It'll be good to get a few guys from the site there at the same time but seeing we're all in different countries its really not that easy or cheap, unfortunately.
Wanna brighten up a Monday morning?
Here is some strange and interesting things that go on in Italy regarding some obscure decisions about Alfa surplus (?) production and the handling of same. A few months ago (mid to late 2005) a friend Alfa mechanic/used parts dealer learned that brand-new 156/147/GTA's and some Fiats were going to be
destroyed (!) as surplus. Apparently, this had something to do with the new GM V6 engine...This guy and another Fiat mechanic (both from Athens) went to Milan and stayed there for a month, taking
new cars apart! The consignment of cars was trucked over to this junk dealer who apparently outbidded in the relative factory auction. He in turn sold each car for 4kEuros (4,000) to our guys and they proceeded to strip them out, not being allowed to take them away whole. They unbolted everything that could be unbolted, then they rolled the cars on their sides (!) so they could unbolt the engine/tansmission/suspension frame and everything else that needed removal, leaving only a couple of loose bolts on. Then, they dropped them back down, lifted them up with a big forklift and removed the powertrain frame whole. So these guys came back here with complete new cars (minus body) in pieces. I was over there Saturday looking for some parts and saw about 8-10 complete pallets with shiny new stuff! He said he sells the entire car transformation
package (you bring your 156/147 1.6 or whatever in the shop and drive away with a 3.2/gta within a month or less) for about 11-12kEuros. Not a bad profit margin! Of course, he tied up about 30-40kEuros to begin with. Thing is, with oil prices going where they are, the mod business all but died and now he sits there looking at all this new stuff!
Well,
same thing happened 20-odd years ago with
gtv6's with a twist: when the cars were unloaded back then (now get
this!) there were factory guys there with big f. hammers smashing the shit out of the cars, so nobody would sell them for new! No doors or hoods were opened, just trashed all the eye can see! Same story with a 'junkie' winning the auction, I got this story from the 'junkie' himself when I went there myself looking for parts for my gtv. Yeah...I know how you all must feel now, totally unimaginable, total waste!
How's this for a bright morning? Betcha didn't know it!!
Jim K.
) Sunday is driving day so we can shoot the *&%## Friday evening and Saturday morning. 
Jim,You have the time of your life!! Enjoy..I tried damn hard to make it,finances ruled otherwise...
Any ideas Barry?? 
