Great Italian car thread

[Fantuzzi]

jacklewisno1 said:

Yep got back a couple of days ago. Glad to hear your car is up and running again.

The problem with mine was the exhaust bracket had rubbed through the rubber on the bush resulting in metal on metal. A simple trim of the bush (dont laugh) to give clearance solved the issue. Happy days!

Ah nice, our squeaks and rattles have been simply sorted! That's not normal.

My last rattle resulted in being £1100 lighter...

[Fantuzzi]

For investment purposes, Id be grabbing a fibreglass 308 GTB!

Or perhaps a nice Guilietta sprint veloce.

[Fantuzzi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5v_jXD_tmE

The noise, is just stunning.

The best sports car ever made in this little chaps head, lighter than an S1 elise, racing v8, 10,000rpms around 240-50 bhp when tested. Mad performance, mad handling because its just a race car with slightly upholstered seats.

And it looks stunning. Not pretty from all angles though, it came look a little bulbous with its roof line, but so purposeful.

[Fantuzzi]

jacklewisno1 said:

Fantuzzi said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5v_jXD_tmE

The noise, is just stunning.

The best sports car ever made in this little chaps head, lighter than an S1 elise, racing v8, 10,000rpms around 240-50 bhp when tested. Mad performance, mad handling because its just a race car with slightly upholstered seats.

And it looks stunning. Not pretty from all angles though, it came look a little bulbous with its roof line, but so purposeful.

Its a beautiful car and it does make a great sound. Not sure if its my all time fave sound though. For now im sticking with the 8c V8.

Going back to the investments i mentioned earlier i found a few videos.....

A good one of some Alfa magic. Giovanardi in a 155 giving a 4wd Audi a run for its money in the wet. The excitable Italian commentary makes it more thrilling somehow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMLtD0HGJ2E

And a slighty chessy video of the Koenig i posted earlier. Maybe you should put on some shades and a big blazer to get in the spirit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phbnLdePpmI

Ah there is a video of the 33 vs 8c in a rev off, I know, I know your not dreaming it happened.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9UtQMISwfw

The 8c v8 is pretty special such a raw sound.

That tc 155 race was pretty elbows out! Have you seen the155 v6 dtm alfa, with its 200bhp per litre!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmeG_tVaFS8

Check out some of its noises on youtube, pretty awesome.

Got to love the 80s, awesome era of cars and motorsport.

Lancia LC2 we didn't get to see at Silverstone classic thanks to the British weather



Not sure if I have shown you this, thought you'd like it as, I think, you are quite keen on Abarths...

[Fantuzzi]

jacklewisno1 said:

Sweet Lord after watching the sound off video im now uncertain as to which is better. I guess id have to buy both to be sure.

As for the 155 DTM, thats a cracking video there. Its how i imagine i drive my Abarth around Welsh B roads although the truth may be a bit more different. Me and my mate were watching videos of the 155 DTM yesterday evening. He's a massive plane fan and im trying to get him to be as enthusiastic about cars as i am. The indoctrination began with the Chris Harris Pirelli tyre launch vid before moving on to Alfas.

Shame we missed the Lancia's, but im sure we will see them one day. I looked for some good on board footage but couldn't find anything worth watching.

The Abarth advert seems so incredibly plane compared with today's stuff. I'd love to have that 695 though. It had a pant wettingly powerful 38bhp and an edge of the seat 0-60 time of around 20 seconds if i remember correctly. It may take half a decade to get to 60, but at least i'd have the biggest grin in the world on the way

Heres a short clip of the modern day 695 being put through its paces by Benny Simonsen (Alan's younger brother). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqil28vrcnE

Ill post up the 2.5litre v8 in the tipo 33/2 race car, sound is stunning. My internet is being really weird at the moment.

[Fantuzzi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD0Of86W750

The race bodied abarths just looks soooo good. Even with only a top speed of 83mph there is so much want.

Proper hot hatch, with rwd and rear engine, pretty fun set up, the 695s are considered the best of the 500 bodied Abarths according to French Wikipedia...

[Fantuzzi]

jacklewisno1 said:

Wow that Alfa just seemed to eat the field up! Lovely sound but i think im still favouring the 8c v8 for now.

Don't worry I'm not trying to convert you

The 8c is rather awesome, such a shame they didn't nail it first time by letting Dallara finish the car. But Evo mentioned how on the road it was pretty awesome just wasn't a track car.

jacklewisno1 said:

You may have seen this video all ready as i get the impression you may also be a subscriber of Petrolicious. However, just in case you havent here it is... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdUzf50-pFU&fea...

Totally unrelated to our earlier discussion but i thought it was so cute it was worthy of a mention.

I haven't seen that actually, pretty cute little car, Italians seem to be able to do the whole spectrum of cars.

Although I now blame petrolicous for making me want to move to the suburbs of new York and buy a classic Alfa Romeo. Perhaps a 33/2 racer for the evenings and early mornings, and a European (they are 100kg lighter than us version due to safety...) Alfa 4c in black for the daily. I am now google mapping good roads in north America.

How is the Abarth doing?

[Fantuzzi]

jimmy156 said:

Fantuzzi said:

How much cooling does one engine need!

Great pictures Mr Cosworth.






The worse the interior the better the drive...

What is that?

Ah that's the Lancia 037 Stradale.

200 made, 205bhp, 1170kg kerb, its the homologation special for the 037 group B rally car, which was the last rwd car to win the WRC championship in 1983.

Sadly they're around 120k!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancia_037

[Fantuzzi]

jacklewisno1 said:

Fantuzzi said:

I haven't seen that actually, pretty cute little car, Italians seem to be able to do the whole spectrum of cars.

Although I now blame petrolicous for making me want to move to the suburbs of new York and buy a classic Alfa Romeo. Perhaps a 33/2 racer for the evenings and early mornings, and a European (they are 100kg lighter than us version due to safety...) Alfa 4c in black for the daily. I am now google mapping good roads in north America.

How is the Abarth doing?

Nahh move to Wales not New York! The roads are epic there. Its just a free track day really, every bend seems to emulate a race track corner.

You'd think a carbon tub would provide enough safety really. Do you know how the extra 100kgs will be added?

The Abarth was going perfectly, i was enjoying the lack of squeakyness, when on friday the aircon started playing up. It wouldn't produce hot air and all the LCD displays for the temperature started to flash If it continues i will try disconnecting and reconnecting the battery. If that doesnt work perhaps an aircon service will solve the problem.

Hows the MR2 fairing?

I've been to Wales it was cold and grey, although I'll admit I wasn't able to the best honing spots being stuck in a city...

I don't know how the weights added, but he Americans have weird safety laws, apparently that is what made the S2 elise chubby because they needed to meet US laws over there.

Ah typical Italian reliability then! The MR2 is going ok, I've spent the last week listening intently to every noise it makes, I was a bit worried I was getting a funny sound aT high (ish) speeds, like a flat spot noise, but I think I've just forgotten how noisy the car is at motorway speeds.

At least the radio is good and loud to drown it out....

[Fantuzzi]

iva cosworth said:

Have got nothing to do at work today....yet,so have some random Italian car pics

while i wait for something to happen.

And people go on about the e30 m3's arches...

iva cosworth said:

Ah despite my car geek knowledge that car escapes me! What is it? and don't just say a Ferrari...

iva cosworth said:

Ah, , Stunning cars the trofeos, the new models now with 500bhp and less than 1250kgs are really something special!

Oh great now I am backing thinking about an MC stradale...

Hopefully swissteam can get some victories for the MCGT3 granturismo they are racing in the Gulf 12hrs in Dec.

Great pics as per usual iva!

Hugo a Gogo said:

Tipo 33 raced at Le Mans


Larini's DTM winning 155

Love the 33/2 (as you might have guessed from previous pages) sadly the one racing at Silverstone classic didn't seem to be up to speed, not sure if it was the driver or if the car wasn't running as it should.

That DTM 155s just look savage, and sound it, 200bhp per litre from the v6!

Edited by Fantuzzi on Tuesday 22 October 14:48

[Fantuzzi]

iva cosworth said:

Sorry Fantuzzi don't know what it is,i usually rush round taking pics then walk back around reading

the info but it never sinks in.

After a quick look its the 330 TRI/LM,

After a closer look it was clearly TR derived car, and I thought it might have been the 340 TRI61 that was similar to the v6 front engine car on sale a while ago. But I'm a Maserati man when it comes to front engine sports racers!

Ultimatecarpage.com is a great site for this sort of thing!

[Fantuzzi]

jacklewisno1 said:

Fantuzzi said:

iva cosworth said:

iva cosworth said:

Ah, , Stunning cars the trofeos, the new models now with 500bhp and less than 1250kgs are really something special!

Oh great now I am backing thinking about an MC stradale...

Hopefully swissteam can get some victories for the MCGT3 granturismo they are racing in the Gulf 12hrs in Dec.

Great pics as per usual iva!

Hugo a Gogo said:

Tipo 33 raced at Le Mans



Love the 33/2 (as you might have guessed from previous pages) sadly the one racing at Silverstone classic didn't seem to be up to speed, not sure if it was the driver or if the car wasn't running as it should.

Edited by Fantuzzi on Tuesday 22 October 14:48

When i saw those pics i had a feeling you would suffer trouser accidents 'tuzzi.

You know me too well



Funnily enough I thought you might like this garage...

[Fantuzzi]

iva cosworth said:

Fantuzzi,I bought a book in Maranello this year called "Ferrari,all the cars"

I looked in it and thought that was one of any of these...........196sp,286sp,248sp or 268sp.

Do you know what that car number36 is too ?as I couldn't find any with those small fins .

Ill have a look, I just looked on ultimate car page, I thought it was something along those lines aswell, it might be one of the sps.

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/595/Ferrari-330...

[Fantuzzi]

Fantuzzi said:

iva cosworth said:

Fantuzzi,I bought a book in Maranello this year called "Ferrari,all the cars"

I looked in it and thought that was one of any of these...........196sp,286sp,248sp or 268sp.

Do you know what that car number36 is too ?as I couldn't find any with those small fins .

I just looked on ultimate car page, I thought it was something along those lines aswell, it might be one of the sps, but its pictured on the page with the same number and black roll bar!

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/595/Ferrari-330...

250 tour de france is number 36.

Ferrais tend be tricky because in the 50s/60s they often had different coachwork by various types, lots of one offs etc, almost as nebulous as Abarth prototypes...

[Fantuzzi]

iva cosworth said:

Just looked at that other site and I think the bodywork behind the seats is different on that 330.

http://s727.photobucket.com/user/cosinodo/media/217-2.jpg.html

Where is it different from the ultimate car page car? I thought they were the same!

[Fantuzzi]

Is your mystery car the 330 like I thought or have you found the right model iva?

[Fantuzzi]

iva cosworth said:

After looking again at that website it looks to me like it's all the same bodyshape

but the 330 is maybe a bigger engine put into one of the 4 i mentioned ....

The 330 TRI isn't mentioned in my comprehensive book of "All the cars"...

The 330 and all those SPs were all made in 1962 too.

Yeah its always weird as older racers often had been crashed then altered, upgraded, body work changed, its a massive pain for the car geek!

[Fantuzzi]

With this



Perfection.




And now for something less refined in terms of aesthetics, the Gallardo super trofeo race car,they were fudging mad at ROC 2012.

[Fantuzzi]

I've been wondering this for a while, Maserati's missed opportunity. (Don't worry Jack, its not another mid engine lightweight...)

A short wheel base 2 seater Granturismo. Same 4.7 440-60bhp V8, around 1400-1500kgs, around 95-100inch wheelbase, looks like an 8c with the front of a Granturismo mc stradale.

Call it the Gransport and sell it at 85k and go 911 s, Vantage and r8 v8 hunting.

Then do a lightweight track day special...

Good idea?

[Fantuzzi]

jacklewisno1 said:

Fantuzzi said:

I've been wondering this for a while, Maserati's missed opportunity. (Don't worry Jack, its not another mid engine lightweight...)

A short wheel base 2 seater Granturismo. Same 4.7 440-60bhp V8, around 1400-1500kgs, around 95-100inch wheelbase, looks like an 8c with the front of a Granturismo mc stradale.

Call it the Gransport and sell it at 85k and go 911 s, Vantage and r8 v8 hunting.

Then do a lightweight track day special...

Good idea?

Been away for a while again, so need to catch up. Firstly that garage of Abarth's was heaven. Secondly i like your thinking on the car idea however i think the front of the 8c is prettier than that of the Maser'. So really im left with the thought that simply all thats needed is the 8c to be re-engineered by Dallara and then have its price tag reduced

You are right, perhaps a bit(more) of platform sharing could on and do a Maserati version just to spice things up.

Shame they cocked up the 8c, although its meant to be great on the road, I remember EVO putting it in their car of the year test and saying

'if you drive it at 8/10s youd absolutely love it'

Which if I recall translated as it being a great road car but was a little disappointing on track. Alas, the 4c should put Alfa back as a drivers car marque, that reminds me I still need to read the EVO article.


Ive spent most of my time thinking about the Maserati Granturismo GT4 racecar, how I'd like one and a the correct forms and cash to enter it into various sports car races across the world, Spa 24hrs for example would be nice. I've written to Santa early this year for one. But last year he never brought me Jennifer Lawrence so I'm not holding my breath.

Out of interest are you based in Wales or do you live there I thought you were from 'up north'.