Friday 9th December 2016

Shed(s) of the Week: Alfa GTV and Fiat Coupe

Two sides of the same coin; Shed's struggling to call it between heads or tails

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Sometimes you simply can't ignore fate. This week not one but two desirable Latin coupes have sauntered louchely (is that even a word?) into the sub-£1,000 section of the PH Classifieds.

The non-fighty Fiat option...

Picking a winner between these two was just impossible, so we're offering both. Both are 1998 examples of the four-seater Italian neck-bender school of thought. The spec sheets are near identical. 2.0-litre fours, naturally aspirated, driving the front wheels through five-speed 'boxes. 153hp in the Alfa with a 0-60 in the eight-second bracket. 154hp in the Fiat, 0-60 also in the eights. The same 134mph top whack for both. Mileages are within 10k of each other.

How do you split them?

The Alfa's credits read like something from the Oscars. Pininfarina on the outside, Walter de Silva on the inside. Autocar made it their Car of the Year. The chap partly responsible for designing it, Bruno Cena, was dubbed Engineer of the Year. And the big warranty companies crowned it The Car We Wish Had Never Been Built. Well, they would have if there had been a category for that. Alfas of this period had a well-deserved reputation for shocking reliability.

Some switchgear may be 'decorative'...

Although many would, in an ideal world, prefer to see a big V6 under that heavenly bonnet, the Shedman looking for something vaguely affordable to run would be perfectly happy to see the 2.0-litre TwinSpark four under there instead. It's a whizzy thing and is lighter than the six, which in the opinion of many means it delivers more balanced handling. Plus it puts less stress on the front suspension components, which are famously made of reconstituted Aero bars.

The cambelt needs changing every 72,000 miles, but this one was done last year - good. Mind the oil pump though, it's been known to fail, causing catastrophic oil starvation. And of course anything electrical might not be, depending on how it's feeling on any given day.

The Fiat has pretty decent parenthood too, designed as it was by Pininfarina and the bearded Yankee wunderkind Chris Bangle. The last Coupe we featured here had been caught up in a fight (really!) but this one looks to have escaped being used as an impromptu boxing ring. Not what you'd call pristine, but nicely used. Like the Alfa, it's had a decent dollop of TLC in its recent past.

Again, the non-flash motor under the Fiat's uniquely-shaped lid is the sensible option, being less prone to twang its own cambelt off into space than the Turbo model is/was.

Both these cars are getting rare now and we would venture to suggest that at least one of them is bound for classic appreciation. What's your favourite? Have a fight with yourself until you see the light.

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Here's the Alfa ad

I have had this GTV for almost 2 years. I spent a long time looking for a tidy example that had been looked after, and had, had all the necessary cambelt changes and meticulously well kept. It has an MOT until March 2017, has covered a mere 125,000 miles, had a cambelt change last year, I'm the 3rd owner, comes with the brown key and a fresh set of front tyres.

The GTV was one of the best handling cars when it was released back in 1995, and still is now.

History summary
Since my ownership, the radiator has recently been replaced, along with the Airflow sensor, a full service at 109K, waxoyled, and the cambelt changed along with the water pump and variator at 98K. The owner before myself had it for 10 years, and there is stamps and invoices to back this up.

Interior
This example comes with the original cloth seats, that are in good condition, which are a lot more comfortable than the leather seats that were available when new. Further to this, it's fitted with the original Clarion CD head and Multi-changer.

Exterior
The bodywork is original, and in very good condition given its age. There are a few touch ups in places and scratches but generally sound. Furthermore, the alloys are overall aren't perfect but still in an acceptable condition.

This car has been all over the country with me, and I'll be sad to see it go. As an enthusiast, I've really enjoyed using this coupe as daily, and would like it to go a good home.

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Here's the Fiat ad

Fiat Coupe 20 Valve VIS version ( 154 BHP) Registered August 1998 in good condition. MOT to September 2017. Stamped service history up to 64k miles and receipts thereafter. Mileage now is 116k
Bodywork in good condition , no rust. Clean condition inside.Cambelt done at 63,588 miles.

Regular service by myself or SoloItalia Fiat specialists. Recent work includes rear brake balancer,brake pipes replaced, discs and pads all round. New radiator, thermostat. Clutch slave cylinder. Front suspension. Newish tyres on front.
New Battery. Oil & filter change. Air filter. Radio/CD player.
Drives very well, great roadholding, terrific, fun, becoming rare , Italian sports car.
I've owned the car for just over 3 years.

Can be viewed most times RG7 4JU - 9 miles West of Reading, Berkshire.( Not Oxon)

[T16OLE]

Only for the brave.

I had a few good 156's that gave me false hope. My wallet was well and truly relived of its contents during my short and expensive GTV owenership.

Pretty though

[T16OLE]

J4CKO said:

T16OLE said:

Only for the brave.

I had a few good 156's that gave me false hope. My wallet was well and truly relived of its contents during my short and expensive GTV owenership.

Pretty though

It's a £1000 car, a front wheel drive hatch based one, if you can wield a spanner, how bad can it be ? looks like work already done like the cam belt, ok it's not a Micra but not all that scary.

That wasn't a £1,000 car at the time.

The big end went
Alarm & imobillisor issues
Syncro on 5th

Not really the discs & pads / shock absorber home mechanic type stuff.

I did like the car though, I just bought it at the wrong time in its life, sorted the issues then sold it.

I'd imagine it was a pretty rare colour combo Navy Blur with
blue seats. Love it know if it's still around