AROC Magazine Article - Part 5

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Spacenut
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AROC Magazine Article - Part 5

Post by Spacenut »

Final installment of the AROC article, for your edification...

The Dream Hits the Road

The car in its current form was MoT’d in February 2006 but was far from finished. The engine sump pan was leaking oil and the brake pedal would jam in operation. The heater was ineffective and so were the windscreen demisters. All of these issues would be solved, in time, but to start with driving the car was a challenge. It took the best part of a year to resolve the major issues, but the mileage soon started to build up, and by 2009 I was much more comfortable driving the car. The rear view telecam was installed in 2010, and with the completion of the suspension and running gear upgrades in 2011 the car was much more useable. Now that the dashboard and the electrics are done the Nova is useable all year round, even at night, although the headlight efficiency is still quite poor by modern car standards. With Graham’s help I have been able to optimise the suspension settings and the car feels very stable in normal road use. I am sure this could be improved with some circuit testing, but like the Lamborghinis that inspired it, this Nova was never intended for the track – the thick fibreglass body, essentially a semi-monocoque, together with the strong but heavy steel chassis and only 95 bhp to push it along mean that the trackday crowd would be untroubled by the Nova. Besides, there isn’t enough headroom to wear a helmet!

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The Green Machine doing what it is supposed to do - posing at Brooklands, 2019

Thanks in large part to the enthusiastic support of Ed McDonough and other club members such as John Griffiths, I have taken the car to plenty of AROC events, including NAD at Newby Hall (a 530 mile round-trip, achieved in single day), as well as regular appearances at MITCAR and Auto Italia events at Stanford Hall, where I was rescued by Ken Carrington with an electric tyre inflater (it’s a long story) and the afore-mentioned Italian Car day at Brooklands.

Naturally I have also taken the Nova to kit car shows, but these events are primarily intended to encourage sales of new kit cars, and the Nova, being so long out of production, is no longer supported by the industry. Instead, classic kit cars, particularly the exotic ones, are used simply to entice the Public into buying one of the increasingly mundane offerings available today. Besides, the nature of the modifications to my own car mean that it can no longer be regarded as a kit anyway, and apart from a memorable event where I was able to meet Richard Oakes and show him the car, I no longer attend kit car shows.

You would think that a custom car show or hot rod event might be more welcoming – after all, custom cars are all about radically modifying cars from their original form, but even here the same old preconceptions apply. The majority of onlookers no longer know what the car is, but those that do simply dismiss it without a second glance as “VW sh*t”. It seems that only the under-10s can appreciate the exotic lines without prejudice. Perhaps they will be inspired to follow their dream of owning such a car, just as I was all those years ago.

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The Nova doing what it isn't supposed to do - taking the Goodwood chicane on a wet parade lap at Classic Alfa, 2019 (picture courtesy of Ken Carrington)

So it is the classic car community to which my Nova identifies with today, and that is no bad thing. There is no peer pressure to keep up to date with modern trends, such as spoilers, rear wings, splitters, modern electronics etc. The car is fun to drive on challenging B-roads and there is adequate space in the passenger footwell for a weeks worth of groceries for two. Thanks to the Nav computer I can report fuel economy of 30 mpg around town and up to 40 mpg on longer journeys, and after nearly two years of lockdowns, I am finally starting to get out to some events again, including Classic Alfa and Lancia track days at Goodwood and Auto Italia at Brooklands, where this story began.

So that is the story of my Nova, the T33/1.5. Like the Alfasud engine and running gear that motivates it, the Nova kit car is also celebrating it’s 50th anniversary this year. As more and more drivers switch to electric power, I am not sure how long I will be able to keep going before the petrol pumps run dry, but until then I will continue to enjoy my own unique form of Alfa Romeo ownership!

Well, there you have it. The entire article in 5 easily digestible parts. I am pretty sure most AROC members don't pay their subscription to read this sort of stuff, so hopefully nobody will feel short-changed by me publishing it online. Inevitably there is a bit of errata in the text - my original donor car was most probably a 1979 Alfasud Ti and not a 1978 car, as I now understand that Series 2 cars were introduced in the UK in early 1979. And it was Royal Steering Wheels that recovered my quartic, not Royle as shown in the text. I hope they haven't lost any business due to that :oops:

Lauren

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KevJTD
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Re: AROC Magazine Article - Part 5

Post by KevJTD »

A great read Lauren, we have of course known of a fair part of the story in the 'Sud days but interesting to read of the early days, and the efforts to make the car work.
You should be very proud, as I'm sure you are.
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Spacenut
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Re: AROC Magazine Article - Part 5

Post by Spacenut »

Thanks Kev - I am quite pleased with the way it has turned out, particularly the interior and electronics, which have been holding up well in normal "daily" use :lol:

I am preparing the drawings for the extended cambelt tensioner pulley for the Alfatune engine, which will allow a decent running clearance between the belt and the water pump (both the block and the heads have been skimmed). Getting this engine into the Nova would be the icing on the cake as regards the mechanical specification. Graham thinks it needs a rebuild with new gaskets etc., and I am going to have to replace the trick sump with a Trofeo type item, as my gear linkage won't work otherwise :(

But I am not planning on cornering on my doorhandles, even if I had them, so a Trofeo sump should be OK for me :D

My rear brakes are still playing up but I am not losing fluid so I think it might be the seals in the master cylinder. I will probably replace the M/C when the engine is out, there was a bit of corrosion in the bore last time I looked.

All typical Alfa problems :lol:

Many thanks for your help and advice during the rebuild, as you can see your gearbox is holding up well 8-)

Lauren

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Oleino
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Re: AROC Magazine Article - Part 5

Post by Oleino »

Wow. :shock:

For me this was first time seeing this magnificent piece of engineering and craftsmanship. It is amazing, and in many ways extremely huge improvement on the VW based kit.

Many thanks for sharing!

NEG
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Re: AROC Magazine Article - Part 5

Post by NEG »

That was a great read Lauren and many thanks for sharing. I loved your bit about growing up with Space 1999 and UFO, it struck a cord with me and is probably why I loved all those exotic Italian super cars of the time. Probably why I ended up owning several x1/9s not have the skill to do what you have done or the money to buy a Miura!
5788D7FA-E859-4009-A046-F694290DCB1B.jpeg

NEG
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Re: AROC Magazine Article - Part 5

Post by NEG »

Great to meet you today Lauren, the Nova looked great!

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Spacenut
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Re: AROC Magazine Article - Part 5

Post by Spacenut »

NEG wrote:
Sun Aug 07, 2022 5:22 pm
Great to meet you today Lauren, the Nova looked great!
Thanks NEG, great to meet you too and all the other Alfasud gang - what a turn out!

I was directed to the "Alfa Specials" area just to one side of the serried ranks of Suds and Sprints, but as it turned out you didn't need my paltry contribution after all :lol:

Hope everyone had a great day and got home safe and sound, unlike the GTV6 that zoomed past me before Oxford but sadly expired a few miles further on :(

I thought about stopping to help, but I was dealing with my own problems, if I'm being honest. Full show report in due course!

Lauren

Alfasixnut
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Re: AROC Magazine Article - Part 5

Post by Alfasixnut »

It was good to meet you at an Alfa meet Lauren (a while ago !) and I enjoyed reading much more about your Nova.

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