double-6s

cracked already Will!!!! :lol: i'm told good quality internal organs get very good money on the black market these days!!!! Yeah but his are fooked :lol: best get the kids names down William :lol:[/quote:1333b] Tis true. Reckon my internal organs are worth about a tenner as a job lot :) I'm told corrados fetch reasonable money still - maybe even enough for some engine work! :)

Handling is sweet Kev :) Very different to the rado as it's a fair bit heavier and doesn't move around like the C (as in drifting). Shed loads of mechanical grip. T/C can be a mare in slow tight corners, but luckily it can be switched off. I have read a fair bit about the suspension being a bit delicate though. Time will tell. One thing I can't quite get my head round at the moment is the size of the steering wheel! It's mahoosive! Every time I drive the rado with it's 300mm sparco wheel, it makes the alfa feel like a bus :) It's got all sorts of stereo control gubbins on it though, so I fear changing it may be a royal pain in the aerosol. I've already been drooling over the AD conversions mate - there's also a fella who does a 3.8 conversion. I reckon a N/A 3.8 would be pretty tasty. Around 330 horsies I think :) Even standard though the engine is a peach. It absolutely rips from about 4.5 to 5k revs straight up to 7k. There's a really good noticeable step in delivery (without the shrek flat spot) - presumably when it comes on cam? And it is way more economical than the rado! I can get 30 mpg fairly easily on a run, which is something I never managed in the C! I reckon it's down to engine management. It feels so modern compared to the C in that respect. Throttle response is like lightning, and the throttle-off action is jsut so smooth :)

Not a bad idea to wait a few months mate - it's an alfa so it will have fallen in price by about 3 grand by the end of summer! ;) I can't remember if you've got kids Alex? You haven't have you? I was gonna say don't buy the 147 if you have. Absolutely no room in the back! Totally gorgeous car other than that :)

Thanks mate :) You bought one yet? ;) It is going in the next issue which is out in 2 or 3 weeks all going well. There might even be a mug shot of me too! Poor public :)

Couple more taken on my little camera - i need to go to evening classes :lol:

:) It's amazing what they can do with lighting etc mate. A really good day out was had :)

Couple of pics from a photoshoot for evo magazine yesterday - sorry it's not a german car!! ;) Pics taken by evo photographer Owen (hope he doesn't mind!) on his mobile phone!

The only issue with helper springs is noise isn't it? My H&Rs have helpers and you can sometimes hear them creak or groan. What other issues are there with them?

Personally if you don't want to go too low, track it, etc then I would get very good quality shocks and springs. I have coilies, but in your situation I would definately get traditional dampers and springs. Can't see the point in getting coilies really.

Will do gaylord - once i've cleaned her again i will post up some italian car porn :) Now go and buy that GTV dude ;)

That is fookin gorgeous mate :) What colour is it? Moonlight blue?

Yeah I love the 147 GTA too mate. Lovely car. I settled on the 156 GTA in the end as it's a bit more practical for me with the kids. And we go camping and the like so the large boot is a real bonus. I am toying with the idea of fitting a carbon intake and a cat back exhaust with the rear silencer removed. That should make it sound even better. And, I'm meeting up with evo magazine next week for a photoshoot! :) They are doing a GTA buying guide and my car was lucky enough to be chosen for the pics :)

Don't start that again Alex!! :) It sounds gorgeous, just a wee bit quiet perhaps :) That 3.7 conversion does look the nuts - 6 grand though!!! :shock: maybe when I've killed the engine I'll be earning enough to afford a 3.7 rebuild.

Mate it's lovely. Very very different to the rado, but still lovely. I reckon one of each is almost the perfect combination for me :)

God I'm in love with this engine :) I'd read it was a bit short on low-end torque - complete cobblers! I've been driving round town (including mini roundabouts etc) in 6th gear, and it hasn't complained at all and pulls strongly. It's also a complete loon at the high end of the rev range. Jesus it goes absolutely mental from 5-7000 revs! The last thousand is silly - I've hit the limiter a couple of times as I wasn't expecting it to rip that quickly! :) Can't say fuel use is that bad either - I seem to be returning exactly the same figures as I do in the VR6. Tis quiet though (compared to the rado) - might have to get a CDA for it.

Doesn't sound like the coil pack mate. That tends to be bad running/running on 5 type feeling in my experience. I reckon maybe ignition switch or whatever it's called. Both my old golf vr and the corrado had it - starts off doing it ocassionally then gets more and more frequent until eventually it never starts again! Will probably turn out to something completely different though :) Good luck.

I wish you the best of luck with that Alfa.. but its hardly like tales of their dire reliability are infrequent. The only person I know who's had an Alfa was my cousin - nice GTV 2.0 TS - was a lovely car in black with red leather but he got rid of it after relentless problems and repair costs. As I say - good luck ;) 'Tales' being the operative word there I think mate. Almost all of what I've heard has not come directly from the owners themselves, but from other people who've heard from their brother's mate's mechanic who wouldn't touch an alfa with a barge pole. And most of the reputation was formed in the 70s and 80s when italian cars really were complete dog turd. But things change. To be fair since the 156 was introduced things have changed dramatically. Even the GTV you mention is a much older design and it's really obvious when you drive one and compare it to the gta. I'm not pretending it will be as reliable as a modern vw or audi, but maybe it will. Who knows? And if we all go on past reputation and problems, I reckon we'd all miss out on some fookin amazing experiences. I absolutely love this car already, and even if it does keep breaking down (under warranty anyway) I will continue to love it for what it is. If you're ever down this way come and try it. You may be suprised - my completely dub-obsessed mechanic was. I think the fact that I'm a risk-taker had an influence on my choice too mate.

Dude that is looking fookin sweeeeet! :) Factory quality. I'm very impressed mate - you must be very proud of your creation :)

It's easy to 'have' certain cars in a vr, even ones that should be quicker - it's down to the other driver being a big girl's blouse most of the time. So it's a bit of a dodgy way to compare cars performance really. But it's about a lot more than power/weight. Cars like the CTR are gonna be quicker most of the time with the same driver. It's down to power throughout the rev range (maybe not the CTR, but others such as ST etc), throttle response, chassis, suspension, etc - the rado is a twenty year old design afterall. And a vr weighs more like 1275+kg rather than the 1200 quoted earlier (1800kg for Kev's car with all the sound proofing and power-creating gubbins :) ) Still a fookin great car though! :)

I'm totally in love with it Alex. I can't quite believe how fast it is - so deceptive due to being about a third the volume of the rado! :)

That really is a gorgeous colour. Love the way it changes so much in the light.

Lol. Smug! You keep telling yourself that mate ;) BTW, why do I have to have owned one to make a judgement? Course I haven't owned one! I've tried them and don't like them, so clearly I aint gonna end up owning one! :)

Not great :)

Hmmmm...... I reckon you're a bit biased because you've got one? lol :) Fair play mate - I'm glad you love it. I don't though. PS. I too have driven countless dubs, audis, skodas ( :) ), blah, blah - you're not unique there. I'd have to say skodas come at the bottom of my list. Such is life eh?

I still hate them. I don't expect or want anyone to agree, but I really do think they are vom-inducingly dull. Surely, if the skoda lovers are completely and utterly honest with themselves, the only reason to like them is because you're a bit tight? Sure, veedubs are basically the same thing but more expensive, but they're also nicer, better looking and more pleasant to be in. In a word better. So i can only really see that it comes down to money. Which is fair enough, but not my cup of tea. And by the way fella - I'm fairly certain that at no point have I said I've never driven a skoda ;)