Viva Alfetta GT

[alfacybersite <acs@domain.elided>]

Martin Kraus from the big city in the Southern colonies in #1028 agrees
with most, okay some, of my comments and changes to my '75 US Alfetta
GT.

First I need to clear up my somewhat provincial and rather lazy use of
the term GTV. Even though in the Northern colonies, the later 4-cylinder
fast back models, sans plastic cladding, were called GTV's, I still
consider them Alfetta GT's. I guess I'll have to come up with a lazy
term for the 4-cylinder (all other colonies) plastic cladded fast back
cars. GTV4?

What I was trying to compare in my last post was for me a 105 GTV of
(very approximately) '67 to '74 vintage is quite nice but doesn't
compare to the Alfetta GT.

Not a problem, but since the 105 GTV is considered an Alfa icon and the
Alfetta GT is considered disposable, thought just for fun I'd throw down
the gauntlet.

Martin includes: "Chipping in on the bumper bar comments, IMO, there are
only 2 options for the pre-plastic [carburated of course ;-)]Alfetta
GT(V)s:
1. stock, unpainted (please!), polished stainless steel Euro bumpers or
2. NO bars at all (if you're keen and don't drive in traffic every
day)!"

For a short while I ran without bumpers. Too raw looking, too
unfinished, too boy racer for my tastes.

I still maintain there are just too many square feet of silver shiny
stuff with the polished stainless Euro / Aussie bumpers. Painting them
body color visually elongates the front a bit, doesn't call attention to
the bumpers like shiny silver ones do, and as I recall the fronts of my
bumpers originally had silly rubber bumpers or could have been the
rears, or even both.

I got the bumpers at a fairly good bargain, but then spent $250 to have
them 'somewhat' straightened and about 18 holes filled. Painted they
merely look somewhat uneven. Polished stainless would have been horrible
as far as waves are concerned. Had they been pristine, I still would
have painted them body color, though.

I also removed the cheap piece of plastic tape in the center groove and
had fairly thick strips of neoprene specially cut and then installed.

I would like to get the smaller square side markers and while I like the
inset front indicators, I'm not sure if there would be room since they
would interfere with 'our' bumper shocks - which I collapsed but am
utilizing for mounting.

However the best looking, in my opinion, bumpers are on the '79
Autodelta Alfetta Turbodelta and (factory one off?) Alfetta GT (okay,
they refer to it as a GTV 2.0) Grand Prix (as pictured on pages 68 and
69 in the Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT book). The latter is painted in body
color (red of course) and the front indicators are inset into the
bumpers of both cars. The squareish edged bumpers go well with the rest
of the car's original styling. Vulnerable? But of course.

Anyone have a set lying around for sale?

Biba
Irwindale, CA USA
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