Inspired by Nige005....a look back in time

[Veesix75]

The photos from Nige made me go into the loft and rescue some old photos, and put them in a folder nice and safe. I also scanned some (my scanner is rubbish so apologies for the poor quality of some of them).

Anyhow, I liked reading Nige's thread, so hopefully one or two of you will like (and laugh loudly at one of them!!) some of the pics below....all my Alfa's except 2 are below, I dont have photos of a recent 147 jtd, and a Series 3 1500 ie 33.

Kev/Shrew - I have posted quite a few photos, please feel free to move/delete/tell me off if its too many.

PART 1 listed below (PART 2 to follow....)

1. First car at 17 was a Fiat 131 Mirafiori in 1986....no photo as I crashed it after 6 weeks of ownership (oops)
2. Second car in 1986, Sud 1500 ti......didnt last long due to rust but it felt so quick and out handled just about anything my mates had at the time, I virtually lived in this car it was so exciting to drive. Like most on here I was hooked, but sadly I stripped this one for spares.....

3. Second Alfa in 1987, Sud 1300 ti, my favourite Sud....

4. Oops, wanted a Sprint and couldn't find one, bought this coupe instead (looks like something from Space 1999)...

5. Came to my senses, third Alfa, Sud 1500 ti....another great car.....

6. Wanted a Sprint again, still couldnt find one, so bought this coupe .......

7. Needed another Alfa and saw this early Alfa 75 1800cc on twin Dellortos advertised locally, it was totally reliable and one of my favourites......

8. Finally realised my dream car, the Alfa 75 3 litre V6 that I still own, here it is when I originally bought it from a place in Buxton in 1995 ...

and here it is preserved in paint....

9. Bought my wife an S3 33 1500 ie in metallic green, she loved it but no photo.

10. First, and last, company provided car joined the 75 V6. The only new car I've had, again it was excellent.....Alfa GTV....

11. The GTV went back to the lease company, and I wanted a car to tow a trailer and race car around, so went for a 155 2 litre 16V. This red car pictured with the Alfa 75 almost broke my spirit and put me off Alfa's for life. The cam belt went at 80mph on the motorway 5 days after I bought it. After 2 weeks of ignoring it in the garage, I finally towed it to Tom at BLS who fitted a second hand head for me,. It ran lovely for about 2 years and then chewed its crank. I stripped it for spares in the end......

PART 2 to follow, just 4 more to list......

[Nige005]

Great stuff and some interesting cars too. Nice to look back but I do sometimes wonder if the specs get more and more rose tinted as the years go by !

Seems we have similar tastes in cars but not sure about the 155's never really seen much of them.

I fancied a Sprint too but never got one. I tried a few out for size but they didn't seem to have enough headroom for me but when I sat in Marks Sprint two or three years ago it seemed just fine, maybe I've shrunk ?

Back in the day I fancied a 75 and I drove a 3.0 V6 one when Tom and Phil had an open day and somehow acquired some new cars for the day. Very nice of them to let me have a drive as they knew that I hadn't a cat in hells chance of being able to buy one. I remember booting it up the hill out of Lincoln ( It didn't have a speed limit on it then ! ) and being totally convinced that I wanted one - dream on Nige !

Whether I could have got used to the HGV Handbrake I really don't know, but then again Alfa Handbrakes, especially on the Transaxles, are more for show than 'owt else so I don't s'pose it would have mattered much...........

[Veesix75]

Thanks Nige

Other than the Alfa GTV, all of my cars have been second hand, usually about 5 years old and 60K or so miles on them.

PART 2.......

12. After the bad experience with the 155 in Part 1, I used the cash I made selling the parts of to replace it with...........err a 155! This time a Sportpack. It had already covered 90K miles when I bought it but was very nice to drive (I suspected it had an engine rebuild or something, but no evidence). This one rescued my faith in Alfa's, we kept it until 150K and it never missed a beat. I think 'RWGM' on the other forum might have taken it off me for the princley sum of £275 at the end as the MOT lapsed and I had already bought something else to replace it...

13. Alongside the 155 above, I decided that the 75 V6 needed to become a 'Sunday' car, plus my wife was using it for work and kerbing the alloys, so one Sunday morning scanning a forum I spotted, and decided to take a chance on a 155 V6 with no MOT. It ran fine but needed exhaust downpipes and a rear box. £900 bought it which was cheap at the time. I used this for work and towing the race car. Again a cracking car, fast, economical and reliable. In the end it went to Kevin Evans (brother of Roger) who put a 24valve in it for a customer, it might still exist (N181RDD). The imitiation split rim speedlines were terrible though.

14. Almost there.....the car I was never sure about and cost me the most to keep running, after the 155 V6 went it was replaced with a 156 V6. A great engine, but poor fuel economy and always seemed to need something at MOT time. Didn't really like the colour (my wife did) but nice Sportpack cloth interior. The price was right so we bought it. As with most of my Alfa's, this one was also handed down to the 'boss' and she used it for commuting to work and the school run. It went on Ebay for £900.

15. After suffering 20 mpg with the 156 V6, I decided to convert to diesel, and bought my wife a 147 jtd (120bhp). It was an unusual bright metallic blue colour. I'd highly recommend one of these to anyone who wants a quick but economical car. It never failed to return 40+mpg even on the school run and the only issue we had with it was the door handles snapping off (in the same week!). Probably the most cost efficient Alfa I have owned, and good fun to drive.

Sadly, I'm Alfa'less currently as I do high miles for work, hence went to the dark side for a big diesel that still has value with 200K on the clock, hence why I need to get my finger out with the Sud and 75 V6.

It is hard to choose the 'best' as they have all been good and entertaining cars in their own way, I suppose my least favourite was the 156 V6, the most entertaining (especially at 17 years old) was the Sud ti, but no surprises really that the one that stood out most was the Alfa 75 V6. Fast, economical and to drive felt like a complete car. The common theme with all of them was a replacement clutch anywhere between 60K and 90K miles.

The three I wanted but didnt get a chance to own (and probably won't now) are a 166 3 litre V6, Alfetta GTV6 and (obviously) a Bertone 105 coupe.

I also bought and scrapped 2 Sud ti's, both were beyond repair and the second one was used for spares for the Sud racer. It was a left hand drive car that was originally bought new from a dealer in Hull and taken to Greece by a priest before being returned to the UK (and then suffered a fire and badly burnt out inside) while rummaging in the loft for photos, I found its original bill of sale and service booklet. January 2nd 1979, a Capidimonte White 1500 ti for £3001!!. The electric ariel was extra...

[Nige005]

You have great taste in cars. ( Or I have equally bad taste ! )

Considered a 166 before I bought the 916 GTV but decided two seats were more than enough.

A V6 164 still appeals but once again don't need the four seats as this might mean I have to take my turn to drive to the Pub Quiz......... hic.

[KevJTD]

brilliant story, loads of special cars there mate

i've very recently had, and now sold, a 166 3.0 V6 and can report that they are superb cars. drive really, really nicely and needless to say have plenty of urge. low 20's mpg hurts a bit though.

think i'll resist doing a thread on my cars, my first was an austin allegro!!!

[Veesix75]

Well, an Austin Allegro could be a poor man's Sud after all (or a blind man's)

The design for the Allegro and Princess were pretty much ripped off from the Sud and Alfetta GTV respectively...but more like a celebrity's ugly younger brother who decided to be an accountant rather than a film star.

Besides, I bought a Renault Fuego and didn't admit it was an Auto either so I cant criticise others! On the Fuego shot you can see both the 'droop snoot' of my brothers Chevette , and the oil slick on the kerb outside my parents house that our old cars left on an ongoing basis...

[Veesix75]

Just thinking about the first 3 Suds, the green S2 ti I think cost £450, the white S1 ti was the princely sum of £350, and the red S3 ti was £440. Having said that this was 1986/87/89 respectively.

The red ti was advertised locally, and the seller didn't take my offer initially. I got home from work (still living with my folks), and asked where my Dad was. The seller had changed his mind, called my folks home number (no mobiles back then...) to say he would accept my entire life savings of £440. My Dad went to collect it as a 'surprise' for when I got home, but duly ran out of fuel driving it back home.......I had to collect him!

[KevJTD]

[Johnboy]

great stories guys
Will have to see if I can find some pics of my old cars

[Nige005]

think i'll resist doing a thread on my cars, my first was an austin allegro!!!

About the same time I bought my 'sud new in Cyprus in 1976 a work colleague bought a new Allegro from the same dealer in Limassol. ( Demades. ) A weird combination, a main dealer for both Alfa and British Leyland or whatever incarnation it was at that time.

My 'sud was pretty much trouble free but he had a fair bit of trouble with the Allegro. The bit that amused me most was to cure a rattle on one of the Back Doors they packed out the Keeper Plate with a Senior Service fag packet.

Have to say that it did cure the rattle and probably added pounds and pounds to the value of the Allegro.

[AlfaCorseChris]

Very nice heritage there

I cant do the same though , as I still have most of the cars I've ever bought. Apart from the GTV which I sold when I was jobless an skint and my Mitsubishi Colt which my sister crashed many many years ago

[Bluesuit]

Interesting collection, always liked the 75v6 in full Veloce trim, especially if black.

Nige - I recall getting nicked for doing 40 in the 30 at the top of the hill in Lincoln heading for Scampton, I was in my Sprint Veloce at the time, copper complemented me on the car as he gave me my ticket....

Ian

[Nige005]

Interesting collection, always liked the 75v6 in full Veloce trim, especially if black.

Nige - I recall getting nicked for doing 40 in the 30 at the top of the hill in Lincoln heading for Scampton, I was in my Sprint Veloce at the time, copper complemented me on the car as he gave me my ticket....

Ian

A small consolation I s'pose !

Last time I went to Scampton, about five years ago I think, it was really run down, if not falling down if appearances were 'owt to go by. A far cry from the glory days. Mind you I was never Posted there and pleased about that, never appealed a lot.

I loved being at Coningsby though, happy times. It all went well until I was forced into turning into a JAFAD.....

[Bluesuit]

I got allocated a quarter at Scampton whilst I was in training - it was dead then too