GTAm

That seems like a deal. STP is a well recognised US brand. So I think it should do what it says on the tin.

Ha ha you're right mate. We are all very rich. It's only the ministers who are poor! That's why their fuel is allocated in litres and have not changed!!

The govt. constantly delayed to pay them the subsidy before. Large corporates will take a hit for a long time, They're in it for the long term and usually analyse the country risk. Maybe the govt. has given them bigger promises.

Consumption was dropping and the world would rush to find alternative fuel/energy sources. There's always a max that the system can take. OPEC countries were just cashing in. There were also accusations about speculators etc. IMHO while consumption might have gone up, the magnitude of the price rise was certainly an over-reaction. Maybe one day even $200 would be justifiable. But not right now. Then there were a few problems that affected production in Nigeria. So the Saudi 200k barrel increase helps balance things out. Thankfully they are pro-western. This kind of thing might even justify GWB invading Iraq. Imagine if Saddam invaded Saudi A after Kuwait!? He would've had a massive influence on the price.

Have some vino, chase a few ragazze around, ignore the accountants and plan a race season.....etc etc. Thankfully those dark days seem to be over.

Black.

Very true. They've used her like a tart . But in Tata's case it's case of buying into the premium sector. So hopefully they'll treat her well and take this as a long term relationship

I don't like the looks. They've made the rear end big to house the roof this spoils the proportions. Those reverse lamp looks tacky, something you'd expect from TVR. It's just not Ferrari for me . Of course I'm sure it will get rave reviews for the way it drives and will probably break all Ferrari sales records being the first true "everyday" Ferrari.

Right on. Gamma coupe!!

2.0 TS 155bhp. My bro owns one and I drive it occassionally. It's a widebody and got Zender body kit with Zender alloys, and a sports exhaust. Rattles like a cart and terrible ground clearence, but when you thrash it, it feels like a race car! Interesting fact: The widebody car came with the FPT(Fiat) Twin Spark that also powered the 156, 147 and GT. However the TS found in the pre-facelift cars and the 164TS is the classic Alfa twin cam that is chain driven. This engine originated in the early 1950's in the Giulietta. Race proven with umpteen victories and bullet proof. As it's chain driven it does away the snapping belt problems that gave Alfas a bad name. It's been named one of the greatest engines of all time. Added to all this it produced the same out put and it was 30 kilos lighter being all alloy. The bottom end of the later FPT TS is cast iron . The only reason it was replaced was because it did not meet emission targets. Well you can't expect an engine to go on forever can you? Another mistake Fiat management made with Alfa .

Could be to soften up the public for the provicial council electections that are to be held soon. They'll talk about this as if they really cared for the people and despite the war made a huge sacrifice and forced IOC to take a loss to ease the burden of the people.... Anyway oil prices seem to have stagnated at last. And some say it could drop as well...

I think they did not come in RHD that's why they're hardly talked about. Oh I forgot there was also a 164 Q4, From www.casrfromitaly.net 155 "The range was topped by the 2.5 V6 (163bhp) which used a heavily revised version of the 3.0 V6 used in the 164, and the Q4, which used a much modified Lancia Delta integrale drivetrain, including the 2.0 16v turbo engine (190bhp) and permanent four wheel drive system. This latter incorporated three differentials, a normal one at the front, a epicyclic one in the centre (including a Ferguson viscous coupling) and a torsen self-locking one at the rear. In normal driving the split was 47% torque to the front, 53% to the rear. Both these 'top' models were also available with an electronically adjustable suspension. This system had two positions, 'automatic' and 'sport' and changed the characteristics of the dampers." 164 "Late 1992 saw the V6 gain an extra 12 valves and two camshafts. The new 3.0i V6 24v produced 211bhp or 232bhp in the sportier Quadrifoglio version. A year later Alfa Romeo introduced a four-wheel drive version, the Q4. Fitted with a new six-speed gearbox and an electronically controlled viscous coupling with variable torque splitting, this was the ultimate 164 in terms of drivability. Leather seats and sideskirts were standard." The 164 seems to have been big in Japan - http://www.alfa164q4.com/index.shtml

Ok, here goes.

Yep. 156 GTA is a very flawed car due to very poor ground clearence. Scrapes the bottom a lot. So Sri Lanka is a no no The 147GTA is said to be better and is reflected in the prices. 156/147GTA had only 250bhp. Which is said to be the max that can properly be put down thru the front with toadys tech. Ford is planning 280 with the new Focus RS Only the Cross wagon was 4wd which was a kind of a jacked up Sport wagon. Hardly a performance car and not very Alfa. Before the 159/Brera/Spider Q4, there's was the 155 Q4 with the Integrale running gear. Is it possible to upload an Audio file? The engine sounds great!

It would lift my mood up for sure But I doubt it makes any economic sense to become a car importer in this economic climate. Disaster is looming large. And a tough brand like Alfa will be the hardest. Looks like its gonna be more Cherrys and Marutis heading this way...

Yep the perfect executive express? The envy of the whole office for sure. The rear of the 159 is very similar to the 156. Actually some argue that the older car' rear was better executed. Just knit pickers..... BTW Autodelta's V6 engined cars get the full 352bhp treatment.

Ahhh.....407SW?

Autodelta J4 2.2 C Autodelta is a tuner of Alfas just like Hartge for BMW and Brabus for Merc. Here's their latest creation for the entry level 2.2 four cylinder 159. Supercharging takes the power up from 185bhp to 245.

Oh not out yet . Just a matter of putting everything together and the wiring, but no co-operation from the mechanics. Trying to have it ready by the Motor show in Oct....but I said this last year as well . Not sure how it does on fuel. Never ever driven it as I bought it in a dismantled state....... Can't be very good though.... 2.0, 130bhp with twin choke twin Del'Ortos, if my lighter Giulia 1600 is anything to go by......

What? The 156?

Spare capacity. And Chrysler must have offered the best deal...... They were looking to buy a GM plant in Canada as well. I don't think they've signed anything as yet though. Oh the dealers......probably the worst in the world . It's the biggest part of their down fall. They're on a restructuring drive....and started with the UK. Sacked a lot of them and are selecting/appointing new ones. With the lesser number sales actually grew in the UK while everywhere else apart from Italy saw declines due to the aging 147 and GT with only the 159, Brera/Spider as 'new' cars... Mito should boost it up At last they've learned good things from the Japanese it seems......

.....Especially when they built a great one like the NSX......! Maybe they want to make money on this one as well being a halo car. Blame the US again!!!

Heh heh no I love Lambos. They're fantasy cars and I love fantasy.......but just can't get past Ferraris achivements and attention to detail. Don't like Enzo but the history can make you cry if you have even bit of petrol in your veins. Time up for sure! Step on ma small block 8V lectric motrr...Yeeehaaaaa!

Maybe there'll be a slight clash with the 500 and G. Punto Abarth. But two different personalities. The Mito is aimed squarely at the Mini. It's a kind of spiritual successor to the Sud (+Sprint) (this time without rust and with build quality ) The 500 is smaller (A-segment) Panda based. Mito is B seg G.Punto based. So there's a price diff. Alfas tend to be sophiticated - Mito's DNA switch, Electronic Q2(LSD) etc, Abarths raw , brutal , performance bargain .....etc. Those long pillar-less doors make it more coupe-like as well. GTA will have 230bhp with DDCT box . Should be a cracker. So far read just a Dutch review with a web translation. Can't make much of it but superlatives flow and "class best" mentioned a few times Anyway GP and 500 Abarths are sellouts. So looks like Fiat Spa will buy some serious market share. US mkt launch is also on the cards for Alfa and the 500, looks like they'll do a deal with Chrysler.......... Try this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLn8aG2zREE...&start=4775

Desperate times call for desperate measures.. Actually I'm exaggerating a bit. Maybe I'll settle for a Driving my Alfetta GTV to work