkage
set up, and what the previous
owner has done, you may
have only 1 of these screws
which is responsible for moving the linkage and the linkage automatically pulls the
other carb along. But you are
going to need an idle speed
adjustment screw in both/all
by Rich Stephens
carbs! Hopefully you've got
them. Just make the carb idle
and see that both screws are
about the same distance out.
Next, go to the air bypass
screws. These are higher up
on the carb and there is one
screw per barrel (i.e. two per
carb). You'll recognize them
because they have a locknut
that you'll need an 8mm (i
think) wrench to loosen and
top of the carb and listen to
the sound of the air and make
them match that way. I had a
synchrometer but I assume
that the higher the pitch
sound the air makes, the more
air is flowing so tune to higher pitch. When both barrels
are the same, tighten the locknuts so the air bypass screws
won't move anymore.
Move to the next carb and
then a flat head screwdriver
to turn the actual screw.
Loosen the air bypass screw
locknuts on all four barrels (in
your case) and set all the
screws to be lightly in touch
with their seats - don't crank
them down but just stop
when they seem to be starting
to seat. With the car idling,
place a synchrometer into
both barrels of one carb and
see which one is drawing the
most air. You then adjust the
air bypass screw on the carb
drawing the least air to bring
it eqaul to the other one.
Without a synchrometer, you
can use a piece of fuel hose or
something - stick it into the
repeat. It doesn't matter if the
other carb is drawing less air
than the first - all you are trying to do is get each side of the
same carb to match to each
other. You'll match the two
carbs together next.
To balance the two carbs to
each other, readjust the idle
speed mixture screw of one of
the carbs so that it is drawing
the same amount of air as the
other carb. Though I've
heard/read it the other way
around too, I would adjust
the one that is drawing less air
until it is drawing the same as
the other which was drawing
more air.
Now both carbs should be
balanced - both to themselves
and to each other. All four
barrels will draw the same
amount of air and (if the jets
are the same, the same
amount of fuel). If your idle is
now out of wack, simply
adjust the two idle speed
adjustment screws by equal
amounts until the idle speed is
where you want it. Small
adjustments can make a big
differene so I turn the screw
1/6 turn at a time (i.e. until the
next"flat" of the screw is facing you). If your car has
cooled off by now, you may
want to warm it up fully
again because if it's anything
like my car, the idle varies
widely depending on how hot
the engine is, ha!
You can verify the balancing by idling the car and
removing one spark plug lead
at a time - if the idle drops by
the same amount in each case
then they are all the same.
You can further verify the
accuracy of the idle mixture
screws by letting the car idle
for like 10 minutes or something and then remove the
spark plugs (might want to let
the engine cool first if it's really hot) and look at them to see
if any are too rich or too lean
or whatever. There are various websites with pictures of
spark plugs showing what is
too rich, what is too lean, etc.
Search google.com for "reading spark plugs" or something
like that.
www.flu.org
48
850 Spider
By Italian standards, or
perhaps we should say by Fiat
standards, the engines in
the 124 and 1200 series were
actually pretty large. More
often Fiat designers preferred
closer to 1000cc.
And
although the 850 Spider was a
relatively small-engined car
by U.S. tastes, it was a true
Fiat sports car. In 1967 the
850 debuted with an 843cc
engine, just slightly above
washing machine standards.
This first year also featured
glassed-in headlights.
U.S. safety standards put a
quick end to this aerodynamic design, though. By 1968 the
headlights were the more
familiar stand-up design.
The same year Fiat also
introduced a highbacked seat
with an integrated headrest.
The engine also went down
to 817cc.
Above- The 850 was considered art on wheels. The 1967 models came equipped with the beautiful Miura
style headlights. After 1968, the headlights were changed to a less aerodynamic, but still attractive design.
More changes came in 1970.
The engine was upgraded to
903cc, and remained the same
for the remainder of the run.
The seats were altered to a
design with an adjustable
headrest. The round sidelights
ago we concluded that there were so many
memories to recall over the last 20 years,
Ricambi editor Brett Melancon would need
a record number of pages to do it
justice. Think of all the places FLU has
gone, the people we met, cars we owned,
the exhilarating drives, and the fabulous
good times shared over the years driving
down the road in these fine Italian cars. We
hope that this special edition brings back
happy memories of the 20 Fiat Freak Outs
now in our rear view mirror.
Fiat Lancia Unlimited has a very bright
future. Want to see enthusiasm? Look no
further than Jody Farr, Jon Logan, Will
Holding, Jim Keller, Frank Lembo, Jeff
and Donna Schneider, Jerry Cuccharia,
Lance Rosko, Tim Beeble, Al Williams and
49
www.flu.org
that had come on the original
models were also changed
to a rectangular reflector/light
combination. A year later the
reflector was dropped, replaced
only by a light of the same size
as the combined unit.
Chris Judd. Last month Evan and Cindy
Statman joined FLU as new members
from South Florida along with Mike
Scaffide. They have flew up from the
Sunshine State to their first Freak Out and
are starting up our 20th Chapter! Welcome
FLO-FLU in Florida!
FLU today has nearly 550 family memberships and is rapidly growing in 2003.
Our incredibly efficient Membership
Director Jon Logan reports that we recently added over 20 new memberships in less
than one week! That's not renewals my
friend, but new members signing up by
mail or online.
Many of you know that Jody Farr took
over our website less than one year ago. I
remember Bobb Rayner and myself sitting
Reprinted from
Bravo Newsletter
Spring 1991: Volume 2, Issue 1
Updated Photographs by
Brett Melancon
with Jody in the parking lot at FFO19 in
Dunkirk, asking Jody to give it a shot. The
results? Oh my God, have you surfed
www.flu.org lately? It absolutely rocks,
plain and simple. Do yourself a favor;
check out club websites from other
marques. Go ahead, make my day, surf any
brand of car. Jody Farr has made us second
to none, and if you think other clubs have
not noticed, think again.
I sincerely hope that you have great time
at this year's Fiat Freak Out. The future
beckons us to look ahead, and by the grace
of God we've still got our health, our
fantastic FLU family, and fine Italian cars
that know how to dance and sing.
John Montgomery
FLU President
auctioneer will come by,
dragging his megaphone and
paperwork entourage from car
to car. This way you also
quickly see who else is in
competition. I was up against a
guy who told me he loved the
wheels. I tried to convince him
they wouldn’t fit his VW, just
Fiats. He said he would just
redrill and grind them to
fit…oh well. He turned out to
be the only one bidding against
me. Thank goodness, because
what happened next is still a
blur to me. I had no clue what
I was bidding, until I was the
last one with my hand in the
air. Apparently I had bid up to
$150, and later auction fees and
taxes brought my total to $220.
Not bad, I told myself, now to
get it home. Again Mark
helped out, because he towed
the car to my house. There it
sat for a bit, while I got used to
the idea of having an X1/9.
Slowly but surely the dark side
was getting a grasp on me.
Bill ran a Carfax report for
me, and we were both very
underwhelmed with the result;
just some sales and smog check
entries. In the glove box, I
found the original sales slip
from 1991!!! Ouch, this car
sat on a lot in Baltimore for 3 or
4 years before getting sold.
I also found the name of
the previous owner on an
insurance slip, and after some
sleuthing we tracked him
down. Thankfully he was
more than happy to talk about
the car. He was a car enthusiast himself, and was glad to see
the car had gone to another.
He said he had needed a
tax deduction and had donated
the car after driving through
some fallen shrubbery. Aha,
this explained the front-end
damage, and the white hood.
The car used to be his “track”
car. “Next time you’re out
there, take a look under the
timing belt cover; you’ll see an
adjustable cam pulley and a
FAZA cam”, he continued.
Wow, I thought, and I couldn’t
wait to run downstairs to…
but wait, there was more…
George Follmer must still
rank among the most
beautiful racecars ever
produced. 'must've been a
Pininfarina guy involved.
With about $15 left
between us and about 5000
very loud miles behind us, we
pulled back into familiar
home ground.
That much loved Spider
served well for several more
years until it dumped the
timing belt about six feet
into Florida. But that trip is
another story.
It was in these formative
wonder years that I learned
that driving with finesse was
more fun than a 4:11 rear end
and that apexing a curve
properly held more rewards
than smoking 'em in 3rd.
Don Garletts and Don
Prudhome aside, it was
Graham Hill and Chris
Amon that had it right. So
did Fiat.
“The car has IAP springs and
Koni shocks all around.” The
flash of orange struts came
back to me. Woohoo. So how
come it wasn’t running? And
why does it spew coolant down
the side of the block every time
you crank it? Well, he had
quickly reinstalled the fuel
injection system, because he
didn’t want his DCOEs to go
to the auction. Ah, now the cut
out in the trunk started to
make sense; to make room for
the side-drafts. Of course! He
assured me the head gasket
was fine, probably just the
manifold wasn’t bolted tight
enough. After this news I was
ecstatic. This car was turning
out to be an even better deal
than I already thought.
First order now, was to get
I have dreamed of having
another Spider for about
30 years. With the generous
help of the wonderful folks of
FLU and the Fiat network,
that dream has been realized.
the car running. I had never
delved into fuel injection, but
here I was confronted with a
non-running FI X. I soon
found out that the Bosch system isn’t extremely challenging, and a lot of information is
available on the web and
forum, and in books I could
borrow. I did all the tests in the
manuals and compared notes
with Carl, who was now working on that other X that Mark
had saved from the crusher
earlier. I found out 3 of the
4 injectors were not squirting, gummed up from sitting on a shelf for too long.
A local diesel shop got them
cleaned and working again,
and… vroom…she sputtered to life. It doesn’t idle
as smoothly as I had expected
from fuel injection but that’s
probably the hot camshaft’s
fault. The ride rattles some
fillings loose, due to the stiff
shocks, but that’s all readily
accepted within my flirtation
with the dark side.
A sweet '80 Spider sits in
the garage as I write this.
I think a road trip would
be entirely appropriate.
Where's Bob?
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52
just for fun on their Escort!
The neatest thing was meeting
so many great people, and reveling in their innovative spirit
that keeps all these cars on the
road. If we had Fiat people in
cancer research, they surely
would have wiped it out by
now!
The post concours mini rally
was a great impromptu event
that a lot of folks missed. Led
by Mike Walsh’s ’67 Dino and
the lovely Ms. Alexander (a
Freakette?) riding shotgun, we
blasted
through
the
Poughkeepsie area for over an
hour, terrorizing everything in
our way. This run was not for
the timid, as Mike’s Dino,
Caesar’s and Joe DeGasperis’
Spiders set a wicked pace for
the eight car train. We briefly
stopped at a convenience store
in downtown Poughkeepsie,
where I was the victim of a
genuine New York street panhandler. He wanted two bucks
for “gas money” , certainly he
thought any Georgia boy
would be too stupid to catch
on. When I gave him the $2, he
turned and walked away without even saying “thank you”
like the bums in the south. His
arrogant style really impressed
me...I love New York! On
the tight downtown of
Poughkeepsie, I managed to
put the X1/9’s nose in front of
the pack for about 1/4 mile.
Well, we couldn’t have an
X1/9 leading this charge now
could we? I was quickly disposed of by one of the SPiders.
I guess there is a pecking order
in the Fiat kingdom!
53
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Another sideline event was
the go-kart races on Sunday
afternoon. Brian, Damon,
Brett and I did our best to get
thrown out of one track, only
to catch up with FLU members John Hilferty III, Scott
Hill, Dwight Varnes and Tony
Corbi slugging it out in a ten
race Grand Prix Championship
at another local track. In the
last race of the day, Dwight
had the field covered except
for the last lap when he
slowed, waving to the adoring
crowd (3 bystanders). Third
took him on the inside at the
last hairpin corner to finish
first. Dwight insists that his
cart ran out of gas. Sure
Dwight!
Sunday night came all too
soon, and we packed up the
war wagon for the first leg of
the journey home. One of the
trailer tires went flat over the
weekend, so we decided to
pump in a can of “Fix-A-Flat”
and see if it would hold. It
worked . . . for five glorious
miles. At our fuel stop we
added a second can and another 25 lbs of air. That did the
trick, but our problems were
just beginning.
Somewhere
south
of
Poughkeepsie we missed our
westward
turn
toward
Philadelphia. The toll charges
starting adding up fast as suddenly NYC at midnight
loomed ahead. “Uh, oh, there’s
Yankee Stadium on the left. I
don’t remember this part . . .”,
James exclaimed nervously
over the radio. We soldiered
on until the thruway split – left
ramp is I-95 to New England,
right ramp to Long Island! We
took the Long Island ramp
and rolled to a stop at at toll
booth. Surely the toll booth
attendant knows how to turn
us around. “ Please sir, we’re
sure enough lost,” I said in my
best southern accent while
handing him my map to the
city. “I’d really appreciate it if
you would show us where we
are and the best way to the
Mason-Dixon Line.” He
intently studied the map for
what seemed like minutes,
turning it sideways and even
upside down while New
Yorkers behind us patiently
laid on their horns in dismay.
“Sorry buddy, I don’t even
know where we are . . .I don’t
even own a car. I ride the bus
to work. But you’re going the
wrong way and the toll is six
dollars!” We exit at 31st Street,
stop and park beside some run
down coffee shop at 1AM to
get our act together. There’s
plenty of street people, all
looking like they need gas
money like the bum in
Poughkeepsie. When you
show up in downtown
Manhattan with two Fiat’s in
the middle of the night and a
trailer full of enough highly
pressurized “fix-a-flat” to take
out a city block . . people will
leave you alone. James chain
smokes while I plot a course
over the George Washington
bridge and into New Jersey.
We finally head west toward
the Garden State while the
Statue of Liberty could be seen
in the distance off the horizon.
The glow of New York City
was beautiful at night, but
even with Miss Liberty, this
was no place for a Southern
boy. “We’re outta here and we
ain’t gonna miss you lady!”
The “fix-a-flat” held throughout the night. I think I’ll write
the company, perhaps they will
send me a case.
Meanwhile James really
kept his cool in the heat of the
battle. He had to tell his story
about fixing his Spider on the
New York Thruway at the
awards banquet on the previous night, to the howling
laughter of the FLU membership. Let me tell you, James
might be a sweet southern boy
from the little town of
Kingsport, Tennessee, but he
took on the big apple that
night and came out a winner!
The fix-a-flat failed the next
morning in the pouring rain,
and the group stopped at at
Harrisburg tire store to have a
new tube installed. We hit the
road again, headed for breakfast with the biggest bowl of
grits we could find over the
Mason-Dixon Line. It took 12
more hours to get to Knoxville,
and then four more to be
reunited with my suitcase back
at the house. It was an experience I won’t soon forget, and
as Bobb Rayner says, “Love
You, Love Your Show!”. . .See
ya’ll next year!
John Montgomery
FLU Atlanta
Having successfully exported the car in under two hours,
a drove the hundred yards to
the Canada Customs office,
where I had to “Import” the
car into Canada. To Import
the car into Canada, I needed
a title, a bill of sale, and oddly
enough an Export permit,
which I now happened to
have. The only problem I had
at Canadian Customs was the
official who after looking at
the paperwork, and me,
looked at the car in disbelieve
and couldn’t stop laughing as
he announced he had to
charge me import duty on the
value of the car! Anyway,
another $100 or so later, I successfully
traversed
the
US/Canada border, with my
booty in tow.
Stuck on the Pennsylvania
Turnpike, while towing the
green Fiat home from New
Jersey. The driver of the red
trucker was an ex-patriot
Russian, who mistakenly
thought the Fiat was a Lada.
The Fiat sedan tooling was
sold to Russia who continued
to manufacture the body shell
for many years. The Russian
trucker thought me mad to
buy a Lada, the very reason he
left Russia!
Part 4: Race Car Prep
Track racing is serious stuff.
There are a lot of safety rules
that require modifications to
the car. However, my first
problem was to repair a leaking windshield, which had
caused the part of the floor to
succumb to the dreaded tinworm. So out came the windshield, and new metal welded
in to repair the lower portion
of the windshield frame.
Next, the floors were cut back
to good metal, and new portions welded in. At the end of
this exercise, I had become
quite proficient at welding.
After welding new metal, a
few minor door dings were
filled and the car treated to a
fresh coat of paint. No longer,
was the car a dull, sun-faded
ugly green, but it was now a
bright and shiny, ugly green.
Now if anyone was paying
attention, my 124 Sedan came
with an autobox, which is not
the most useful of transmissions for racing. Luckily,
after restoring my wife spider,
I just happened to have an
extra 5-sp manual transmission in the shed. I even had a
set of pedals, freewheel,
clutch cable and most of the
other required bits and pieces
for the conversion. However,
the one critical component I
was missing was a drive shaft.
While most 124 spider and
sedan stuff is interchangeable,
and there exists a reasonably
good supply of spider stuff,
the drive shafts are not interchangeable. The sedan shaft
is about 2 inches longer, and
nobody in their right mind
would keep a drive shaft from
30 year Fiat sedan. But my
Fiat buddy wasn’t, and he did
keep such a shaft! After
about on hour of searching
through piles of my buddy’s
Fiat stash - viola, one sedan
only drive shaft.
fast items could come later.
And that is where I stand
today: I am working to
address the safety aspects of
my car for vintage racing. I
have contracted the fabrication of the roll cage out to
experienced professionals.
After all, I believe the wife
and kids have got used to having me around. This naturally leads to mounting of a race
seat, and a racing harness.
From there, it’s a fuel cell, fire
suppression system, and electrical cut-out circuit. Add a
few other basics such as a
window net, external latches
on the hood and trunk, race
All traces of the autobox
have now disappeared, with
the exception of the “automatic” badgework on the
back. I couldn’t resist leaving
on that badgework, just to
confuse fellow race drivers.
My response will be ready; “I
had a lot of trouble with the
heel-and-toe shifting technique, so I thought I’d race
with an automatic instead”
The first place to start with
race car preparations is to
address the safety aspects. Go
numbers, and I’ll have a slow,
ugly green, race eligible vintage racer. All I need now is
some go fast stuff, (and some
driving skill and experience.)
So my winter project is set.
I hope to report on my track
experiences from the 2003
race season.
The green Fiat with a fresh
coat of paint – ready for conversion to a vintage racer.
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54
where I was calling from,
waving at the terminal. It was
great to see Csaba again, to
meet his friend Jerry Lee
Phillips from Fort Worth, and
to finally see the 131 that I had
been helping restore from a
distance – financially, anyway.
Csaba did all the work. The
car ran and drove just great,
and looked a LOT better than
the last time I had seen it. We
made a stop for dinner, and
then one for gas, and we were
on our way northward toward
the Lake of the Ozarks. Can’t
recall exactly when we arrived,
but it was probably 1:30 AM.
In walking from the parking
lot to the front desk, we took a
little time to admire all of the
cars that were present. Some
familiar, some new, and some
surprises. It took forever to
wake the hotel owner to get us
checked into our rooms, but
eventually we made it to our
beds to catch up on some sleep.
The next morning I awoke
at 6:30 and was outside by
about 7:30. Folks were just
beginning to unpack/repack,
wash their cars, and gather for
coffee, doughnuts, and conversation. I quickly jumped right
in. It was great to see the familiar faces – Ron Conlon, the
Greers, Delmer Teet and John,
Chris Layton and Marcus, Bill
Acklin, the Loflands, and
Laura Pletcher and to meet
some folks for the first time –
the Dicksons, Jim Fierst, Dan
Book, John Williams, Gary
Blessing and Gary Blessing
(father and son) and the guy
that Csaba had purchased his
850 Coupe from (sorry, can't
55
www.flu.org
recall the name). First priority,
besides saying hello to
everyone, was to help Jerry out
with the repair to the exhaust
system of his Spider. By the
time I arrived at the surprise
tech session, he and Csaba had
it all figured out already. A
little cut here, a little bend
there, and the flex hose 'test
pipe' fit right in where the cat
had broken away.
The group headed over to a
State Park for the car show
and lunch. I always love
following a line of Fiats and
Lancias down the road! Close
to the Park entrance, I spotted
a Scorpion in the parking lot of
an auto body shop. I told Csaba
immediately, but he seemed
skeptical. When the caravan
missed the entrance to the
park, this seemed to be a good
opportunity to sneak away
with Delmer to check it out.
Well, I was right – it WAS a
Scorpion. We pulled into the
parking lot, and the Loflands
were already there. Seems they
had been keeping this guy a
secret, and had been buying
parts from his two parts cars
and huge stash of Scorpion
parts. The owner of the shop
was named Lance, and follow-
ing a tour of his very impressive client cars, he followed us
over to the car-show site in his
own very-original Scorpion.
The grilled hotdogs and
hamburgers were excellent,
and hanging out with all the
MOFLOers was even better.
Toward the end of lunch, a
Mazda sedan pulled up. Seems
most of the crowd knew who
it was, and insisted I did, too. It
was great pleasure to finally
meet Michael Heath and his
wife, who unfortunately had
to make the trip Fiat-free.
Later that afternoon, all of
the cars were moved over to
the other side of the campground for the group photo.
What an assembly of cars! The
only black eye on the whole
weekend was when my car got
whacked by the door of the car
parked next to me on the
showfield, leaving a big chip in
my brand-new paintjob. Oh,
well, at least I got to enjoy it
for about 18 hours! Ugh. The
group organized for the road
rally from there, and after an
hour or so of cruising around
the lakes, we reassembled back
at the hotel. The silent auction
fundraiser was completed, and
I felt good about giving the
money (and a FLU license
plate frame) to a good cause
while 'winning' some really
nice stuff in the process. The
'tech sessions' started after
that, but since Laura Pletcher
already had her radio installed
the night before, my 131 electronic ignition upgrade was
the only remaining project.
With a group of perhaps a
dozen gathered in lawn chairs
behind the car enjoying their
beverages, Csaba and I went to
work. The conversion was a
lot easier than I had thought
it would be. The only glitch at
all was the lack of a distributor
gasket, and Delmer was nice
enough to offer to run me up
to WalMart to find something
that will work. Actually, he
didn't just offer me a RIDE up
there, he offered me his keys!
It's never been a secret that I
absolutely LOVE his red
customized Scorpion – and
this was my first ever opportunity to take it for a drive! Very
impressed by the smooth ride,
great handling, and smooth
running fuel-injected two-liter
of Delmer's very custom, very
clean, Scorpion. Once back
at the hotel and the 131, the
ignition conversion was
completed, and I then further
upgraded the car with the
beautiful 3-spoke Spider
steering wheel that Bill Acklin
had sold to me at MOFLO.
There was a little bit more
time for continued BSing with
the gang before getting cleaned
up for the banquet dinner. The
restaurant had prepared our
own private room and menu,
and the food and atmosphere
were just great. We voted the
astoundingly original 850
Coupe (14,500 miles, and original Cavis spark plug wires,
paint, and tires!) the very
deserving winner of 'Best of
Show' and presented the
award to it's proud owner. The
'award' by the way, is to be featured as the 'logo car' of
NEXT year's MOFLO.
Well-deserved.
Following
dinner, one group went out to
try their luck with go-karts,
and the other headed back to
the hotel. Ron asked if he
could relive his days with a 131
by driving mine, and I was
more than happy to oblige. It
was a beautiful night, and we
all sat around talking until
well into the morning before
turning in.
It was great to sleep a little
later the next morning,
Sunday. When I finally got
outside at around 10AM, I had
found many participants had
already departed for home.
Sadly, I didn't get to say
goodbye to many of them. The
ones that were left met at the
local Shoney's for brunch. I
made a quick detour to
WalMart again to pick up a
map to start to do some planning. Following brunch, the
rest of the MOFLO group
packed up and headed out,
and I started making some
phone calls. I now had to get to
Houston in less than 36 hours.
This should be interesting. My
first step was to figure out
whether I was going to drive
or fly. Due to the huge distance
and my busy schedule back in
PA, I decided flying made the
most sense. The next step was
to decide where to fly FROM.
In calling the airlines, it
seemed that Indianapolis,
Indiana would be the cheapest,
and was about the right distance away. So I booked a
flight and made all the necessary arrangements with my
boss, and I headed out on the
highway.
It was about 85 degrees out,
under blindingly bright sun
when I started out at about
3pm. Let's give this newlycharged air conditioning
system a workout, shall we?
Ahhhhh! I drove many many
comfortable hours, with the air
conditioning keeping the
car nice and comfortable. If
only all my cars had a climate
control system that worked
this well! The 131 averaged
26.2 miles per gallon with the
A/C on constantly, at an
average speed of 75 miles per
hour. The car rode smoothly
and comfortably, had decent
power (which is really surprising considering it’s an 1800,
stock with small carb and
exhaust manifold) for the hills,
and was, in general, a pleasure
to drive. I'm very impressed
with the previous owner's care
given this car, and even
moreso by Csaba's ability to get
it to such fine condition for my
trip. My thanks to you both!
Pulled into Indianapolis at
around 10PM, and found a
Motel 6 right near the airport.
Configured the company
laptop computer to be able to
get online using my own
personal account, but was then
too tired to do much, so I
called it a night. I woke up the
next
morning, repacked
everything I can use for the
week in Houston, and rushed
to the airport. Hated to leave
the car all alone and subject to
more door dings and sun
damage so soon after "taking
delivery", but I had no choice.
A big thanks to all involved
in making MOFLO such
a huge success (Conlons,
Dicksons,
Greers,
and
Loflands) and a great time for
all attendees, and a special
thanks to Csaba (and also
Delmer, Jerry, and Bill)
for their help in preparing
the 131.
Blast from the Past...
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56
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Then just put the linkage
back on the carbs, making any
adjustments necessary so that
it does not alter the idle at all.
I.e. don't let it push on the
throtle levers at all. With it on,
pull with your hand to verify
that it starts moving each
carb's throttle lever at the exact
same time - if not, adjust it.
This is a huge pain in the ass
on my car!
Oh, before you even start
trying to tune the carbs, make
sure that the float levels are set
right (i can look up the specs if
you need them) and that the
needle jets are in good shape
and that you have no vacuum
leaks (with the car idling you
can spray some carb cleaner
here and there, like around the
base of the carbs for instance,
and if you hear the idle
increase, that means you have
a vacuum leak sucking in that
carb cleaner and using it as
fuel. You won't be able to perfectly balance your carbs if air
is getting in from someplace it
isn't supposed to. I'd also make
sure that the ignition system is
all good: good spark plugs,
leads, etc.
I used to be afraid of carbs
and all their tiny parts, ha! But
once you take them apart you
realize that all the jets are
different sizes and stuff and it's
pretty much impossile to put it
back together wrong, especially if you have a diagram, then
playing around with carbs is
pretty fun. As far as the balancing goes, if you are any-
thing like me you'll just get it
pretty good and then drive the
car and say, "hey that's a lot
better than it
was!" and then maybe another
day check it again and make
more progress and then eventually just decide that the
damn things are good enough!
Thanks goes to Pierre
Beniston, Pete Angel, and
many here at Mirafiori for
teaching me all that stuff I just
typed above. It works. Give it a
try!
Moretti ownership puts you
in an exclusive club. It is both
a rare and desirable car which
combines head-turning good
looks with a distinguished
pedigree. And its stock Fiat
850 engine and running gear
mean that parts are not a prob-
lem. Morettis are not just
delectable, they keep alive the
idea that a hard-working individual can succeed as a car
builder. It is a dream shared by
more than a few fortunate
Moretti owners.
You may also register online at www.flu.org
$
COPY OR CLIP AND MAIL WITH CHECK PAYABLE TO FLU
$
FIAT LANCIA UNLIMITED (FLU) MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
Name______________________________________________ Spouse_______________________________________________
Address_________________________________________________________________________________________________
City/State/Zip_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Telephone (H) ______________________ (W) ______________________ ITALIAN AUTOS OWNED (Year, Make, Model)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________e-mail address____________________________
How did you hear about FLU?____________________________________Please indicate your interests:______________________
p Technical p Vintage Cars p Autocross p Tours p Social p Rally
p Rush my newsletter first class mail (add $6.00 for postage)
____________________________________________
Dues: $29.00 per year (Canadian members $35.00 US).
Make Check payable to: Fiat Lancia Unlimited
Mail to: FLU Membership, 3258 Scioto Farms Dr, Hillard, OH 43026
p New Member p Renewal Chapt. Affiliation____________________________
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Customize your shirt with optional artwork of a Spider or X1/9!
All items custom made with the 3 color stitched FLU Logo, or substitute
the Spider Logo or X 1/9 logo in custom colors! Sizes are Meduim, Large,
X-Large, 2-XL. USA Shipping $5.95 for up to three items. International orders
extra. VISA/Mastercard accepted.
(716) 822-3812, [email protected]
or secure on-line at www.flu.org
A
FLU Polo Shirt
White, Red or Black-$29
choose
your own
design!
B
FLU Italia Shirt
White with tri-color sleeves
& “Italia” collar-$55
C
FLU Wrangler Denim
Long sleeve Shirt
Blue or stone color,
Men’s or Ladies
Cut-$35
FLU Full Zip Fleece Vest
Red, Black & Charcoal-$42.50
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Navy, Red,
Natural-$13
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$6.95
Cars–for sale
1981 Bertone X1/9 ,Maroon, Black int,
Mechanically perfect with rebuilt engine,
tires, brakes, alternator, K&N, suspension,
rebuilt transmission...ect. No expense was
spared to maintain this car. Call for 3-page
list of parts replaced. Great stereo with
cass. and 10 disc CD changer including
subs. Runs excellent and always passes
emissions test. X1/9 books, repair man,
custom fitted car cover & receipts for all
parts. Call Pete 1-815-485-0733 or e-mail
[email protected] Car is located in
New Lenox, IL. 4/03
_________________________________
1959 LANCIA FLAMINIA ZAGATO 2500 cc.
Red; set up for racing. Winner Italian
Historic Cars Championship in ‘92, ‘93, ‘94
and ‘95. Includes all parts to restore it to
its original road set-up. $ 50,000 - OBO
San Diego, Ca, 858-274-6087; cell:
858-735-5708. Alessandra Colfi Voice:
858 274 6087 Mobile: 858-735-5708
e-mail: [email protected] 4/03
_________________________________
Peter Reno1994 ALFA ROMEO 164LS,
2nd owner Auto, Champagne/Tan. 104k.
Glossy paint. Nice Lthr Seats and carpet.
Runs great. Always use Synthetic oil and
have reg maintenance. All receipts! Won
3rd place in its class at 2002 FFO. can
email pics. airbag, ABS, CFC free cold A/C,
AM/FM Cassette, alarm, pwr steer, moonroof, locks, windows, seats, door locks,
mirrors, 210 hp 24v V6. $8,500 Contact:
[email protected], Car is in Long Island 4/03
_________________________________
1980 Fiat Spider 53K miles; auto; FI; drk
green ext and tan & black int recently
restored and kept covered; custom racing
tires, new interior parts, panels and
upholstry; new conv top; braking system
replaced; new stereo and 4 speakers; new
fuel pump; runs good - needs airflow
sensor. $3,000 OBO. Contact Bill
McDonald 410.420.8854 after 6 EST or
[email protected] 4/03
61
www.flu.org
1982 TURBO Fiat Spider, RARE. Orignal
owner/all documentation. 5 spd, leather,
A/C, new top and new Pirellis. Engine and
turbo rebuilt. Excellent mechanical
condition but needs body restoraion.
116,000 miles $4800, Thomas [email protected] - Boston MA 1/03
_________________________________
1968 Fiat Spider-Original torque tube
car-runs and drives-needs restoration-$1000
orB/O.Pictures upon serious request. Jim
Warga, [email protected] 1/03
_________________________________
1981 Lancia Zagato Red, Good cond.
Very good int & convert. top. Cold a/c.
Recently replaced tires, brakes & suspension components . Engine and gear box
mechanically sound. Paint fair condition,
95k miles. $3400 obo. Contact Dave at
[email protected] 1/03
_________________________________
1968 2.0 Fiat Dino Spider series II,
engine and trans rebuilt 3 yrs ago at a
cost of over $5k. Serial No. 0001090 built
in September of 1968. Red on the outside
and has the optional tan leather interior.
The convertible top is in good condition
and is of the material that looks like black
velvet. Runs excellent with no mechanical
problems. Recently rebuilt the distributor
and the electronic ignition (Dinoplex).
Pirelli tires on original knock off wheels,
original
wood
steering
wheel.
Carpet inside and in the trunk are in
excellent condition. See the car at
http://hometown.aol.com/dinospider/ind
ex.html Boston, MA just off Rt. 495 phone
508-533-7027
evenings,
e-mail
[email protected] I will work with
you so you can arrange financing if you
are serious. $19,000 10/02
_________________________________
1981 Lancia Zagato Red. Excellent
condition, one owner, always garaged,
located in CT. New tires, brakes and
clutch. Rare find. $5000 or best offer.
Call Chris 917-337-2881 or email at
[email protected] 10/02
1973 850 Spider 80k miles, body a little
rough but a great resto candidate. Many
new parts including rad, alternator and
soft top. $1500 obo. Contact: Jody Farr
[email protected] Phone: 724-5232334 http://www.icubed.com/~jfarr 1/03
_________________________________
1970 Fiat 124 Sport Spider- Very good
cond. 82K Orange/ blacl trim. Black
convert. top. 5-spd. Luggage rack.
AM/FM stereo casette. 4 speakers.
Garage kept. 2nd owner 30 years. Maint.
records. $3,500 or OBO. Contact at
1-985-643-9684 or CP 985-640- 8342 or
[email protected] D.D. Pelham,
Slidell, Louisiana 1/03
_________________________________
1982 Lancia Beta HPE 02/01 Met Blue with blue
cloth int. 65K miles, 3rd owner.
2 Liter fuel Injected stock euro motor, 8.9:1
comp, 122 HP. Orig car in orig paint. New tires
(Pirelli P4000 Super touring), new shocks, all
filter & fluid changes, timing belt & tensioner
change, hoses & thermostat changed, complete
tune up w valve adjustment, new exhaust system,
shift bushing replacement, Carrello lights, side
wing lights, stainless steel euro bumpers.
Never any rust. Always garaged since new.
Interior is perfectly preserved, no disappointments.
Blaupunkt radio circa 1982. $5,900. Extra
parts include new spare entire subframe & CV
drives, hubs, brake calipers, starter, tow hitch,
plus many other Lancia parts available. John
Montgomery 864-304-6537 ([email protected])
1982 Race prepped X1/9 If you’d like
more information, email me direct. See
photos at http://www3.sympatico.ca/myronx19
Myron Samila Samila Racing - Toronto,
Ontario Canada 10/02
_________________________________
1978 Lancia Scorpion Gold, needs some work but
overall is a nice vehicle. $2,600 obo. Call Andy
Williamson, car is located in Maryland at 865-6042207 or e-mail [email protected]
_________________________________
1970 Fiat 500 L restored by Car di Reggiani
Roberto s.n.c. in Brescia, Italy. Ivory paint is a
couple years old on a nice straight car.
Bumpers with L trim, hubcaps, and ext. lamps
are all new. The black interior is fabulous, new
sunroof. The engine has just had a service, the
clutch is new, and every mechanical system of
the car has been examined and repaired as
needed. The car is in excellent mechanical
condition, and ready to be driven. The clock
shows 64,000 kilometers. All government
paperwork has been started; plates and official
California title are estimated to arrive at the
beginning of November. $7,755.00 US Dollars
e-mail Chris Obert at [email protected] 10/02
_________________________________
1976 Lancia scorpion restoration
project. engine/gearbox great, as is the
interior. The body has minimal rust, with
the exception of the drivers side
floorboard. The factory toolkit and books
are included. $1250.00 OBO. Bob Santoro
513- 752-3325 or 513-305-9312 1/03
_________________________________
1981 Lancia Zagato Red. Excellent
condition, one owner, always garaged,
located in CT. New tires, brakes and
clutch. Rare find. $5000 or best offer.
Call Chris 917-337-2881 or email at
[email protected] 10/02
_________________________________
1981 Lancia Zagato- red, good cond. very
good interior and conv. top, cold a/c, tires,
brakes and susp. components recently
replaced.
Mechanically sound, 95k.
Located in FL $3,400 obo, Dave at
[email protected] 01/03
_________________________________
1956 Viotti 600 Extremely rare. Very few were
even manufactured. Only three of these
custom–designed cars were imported into the
US. Needs restoration. $18,000 US Dollars
e-mail Chris Obert at [email protected] 10/02
PARTS–for sale
Carburator for 1979 Fiat Spider Taken off
of a running car, $100 obo, 610-269-2454,
Chet Whiting
_________________________________
Fiat, Lancia, Alfa sales broch, books, models
& toys. Wide selection. 100s of items - fun
stuff for all budgets. Call/write for your free
10 page list. Doug Schellinger, 13717 W Green
Meadow Dr, New Berlin, WI 53151. email:
[email protected] 414/687-2489 eve.
_________________________________
Lots of Lancia - Scorpion, Coupe, Orig. Fiat
Sales Brochures 02/01 Shows all models, interiors
and features. Prices per year: ‘49-’55, $35;
‘56-’59, $25; ‘60-’64, $20; ‘65-’69 $18; ‘70-’79, $15; ‘80present, $12, add $3.50 for ship, specify yr. Have
lit for Alfa, Lancia and other Euro cars. Walter
Miller, 315-432-8282 www.autolit.com 01/03
_________________________________
Service Manuals, History Books, Owners
Manuals, Parts interchange manuals,
history books, & more for 500, 600, 850,
1100, 1200, 1500, 128, X1/9, 124, Spider,
125, 131, Strada, Brava Alex Voss Tel:
206-721-3077 www.books4cars.com Alex
Voss Tel: USA-206-721-3077 04/03
_________________________________
Blast from the Past...
Fiat Spider targa hard top, with rear glass
window--European piece, very rare, excellent
condition, never on cars, 20% below Doc’s cost
at $1250. Buyer pays pays shipping or pick up
in Atlanta. Other items, including dual webers,
manifolds, etc. Fiat Spiders. Doug Hamway,
[email protected] or call (770) 867-5869.
PARTS–wanted
1961 Fiat 1200 cabriolet wanted-front
bumper with or w/o brackets, headlight
rims, front turn signal assemblies with lens,
taillight lens and taillight assembly Help
with parts or leads to find parts would be
appreciated. Russ Burril at 630-530-1831 or
e-mail [email protected]
______________________________
Blast from the Past...
Advertising is FREE to all Fiat Lancia Unlimited
members. For non–members, cost per ad is
$10.00 with payment to Fiat Lancia Unlimited.
We reserve the right to edit all ads. Ads are
published in two issues. Please make sure
your copy is legible. Fax your ad copy to
(865) 525-0118 or e-mail text with photo to
[email protected]
Lots of Lancia - Scorpion, Coupe, Sedan,
spares Please call or email with needs.
Scorpion complete 4 tip Ansa exhaust system,
aluminized, used. NEW 84.4MM 8.9:1 piston
set. 1800 cyl heads and exhaust manifolds,
John Kostelansky 908-782-4237 anytime email:
[email protected] 04/02
SHIFT BUSHING KIT 07/02 for Lancia Beta
manual transmissions. The factory plastic bushings
are the primary cause of linkage problems. Lancia
Beta shift bushing kits are available for $95 (US)
plus shipping. We can press the new bushings in for
$145 (US) plus shipping. Single bushings are $20
plus $5 shipping. Each bushing comes with a retaining ring and nut. John Montgomery 770-932-2380
_________________________________
X1/9 Spoiler- Newly reproduced to fit and
look JUST like the OE version. Goes in front
under bumper, Fits 1979 to end of production.
$110 + $15 shipping to anywhere in US,
Contact Brett at 865-525-1554 or e-mail at
[email protected]
Dearler inquiries welcome!
_________________________________
Dear Italian Car Enthusiast, please visit
Thomson Motors Ltd, URL: http://www.thom
sonmotors.net Specialist leading Independent
for Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia and all other
Italian marques: new, used, reconditioned,
performance and competition partsall aspects
of servicing & mechanical repairs panelwork
& full restoration race & rally car hire &
preparation racing holidays cars for sale 04/02
www.flu.org
62
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
PAID
Columbus, OH
PERMIT #4416
FLU Membership
3258 Scioto Farms Drive
Hilliard, Ohio 43026
www.flu.org
WriteNow
Table Style
Geneva
Perhaps more exciting for the
enthusiast driver was the
mid-engined,
rear-drive
Scorpion. The same Beta
twin-cam
engine,
but
detuned to produce 81 horsepower at 5000 rpm, was
mounted transversely ahead
of the rear wheels. While
called the Scorpion in the
U.S., it was sold in Europe as
the Monte Carlo. Europeans
could order more potent
1995cc,
120-horsepower
engines in all Monte Carlos.
The Scorpion was clothed in
drmatic wedge-profile styling
featuring a flying buttree
roofline. The smallish sun5
www.flu.org
roof was made of soft plastic,
or vinyl. The Scorpion had a
90.5 inch wheelbase and an
156 inch overall length. The
car had a top speed 110 mph,
would do 0-60 mph in 11.8
seconds and produced quarter mile numbers of 19.2 seconds and 78.6 mph.
While the Beta soldiered on
in the U.S> market until
1982, only the coupe was
offered here after 1981 and
the Scorpion only in 1976 and
1977. The Zagato was introduced in the 1979 and was a
2+2 Targa top coupe designed
by Pininfarina that resembled
a slightly enlarged Fiat X1/9,
though the engine and drive
wheels were up front. Again
the Zagato used the same dri-
vetrain as the Beta, now being
the Fiat 1995cc, DOHC inline
four that was rated 87-horsepower at 5400rpm (in 49
states-1979 only), or 108
horsepower at 5500 rpm (in
all states- 1981-82). By now
Lancias could be ordered
with creature comforts,
offered in all years of Betas in
the U.S., like air conditioning,
automatic transmission, and
power windows.
All this could still not generate sales in the U.S. so, Lancia
left the U.S. market for good
after 1982. However, it was
still a major player, and still is,
in Europe and Europeans
have been treated to many
fine Lancias since they’re like
the Gamma, Delta, and
Thema.
Captions:
The Fulvia Coupe was a
model that spanned the
Lancia and Fiat eras. This is
the 1970 model.
The Lancia Beta HPE was a
high-performance fastback.
This is a 1978 model.
The radical Lancia Stratos.
This one is not fitted with the
tail and “basket handle” rear
window spoilers. Only 500
1974-1975 Stratos were built.
Summer 1993
Volume 4, Issue 2
Lancia History: Part III The
Fiat Years
by Bill Siuru
In 1969, financially troubled
Compression
Testing
Compression testing
for some can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t
have to be that way.
Knowing how to effectively perform a simple
compression test can be
valuable when trying to
diagnose a problem with
your Italian car or considering the purchase of a
new one.
Obviously one needs
a compression tester to
perform the operation.
Assuming a tester is on
cranking, while you
perform a compression
hand we first make sure
watch the gauge. When it
test will save you tons of
the battery has a good
stops going up, your
time and money over the
charge on it. Slow crank-
friend can stop cranking.
course of you Italian car
ing can result in low and
The number of revolu-
ownership.
inconsistent numbers.
tions necessary before
Remove all of the spark
you get an accurate read-
plugs and connect your
ing is dependent on how
compression tester to a
many revolutions it takes
cylinder via the spark
the starter to accelerate
plug
the engine to its top
opening. Next, have a
speed. That figure will
friend open the throttle
be different for every
all the way, and hold it
engine, but shouldn't take
open. You may also want
more than a second or
to remove the air filter if
two of cranking.
you think it's restrictive.
Have your friend start
Last winter, my loving husband had some weeks off for
Christmas vacation. Any
woman would’ve hoped for
being awakened in the morning
with some kisses on the neck
and a nice breakfast with some
flowers. Not me. I knew what
was going to happen. During
his vacations, Daniel was getting up between 8:30 and 9:00
am, every morning. But every
morning the clock would ring
at 8:00 am and every morning
Daniel would turn it off and fall
asleep again, until 8:30 when he
would have his breakfast (alone)
before going to the basement
where he would “rub”. Rub
what? Rub all his small Fiat
pieces that he’d brought into the
house for the winter. Washing
them, sanding them, shining
Melancon
Knowing how and
when to
Northern Input: For Women Only
My husband Daniel suffers
from a very severe sickness, the
acute Fiatite. A really severe
sickness, at least from my point
of view. In fact, what other sickness can lead a normal person
(in appearance) to lie on a concrete garage floor every Sunday
morning, at 35 degrees below
zero, with oil dripping on his
face while he’s scraping his
knuckles and uttering swear
words. . . and liking it?
Which other sickness could
lead a nearly normal guy to fall
on all fours and leap from car to
car during club meets? Which
other sickness can bring a normally nice guy (in normal times)
to read in the conjugal bed until
the early morning hours, shop
manuals smelling like motor oil
and rotten eggs?
by Brett
by Josie Forest
them, coddling them, while I
was bored to death.
But you know what? I’m getting used to it. In fact, he is so
proud when he’s showing me a
part that he dismantled or
repaired. During these occasions, even if I’m in a bad mood
I can’t tell him I don’t care. I
should pretend to understand
the use of the part. Ideally I
should even remember the
name; Oh! This is a clotch bare
ring! But what I liked the most
is the fact that he’s always at
home. Not at the pool room, not
at a bar with some friends, and
especially not with any other
woman. No, he’s at home with
all his small Fiat parts, which I
learned to like in the end.
So ladies, if your husband is
also suffering from the Fiatite
(or any other car related disease)
deal at least a few morning
breakfasts in bed. And learn to
like his hobby. Otherwise you
are going to feel really lonely for
the next thirty or forty years.
Originally written in French
for “Alfie” the Quebec Italian
Car Club newsletter. Josie is
Daniel Forest’s wife, our
Quebec correspondent. Women
wishing to congratulate Josie
about this article should be
warned: Josie’s English is mostly limited to “Yes, No, A Big
Mac with a large fries, No he’s
not here for the moment can I
take a message and Sorry I don’t
speak English” Daniel translates this article and he swears
he didn’t censure it. Can we
trust a guy with acute Fiatite?
For sure!
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WriteNow
Table Style
Geneva
Bravo Summer 1991
Volume 2, Issue 2
Carlo Abarth: The Man of
High Performance Fiats
by T. A. Sunderland
Let’s play a little Jeopardy.
First, the answer: Carlo
Abarth. Now the question:
What would you get if you
took Ferdinand Porsche,
Enzo Ferrari, Zora ArkusDuntov and Carrol Shelby
and put them all into a bottle
5
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and mixed them up?
Why Carlo Abarth? Because
no other single individual has
had as much influence on the
development of high-performance Fiats than this one
man. Carlo Abarth built special prototype cars, he converted assembly-line models
into special editions, he made
do-it-yourself bolt-on conversion kits, and at one time
Abarth & Co., made 300,000
mufflers a year. And in the
process, Carlo Abarth became
one of the most recognized
names in both European and
American motorsports.
Carlo Abarth and the
mechanics and engineers who
created Abarth cars and components were in the car business,” explained Alfred
Consentino, owner of FAZA,
a firm which still imports difficult-to-locate Abarth parts,
“but these men were, in fact,
artists. Had they been born a
hundred years earlier they
would have been painters and
sculptors.”
Carlo Abarth was born in
Vienna, Austria, in 1909
under the sign of Scorpio.
From the start it was rather
prophetic. In later years
Abarth incorporated the scorpion into the Abarth marque.
This scorpion was to become
one of the most feared and
revered sights in the rearview mirror of many a racecar driver.
Like many young men in
Europe, one of Abarth’s earliest athletic pursuits was tenspeed bicycle racing. Once
again, this activity was to have
a profound effect on his later
life. First, Carlo Abarth
became a competitor. Second,
and possibly even more
important, Carlo Abarth
started to experiment with
the tubular frame construc-
www.flu.org
6