105/115 widths and lengths

["John Hertzman" <johnhertzman@domain.elided>]

Les Singh experienced what I believe was a momentary lapse when he wrote in
v8-0018 that "the GTV (1750/2000) has the widest body out of the
Berlina/Spider/GTV trio." For the USA 1750/2000 cars the widths were: Berlina
61.6"; GT Veloce 62.2", six-tenths of an inch wider; and for the Spider 64.2",
a full two inches wider than the coupe. The numbers are from the 1750 Owner's
Manual; the 2000 Owner's Manual has the Spider a tenth of a inch narrower than
the 1750. I believe that the differences are attributable entirely to styling,
but the added width on the Spider does give more room for second-guessing the
factory on tire sizes.

 The differences in overhang at the two ends, which may confer aesthetic
advantages and/or, in the opinion of one correspondent, improved safety
through greater crumple-zones, (but to the detriment of handling), is more
remarkable. Front overhang is 28.7" for the GT Veloce, 30.3" for the Berlina,
and 37.4" for the Spider. At the rear it is more of the same, though closer:
39.4" for the coupe, 41.4" for the Berlina, and 41.9" for the Spider. In
overall length the Spider is 7.3" longer than the coupe and just 4.8" shorter
than the Berlina.

 I certainly expect that Les is correct when he writes, about the 196/60-14,
195/60-15, and 205/60-13 tires that he has used on the GT Veloce, "that the
wider wheels I've mentioned will not fit easily into the Berlina' narrower
rear wheel housings." The Berlina wheel opening, like that of the Giulia
Super, has a straight top which is several inches lower than the generous
flared openings of the 1750/2000 coupes, which are higher than those of the
1600 coupes.

 It is to be expected that both the coupe and the Spider would have been
designed with a higher priority given to styling than was with the
practicality-first Berlinas, but to my mind the differences are much more to
the credit of Giugiaro, of Alfa's in-house designers for the Giulia berlinas,
and of Bertone's in-house stylists for the redesign of the Berlina, than to
Pininfarina for the Spiders. YMMV-

 John H.

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