East Midlands Section - Alfa Romeo Owners Club

Alfa Romeo Owners Club UK
East Midlands
Section
Formerly Central & East Midlands
We are returning to the delightful La
Torre restaurant for our Section’s New
Year Meal following last year’s highly
enjoyable night.
Where is it?
48 High St, Coalville, Leics, LE67 3EE.
Can I park?
Easy! La Torre has a large car park at
the rear of the building.
What’s on the menu?
The special menu is on our website. An
excellent choice of fine dishes is
available for a great price of £22.50 for
three courses +£2 for the steak.
(Balance after deposit is paid on the
night by individual, inc. any drink.)
How do I book?
Please give a £5 per head deposit to
John along with your menu choice.
Cheques should be made payable to
John Griffiths and posted to him at
25 Heards Close, Wigston Harcourt,
Leicestershire, LE18 3SW, or please
see him at the December meeting.
Website?
See www.latorrecoalville.co.uk
Fabio and Gregorio, look forward to
welcoming us there again, arriving
from 7pm on for 7.30pm.
As well as good food, wine and
company, we’ll have a charity raffle.
Prize donations on the night kindly
received, no matter how small!
...not when you own an Alfa Romeo and are a
member of our club anyway!
Some people will be putting their classic Alfas
away of course but many of our members have an
Alfa as a year-round daily driver and will carry on
with them right through. The question is, will we
have a mild a winter like last time, or ice and snow,
where we’re all thinking about buying winter tyres?
We certainly can’t argue about the fabulous autumn
weather though. 20 degrees on Halloween, who’d
have ever bet on that? I hope you enjoyed my ditty
in Alfa Driver magazine about protecting your car for
winter though, I can’t recommend applying a coat or
two of sealant highly enough.
As you’ll read inside, we’ve got several fun things
lined up for our regular monthly meetings at the
George & Dragon. Those kick off on 10 December
with the welcome return of Vehicle Dynamics
expert, leader of the Prodrive Brera S project, Peter
Cambridge. Peter’s not been over ‘formally’ for
some time though has been along to enjoy various
gatherings of course. He’s sure to have plenty of
stories about his recent freelance experiences—
including working with MG in China, but will also be
very happy to take any questions we have about
cars; suspension, tracking, tyres, ride, handling,
testing, you name it!
After the whole Christmas caboodle, we’re back
to La Torre for another annual treat, the New Year
Meal. I love the welcome we get there, apart from
the fabulous and great value food… and we’ll have
another charity raffle too, which is always fun. Prize
donations on the night please - anything from booze
to soap on a rope, it all goes down great! Details
opposite and if you can’t find the menu inside
please check our website. It’s important you book
with me though as space is limited to 40 places.
For the January 14 meeting at the G&D I’ll be
concocting a ‘What’s it Worth’ quiz, where you can
try your hand at assessing the value of classic
Italian cars that are up for sale. Don’t worry, it’s
multiple choice! Then for Feb, we’re looking at a
curry night at the G&D, given the new chef there,
Josh, is very good. Then before we know it we can
start looking forward to spring and some outdoor
activities again. Another ’Fox Run’ driving event is
definitely on the cards for example, possibly on less
dirty roads this time!
Must say, I was staggered by how many came
along to our Section AGM in November - 34 people!
That must be a record. Hopefully it is a reflection of
how well things are going generally in the club. I
was sincerely flattered by Chairman Bryan’s
comments about the effort I put in to organisation
and communications, but it’s so important to
acknowledge everyone’s support. Without you guys
the club wouldn’t have had National Alfa Weekend
or MITCAR of course—and god knows what would
have happened at Auto Italia Stanford Hall either!!
Have a fantastic Christmas - hope to
see you at the New Year Meal or
before. Salute!
John
Alfisti is edited and produced by
Inside:
John Griffiths

AROC East Midlands Section Secretary
Tel: 0774 8881317


e-mail: [email protected]

See our website for latest news and more:

www.AROC-UK.com/EastMids
Alfisti’s production sponsored by
■ Alfisti Issue 170 ■ Nov/Dec 2014
Section AGM
Karting Enduro
Classic Motor Show - NEC
Alfas at Millbrook
Our Cars
. . . and more
@AROCeastmids
ALFISTI / EASTMIDS
Free to club members
Section AGM
The George & Dragon, Thringstone, 12 November
November saw our Section AGM, with a great turn-out of 34 members. The existing
committee was re-elected and we had a great discussion about events for next year. There
were some good new ideas floated, though of course some firm favourites will remain.
Accordingly, we expect to have the provisional Section event calendar for 2015 out in
January. For early next year, were looking at another Fox Run—i.e. a ‘navigational’ tour,
followed by lunch and possibly another attraction, plus a car line-up at a venue, a bit like we
did in recent years at the Coventry Transport Museum. That’s before all the big outdoor
shows start.
Following the formalities, it was Brian Smith’s honour to set the traditional Alfa quiz
having won last years. Well, there was some Alfa stuff in it! It was most eclectic and
entertaining anyway, though even with multiple choice answers, we were staggered so
many people got high scores!! The winner was Peter Farley who will have the undoubted
pleasure of setting next year’s anyway!
We will keep the G&D as our regular meeting place too for the foreseeable future. It has
had a thorough makeover and is now really smart inside and out, and the food really has
come on in leaps and bounds too.
Thanks to everyone who came along - see you in December. John
Above - The Alfa Quiz was done under exam conditions… sort of!
Right - part of the swish new interior of the George & Dragon. Highly salubrious.
Alfa Driving Event at
Millbrook Proving Ground
By Matthew Yousuf
I was delighted to be picked by Alfa UK in
October for their Proving Ground event, an event
in which you could test the latest Mito and
Giulietta models to their limit! The details were a
little vague, but there were 3 choices of venues,
in which I chose Millbrook on the 19th October
and my brother joined me as my chosen guest.
Upon arrival, I had little knowledge of the
Millbrook venue, which was worth a visit in itself
(usually closed to the general public). Millbrook
serves as a testing ground for many new car
models (we spotted one camouflaged SUV).
Spine breaking road surfaces, a 2 mile high
speed banked oval and an 'Alpine' road are some
of the facilities available on site!
Our first excitement of the afternoon, and one
that wasn't mentioned before the event, involved
been driven by a professional driver in Alfa’s new
baby supercar, the 4C! Over the Alpine road, I
wished, but nonetheless, the short circuit used to
demonstrate the 4C's handling ability, was an
experience that left me wanting one! The two
standout things for me...the menacing noise and
the G force produced under braking! Fantastic!
We then moved onto vehicle dynamics in the
new 2014 Mito Quadrifoglio Verde TCT model.
This was to show and prove the technology used
in Alfas 'DNA' (dynamic, natural, all weather)
modes. Involved was manoeuvring a tight, fast
ALFISTI - Nov/Dec 2014 - Issue 170
corner in-between cones on a wet surface and
also manoeuvring a tight corner under hard
braking. Dynamic mode slackens the traction
control, allowing more give (fun) before cutting in,
while All-weather mode performs the exact
opposite and immediately attempts to straighten
the car. Impressive stuff and the MQV with new
eye catching trim, upholstery and entertainment
system looks the part!
No chance to reflect, we were straight into the
new 2014 Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde TCT and
onto the 2 mile ring with a pro touring car driver
(I'm not good with names)! For this, we put sole
trust in our ability, as well as the instructors, as
we took the embanked corners NO HANDED at
75mph, attempting to stay in our lane! Throttle
adjustment was key for this in order to 'level
out'. Then a quick blast up to 120mph on the
straight, which was very easy doing for the GQV!
The last two drives involved driving a Giulietta
and then a Mito along the 'Alpine' road, which is
all the best bends taken from the Swiss Alps! For
this, we first drove the Giulietta 170bhp Multiair
TCT with an instructor along side and then we
swapped into the new Mito 140bhp Multiair TCT
in the new QV Line spec. Impressed with both
cars, especially the Mito which was good fun
using the Paddle shift over the bendy, hilly road.
We also took both cars flat out on the one mile
straight from a standing start! They were both
good for around the 120mph mark!
Excellent event, really well planned and by far
exceeded my expectations for the day. Well done
Alfa!
Matthew
No photos
allowed at
Millbrook, but
here are a few
to give you the
idea!
AROC East Midlands Section Newsletter
Karting Enduro Night
Sutton Circuit, 17 October
Our karting endurance event returned to the excellent Sutton Circuit near
Broughton Astley in Leicestershire on Friday 17 October, and with numbers
bolstered by some of Section Member David Malpass’ work friends and also a
few of Mark Sangster's’, we ended up with 10 teams. The circuit had just
received a refreshed fleet of brand new karts, as pictured on the right, that
were as fun as ever and very evenly matched. Though single-engined, the 9.5
bhp 4-strokes are quite rapid enough, pushing the larts to over 55 on the main
straights.
We kicked off just as it had gone dark, but mercifully it stayed dry for us. The
fun of running on an autumn evening though, under floodlights, is that
gradually you get some evening dew. This totally changes the track
conditions, and come your second driving stint, you’re always surprised by the
amount of extra slip in the bends. Brilliant fun anyway. The track has some
great corners; the braking point at the end of the start/finish straight is
superb, ditto the hairpin and the very bottom bend which demands ‘balls of
steel’ when overtaking! Hilarious fun.
Mark Sangster was delighted to set fastest lap in the race, beating John G’s
pole time and Keith Krog’s best time too. Of our AROC teams, Mark Gunston
and Steve Sembay propped up the table (so to speak), both being new to
karting but having a great time anyway, with both of them getting steadily
quicker as the night went on. in 8th came Dave Malpass and Adrian Sullivan,
Adrian being a last minute addition who had only come over to watch
originally. 4th came Paul Jones and Duncan Langford, though Duncan had to
be substituted very early on as he felt poorly—all OK a couple of days later.
2nd came Mark Sangster and Phil Alexandrou, holding on at the flag by
literally hundredths of a second! Overall honour was upheld by John G and
Keith Krog, though not the outright quickest per lap they proved consistently
rapid with no major spins or ‘offs’. That’s the secret.
After the awards of trophies, we followed it all up with a post-race de-brief in
the Mill on the Soar, as you have to do! A super evening, we’ll be doing it
again.
John
(Below - dusk, and just a few of the Alfas in the car park!)
Above: Dave Malpass and the guys from his work.
They had a great time.
ALFISTI - Nov/Dec 2014 - Issue 170
Above; Phil Alexandrou (L) and Mark Sangster.
Mark set fastest lap and claimed second place.
Above; Winners on the night, John G (L) and
Keith Krog. The old masters taking the win! :0)
AROC East Midlands Section Newsletter
Classic Motor
Show - NEC
Birmingham
AROC has been supporting this event
since its inception in the 1990s, and
this year was definitely one of the
best...
For any car fanatic, the end of year NEC Classic
show is a must. Though titled ‘Classic’ you can see
a host of cars right up to the newest interesting
models, especially as clubs like our own proudly
display the very latest of line. This year though
there is absolutely no doubt that we had a real star
on our stand too – the sensational Alfa 4C in
probably its best ‘show’ colour, matt metallic white,
just like the stunning launch car had at the Geneva
launch last year. And, wow, did it get some
attention.
For AROC’s 50th anniversary year we chose to
display some of the most popular models owned by
club members over those decades. That gave us a
great many potential models to choose from, and
we couldn’t possibly cover them all but we had a
fair crack, including some models not shown at the
NEC before. With Chris Variava Nottingham once
again kindly sponsoring our stand, we were
delighted display Chris’s own 4C Launch Edition
model, a sure-fire future classic. Chris loves driving
it too so it doesn’t just sit in a showroom or under a
cover. The other ‘special’ car we chose to include
one of the star members’ cars of the year. Though
never sold in vast numbers, Ian Jephcott’s metallic
green 2000 Berlina embodies an Alfa-fanatics car,
one that has been steadily improved and restored
to arguably ‘better than new’, but one that is also
properly used.
Representing the more popular cars across the
decades we had Jon Dooley’s Giulietta Sprint
Veoce; certainly representative of a machine an
Alfa enthusiasts would have delighted in 1960s.
Alongside that the 1966 Giulia Sprint GTC
belonging to Gary and Karen Smith from our
Section. They’ve had the GTC for many years,
steadily making improvements to it and a genuine
delight to see. Into the 1970s and aside from Ian’s
105 Berlina, we chose a Series 2 Spider – that
belonging to Richard Johnstone. For the 1980s,
and we went for the magnificent Alfetta GTV6, an
example belonging to Dave Hill. We had another
Busso V6-engined car there too dating from the
1980s, the Alfa 75 belonging to Alex Jupe. We’ve
not had a 75 on the stand in many years (2004 the
last time I think?), and this one was an absolute
beauty. For the 1990s, and we just had to have a
155, it being 20 years on from Gabrielle Tarquini’s
famous BTCC Championship victory. The example
we had belonging to multiple Concours winner
Mitch Clayton, his V6 surely being the finest in the
country? Alongside that, an early ‘noughties’
version of a 1990s car, the immaculate GTV Cup
belonging to Viv Stephens. The ‘916’ coupe is one
of the most popular cars in Club members’ hands
nowadays, and the Cup is very probably the most
collectable version being a limited edition – it
rightfully drew a lot of attention. Bringing things
Above - Gary Smith’s delightful Giulia GTC
Above - Chris Variava’s 4C Launch Edition
Above - Mitch Clayton’s ‘good as new’ 155 V6
Above - Viv Stephens’ GTV Cup
Above - Dave Hill’s GTV6
Above - Jon Dooley’s Giulietta Sprint Veloce
ALFISTI - Nov/Dec 2014 - Issue 170
even closer to date, we went with another ‘limited’
car, the Brera S belonging to John Baker. With its
Prodrive performance make-over, the ‘S’ and S V6
versions are surely also classics in the making.
Around the huge NEC halls there was a vast
amount to see. The show just seems to get bigger
and bigger with more than 1,400 cars and in
excess of 80,000 people attending across the days
of opening. Pride of place in our hall had been
given to the Maserati Owners Club, the marque
celebrating its centenary in 2014 of course. It had
some fabulously presented cars, right up to the
latest Ghibli model. The Ferrari and Lamborghini
club stands were as resplendent as ever too.
It’s always fun to seek out other Alfas at the show,
and this year they included a Bertone Coupe on an
adjacent stand to ours, a pair Alfas in the auction,
and another 4C on the Fiat Motor Club’s stand –
(shock!) That example belonging to one of their club
members. Now, there are strong rumours that we
will include a Fiat Panda on the AROC stand next
year as a reprisal… :0)
A very busy and very enjoyable show once again.
Huge thanks as always to the owners of the superb
cars we had on display plus to all of the helpers—
sadly can’s list you all here. 40 members signed
too! Superb. (You’ll be able to read a longer report
in the December edition of the club magazine.)
John
AROC East Midlands Section Newsletter
Above - James Young bodied 1750 6C GT
Above - Alex Jupe’s 75 V6
Above - John Baker’s Brera S
Above - 4C featured on FIAT Motor Club Stand
Above - DeTomaso Mangusta Below; Lambos
Farewell to the Turbodelta
Well it's almost five years to the day that me
and Andy Wallington drove the Giulietta
Turbodelta back to the UK from Italy after
swapping a S4 Spider with fellow Alfista
Leonardo. On arriving at Dover we were asked
by customs "how long is your stay?" - “Only until
December officer” I replied... that was in
October.
Now having sold the Turbodelta it is on its
way to Greece. As many of you know this was
only one example in the UK.
Due to new laws in Italy I had to make the
decision to sell as I could have been faced with
a big insurance bill and as I have only used it a
few times this year the decision was finally
made to sell it. Adverts were placed in many
magazines as well as Twitter and Facebook.
Many Turbodelta-owning friends in Italy, Spain
ALFISTI - Nov/Dec 2014 - Issue 170
Above - Sizeable Maserati Club stand. Below - And they did!
and Germany all said I was mad to part with it.
Then out of the blue I had a request from a guy
in Greece to send photos with a view to him
buying it. This I did and a price was agreed. A
quick text to another Turbodelta owner in
Greece confirmed that he was no ‘tyre-kicker’,
and actually a very rich collector of classic cars.
The money was transferred into my bank
account within days.
All that remained was to deliver the car to
Southampton Docks on the 7th November for it
to be shipped to Greece along with a Lancia
Fuvia Zagato that he had also bought. My
thanks to Brian Smith for his help on the Friday.
Will I miss the Turbodelta? Yes, but who knows
what is just around the corner for me. I have
also sold the East Mids ‘Damper Van’ as well so
my drive now seems empty, but not for long I
hope. Leonardo, keep your eyes open please!
Cheers, Dave.
Above - Richard Johnstone’s Spider S2
Above - Ian Jephcott’s wonderfully restored Berlina
Above: Ferrari 275 GTB Below - Lada Samara (!!!)
The 116 Series Giulietta Turbodelta was developed and built by Alfa
racing arm, Autodelta in 1982. As a homologation-special just 362 were
made. Its 2-litre twin-cam engine had a sizeable KKK turbocharger attached giving around 170bhp in road trim, making it a lot of fun to drive.
AROC East Midlands Section Newsletter
Alfa 4C Quadrifoglio Verde?
If we are to believe AutoExpress this is a forthcoming extra-high performance version
of the 4C in testing. Using the forthcoming Spider body shell you can spot a few body
modifications in shape of modified rear wheel arches and additional lower engine
cooling ducts, perhaps hinting at an even more powerful engine tune. Cognoscenti will
spot it is running different wheels to those available on the coupe version - but its
possible they are the style to be used on the Spider version anyway.
In other 4C news, some other journalists are saying the 4C minus the sports
suspension set up and on 17/18 inch rims other than 18/19 answers any criticism of
the cars
driveability… i.e.
‘tramlining’ and a
slight lack of
steering feel in
some
circumstances.
AS we know
Journos LOVE to
pick fault of
course! Just
looking at one of
these is a
pleasure - but I
don’t know if I’d
want one in this
camouflage...
Giulietta Sprint - coming soon
A new model appears shortly, resurrecting the Sprint moniker.
This new version includes special trim with seats a mix of
Alcantara and fabric, some faux-carbon weave on the door cards
and dash surround, black mirrors, door handles and window
surrounds, plus a deep rear diffuser and ‘Sprint’ wing badges. New
17 inch 5-hole alloys feature too.
New under the bonnet is a 150bhp version of the 1.4 turbo
Multiair unit, giving plenty of go (0-62 in 8.2 secs) and with
improved economy and emissions over the more familiar 170bhp
version. It certainly makes for a a very smart machine, and is likely
to prove a very popular choice with enthusiasts with an attractive
list price.
You can clearly spot the new-style wheel, and additional air intakes in the photos above.
ALFISTI - Nov/Dec 2014 - Issue 170
AROC East Midlands Section Newsletter
AROC East Midlands Section Events 2014 / 15
Date
Event
Weds 10 Dec
Regular Meeting Night at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - starting at 7.30pm.
Includes feature slot from Vehicle Dynamics expert, leader of the Prodrive Brera S project
Peter Cambridge.
Friday 9 Jan
New Year Meal - at La Torre, Coalville. Fabulous food and more! See cover.
Weds 14 Jan
Regular Meeting Night at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - starting at 7.30pm. Will
feature a ‘What’s it Worth’ quiz - so more guesswork required! (Nice prizes.)
Gazetta
News Snippets
Provisional Event Calendar for 2015 will be in the next edition.
Dull headlights? Buy a mop!
As per back page you’ll see my son David now has a
new ‘project’ car, his Lipari grey GT. One of the jobs
was to sort out the headlamps. Previous owner Chris
had upgraded the bulbs, but the lamps themselves were
still rather dull, and on inspection the lenses were rather
‘foggy’ and rough to the touch. So, a solution was sort
stopping short of buying new units at £80 or so each.
Now, Meguiars sell a headlight restoration kit, available
from Halfords for £19. It consists of a special cutting
compound and a rag ‘mop’ that you attach to a power drill, plus some ‘wet n dry’ paper
pads to use for really stubborn areas.
After masking the area around the lamp with a
quality masking tape, you apply the paste to the
lens you then start off with the mop at low speed
moving steadily back and forth, effectively
smoothly grinding off the top rough surface. After
about 30 minutes work the lenses were much
improved. Not perfect, but a lot better. Certainly
worth considering on a classic car in particular
where replacements may be very hard to find.
A recommended product anyway. John
Maltese Classic Car
Collection
Section member Rob Galloway (pictured
right gazing into the car) visited the
collection whilst on holiday there in
October. Situated on the sun-drenched
island’s town of Qawra, the collection
consist of dozens of very well presented
cars from the 1940 to 1960s, plus
assorted memorabilia, models and
motorbikes from that period. Chief vehicle
of interest was of course found in the Alfa
Romeo corner, with the superb Giulia
Sprint Speciale in starring role. Might be
worth us organising a trip there? Bit of a
way though! Enjoy Rob’s photos here…
WINTER WARMER CURRY NIGHT
Though a little way off, we’re planning to
make the February meeting night at the
G&D a curry-fest. The new chef there is
remarkably good, so we will organise
something special. More details in the next
edition out in January. We will need people
to reserve their slot.
MITO CLUB JESOLO
Our ‘twinned’ group of Alfa fanatics from
Jesolo in Italy sent over some very smart
pennants in October, via MiTo Registrar
Duncan Langford. Begs the question now,
where do we put ‘em! Dunk pictured here
is hanging on to them for now.
MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
Despite ‘rolling’ memberships having been
introduced over 8 years ago, still well over
half of all club members renewals fall at
the end of December. Now, with the club
having to increase its subs by £2.50 in
2015, it will mean a few more pennies,
however, you can avoid this by signing up
to a Direct Debit, meaning normal
membership remains at £40 p.a. The DD
forms were posted out in the October
magazine. Why not take advantage?
SPRING ALFA DAY 2015 ANNOUNCED
One to look forward to next year - AROC has
booked The Imperial War Museum at
Duxford airfield near Cambridge on Sunday
26 April. It has hosted big AROC gatherings
on several occasions, last time in April
2011. This year there are new exhibits and
all the Alfas (over 600 last time!) will be
parked in a new area at the site. There will
be discount admission too. The Aircraft
displays are simply amazing, ditto the
Tanks and other military paraphernalia.
We’re looking forward already!
Ugly Car Corner
The new Lexus NH…. Jeez. And we
thought the X6 was nasty...
The Small Print: Alfisti is published primarily for the enjoyment of members of the Alfa Romeo Owners’ Club East Midlands Section.
Chris Variava Alfa Romeo Nottingham supports the cost of Alfisti’s printed production carried out at cost rate by a Section Member’s company.
Alfa Romeo Owners’ Club UK ltd cannot endorse or recommend services or products advertised in its publications. Any opinions published in
‘Alfisti’ or its sister website, Twitter account or other broadcasts are personal ones. Alfa Romeo Owners’ Club Ltd registered Number 01106134.
Please contact John Griffiths if you have any queries about the Club or our active local Area Section. See cover for contact details.
ALFISTI - Nov/Dec 2014 - Issue 170
AROC East Midlands Section Newsletter
Giulietta 1.6 JTDm Sportiva - Alan Lathwell
Giulietta Turbodelta - Dave Atkins
After sometime seeking
buyer, Dave finally found
one, a keen Italian car
collector in Greece! We’ll
be sorry to see this extremely rare and characterful Alfa leave our shores.
See item inside.
Giulietta Lusso 170 JTDm TCT - Rob Galloway
Rob has brightened up the interior of his Giulietta by fitting a nice bright dash
cover. Paul Jones
located a spare dash
panel (2 parts) in his
magic cupboard at
Chris Variava, and the
local paint shop mixed
a smart metallic red
finish for it. Snapping
into position, the parts
replaced the plain
grey originals,
matching the black
cars red leather seats
beautifully, as you can
see here.
156 Sportwagon 1.6 TS Veloce - Steve Bestwick
Steve bought his Sportwagon as a general runabout a little earlier this year—for
absolute peanuts! Affectionately known as ‘Red October’ the car has covered
only about 100miles,
but as Steve Jokes,
“That’s further than
my 147 GTA
didwithout major
mechanical
breakdown!”
Nonetheless the car
was going in to Martin
at AFH1 in Mansfield
for a full belt service,
for pure peace of
mind! Looks like he’s
got a steal anyway...
After 2 years with his 2.0 TCT model, one of the first TCTs in the UK and
sadly not short of warranty woes, Alan brokered a new deal on a year-old
Sportiva with the guys at Chris Variava. In Black with black leather and the
anthracite 18”
alloys it really
looks the part.
The car was really
well prepared (as
you’d expect) and
has great standard
spec. Alan is
enjoying its
torquey nature
with 6 speed box,
and delighting in
an easy 50mpg on
his commutes.
MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde - Neil Fairhurst
Neil has swapped hi Giulietta Cloverleaf for this new MiTo QV supplied by
Sturgess. From an email to John: “Pic of my new car attached. Scheduled to
arrive in Leicester
on 12 Nov, then
on Monday
revised to 7th
(Fri), It actually
turned up on 5th
(Wed) so could be
prepared for me to
collect Thursday –
my birthday. The
Giulietta went to
Veloces of
London. (who
have 3 4Cs for
sale!)”
Giulietta Multiair - David Cole
Many will know David from Chris Variava, and he’s recently purchased a
nearly new Giulietta in white. He plans to customise it with dark turbine
wheels, carbon roof-wrap, and carbon-dipped mirror caps and the dash
panel shown here, which is a ‘white’ style. If you’re interested in this type of
‘dipping’
which
gives a
great
effect on
complex
shape,
please
contact
John for
more
details.
- SCOOP! -
GT 3.2 V6 Lusso - David Griffiths
Well it had to happen at some point—a Busso V6 on the driveway. Son David
has had the urge for a GT for sometime, and after looking at some very
expensive and very high-mileage diesels, petrols came into the equation.
Finding a decent 2.0 JTS proved challenging at the budget, then the idea of a
V6 emerged. Of course, once you’ve experienced one, that’s it! After two let
downs, Chris Childs’ appeared for sale locally. Slightly more miles than originally
planned but the car’s general ‘honesty’ sold itself. David’s already started
doing up the interior and bodywork, and conveniently has a pal doing
Motorsport
engineering at Uni,
so he’ll enjoy getting
hands dirty with him!
The GT sounds great
with a stainless ’zorst
system and Bose too,
and already its ’natural’ seats have
come up like new
after a steam-clean.
Lots more
developments to
come… John
Unusual news from the world of motoring
Dacia Duster Duster
Spotted at the Paris Motor Show, here’s the Dacia Duster Duster dusting
the Dacia Duster with his Dacia Duster duster. Excellent.
Alfisti’s production is kindly sponsored by Chris Variava Alfa Romeo Nottingham
Alfisti no.171 will be out in January