1982 Alfasud 1.5 TI QV

This was my first Alfa. It was in pretty bad shape when I bought it. My first intention was to repair it, but as I bought a Sprint I didn't do anything.Seven years sitting in a garden hadn’t done it much good. The car couldn’t even carry its own weight anymore, the suspension had collapsed. When I tried to open a door I was left holding the door handle and 20 cm of door panel! Eventually I decided to dismantle this Sud.

1985 Sprint 1.5 QV

As explained in the previous chapter, this was the Alfa I really fell in love with. The picture shows the state she was in when I bought her. Four different shades of silver, disgusting blue striping, and a lot of rust. After six months work she started to look nice again. For a year I drove her with much pleasure. Then I got involved in a car crash, and my poor Sprint was written-off. I cannot describe how much pain I felt, seeing my baby all folded-up.

1987 33 1.5 Ti

After the accident with my Sprint I was looking for my next Alfa. It should be either an Alfetta GTV4 or a type II 33. One of the last real Alfa’s and somewhat problematic, or a more reliable Alfa with less character? In the end, I chose the latter. I found a perfectly maintained 33 1.5 Ti. Although this time repairs were not necessary, that didn’t mean that I didn’t do anything!

Stage 1 was fitting a 1.7 engine from a type II QV. I modified the inlet system by optimising the cylinder-head inlet channels and inlet valves, and by fitting the carburetters with competition air filters and intake-trumpets. I made these trumpets myself. On a milling machine / lathe I cut 15mm thick aluminium mounting-plates, and from suitable PVC pipe I made the trumpets. Carburation was set up on the rolling-road at Arese Tuning in Zwanenburg, Holland. The suspension was also modified, with lower and stiffer springs and modified front wheel geometry. The braking-system and exterior trim came from the 1.7 QV, and the interior came from a ’92 1.7 IE. For stage 2 I bought a crashed 1.7 16V as a donor. This time I mounted a 138 HP 16V engine in my ’87 33. This was a lot of work, adapting the electrical and entire fuel systems from a carburetter model onto an injection engine, but driving it turned out to be lots of fun!

1991 33 1.7 16V QV

In 2000 I bought this type III 16V QV. Much the same story as with my type II. Condition was good, but I like spending time ;-). At first I fitted a K&N racing air filter which was supplied with cold air by an intake hose from behind the front bumper. I replaced the catalyst and the silencer with two straight-through resonators. Further on, I fitted new camshafts, a Squadra Tuning chip, and set the ECU to run on open loop, so without the lambda control. I removed the power-assisted steering system in order to gain a little power and lose a little weight, but, more importantly, to improve the steering feel. I changed the gearbox for one with a lower final drive ratio. Again, lower and stiffer springs were fitted. I also removed all unnecessary weight like seats, interior panels, carpets, central-door-locking system, and even the spare tyre. In the end, this car was really pretty fast and extremely fun to drive! Because of the weight distribution quite a lot of oversteer, and because of the increased power, reduced weight and low final drive, super fast acceleration, 7 seconds 0 - 100 km/h.

1983 GTV6 2500

This Alfa is my current project. The Alfa I always dreamed about! This project will not only include repair and modification but also a complete restoration. You can read more about this project in the next chapter. It will be a ten-year project, so please be patient!

2000 145 1.9 JTD Lusso

This is my current everyday Alfa. Quite a difference compared to my previous Alfas! Instead of buying a basic model and modifying it, I bought the top model, a ‘Lusso’. It really has all the options you could wish for these days; air-conditioning, climate-control, ABS, double airbags, remote-controlled central door-locking, electric-windows, electrically-adjustable and heated door-mirrors, fully painted bumpers in body-colour and so on. As if all of this wasn’t enough, it even has the original Alfa Romeo sporting equipment; rear roof-spoiler, larger side-skirts, light-alloy wheels and a sporting interior. But, for me, the most important part: the engine! It’s a diesel! Please don’t stop reading now, it’s not "just" a diesel. This is a JTD; a direct-injection turbo-diesel with common-rail technology. This engine produces 105 pk and an enormous 255 Nm of torque! Although the car weighs almost 1200 kg, it’s pretty quick (for a diesel). Driveability is great. Changing down before overtaking isn’t necessary, just floor the accelerator in 5th gear, wait a few moments till the turbo builds up pressure, and go! OK, what about the future? A car like this doesn’t leave much to be desired. Perhaps some day I will buy a high-performance chip, maybe bigger wheels. That’s about it. That’s it?! Yes, that’s it! I’m already satisfied! Update 01-02-06 It has been eight months since I had my 145 chip-tuned by Squadra-tuning. The result still satisfies me, it really is great! With 135 pk and 300 Nm of torque, this engine never gets boring! Of course, while the turbo is off-boost there isn't the throttle response of a petrol engine, and it doesn't sound that sporty. But the performance! Especially when it comes to overtaking in fifth gear... Also the brakes have been upgraded: at the front I fitted drilled and grooved brake discs (National Sport) with EBC Greenstuff brake pads, while the rear axle got some nice Brembo grooved discs fitted with EBC Kevlar brake pads. Braking power didn't improve much, but the resistance to fade has increased tremendously! The original 15" rims have been replaced by 16" wheels of the same design. This gives my car a 'bigger' look without affecting the original Alfa Romeo design. Handling has also improved but I cannot say whether this is due to the different dimensions of the new tyres (205/45R16 instead of 195/55R15) or to the other manufacturer/type: Michelin Exalto instead of Pirelli P6000.

1990 75 3.0 V6 America

Since July 2007 I am the new happy owner of this wonderful Alfa 75. I have been searching for one for quite a while and it's very noticeable how few cars are offered! Apart from not having a sunroof this 75 is exactly what I wanted: equipped with the mighty 3.0 V6 engine and painted in the luxury colour Bianco Argento (champagne). As so few cars were offered and as my budget is limited, I bought a car needing attention. The engine needs an overhaul, the heater delivers only hot air etc etc. Many people had already looked at the car but none of them had the guts (or time or skills) to buy the project. I did ;) The 75 is fully roadworthy so I look forward to give this 75 a second life while enjoying the ride of it!

1989 33 1.3S Blue

My girlfriend is going to start her driving lessons and we were searching for a nice car to repair while she is learning. It should be a Sprint or a mark II 33. We didn’t have to search for long! There were 3 mark II 33’s for sale. 2 good cars and one meant for spare parts. The first thing what took my attention was the good shape they were in! Even the spare parts car was in good enough shape to build a nice 33! The buying was quickly made. After negotiating about the price we were the proud owners of 3 33’s. My girlfriend will get the anthracite 33, the other buyer takes the champagne 33 and we split the parts from the dark blue 33. The 33 is a 1.3 S so with 2 double carburettors and it is a “blue” edition. It has QV skirts and a QV interior. Even the interior is in good shape! De car has run 140,000 km but there was an engine fitted with 90,000 km, The engine still looks brand new! This is going to be a really nice car. My girlfriend preferred an Audi but even though she is really happy with her rarely mark 2 33. It is a matter of time till she will get infected with the Alfa virus!