Porsche 912 and Alfa GTV6: a Study in Contrasts

I went on a country drive with my buddy James the other day.  He has a gorgeous Porsche 912 in a beautiful shade of Dark Green. His car has been previously featured on Automobiliac, but this time it was out on the open road.  I found it fascinating to compare the two cars aesthetically. One is the epitome of prewar low-drag theory (from Dr. Erwin Komenda) taken to its logical and aesthetic conclusion, with a sloping tail and tapering organic curves.  The other represents late 1960's aerodynamic thinking (aka "the wedge"), with a kick-up over the trunk lid, and more of a kamm tail.  All the contours are folded crisply rather than rounded off, providing more planar surface area for downforce over the hood.  While the 912 is undoubtedly more beautiful than the GTV6 they make a fantastic pair when parked together. We drew lots of looks, especially from the local police...

The Automobiliac Proposes Vol. # 6: Alfa 4C

Normally I wouldn't waste my energy trying to fix the 4C. I think the car is an aesthetic travesty. But given that Alfa plans to launch their return to North America with a production version of the show car, I thought I would do my best to polish a turd. Is the result something I love? No. But I tried my best to improve the proportions and form where it really bothered me.  I made the headlight clusters lower and smaller, and reprofiled the "jaw-line" of the car to make the front end more vertical and have less of a jutting "chin."  Since the car is mid-engined, I kept the air intake in the rear fender, but made it much less dramatic. Hopefully, the eye will be more drawn to the clean fender side surfacing than the flashy, overdone detailing they had.  The last big change I made was the the C pillar. I feel like the current car's pillar is way too thick and is like a mashup of an Enzo and a Lotus.  I tried to give it more of a Cayman or 458 Italia feel.  I don't think the result of my efforts is a beautiful car, but I hope it's a little more refined and understated than what Alfa did. Please Alfa, if you are launching with the 4C, please redesign it!

Alfa's Launch Strategy Leaked: 4C to lead off full US lineup

Whether leaked intentionally or not, this chart detailing Alfa's next few years of product planning tells an interesting story.  Much to my relief, the current (mediocre) MiTo will not be the car that Alfa returns to the US with, nor will the (decent) Giulietta be the launch vehicle. Instead the first car to come here will be a production version of the mid-engined 4C show car.  Now I particularly detested the design of that show car but I think it will do a good job of creating the proper sporting halo for the brand as it is re-launched stateside. Since most Americans old enough to remember Alfa associate the marque with the Spider, I think it's important for a small, fun sports car to be the emotional center of the lineup.  It seems that Alfa is planning a full line of vehicles, including a hatchback (facelifted MiTo) as well as a sedan and wagon (replacing the drop-dead-gorgeous 159), plus a small SUV.  Later the Giulietta will be updated and launched here.  I strongly disagree with the SUV component of this mix, but it seems like an inevitablility at this point that every brand in the US market needs to have one.

One more thought: It seems apparent that the Alfa folks intend to use the Giulia and Giulietta names here for the planned sedan, wagon, and hatchback, but although those names have huge resonance for me as an Alfista, it seems they haven't realized that Americans have no idea how to pronounce those names (Julia and Julietta, not Geela and Geeletta, dammit!). I think Alfa should stick to a 159-style numbering system for the sedans, and 4C, 8C style system for the sporting models.

Via the Alfa BB

Automobiliac Laps Lime Rock!

Just got back from what I might describe as a perfect day, without a trace of exaggeration.  My buddy Drew (of Motoring Con Brio fame) and I went up to Lime Rock Park for a most enjoyable track day.  I had never run my Alfa on the track before, so I was really worrying something would break, but I'm happy to report that despite its 28 years of age, my car held its own gallantly, even keeping up with some badly-driven modern machinery!  Much to my pleasure there was another GTV6 present at the event, and the owner and I became fast friends.  I think we both defended the honor of the marque with our efforts, and with the lack of any mechanical failures! His car is in the foreground, and mine is behind with the hood open.

I was paired with a really great instructor named Carmine, who gave a lot of insightful feedback and encouragement, and I had an absolute blast.  Below are 2 of my better laps from the final session of the day. 

This is the same lap, seen from Drew's Golf GTI, which was tailing me!

This next clip is a drive-by showing how a badly-driven M5 can be tailed by an underpowered old Italian heap being driven hard! Of course, with his 400+ bhp he pulled away on the straights...

My all-weather tires were not the best shoes for the track, and my stock brake pads didn't hold up so great after hard driving, but all in all I feel blessed to have had an incident-free and exciting day in my car. After I left the track, the trusty GTV6 got me all the way back to the metropolis without so much as a hiccup. Che bella macchina! The drive home, through beautiful Connecticut back roads, was just a slice of heaven. See the whole gallery HERE! and Drew also took some fantastic shots (much better than mine!) that can be seen HERE

When one just isn't enough...

Many Alfisti can't help themselves.  You need a GTV6, then an Alfetta GT, and an Alfetta track car as well.  Naturally.  Best part is, you could have all 3 of these cars for well under 20 grand.  Talk about a bargain!