John Weds 11 June - Alfa Romeo Owners Club

Alfa Romeo Owners Club
East Midlands
Section
Formerly Central & East Midlands
Sunday 1 June
Including Nottingham Evening Post Motor
Show. Paul Jones has invited us over to CV’s
hospitality unit in the ‘motor show’ arena again
where we plan to meet around lunchtime. It’s a
fascinating and very relaxed day, though we do
not have our own car display, just head for
general public parking - it’s cheap, and show is
FREE to enter. The classics are many and
varied, new car displays are informal and
interesting and there’s plenty for kids to do in
the parkland as well. It’s a good day out.
Expect Chris Variava’s absolutely stunning
white Alfa 4C to make an appearance too!
Sunday 29 June
People present at last year’s event will
remember a day full of glorious sunshine.
Hopefully we’ll get the same again, unless
AutoItalia magazine has used up all its credit at
Brooklands in May!
The event will see a few ‘mixed’ Classics but it
is predominantly Italian of course. There should
be around 200 Alfas present or more, and our
Section has been asked to help organise those
- we’ll go for some simple arrangement of
Classics and Moderns again on the lawns near
to the picturesque River Avon. A host of other
Italian machinery is expected, from Fiat to
Lamborghini.
Admission is £12 per person, payable at the
gate. It’s always an enjoyable event.
AUTOKARNA 2013
Now, how has this come around so quickly? It’s
our Section’s big night again, based at the George &
Dragon in Thringstone. Last year people may
remember that owing to some pretty horrible
weather, and not helped by a motorway closure, we
had to postpone the event from June to July, which
will be a fall-back again in case of bad weather, but
we still had nearly 30 cars on the June night and
more than that for the July event itself.
Regular members will be familiar with the format:
every Alfa present is automatically entered into the
competition and everyone there gets to vote. There’s
a host of categories, some ‘serious’ and some
definitely not - and a load of prizes too supplied by
our Section’s supporters, notably Chris Variava Alfa
and Engine Services in Leicester (Dave French),
some of the prizes being quite valuable too - note
the photo of Matt Dalby preparing his engine bay
below! (You don’t have to go this mad by the way,
there’s prizes for dirtiest wheels, for example, too!)
As you’ll see inside, the May meeting night
attracted a tremendous attendance to the G&D, so
much so we totally filled the car park. If you are an
extra-early arriver for June’s gathering, can I ask you
to please head for the grass paddock area—we can
better manage that away from the pub’s normal
trade.
Anyway, it’s sure to be a fun evening again, and
an ideal one to come to if you’ve not ventured along
to a local gathering before. As I always say, you will
be made very welcome!
Weds 11 June
Well, what about National Alfa Weekend then? I
was delighted with the attendees questionnaire
feedback with 91% saying it was ‘Very Good’ or
‘Excellent’. There was widespread credit for the
friendliness of the ‘staff’; make that all the
organisers and helpers - so many from our group of
course. With absolute hindsight, having it at a single
venue for two days may have been better but trying
to get such a venue including driving action is really
tricky, especially as some want attractions other
than cars (Stately Home for example.) Can’t please
everyone. Getting a circuit after march is incredibly
tricky owing to the amount of car and bike racing
occupying them. Add all that up and I’m happy with
what we got. Would have been great if more
members with classics had defied the bad weather
forecast, but I’m afraid we cannot force people! I
know of many people at Boughton who came in a
daily driver saying they wish they’d brought their
special one, especially when stood in the warm
sunshine! Oh well. Anyway, there’s still lots of big
events to look forward to on our patch; Stanford Hall
on 29 June could be a cracker again and of course
MITCAR on 17 August at Rockingham Castle. It’s a
fantastic venue, and we’re really going to push to
get a record attendance. Forecast
permitting! I look forward to seeing you
at our next events…. Cheers!
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 production sponsored by
Curborough on Track
May Meeting Night
National Alfa Weekend
Classic Car Night
Our Cars
. . . and more
@AROCeastmids
Alfa 4C is the new WTCC course car
■ Alfisti Issue 165 ■ June 2014
ALFISTI / EASTMIDS
Free to club members
Curborough Sprint Experience
We’re always grateful to George Cole, our Section
President, for organising these fabulous days for our
members, and it was just so awful that he had a very
unfortunate ‘off’ just before lunch. As per his wishes
for us to carry on and enjoy the day, I’ve included
photos of all participants doing just that.
George was taken to hospital with a suspected
fractured vertebrae, and his car had to be recovered,
effectively written off. I’m delighted to say George is
now back home after a two-week hospital stay.
Special mention must be made to those first on
the scene - Chris Childs and his brother Gav, and
Mark Sangster who got George out of the car safely
and whistled up the ambulance. Also to Rebecca
Lee and Martin Lindus who helped with repatriating
various kit.
As soon as George saw me he said we must carry
on, so after a lunch break and tidy up we did.
As you’ll see here, Brian Smith decided his Spider
should have an outing this time, and he put in many
laps the car not missing a beat. It’s typical 105
series ‘roll’ doesn’t do justice to its prodigious grip,
and, as they say, it bombs along.
3 GTVs this time; Keith Davies in his Twin Spark
and Martin and Dave in their silver 3 litres, both with
various performance mods. Martin’s 4 branch
Ragazzon exhaust was marginally the noisiest, but
both sounded great! Dave has been doing much
wok on his car’s suspension
with expert help from vehicle
dynamics guru Peter
Cambridge, The fully
adjustable KW shocks were
wound right down when he let
me take it out and its cornering
was just sublime. Couple that
with light and direct steering
and the Q2 Limited Slip Diff
and it makes a wonderful track
companion.
Three Giuliettas present too; all 2.0 diesel TCTs
belonging to Keith Krog, Alan Lathwell and me—
though with mine only having 500 mile son the clock
I only did a couple of very slow laps. I enjoyed
driving in both of the others though, thanks guys!
Chris was with his fairly recently acquired GT V6,
which was to be heard flying around a lot, tyres
squealing and exhaust blaring - but often with his
brother Gav at the wheel!
I should make mention of the fact that the circuit
has a very interesting new configuration with a figure
of 8 introduced. The corners from some directions
do feel quite tight and there ‘s one that’s noticeably
‘off camber’, but it all adds to the experience.
No Mazda MX-5s along this time, but I must make
mention of the two ‘Fiats’, OK one an Abarth, with
Leigh Nethercot at the helm. He had an absolute
ball driving that and giving rides. A major grininducer - but the real surprise package must be
Mark Sangster’s Panda 100HP. What a complete
hoot! It really suited the course, the 1.4 engine
screaming away, tyres scrabbling as Mark tried to
get them straight to get the power down. Just such a
load of fun.
So, as per George’s wishes, we did have a terrific
day’s driving. Alan, Mark and I were pleased to tell
him how good it was when we saw him in hospital
(Derby Royal) the weekend afterwards, and he was
delighted. As this goes to print George has had his
back brace fitted which will keep him good and
straight for the bones to fuse. It goes without saying
that we all wish him a speedy, full recovery and
thank him again for organising this event. John
Brian lines up behind Alan
Dave adjusting suspension
Mark’s remarkable Panda 100HP
Alan enjoying his ‘flappy paddles’
Keith Davies at speed
Leigh having a ball
Chris and Gav in the former’s GT
The cheek...
Martin starts a lap
Poor old Custard. . .
ALFISTI - June 2014 - Issue 165
AROC East Midlands Section Newsletter
May Meeting Night
At the George & Dragon, Thringstone
Another really well attended evening was full of surprises.
Great to see long standing member Tony Ciarlo back after 6
years in Abu Dhabi, and bringing ‘his ‘owned from new’ ‘03
147 too. (It’s been stored!) He’s only back for a few days
though. Phil Gotts was over from East Anglia too in his 156.
We were delighted when Paul Jones appeared with Chris
Variava’s sensational matt white metallic 4C Launch
Edition. What an absolute stunner! Our car park area was
already full, (we had 34 cars along on the night), so we
‘double parked’ it so everyone could get a chance to look
around and have a sit inside. Only delivered last week, the car
was still on trade plates as it cannot be registered until the
invoice arrives. (Alfa are a tad late on that!) We also double
parked Peter Farley’s delightful 1957 Giulietta Spider, and
Keith Krog’s wonderful ES30 SZ. Quite a line.
On such a lovely evening we were chuffed Dave Atkins had
brought his flying model jet MIG 15 along, and he flew that for
us in the big field opposite. Great fun. I still can’t believe his
co-ordination, if it had been me it would have ended up in Derbyshire! He had also brought his pal Pete
Iliffe along with some of his amazing collection of scratch-built flying model aircraft. Their intricacy just
defies belief! The hours that must go into them - but the results as you’ll see in the photos speak for
themselves. Quite amazing. We loved the Blackburn monoplane with its real ‘string’ bracing, and the
phenomenal detailing on the WW2 Cobra. All were fantastic, and incredibly, they fly too!
So a meeting with a difference. The car park’s feeling a bit tight for us nowadays though, but we
managed to fit - just! Fun Concourse night will be certainly be entertaining there on 11 June. John
8
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4
2
3
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Photos By John G
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ALFISTI - June 2014 - Issue 165
12
1.> 4C Was star attraction 2> Keith’s fantastic SZ 3> Peter
Farley’s Giulietta Spider in a traffic jam 4> Tony Ciarlo
enjoying beer after 6 years in Abu Dhabi! (See Our Cars
on the back.) 5> Matt Yousuf is smitten by the 4C! 6> 4C in
profile 7> 4C Looks fantastic at night too 8> One of Pete
Illife’s amazing models - phenomenally intricate, and
capable of its own flight too. 9> A very busy car park
10> 4C has a fantastic sheen 11> Pete’s amazing Cobra.
12> Arty shot at dusk
AROC East Midlands Section Newsletter
National Alfa Weekend
‘Show & Shine Day’, Boughton House, 10 May.
Celebrating 50 years of AROC, the club
orchestrated a weekend special , and our Section
members were instrumental to its success
providing on day organization and marshalling on
both Saturday and Sunday.
It was a traditional Car show on Saturday at the
resplendent French-style stately home of Boughton
House, a venue last used by the Club in 2006. A
backdrop recently used in the Les Miserables
movie. The show, featuring a friendly Concours
competition, was followed by an evening meal
there, largely subsidised by the club which in a vast
marquee, that proved very useful shelter during the
day too. The Saturday event was followed the next
day by a track action day at Bruntingthorpe Proving
Grounds in Leicestershire—reported on later.
Sadly for our Show & Shine, the weather forecast
was absolutely horrendous, surely putting many off
from attending - however, as it turned out for much
of the day it was dry and mild with long spells of
sunshine! The huge marquee was pulled iinto
service when the one big shower hit midafternoon. Over 400 Alfa Romeos were parked up
by model, and the Concours event saw stacks of
entrants, including many first
timers encouraged by our team
of organisers. The number of
promised special display cars
was disappointingly small,
however, this was countered by
Matt Spitzley’s fantastic 8C
Competizione and TWO of the
new 4C Supercars; both press
cars, one supplied to
Motorvogue (Northampton Alfa)
who sponsored the event, and
one with Auto Italia
Magazine. Two pre-war Alfas also braved the
weather forecast.
In the Concours contest featured 10-year
categories based one the Club’s history, we were
delighted to have two winners from our Section;
Section Chairman Bryan Alexander’s Alfasud Sprint
Trofeo, and Ian Osborne with his amazing black
164 Green Cloverleaf.
The evening event was well supported with just
under 200 people along, enjoying a really good hot
meal, and a bar, a few (brief) talks (opened by me
as Club Chairman - (not many walked out ;0) ) and
was closed with the club’s annual awards. More in
the club magazine of course in June.
A HUGE thanks to many people from our Section
who assisted on the day, without whom it could not
have happened. Everyone will be mentioned in the
Club Magazine report too.
And just look at the sunshine in these photos—
who’d have thought it? Great stuff...
And immediately after Boughton House, we
moved on to Bruntingthorpe… read on! John
Photos - by John G - L-R, top - bottom
Row 1; Model parking was a hit. Our clan at lunchtime.
Alan with 8C on the way in. Row 2: Concours winners! Ian
Osborne (164), Bryan Alexander (Sud Sprint), Ian Jephcott
(Berlina). Row 3: Concours variety by the House. 4C
posing with the two historic Alfas. Peter Vaughan’s 2000
GTV amid some lovely Classic Alfas.
Row 4: New 4C, probably star of the show. And we got a
great line of Spiders - sadly with hoods up!
There are LOADS more on our website. Check them out!
ALFISTI - June 2014 - Issue 165
AROC East Midlands Section Newsletter
National Alfa Weekend Day 2
Track Action Day, Bruntingthorpe Proving Grounds
The second day of a great weekend was a superb
track action day at Bruntingthorpe Proving Grounds
in Leicestershire.
The day started very wet, but it blew over by
around 10am when the track action started
proper. Around 170 cars were present in total,
around half taking part in track day sessions. From
our Section that included Brian Smith in the 155
KW, Dave McFarland in his GTV 3.0 V6, Matt Yousuf
in his MiTo QV and Sam Austin and Steve Bestwick
in their 147 GTAs.
Again, the weather forecast kept many special
display cars away but there were still some great
classics there to look at. Indeed, with so many cars
parked up by the Control Tower, our nice warm and
dry base for the day, it felt like another park up and
polish!
Central to proceedings was a special 3 lap
‘parade’ for ALL Alfas present at lunchtime that I
had the fun of leading around. I’d announced to
people that it must be a well-behaved, slow tour
around - (obviously getting about 150 Alfas on track
has to be done carefully), but I made sure that by
lap 2 everyone could get their foot
down on the 1 3/4 mile runway,
which surprised a few! Quoting Salv
Vitale; “Hey, I thought you said it was
gonna be a slow drive round? I was
doing 117!”
Several people bought track slots
on the day, but effectively the event
was run at a loss. I hope that the
taste many got for circuit driving will
encourage them to take part in other
Club track days when underwritten by track day
companies where AROC gets first call on spaces.
As well as the circuit lappery, the excellent Kart
set up was hired for members to use, at cost price.
I had a super time in a race with Paul Jones, his son
Liam and Mark Sangster—the twin-engined karts
really flying—er, literally at one point as I swerved
over the grass to avoid 2 of them spinning! 10 year
old Liam really enjoyed it, slicing 10 seconds off his
morning lap time when with us.
Once again, many thanks to many people from
our Section who assisted on the day; Clare and
Simon Addison (now South Wales off-shoot!) who
with Duncan Langford did a lot of on-day
administration; Dave Atkins, Rebecca Lee, Keith
Davies, Mark Sangster, Alan Lathwell, Bob & Gill
Human and Dave McFarland who all helped with
taking payments, directions and Marshalling.
Certainly a memorable day, many buying
professional pictures taken by the photographer on
the day - reminders of a very happy celebration.
Happy 50th Birthday AROC UK!
John
Photos this row: Brian Austin
Photo: Brian Austin
Photo: Bob Human
Photos - L-R, top - bottom. By John G unless marked.
Row 1; Bertone splashes through puddles; Autodelta Alfetta; S4
Spider getting wet early on.
Row 2; Terrific fun karting; John G leads the lunchtime parade;
Brian Smith in the 155 ‘KW’
Row 3: Clare and Dunk on desk duty!; Dave Ward pushing on
in his Giulia—in the parade!; Like a park ‘n polish by the control
tower
Row 4; Mark Sangster on duty up at the gate; Matt Yousuf
having a ball in his MiTo,
Photo: Brian Austin
ALFISTI - June 2014 - Issue 165
AROC East Midlands Section Newsletter
Classic Car Night
At Beedles Lake Golf Centre, East Goscote, 20 May
Our meet up with the Leicester Region of the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club has become a
regular calendar entry and is always enjoyable. Beedles Lake Golf Centre near East
Goscote was the base again, and we could park up in the large car park and use the club
house too.
As ever this year, after days of decent weather, the forecast turned threatening for the
Tuesday, which clearly impacted the number of Alfas that came along, down to single
figures. The storm clouds were huge though, but happily we only had the lightest and
briefest of showers.
As well as an eclectic mix of Alfas we had Adrian Sullivan along in his Lotus Elise 111S,
and Dave Atkins with his VW Damper Van (Section Support Vehicle) He reckons he had
that up to 75 on the way over—brave man! Sadly a downpour kept his MG TD in the
garage.
Among the various other classics, 4 E-Type Jags, a Triumph Dolomite, an Austin 7, a Jag
KX150 Kit Car (!) various Jag saloons, a 1980s Bentley, and many people’s favourite, a
Lotus Elan Plus 2, owned by the same guy from just 1 year old, now 40! A really original
beauty.
We enjoyed a drink in the club house afterwards, and two of our number won prizes in
the JEC raffle, Can’t be bad! John
Left: Adrian’s Lotus looks great, Above; Dave had all the gear! Top
Right; Hoods down to start with. Middle right; Phil’s Bertone and Neil’s
Spider; Bottom Right; delightful Lotus Elan near line of Jaguars
ALFISTI - June 2014 - Issue 165
AROC East Midlands Section Newsletter
AROC East Midlands Section Events 2014
Date
Event
Sun 25 May
World Superbikes at Donington Park - Special dedicated
AROC DISPLAY parking at the Old Hairpin and discount admission!
Sun 1 June
AutoKarna Classic Show and Nottingham Evening Post Motor Show - Wollaton Park,
Nottingham. Paul Jones has invited us over to CV’s hospitality unit; see cover.
Weds 11 June
Fun Concours Night at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - starting at 7pm.
All Alfa Romeos automatically entered and all present do the voting! Stacks of categories
from Shiniest Paint to dirtiest wheels. One not to miss. See cover.
Sun 29 June
Summertime Classics – with Auto Italia, at Stanford Hall near Lutterworth, Leicestershire.
Incorporates the Italian Car Concours. Great display of Alfas expected. See cover.
Weds 9 July
Summertime Spin at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - starting at 7pm.
Summer meet up including a convoy drive around the local lanes.
Weds 13 Aug
Spider Night at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - from 7pm. All Alfas welcome of
course, and we’ll be having a ‘Blag-a-Ride’ too...
Sun 17 Aug
MITCAR 2014 - Midlands Italian Car Day, Rockingham Castle near Corby, LE16 8TH. The
14th edition of our Section's flagship event will be one not to miss. Admission to show,
gardens and house for all occupants is just £10 per car - fantastic value!!
Sun 7 Sept
Leicester Aero Club Open Day - at Leicester Airport (aka Stoughton Aerodrome),
including air displays, special Alfa display and potential free pleasure flights too!
Weds 10 Sep
Twilight Drive at The George & Dragon, Thringstone, from 7pm. Drive from 7.45.
TBC Sept
Karting Challenge - at an outdoor circuit; more details later in the year.
Weds 8 Oct
Section AGM and Alfa Quiz - at the George & Dragon, Thringstone, from 7.30pm
TBC Oct/Nov
Triumph Motorcycles Tour, Hinckley. Details confirmed when visitors centre opens.
Weds 12 Nov
Regular Meeting Night at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - starting at 7pm
14-16 Nov
Classic Motor Show - NEC Birmingham. AROC stand will again feature some superb
classic Alfa Romeos and possibly something new.
Weds 12 Nov
Regular Meeting Night at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - starting at 7pm
Gazetta
News Snippets
NOW TWO AROC REGISTRARS IN OUR
SECTION!
Special
mention
should be
made to
Graham Would
who’s taken
on the mantle
of GT Registrar
and Duncan
Langford, the
new MiTo
Registrar.
Both guys are
tremendously
enthusiastic
about their
Alfas and have proudly come forward to fill
the vacant roles. They will be communicating with members with those model
helping with various writing brief reports
for the magazine, assisting at events with
model parking, and more. Though these
are newer models, a listing of vehicles is
also retained. Well done guys!
SPRING ITALIAN CAR DAY - BROOKLANDS
Please watch our website for latest event news, and join us on TWITTER!
BUGS
...are a right pain at
this time of year.
I’ve covered some
good products for
quickly and safely
shifting them before,
but here’s a timely
reminder.
After a run, before they get really baked on, I like
to use a product with a soft microfibre to quickly
get them off. Most Quick Detailer sprays will shift
the lightly attached ones, but for the big splats you
need something more specialist. My favourite is
Car Plan’s Bug Blitz. It’s a ‘creamy’ spray that you
can use neat with a microfibre - spray on, let dwell
for a couple of minutes,
then gently wipe the bugs
away, without applying too
much pressure on the
precious paint surface - bug
bits can scratch! It also
provides a thin layer of wax,
enhancing paint protection.
The pink bottles can be
found in supermarkets like
Asda for around £3 and a
bottle should last you a
couple of years.
It can also be used as a
‘pre-soak’ before a full-on
car wash exercise.
Recommended!
MITCAR - an added attraction
Land Rover Driving Experience
Spread
across two
quarries,
participants
will be able
to experience and
learn the
skills of
driving off
road at the wheel of some of the finest 4x4
vehicles on the market today.
Each session lasts for 1 hour during when you
be provided tuition by the experts as you try
steep hill climbs, side slopes, safari driving,
water crossings, steep descents and ascents in
a fantastic purpose built quarry course.
This special MITCAR deal is available for just
£85 which includes hire of the vehicle, fuel and
tuition. This is a great opportunity and a fantastic
price. Passengers OK, driving can be shared!
Min driver age 18, min 12 months license.
You can make a reservation direct with the Land
Rover Experience Centre at Rockingham on
0844 848 4463. Spaces are limited, but you
may be able to book on the day too. First slots
10am, last 3.30pm. An interesting addition to
what promises to be a really great day out.
John
AutoItalia’s season opener on 3 May was
blessed with glorious blue skies which
helped to attract a record attendance. The
4C Press Cars could also be seen driving in
the moving car displays on the adjacent
Mercedes Benz circuit. Lots of ‘Exotics’ too!
ALFA ROMEO TO BECOME STANDALONE
COMPAY
Rather exciting news in early May. In the
same operating model as Ferrari and
Maserati, Alfa is to split from its more
formal ties with FIAT, though still under
ownership of FCA (Fiat Chrysler
Automobiles.) A raft of 8 new models is
planned by 2018, starting with the 3-series
size saloon at end of 2015, in rear wheel
drive (not definitely to be called Giulia, we
have to wait!), then a larger 5-Series size
berlina, 2 SUVs, 2 Giulietta replacement
models (2018), but no MiTo replacement,
or ‘MX-5’ Spider. 4 & 6 cyl engines coming.
OTHER MARQUES
The last new car sold with a
cassette player as standard?
Answer; Lexus SC430 - as recently as
2011! (Absolutely horrible vehicle too…)
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 broadcast 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 - June 2014 - Issue 165
AROC East Midlands Section Newsletter
156 1.9 JTD 16v SportWagon - Chris Childs
164 3.0 V6 Lusso - Bob Woodward
Bob popped his 164 in
the Alfa Concours at
Boughton, where sadly it
hit some stiff opposition.
P900 RON is in
spectacular condition,
resplendent in Alfa Rosso.
It goes as well as it looks
too with the V6!
Clan Clover - Mark Lay
So who knew Chris was a caravanner? Well, he’s juts got a good car for the
job, this 2004 156
with the 140bhp
turbo-diesel unit.
It’s a hack, but
is easily up to its
main job. Chris
spent several
hours improving
the Alfa Racing
Pink finish—it’s a
slightly darker
pink now he
says. Anyway,
still a great
looking car. (This
shot a dusk!)
Spider 3.2 V6 - Shona MacDonald
Mark brought his Alfa Romeo engined Clan Clover along to our May meeting
night. This fascin-ating
car was originally
made with a Hillman
Imp engine, but in the
mid 1980s, the
company switched to
using an Alfasud/33
assembly rotated
through180 degrees,
so powering the rear
wheels. A clever
approach! This one
has a 105bhp ‘Sud in
the back, so we were
very happy to welcome
it in with the Alfas!
Shona has a thing about blue. Now to go with her Atlantico Blue GT and blue
Ducati Monster,
she’s gone
and got an
evocatively
named
‘Lightning
Blue’ V6
Spider, one of
very few
imported into
the UK. The
car is in great
order with a
low mileage
too - looks a
beauty!
147 1.6 Twin Spark Lusso - Tony Ciarlo
159 1.9 JTDm 16v Veloce - Rob Galloway
We were delighted to welcome Tony back to our meeting in April—his forst
attendance since 2007 when he went out to work in Abu Dhabi! He brought his
147 with him, a car
he bought brand new
in 2003 from
AutoLusso. His
family has been
looking after it for
him (he said he’s
never sell it!), and it
looks in good order if
needing a bit of a
wash. We look
forward to seeing
Tony again when
he’s back at
Christmas.
Rob’s still delighted with his 156, especially after curing a few niggles. It’s a
great looking car, complete with sumptuous beige leather. After his 2.0 GTV,
for long
journeys its
practicality is
really
appreciated,
and he is
regularly
getting 600
miles on a tank
- that high 40s
mpg. And they
are surprisingly
brisk too with
140bhp on tap.
Giulietta Collezione MultiAir - Jason Drury
Jason’s Giulietta is going great guns. This 170bhp 1.4 MultiAir version is
probably the pick of the variants, and was a tremendous value for money
package. It benefits from a high gloss black roof and special anthracite 17”
turbine-style alloys that both set off the bright white paintwork beautifully. Jason
decided not to go for the adventurous red and black cloth trim, going for black
throughout mainly owing to
having a young
family!
As parents will
recognise that’s
probably a very
sensible move!
He’s really
chuffed with the
car’s
performance
and economy
and basically
loves driving it.
Who can blame
him!
- SCOOP! Unusual news from the world of motoring
Pastor Maldonado’s tutor discovered...
Would you believe it’s Paul Jones from Chris Variava? He taught
Venezuela's F1 disaster on wheels everything he knows… ;0)
Whoa!!
There’s clipping an apex, and then
there’s flattening an apex...
Alfisti’s production is kindly sponsored by Chris Variava Alfa Romeo Nottingham
Alfisti no.166 will be out in July