[alfaloco]

Man that's the best looking Brera I've seen, bar none. Gorgeous.

 

[alfaloco]

It's interesting getting feedback on Alfa models that were unavailable to us here in the US, from other parts and other markets. The good, the bad, and the ugly so to speak! Thanks guys.

 

[alfaloco]

Unbelievable to think they missed out on the alfa sud, alfa's beetle. A good sud is one of the best drivers cars you could ever get behind. Another life time ago now, maybe even a few life times ago.

Yep... Henry N Manney III sure liked the Sud. I recall reading his reports in R&T, way back when. Never had an opportunity to drive one myself, but I've seen a Sud driven briskly and they appear to handle very well.

 

[alfaloco]

I agree totally on Alfa honing the handling of their FWD lineup, from the Sud on. I've never driven a Sud, but everything I've read and watched tells me they were (and are) phenomenal handlers. I recall the compliments the 916 series got also in the handling department after their introduction in the late 1990s, even though we never got them here in the US.
Our 164 LS with the OEM Goodyear tires was just as safe as your house in the wet, and very athletic in the dry. You could get lift throttle oversteer in a bend anytime you wanted to tighten your line, if you had enough speed of course. And a cushy ride and precise steering and 210 bhp to go along with all that. Probably the best handling FWD car I've ever had. The faster you went, the more solid and planted it felt, for a road car.

 

[alfaloco]

"Personally I don't think anyone can get a real indication of what their cars handling is capable of unless you get it on the race track. There is no other way you can push a car to its limits and beyond."

Had you been riding with me as a young fellow, in my old Giulietta Sprint, as I attempted to disprove Newton's Laws, and outrun the local cops at 11/10's, you might have reconsidered those words! Thank God I learned those laws did indeed apply to me, before I wrote myself off.

But your point is solid... that the best way and safest way to learn your car, is on a track.

 

[alfaloco]

Peter, I also recall the 70s and 80s lineups from the Big 3 here, and I agree there were few standouts. Maybe the Mustang SVO, Pontiac Fiero and a handful of other select models that were original, broke new ground and were technically interesting.
But overall it was a pretty boring time in the American market. I bought a new Mustang GT 5 liter in 1986 that was a very attractive car, sounded great and was a hoot to drive, and thereafter a 1989 Ford Probe turbo that handled like a hog on ice and lost 50 horsepower if the ambient temperature was above 83 F.
Neither one was as reliable as my Alfa S4 spider has been over the years.

 

[alfaloco]

Yeah, I agree on the GM decision to kill off Olds and Pontiac... two great old American brands. With proper management and market guidance, there was really no reason at all for them to go. None whatsoever, but what they lacked was competent management at the time, that could capitalize on their heritage and reputations. Having worked for tier 1 and 2 automotive suppliers over the years, nothing surprises me as far as those kinds of decisions go. Nothing could ever convince the mega-egos at the helm of the auto companies they might be making a fatal decision, such is their inflated view of themselves. With only a few exceptions, the late Sergio Marchionne and Lee Iacocca coming to mind.

 

[alfaloco]

Peter you're right about the hidden gas fillers... and the hood latch releases were fun to try to locate, too! American cars at that time all pretty much had external hood latch releases, not inside the car.