The suspension is in the car and some days ago there was the annual fun at the Hockenheimring. Video no 1 is ready, a second one will follow...

Greetz Clemens

 

And video no 2:

Youtube Link No 2[\url]


Greetz Clemens

 

One year later, new videos.
This time it is the last video with this engine-setup.
I guess a piston-ring, or ring-groove broke.
Quite sudden heavy oil smoke began earlier that weekend and then in run two the oil temperature got very high, probably due to blow-by gasses.
Engine was beginning to get tired anyway, so it was about time for an engine overhaul.

Greetz Clemens

 

The broken piston/piston rings proved true, so the engine was overhauled completely.
As I did most of it myself and had some other projects, I needed about 2 years of doing so... :hammer:
So the engine removal was a few days after christmas 2014
and the engine installation a few days after christmas 2016.

But now I have some videos:
Engine break-in procedure :wub:

MyAlfa Trackday in Spa-Francorchamps about 2 weeks ago. It was great fun and the whole car worked better as I thought after >2 years of standstill.

Enjoy!

Regards Clemens

 

Two more videos of 2017:

I was at a german rallye in June 2017, where you drive basically from racetrack to racetrack and get about 30 min of tracktime each. It was great fun. :drool:

Until now, the new engine performs great. But it destroyed the fifth gear...
I drove 9000 km (about 5500 miles) in 2017 with the car, as I had to make up for the lost two years without driving the Alfa...

Have fun!

 

Back in 2017 a GTV6 3.0 joined my car park. The car gave me a lot of heart ache, but also has a special story behind it...

It is a story about the relationship to a car, but also to the people around it.
For me, the people I got to know through the hobby Old-Alfas and who have become friends are a huge enrichment to me. But let's start from the beginning:

At the beginning of 2017, I had caught myself looking for another Alfa in addition to my 1750 GTV, which has been with me since 2001. And to make a differentiation, it should be one with an Arese V6. Also because I can't deny a certain engine fetish.

I was unclear about whether it should be something older (GTV6) or something more modern (147/156 GTA). Regarding budget, I had set myself something in the range 10-14 k€.

In the summer I found an online advertisement of a red GTV6.
I liked many features very much... A registered 3 liter conversion, a limited-slip differential, an extensive restoration of the body and the rare 16 inch Rial Brohl rims.

I could also see over the color. I didn't really want another red Alfa, and especially with plastic coupes I would have preferred a dark color like anthracite or Luci di Bosco.
And the biggest issue was the price, which was around 20,000 € and thus well above my pain threshold.

Nevertheless, I looked at the numerous pictures in the ad at least a dozen times drooling.

September 2017 I took a really brilliant trip with some Alfa friends to the Revival Meeting in Goodwood, on the road with a total of four 105 Alfas, a F-modell Porsche 911 and tents in the trunk. Magnificent!

Over a romantic nightly beer at the campsite I told them about the GTV6. Instead of persuading an addict to reason, I was of course directly supported in the idea of buying such a vehicle. And so I showed the campsite circle the advertisement and pictures and behold... the called price had been significantly reduced.

So it was clear that I picked up the phone after my return home. I was surprised to find that the car was offered by a Turkish car dealer.
The car dealer Ali was the best friend of the owner, who was unfortunately seriously ill. One could also say that Ali was the "fool block" and only forwarded the serious interested parties to the owner.
I was obviously one of them and had the owner Mustafa on my ear the next day.

Mustafa was a thoroughbred Alfisti, and you could feel that it hurt his heart to have to sell the GTV6, but his physical condition did not allow him to drive the car for years.
I also liked that the previous owner (before Mustafa) is said to have been an employee in an Alfa Romeo central warehouse in Hamburg, and so around the turn of the millennium many new mechanical components came into the car (3L engine, locking diff, SZ/RZ headers and catalytic converter).
And he described to me how meticulously he organized and carried out the restoration (around 2010) (later I received the complete documentation in a folder).

I am a rather suspicious type of guy, at least if someone wants to sell me an insurance, a car or something similar, but here I had someone on my ear who absolutely shared the passion for such an old car and thus there was a relationship of trust.

He also revealed the reason for the discount. The GTV6 had suddenly developed an electrical problem and did not want to rev above 5000 rpm.
But the timing belt was only a few years old, which was important for me because I wanted to bring the car home the 600 km (380 miles) on its own power.

A few weeks later I was at a conference in Dresden, was able to persuade my colleague to drive me to the train station the next morning and himself home alone in the company car.
And I took the train to Berlin to look at "my GTV6". Mustafa picked me up at the train station and we drove to Ali, where the GTV6 was standing on a lifting platform, so that I could take a close look at everything from below. In addition, Ali had already organized the day plates for me on the basis of trust.
This was followed by a test drive, where the electrical problem turned out to be even more severe.
At speeds > 4100 rpm and over shocks/bumps, the engine cut out including a sloping rev counter needle. (Which turned out to be not too funny on the drive home on the concrete slab highways south of Berlin.)

Nevertheless, I had to have the car, not least because of the sympathy for the previous owner.
It was funny and/or grotesque that Mustafa directly agreed to my bid made after the test drive, but then car dealer & friend Ali renegotiated and I actually added a few hundreds.
After everything was done, Mustafa packed all his spare parts into the car, and we even drove to another parts warehouse, so that the GTV6 was literally packed to the roof with GTV6 parts, including a black Alfa leather cap, which was "forgotten" on the parcel shelf.

I think he even had almost paternal worries about letting me drive the 600 km home with the car with its electrical issues. This electrical problem has actually accompanied and annoyed me for a long time (and several times)...

I had regular contact with Mustafa via WhatsApp and he always wanted to know how "his" GTV6 was doing and whether I had solved the electronics problem. Accordingly, he was very happy with me when I was finally able to report at the beginning of December 2018 (after 14 months!) that the GTV6 is finally running properly (unfortunately the problem came back half a year later).

He had bought a 916 3.2 GTV, which he was able to drive despite his illness due to the power steering and the lighter controls. And we planned to meet sometime in the middle of Germany with our two GTVs.

In the past, I have often sent Alfa Christmas greetings in picture form to Alfa-friends or posted them. At Christmas 2018 I had "abused" the GTV6 for this. (I try to add the picture from back then later)
Of course, I had also sent the Christmas message to Mustafa via WhatsApp, who read the message but (uncharacteristically for him) did not answer.
After a few unanswered weeks, I had called Ali because I was seriously worried. He informed me that his childhood friend Mustafa had died. Exactly the same day I sent the picture.
And even today I get goosebumps at the thought that maybe this picture was one of the last things he looked at.
I'm not an esoteric guy, but I think Mustafa is in the GTV6. And be it because to this day his Alfa leather cap lies on the parcel shelf and has its permanent place forever.

Cheers and merry christmas
Clemens

PS: The electronic isses were ultimately solved with a conversion to a mapable ECU with a newly build engine harness at the Corona lockdown in 2020...

 

The picture:

 

As I am an engine and engine sound fetishist... 😇
I made some videos and uploaded them on youtube.

Engine sound 1750 GTV 2.0:

Engine sound GTV6 3.0:

On this youtube channel you find further videos of my cars (1750 GTV & GTV6), and from Marcel (donrencos) with his czech GTAj, some of you might know from his thread:
Thread of Marcel's ex-Zetor racing GTAj

Cheers, Clemens

 

What an amazing story, that was one hell of a Journey. You have two incredible Alfa’s

 

New year, new videos:
I was at a very nice event with a lot of Alfas at the Hockenheimring.
I hope you enjoy!

Regards Clemens

 

Great videos, I have an oil temp gauge mounted next to my radio like your extra gauge in my 1750.

 

Very cool videos. Is your 1750 engine stock? You are passing other Alfa’s at will.
good drivin.