My Alfa hits a new low. And I think I like it!

I just got my car back from Giuseppe at Alfa Auto Clinic today.  I asked him to lower the front end a little, as the US Spec GTV6 has a horrendous front fender gap due to the US headlight height regulations.  I was expecting him to put it at the "Euro" spec.  What I ended up with is a mean-looking ride height that is very racey.  In person, the tops of the tires are pretty much concealed by the fender flare.  What do you Automobiliacs think?  Did he go to far?  Or is it tasteful and awesome?

Automobiliac Video of the week: Alfa Romeo GTV6 Rally Footage

The slow motion drift footage at the start of this clip should get you going.  And if that isn't enough, just watch the clip of Yves Loubet in the Rothmans-liveried GTV6 attack the curves with unbridled aggression around the 44 second mark. Wow. Footage like this makes me proud to own a GTV6! Not that I am capable of driving mine like that or anything...

Sorry it's all in French, by the way.

The Beast is Back in Brooklyn

Sorry fellow Automobiliacs for the lack of new posts this week.  I have been travelling, and also sick! But on the bright side, I am happy to report that my Alfa successfully fired up on the second crank after 6 months of sitting in my brother's garage in Maryland, and drove home to New York with no problems.  It's back in Brooklyn now, ready to begin the 2010 driving season!

Happy Birthday to my GTV6

27 Years ago today, my car rolled off the assembly line at Alfa Romeo's Arese plant. It was just another Tuesday for the men who built it, but they did their job well that day.  It probably sat for about a year before it was sold, having travelled halfway across the globe to California in a container ship.  The car lived in California almost its entire life, keeping it rust free.  I was lucky to find such a great car last year, when I acquired it and brought it home to New York.  The beast is slumbering for winter, but at the end of the month, it's time to awaken it and have some fun summer adventures together. Happy birthday, GTV6!  Click the pic for more images.

The Automobiliac Proposes: Vol. #2

The Automobiliac has a soft spot for all Alfa Romeos.  And this being the 100th anniversary of the marque makes it a very special year indeed.  You can look forward to some extensive coverage of the "Alfa Century" celebration in June down in Frederick, Maryland.  In order to commemorate this momentous milestone, Alfa commissioned Pininfarina to create a sexy roadster for the Geneva auto show.  The car, idiotically named the 2uettottanta, combining the words "Duetto" and "Ottanta" is a sensational design.  From every angle it really captures the feel of what a two seat open-top sports car should look like.  Best of all it shows a sense of balance, proportion, and above all restraint which I find wholly lacking from most new car designs.  Just witness the overcooked Porsche 918 concept at the same show or the truly horrific Hispano Suiza and you'll see what I mean.  And yet, I can't get myself to like the front end of the Alfa as much as the rest of the car.  I find the application of the alfa grille a little heavy, and I think the LED strip headlights, while minimalist and clean in execution, are just not giving the car a real personality from the front view.  So I chose to address this topic with this issue of "The Automobiliac Proposes."  Given the car's reference to the Duetto, which was one of Pininfarina's best designs for Alfa, and certainly its best selling (since it morphed into the Spider and was produced for decades), I decided that the front end needed to reference the original Duetto more directly.  Therefore, I transformed the LED headlights into turn signals and added headlights above them which are encased beneath a flush mounted transparent cover.  I think this feature is an improvement because it balances out the massive Alfa Grille and adds more of a "face" to the front end of the car.  Plus the way the headlights and hood line interact is very reminiscent of the Duetto.  Sure, my proposal is more conventional and less daring than what Pininfarina designed, but I happen to like it.  See the full album of stunning pictures of the real car here.