Alfa Romeo 90 Gold Cloverleaf
Discussion
So move finally gotten myself another Alfa Romeo after selling my beloved 147 GTA, followed by selling my old 75 turbo which was entertaining and unique.
I've been searching for another old Alfa Romeo for a while now when a friend messaged me saying that his old 90 needs a new home, so after thinking abou it for a few seconds I said yes, we worked out a deal and the following week I travelled 3 hrs to collect her.
The car is an 1985 Alfa Romeo 90 Gold Cloverleaf with the lovely 2.5 12v v6 engine under the bonnet, also as far as I'm aware is that she is the only 90 on the road atm.
Yes she's rough around the edges and yes the gearbox crunches if your too quick changing into 2nd but ultimately she's a good base for a restoration.
I'll be using her every single day, come rain or snow and atm the heavy wind...
The plan is to sort out the rusty bodywork and fit a 75 twinspark gearbox, after that I'll look into fitting a 3.0 12v head for a bit more power.
The 1st two photos are from the seller.
And these are the only photos that I've taken so far, even though they are a tad crap but thought I'd show them anyway.
And lastly, that bonkers retro dash.
I've been searching for another old Alfa Romeo for a while now when a friend messaged me saying that his old 90 needs a new home, so after thinking abou it for a few seconds I said yes, we worked out a deal and the following week I travelled 3 hrs to collect her.
The car is an 1985 Alfa Romeo 90 Gold Cloverleaf with the lovely 2.5 12v v6 engine under the bonnet, also as far as I'm aware is that she is the only 90 on the road atm.
Yes she's rough around the edges and yes the gearbox crunches if your too quick changing into 2nd but ultimately she's a good base for a restoration.
I'll be using her every single day, come rain or snow and atm the heavy wind...
The plan is to sort out the rusty bodywork and fit a 75 twinspark gearbox, after that I'll look into fitting a 3.0 12v head for a bit more power.
The 1st two photos are from the seller.
And these are the only photos that I've taken so far, even though they are a tad crap but thought I'd show them anyway.
And lastly, that bonkers retro dash.
ajb85 said:
That's as mad as it gets. Gotta love Alfa! Never knew these existed until visiting Italy a few years ago, along with first laying eyes on a Fiat Regata, and a whole host of Lancias that never graced UK soil. They looked presentable too, if only we had their climate over here we'd all be running around in this sort of oddball tackle.
Clearly the stranger the better for 30 years ago, I think Citroen waves the flag for pole position on that front - the CX, GS, the Visa etc but Alfa weren't far behind!
What's the replacement parts situation like given that it's going to be your daily?
It is certainly different to anything else around, that's why I love it truth be told. If I'm honest, I didn't even know about these until I was offered this one. I knew about the Alfa 6 and Alfa 75 but never this one heh!Clearly the stranger the better for 30 years ago, I think Citroen waves the flag for pole position on that front - the CX, GS, the Visa etc but Alfa weren't far behind!
What's the replacement parts situation like given that it's going to be your daily?
As for parts, that's not an issue because the 90 is based on the 116 chassis etc, so it's essentially the same as a 75 under the skin. The hardest bits to find are parts for the interior and body panels, the panels I'm fine with as I've got all new panels which will be fitted
blueb10 said:
That brings back memories!
I had one of these in the late nineties, must have been one of the last ones sold, it was on an E plate and I bought it on an impulse from Bridlington car auction. Very similar to yours, does yours have the extending front spoiler?
Nice to drive, not very fast but sounded lovely (I had deleted the back boxes on mine). A bit quirky though, as you say the gearbox crunching was all part of the Alfa character but mines party piece was too overheat without warning? Refill the cooling system and off you went for a few weeks more. It seems that it was an air lock of some kind but I never got to the bottom of the cause.
Very little rust on mine and I sold it on for a profit 18 months later.
The briefcase was missing from mine as well.
Yep the front spoiler deploys as its meant to, thought that was quite advanced back when these were new!I had one of these in the late nineties, must have been one of the last ones sold, it was on an E plate and I bought it on an impulse from Bridlington car auction. Very similar to yours, does yours have the extending front spoiler?
Nice to drive, not very fast but sounded lovely (I had deleted the back boxes on mine). A bit quirky though, as you say the gearbox crunching was all part of the Alfa character but mines party piece was too overheat without warning? Refill the cooling system and off you went for a few weeks more. It seems that it was an air lock of some kind but I never got to the bottom of the cause.
Very little rust on mine and I sold it on for a profit 18 months later.
The briefcase was missing from mine as well.
I agree, it's not very fast but then again I didn't buy it for that...even though I plan to add a bit more power eventually.
Update time!
So the rubber window seals were quite frankly f
ked, so I took a few photos (below) to several companies who deal in classic cars etc, knowing that you can't get 90 window seals anymore so they both recommended Triumph 2000 seals are almost identical.
So I've ordered 1 metre to test fit which has cost a total £6.80, which is worth a punt in my eyes.
Also, while checking the oil levels I noticed that the rubber seal that sits between the bulkhead and bonnet was fked as well, so I've found something similar and ordered that at the same price.
While I was looking under the bonnet I found a small amount of rust near where the battery sits, so I'll get that sorted rather promptly before it spreads and gets worse.
So the rubber window seals were quite frankly f
ked, so I took a few photos (below) to several companies who deal in classic cars etc, knowing that you can't get 90 window seals anymore so they both recommended Triumph 2000 seals are almost identical.
So I've ordered 1 metre to test fit which has cost a total £6.80, which is worth a punt in my eyes.
Also, while checking the oil levels I noticed that the rubber seal that sits between the bulkhead and bonnet was f
ked as well, so I've found something similar and ordered that at the same price.
While I was looking under the bonnet I found a small amount of rust near where the battery sits, so I'll get that sorted rather promptly before it spreads and gets worse.
JBT said:
Nice machine OP!
Every so often I watch this link just for the sound:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaPNyrfERyw
Recorded through a potato (such is the quality) but you get the idea.
Thanks for all the kind words guys, I'm actually quite surprised at how many people like it!Every so often I watch this link just for the sound:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaPNyrfERyw
Recorded through a potato (such is the quality) but you get the idea.
Mine sounds a bit like that, just not as loud. I may use the Go Pro and make a recording at some point
JBT said:
Look forward to seeing it, at long as you can get some of the retro dash doing its thing too
Is it the 12V head or the exhaust routing (or the fuel injection system) that makes the early Busso V6 sound so distinctive? My 156 V6 24V sounds more refined but not necessarily better. As a kid, every time Octopussy was shown on TV as a kid there was one particular bit I looked forward to (not just Maud Adams or the Tuk Tuk chase...)
I honestly have no idea what makes her sound good, but I'm not complaining!Is it the 12V head or the exhaust routing (or the fuel injection system) that makes the early Busso V6 sound so distinctive? My 156 V6 24V sounds more refined but not necessarily better. As a kid, every time Octopussy was shown on TV as a kid there was one particular bit I looked forward to (not just Maud Adams or the Tuk Tuk chase...)
I'll have a go at videoing the dash, but that might be tricky while driving
TotalControl said:
I'm not a fan of Alfas at all, but this is strangely quite a funky looking thing. What's this briefcase thing about then?
Tbh, everyone who's seen the car in person or seen photos have all liked it more than they thought. I feel its school a rare and unusual car that people like it I'm not too sure on why a briefcase was fitted. The rumour or tale was that someone got hit in the face when their briefcase was on the dash, so when designing the 90 they decided to fit one. Or maybe the design team were smoking something funny when they thought about the briefcase, just like crazy display
Kinda small update on how I feel about the 90 this time, nothing to do with what I've done with her so far
So today I was fortunate enough to be driving around in a 65 plate Range Rover Sport Autobiograhy, obviously these are really nice as you'd expect. If I was ever fortunate to have the money, I think I'd be straight to Land Rover to order one, yes they are that good and comfortable.
But it made me realise just how nice it is to own something old and unique, naturally it's not a patch on the Range Rover but the 90 rides almost as well, by smoothing out the bumps in the road, where as I've found with new cars is that they never really feel settled over anything but smooth roads. To say I'm quite impressed is an understatement because being an old car, I was expecting the ride to be a bit jarring and a little fidgety.
So to sum it up, yes the 90 is old and yes it's rough around the edges...but I'm starting to think that it's one of the hidden gems within the classic car market.
Photos below because, well I'm in a Range Rover so it's rude not to!
So today I was fortunate enough to be driving around in a 65 plate Range Rover Sport Autobiograhy, obviously these are really nice as you'd expect. If I was ever fortunate to have the money, I think I'd be straight to Land Rover to order one, yes they are that good and comfortable.
But it made me realise just how nice it is to own something old and unique, naturally it's not a patch on the Range Rover but the 90 rides almost as well, by smoothing out the bumps in the road, where as I've found with new cars is that they never really feel settled over anything but smooth roads. To say I'm quite impressed is an understatement because being an old car, I was expecting the ride to be a bit jarring and a little fidgety.
So to sum it up, yes the 90 is old and yes it's rough around the edges...but I'm starting to think that it's one of the hidden gems within the classic car market.
Photos below because, well I'm in a Range Rover so it's rude not to!
So just a small update thus far.
The window rubber seals which I ordered had arrived last week, after working every day since they arrived I'd not been able to fit them until today.
As usual though, the fixes which seem simple mostly always takes the longest!!
The replacement seals didn't fit greatly but after adjusting, cutting and measuring they are finally on...yes they don't look perfect but you can't buy original rubbers anymore, the downside to owning something rare.
The original crappy ones below.
And the new not 100% perfect new ones.
I also replaced the bonnet rubber seal as well, simply because it looked st! I also realised that I've got no photos of the engine at all!
The new seal...
And finally that engine shot.
The window rubber seals which I ordered had arrived last week, after working every day since they arrived I'd not been able to fit them until today.
As usual though, the fixes which seem simple mostly always takes the longest!!
The replacement seals didn't fit greatly but after adjusting, cutting and measuring they are finally on...yes they don't look perfect but you can't buy original rubbers anymore, the downside to owning something rare.
The original crappy ones below.
And the new not 100% perfect new ones.
I also replaced the bonnet rubber seal as well, simply because it looked s
t! I also realised that I've got no photos of the engine at all!The new seal...
And finally that engine shot.
Another small update.
I've finally found another gearbox, it's the exact same as mine but it's apparently in perfect working order. I'll get it checked over by a gearbox specialist but it should be near enough fine, plus I'll essentially not be paying for the box because I've done a deal on sending the guy my box once the new one is fitted
I've finally found another gearbox, it's the exact same as mine but it's apparently in perfect working order. I'll get it checked over by a gearbox specialist but it should be near enough fine, plus I'll essentially not be paying for the box because I've done a deal on sending the guy my box once the new one is fitted
Spinakerr said:
A wonderful car well worth saving, and most importantly, driving.
As the owner of a 164 I also celebrate every spare part found on eBay.it or good lead to a car being broken- good luck with the rest of the work!
Top lurking sir!!As the owner of a 164 I also celebrate every spare part found on eBay.it or good lead to a car being broken- good luck with the rest of the work!
Edited by Spinakerr on Sunday 6th March 13:29
I've been using her every single day since she came home, not had an issue yet tbh!!
I agree with eBay.it as it's came in handy when locating parts for my old 75 turbo
Spinakerr said:
A wonderful car well worth saving, and most importantly, driving.
As the owner of a 164 I also celebrate every spare part found on eBay.it or good lead to a car being broken- good luck with the rest of the work!
Oops double post!!As the owner of a 164 I also celebrate every spare part found on eBay.it or good lead to a car being broken- good luck with the rest of the work!
Edited by Spinakerr on Sunday 6th March 13:29
Edited by beautifulbusso on Monday 7th March 18:43
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