Alfa Romeo 90 Gold Cloverleaf
Discussion
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 s
t! 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
Great cars and one of my favourite Alfas, my father bought a 12 month old one back in 1986 and I bought a LHD 2 litre V6 example off an Italian waiter in Preston back in the mid 90s. The brief case was an optional extra I think, even on the top spec Gold Cloverleaf. You could get them with a 2 litre 8V Twin Cam, 2 litre V6, 2.5 V6 and 2.4 VM Turbo Diesel but only the 2.5 was offered in the UK. They may have done a 1.8 in some markets. They then brought out a facelift called the 90 Super which had a different front grille and I think they ditched the digital dash but don't quote me on that! Good to see one on the roads and look forward to seeing the improvements. Bravo!
crostonian said:
Great cars and one of my favourite Alfas, my father bought a 12 month old one back in 1986 and I bought a LHD 2 litre V6 example off an Italian waiter in Preston back in the mid 90s. The brief case was an optional extra I think, even on the top spec Gold Cloverleaf. You could get them with a 2 litre 8V Twin Cam, 2 litre V6, 2.5 V6 and 2.4 VM Turbo Diesel but only the 2.5 was offered in the UK. They may have done a 1.8 in some markets. They then brought out a facelift called the 90 Super which had a different front grille and I think they ditched the digital dash but don't quote me on that! Good to see one on the roads and look forward to seeing the improvements. Bravo!
That's good to know Crostonian! I've been doing research on the 90's for a while now so I'm still learning bit by bit, but it's always handy to be told something new So just a small update this evening.
Today was my only day off work for this week, so because I didn't have time to do anything too time consuming I chose to give the engine bay a good scrub. Unfortunately I've got no photos but I spent roughly 6 hours getting my hands filthy in grime, grease and blood but it looks much more presentable. I also took the opportunity to tidy up the mess with all the wires, so I unplugged what I felt okay to unplug and wrapped up the colourful wires in black electrical tape
I'm also currently trying to make up my own ISO wiring harness for the 90 because you can't buy one for it to use on a new head unit, yes it's annoying but it's all part of the fun I guess.
Today was my only day off work for this week, so because I didn't have time to do anything too time consuming I chose to give the engine bay a good scrub. Unfortunately I've got no photos but I spent roughly 6 hours getting my hands filthy in grime, grease and blood but it looks much more presentable. I also took the opportunity to tidy up the mess with all the wires, so I unplugged what I felt okay to unplug and wrapped up the colourful wires in black electrical tape
I'm also currently trying to make up my own ISO wiring harness for the 90 because you can't buy one for it to use on a new head unit, yes it's annoying but it's all part of the fun I guess.
Really like this OP
Takes me back to the early nineties when I had an Alfetta saloon, very similar shape but with the 2.0 twin cam and twin Dellortos making about 130hp. Remember it fondly, it was utterly reliable and drove in a much more "grown up" manner than the Opel Manta I had graduated from!
Looked exactly like this one, same colour scheme too, other than the wheels which were the original alloys.
Looking forward to following your progress...
Takes me back to the early nineties when I had an Alfetta saloon, very similar shape but with the 2.0 twin cam and twin Dellortos making about 130hp. Remember it fondly, it was utterly reliable and drove in a much more "grown up" manner than the Opel Manta I had graduated from!
Looked exactly like this one, same colour scheme too, other than the wheels which were the original alloys.
Looking forward to following your progress...
dbdb said:
I have always liked these Alfas - though they were rare things even when they were new. I have not seen one for such a long time.
Do you plan to put a set of the original style wheels on? They really suit the car.
I'd never seen one until I collected this, very very rare indeed.Do you plan to put a set of the original style wheels on? They really suit the car.
I do have a set of the original wheels, very much like the photo attached but they need a good refurb.
I'll probably keep them to oneside and just fit them for the odd show here or there.
99t said:
Really like this OP
Takes me back to the early nineties when I had an Alfetta saloon, very similar shape but with the 2.0 twin cam and twin Dellortos making about 130hp. Remember it fondly, it was utterly reliable and drove in a much more "grown up" manner than the Opel Manta I had graduated from!
Looked exactly like this one, same colour scheme too, other than the wheels which were the original alloys.
Looking forward to following your progress...
Looks like you had a lovely Alfetta there, I've always been a fan of them but I've never seen one for sale which didn't cost a small fortune. Takes me back to the early nineties when I had an Alfetta saloon, very similar shape but with the 2.0 twin cam and twin Dellortos making about 130hp. Remember it fondly, it was utterly reliable and drove in a much more "grown up" manner than the Opel Manta I had graduated from!
Looked exactly like this one, same colour scheme too, other than the wheels which were the original alloys.
Looking forward to following your progress...
I'll agree with the 'grown up' driving experience actually. I find with the 90 is that it done encourage you to drive quick everywhere, but to use the torque of the 2.5 and to simply enjoy the sound etc. People who've I've taken out in her has remarked how well she drives, how pliant the ride is and how little wind/road noise there is
Today I was lucky enough to have some spare time and because it's a lovely day for once, I decided to do a few small jobs on the 90. They weren't major problems, just irritation and at times annoying more than anything.
The passenger rear door card had come away from the actual door, at 1st I thought that some of the door clips for the card had broken but in actual fact the door card had broken off from the mounting points on the door itself. So I removed said door card, removed the part which had come away and used super glue which worked an absolute treat! Unfortantly I was too busy doing the work and forgot to take photos of that particular bit of work.
Next up was trying to figure out why the rear windows and rear passenger spot lights don't work, checked the fuses and was all good. Then I checked the wiring and that was totally fine as well, so because I was kinda stuck for ideas I gave the switches a firm whack and they started working! I'm assuming that the cables are a bit crap now being 31 years old, hence why smacking the thing worked.
I did get photos of the switches because they are mounted in such a typical 80's Alfa fashion.
The passenger rear door card had come away from the actual door, at 1st I thought that some of the door clips for the card had broken but in actual fact the door card had broken off from the mounting points on the door itself. So I removed said door card, removed the part which had come away and used super glue which worked an absolute treat! Unfortantly I was too busy doing the work and forgot to take photos of that particular bit of work.
Next up was trying to figure out why the rear windows and rear passenger spot lights don't work, checked the fuses and was all good. Then I checked the wiring and that was totally fine as well, so because I was kinda stuck for ideas I gave the switches a firm whack and they started working! I'm assuming that the cables are a bit crap now being 31 years old, hence why smacking the thing worked.
I did get photos of the switches because they are mounted in such a typical 80's Alfa fashion.
Great stuff - it's those little fixes that become the most therapeutic.
On the intermittent lights - even if the wiring looks good, sometimes the bulb holders get corroded and need to be sanded/scraped back to fresh metal. Also, anything with a spring holder can be bent with screwdrivers to provide a better contact.
That interior is fantastic - the door handle/vent section looks like an early Channel 4 logo ident!
On the intermittent lights - even if the wiring looks good, sometimes the bulb holders get corroded and need to be sanded/scraped back to fresh metal. Also, anything with a spring holder can be bent with screwdrivers to provide a better contact.
That interior is fantastic - the door handle/vent section looks like an early Channel 4 logo ident!
Until I read this thread, I had no idea of the existence of the Alfa Romeo 90! A surprise for me given I previously considered myself fairly well up on 80s and 90s Alfas, given in my family we have had an old style Alfa Spider, a 75, a 33, a 146ti, and a 164 twin spark that was owned from new by my uncle and kept for nearly 20 years....! THe existence of the 90 passed me by completely, I thought the 75 was as big as they got until the 164 and then 166 came into being....
Nice to see such a rarity being preserved
Nice to see such a rarity being preserved
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff