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Re: What sort of Alfa cars we want

Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 5:00 pm
by Duk
darryl longley wrote:I think alfa should take a leaf out of nissans book.Ive had gtv6 for years and the most up to date reincarnation in the true transaxle theme has to be the new gtr
How about all the rear transaxle Ferrari's, Porsche's, Maserati's an Corvette's( :? )?
Trying to compare a GTV6 to the new GTR is a bit like me trying to compare my MR2 to a Ferrari F50 because they are both mid engined :mrgreen:

Re: What sort of Alfa cars we want

Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:56 am
by PietereQ
darryl longley wrote:I think alfa should take a leaf out of nissans book.Ive had gtv6 for years and the most up to date reincarnation in the true transaxle theme has to be the new gtr
That would be very true also in terms of transaxle crapiness :lol: . Few launch sequences on gtr and your tranny is junk :o

Re: What sort of Alfa cars we want

Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:10 am
by darryl longley
yeah but still its a transaxle with a short wheelbase a v6 up front and all the tricks of the 21st century.Dont get me wrong i love my gtv6 its still my all time favourite but that gtr is awesome

Re: What sort of Alfa cars we want

Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:17 am
by darryl longley
Duk wrote:
darryl longley wrote:I think alfa should take a leaf out of nissans book.Ive had gtv6 for years and the most up to date reincarnation in the true transaxle theme has to be the new gtr
How about all the rear transaxle Ferrari's, Porsche's, Maserati's an Corvette's( :? )?
Trying to compare a GTV6 to the new GTR is a bit like me trying to compare my MR2 to a Ferrari F50 because they are both mid engined :mrgreen:
wasnt the mr2 trying to be a baby ferrari ? besides the nissan is a v6 and more sports car than the transaxle porshes ferraris corvettes etc which have big a v8/ v12 up front for that gt cruiser feel
again just an opinion.

Re: What sort of Alfa cars we want

Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:39 am
by MALDI
The Nissan GTR is in some way an updated version of the Alfa Romeo SZ (ES-30). Just take the Alfa and add the Callaway twin turbos and a shaft from the transaxle forward to drive the front wheels! :D (Remember the 164 Q4, albeit a completely different layout.) I am not saying literally do this but Alfa had the concept but not the $$$ to develop the ES-30 in this direction.

Re: What sort of Alfa cars we want

Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 3:07 pm
by Mats
What we need is a small, light, RWD sedan with a highly tuned 4 cylinder engine up front. No fancy pants suspension, just make it handle great.
Loose all the fluff and gizmos and stupid electronics.

1000-1200Kg and say 200-240Hp driveable (!), manual six speed somewhat close ratio

A drivers car, a front engined Lotus Elise, a little less spartan and with italian engineering instead of the horrible british "smashing ideas" like the air intake for the passenger compartment at the front of the car at exhaust tip height. :roll:
Think Porsche 911 GT3 type of options level instead of raw aluminium panels like in the Elise.

That I'd actually consider to buy, if it was priced right (i.e. not like a current BMW M3).

Re: What sort of Alfa cars we want

Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 3:23 pm
by rz
i used to own an elise :D

nice toy, but realy spartanic!

no radio, but when driving the car makes so much noise that you couldn't hear it anyway.

when driving top open,orcanic winds surround your wife :lol: :lol:

but, o such a nice drivers car....

Re: What sort of Alfa cars we want

Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 2:43 pm
by GarthW
Actually i gotta tell you all, what i have now is ultimate for me.

What is fun now, is too compare power figures with other cars you see in magazines and stuff.

So my gtv6 now has a better power to weight and more torque than a Porsche GT3 RS!! Just a small comparison, and the Alfa isnt tuned 100% right now, so room for development is great.

So my ultimate Alfa is what i have. Single turbo V6, light weight gtv6 which is turning many heads.

Thankyou Alfa. :wink:

Re: What sort of Alfa cars we want

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 12:20 am
by MerrilGordon
Open letter to Fiat/Alfa Romeo,

I was at the Seattle car show last December. While in the BMW section I noticed a white 4-door 3-series sedan, just like all the other white 4-door Toyotas, Hondas, Fords, etc, etc, etc, . . . . I see so many of these automotive appliances when I walk through the huge parking lots at the Boeing Everett plant that I can’t keep thinking of an image of lemmings headed for the cliff. So I went over to the kiosk and there was this lady from BMW marketing. I pointed at that abomination and told her BMW is loosing its focus trying to appeal to everyone. I also pointed out there were no Z4 M-type equivalents on the floor and the new 1-series was just another over size over weight over luxury over everything amalgamation of excess. I looked her straight in the eye and told her that it might not be long before people forget why they have to pay so much for BMWs.

This is where Alfa Romeo needs to beat up on the competition. Most of those posting on this thread have it exactly right. Alfa Romeo, if you’re reading this and you should be if you’re doing your research, light weight is key! Every car out there with but a few exceptions fails at this miserably! Get the weight out! How? Keep it compact. I park by a modern Mini and it dwarfs my GTV6. Keep it simple! No AWD, no 15-way suspensions, no overstuffed luxury seats with ass coolers, and for God’s sake, no automatic! Not on this car. Leave the autobox for the sedan. Posers need not apply. This is a car specifically designed so as not to appeal to everyone. Watch that attract attention and respect right now. I would use aluminum in an effort to get the weight down. That should be well developed technology by now. Remember, compact and light weight means other components can be small and light weight as well. 16” rotors with 6-piston calipers? Don’t make me vomit. But, this car must, and I mean MUST know its way around a racetrack. It must be able to spend a three day weekend at the track and yet drive to work the next week without anything more than a change back to highway tires. A small compact car like this should perform spectacularly with 250hp. Anything over 300hp is excess and probably crowds Maserati. And yes, I’m a fan of the transaxle. Another way to separate Alfa from the myriad of other so called “sports” coupes. While I am a fan of six cylinder engines, a 4-cyl should be a reduced cost option. Alfa Romeo, you got the old Alfetta/GTV6 right. So do it again. Factory offered speed parts should also be part of this project.

Now, Alfa Romeo, I do agree your company needs to make profit. I think chassis sharing is ok between Alfa models to keep costs down. It’s not ok between Alfa and Fiat. Leave the FWD stuff to Fiat. Take this new GTV6 chassis, extend the wheelbase some distance and put a 4-door body on it. An Alfa 4-door sedan can be more forgiving but it had better be light. Optional twin clutch automatic is fine here. The car still should be modest in size, and it should perform on the track as well. This car can have a broader appeal but it’s shouldn’t become the overstuffed embarrassments that current BMW 1 & 3-series cars are.

And yes, let’s share the chassis with the Spider. Don’t just chop the new GTV6’s roof. Build new body panels to handle the loss in rigidity and make it ooze sexiness. I’d offer an optional twin-clutch automatic in this as well. A good way to win converts.

I’ll digress a little here and comment about an Alfa Romeo on the Maserati Q-port chassis. There’s your big car Alfa Romeo. And Alfa’s big car should never get any bigger than that. The big Mercedes and BMW’s look like a running joke to me. Fat people in fat cars living their fat lives. That’s not the image Alfa Romeo should have.

Want to create an image again to drive future sales instead of living off of past (and abused) history? Then make a car that demands something of the driver. Note this; if the driver isn’t involved, then they won’t care about the car.

And one last thing. Lack of a high quality and totally reliability means certain failure. There is no tolerance from the buying public for anything less.

Merril Gordon
GTV6 owner for 18 years.

Re: What sort of Alfa cars we want

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 2:30 am
by Duk
MerrilGordon wrote: no overstuffed luxury seats with ass coolers......
Leave out the luxury, but after having a 48 degree C day last week (after plenty of days of 40+), maybe an ass cooler would be a good idea :P :P :P

Re: What sort of Alfa cars we want

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 3:42 am
by MD
Merril,

I was thinking the US was running out of guys like you. Please get into a breeding program with someone over there. We need lots more like you. :D

Mr Rubber One. Can I Send you a chiller block from the Esky (on loan of course). Somebody once told me those SA boys were sheit-hot drivers-now I know why... :D

Re: What sort of Alfa cars we want

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 5:15 am
by MALDI
No one seems to have mentioned the Mazda RX-8: nimble, light weight, a driver's car. Except for the rotary engine (which, unfortunately, is a key to the light weight) is this the arena that Alfa should compete in?

Re: What sort of Alfa cars we want

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 12:33 pm
by mjr
MALDI wrote:No one seems to have mentioned the Mazda RX-8: nimble, light weight, a driver's car. Except for the rotary engine (which, unfortunately, is a key to the light weight) is this the arena that Alfa should compete in?
:shock: ahem!! its a bloody ugly ricer that's why. if you wanna look like a spaz, drive an rx8. :wall:

Re: What sort of Alfa cars we want

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 12:50 pm
by MALDI
mjr wrote:its bloody ugly
Agreed, but we are talking about car type not outward appearance. Being an Alfa we all hope it is pleasant to look at! :D

Re: What sort of Alfa cars we want

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 3:16 pm
by MD
You could do a lot worse than the Honda S2000. (If you like rag tops) Not a bad package but the price here is too stiff. Typical Honda, power comes on too high in the rev range but Alfa could fix that.
Nothing terribly exciting in its presentation but then there is nothing terribly wrong either..

like we are all saying..cut the price in half, the weight in half, the features by double and just give us a value for money performance car so we can once more be proud to say we are Alfa owners..

let's bring the pride back !!