Hey, from Tassie.

[mozo]

Hi all,

I'm a newbie that doesn't even own an Alfa! Yep, I know, 'what a loser'. But here's my story that I shared on alfabb.com the other day. I was wisely advised by a member of that forum to join up here as well.
I'll do a shorter story tonight: Essentially I'm a 42 year old male that always wanted an Alfetta GTV back when I was around 17-20 years of age. Various factors stopped me:
(1) An unsupportive father who simply hated anything exotic. If it wasn't a Chevy or a Valiant, it simply wasn't a car!
(2) The price. I was a young apprentice all said and done on $90 a week.
(3) The price of insurance. Category 3 Sports Coupe! Cost more than the car.

Since then other factors have gotten in the way, but I've decided that now is the time for me to buy myself an Alfa as a keeper. I'm looking for one that I can restore, but with limited mechanical skills, it can't be too bad to begin with. I'm after an Alfetta GTV (of course - what else?) around the 1977 - 1980's model that had the steel bars and the GTV badging in the rear quarter vent. Not fussed between GTV6 or 2000. As said, it can't be too bad. Preferably registered so I can drive it to the various joints for repairs/restorations. I can't have anything that's mechanically too unsound, or a rust bucket (I know they rust, and I am prepared for some), but so I can drive it now, and love it as I fix it over the next few years. I fully expect to respray, reupholster and all those things, in addition to keeping it mechanically sound.

If you have such a baby that you or a friend wants to part with, but don't want to see it go to somebody who will thrash it or simply won't love it, please let me know. I'm very keen to start my life with Alfa's - FINALLY! I can pick up from VIC or NSW as well as Tassie or course.

Anyway, thanks for reading (if you got this far), and I will no doubt be in touch with you all in the future when I finally join the family proper, and take possession of my new Alfa (that my wife has already named 'Aldo', even though we don't have one yet! - Good Italian name!)

Cheers,

Todd

[mozo]

PS - If there are any police officers on this forum, or anybody simply interested, my wife (yep, the one that is going to call our Alfa 'Aldo') and I were recently in Rome, Italy, and went to the Police Car museum there. Swags of Alfa Police Cars. Very, very cool. If anybody is interested in some photo's, let me know and I'll post a web site of them with a link on this forum so you can see them. Some going back a long time, and there was even an Alfa 'jeep' style car. I'd never seen an Alfa like that before.

Cheers,

Todd

[Evan Bottcher]

Welcome Todd 

Glad you've finally got around to it!  Those steel bumper Alfetta GTs and GTVs are really nice IMO - watch out for the nasty Group S racers though, they're snapping up all the steel bumper cars to convert to race cars...

I'm after an Alfetta GTV (of course - what else?) around the 1977 - 1980's model that had the steel bars and the GTV badging in the rear quarter vent. Not fussed between GTV6 or 2000.

I'm no expert on this exact model run - but I'm pretty sure all the GTV6s were plastic bumpered.  So if you're looking for the steel bumpered look, you're in for a four-cylinder.

Good luck with your search - keep an eye on here in the buy/swap/sell of course.  Your local owners club would be Club Motori Italia I think (http://www.cmitas.org/) - perhaps they have some local leads as well.

[Craig C]

The Police Car Museum sounds very interesting.  There have been a number of recent articles in Auto Italia and the Victorian Club Magazine about the many Italian car museums and key sites but I haven't seen any refernce to the Police Car Museum.  So I think there would be many of us interested in photos, location and your experiences there.

Craig

[four90s]

Good luck with you search.

Plus 1 for the Museum photos/link

Steve Weedon
Adelaide

[Davidm1600]

Hi Todd, I am not currently aware of any Alfetta GTVs available here in Hobart, but keep in touch if you wish (PM me like and I can provide my contact details).  Evan is quite correct CMI is the Southern Tassie based Italian Car Club, if you wished to care to join us. There is definitely a strong Alfa ownership within CMI.  See the latest issue (Feb) of Classic & Sportscar magazine for an article and photos I took of last years Annual Display at Parliament House.  I am currently the club secretary.   Good luck in the hunt for the GTV.   David

[mozo]

Many thanks everybody for your replies. It's heartening to know that there are people out there who are like minded, and will keep an eye out for me to assist in my hunt! I very much appreciate it. I have looked at the CMI website, and 'liked' their page on Facebook, so I'll certainly monitor their activities. I'd love to join up when I get my car. The more people I know and the more contacts I make when I get my little beast the better! I can't wait now to get it, and start my project.

I will make a website this weekend and post the photos of the Alfa police cars. They were very cool. Unfortunately their Ferrari police car wasn't present on the day we visited (it was at an attraction elsewhere) so we missed that one. Bit of a bugger that, because it was an older 60's model apparently. The location of the museum was in Rome, but I will look up the actual address and post that too for those intending to visit. Free entry was a bonus. About the only place we went to in Italy that was! Magnificent land though. I would love to live there.

Thanks again everyone, and I will post again soon.

Cheers,

Todd

[Davidm1600]

Hi Todd

Just really quickly since I am at work,    I dropped into Fogarty Automotive this morning and spoke with Jake Hill, he mentioned to me that he knows of a really nice Alfetta GTV, which will be coming up for sale pretty soon.  So if you wish to followup on this, I would suggest dropping in and having a chat to either Jake or perhaps Steve Caplice there.  I am sure they should be able to help you out.  Good to see you have checked out the club website/facebook page. Plenty more events being planned for across the year, and you would be most welcomed to join, if you wish to do so.

Look forward to seeing your photos of the museum and ah yes, know what you mean re living over there. It would be pretty entertaining for sure.

Dave

[mozo]

Thanks for that Davidm1750, much appreciated.

Funny thing though, I actually did drop in to Fogarty's earlier this week (Tuesday arvo)  and spoke to Steve, who was a really helpful and nice bloke. I told him of my wishes re the Alfetta and he told me he would keep his ear to the ground for me, and took my details - but he never mentioned that he was already aware of one! I might go and revisit him just in case he (a) lost my number or (b) has become aware of the possible sale after our visit last week.

So thanks again for that. Ps - I have put the web site up of the Rome Police Car Museum if you are interested. I will also stick a new post on the general forum for the other guys interest who may not be monitoring this thread.

the site is at:  http://www.users.on.net/~slipperman
The password is 'alfa' - no caps. Don't ask me why I password protected it. I don't really know myself. I'm a bit weird like that.

Cheers

Todd

[Davidm1600]

Hi Todd, not a problem always happy to try to help out. 

I suspect the reason Steve perhaps didn't mention anything about the GTV, is because he probably wasn't aware of it.  It was Jake who mentioned it to me.  Anyway best thing to do though is to keep in touch with the guys there at Fogarty's.  Steve did mention your name to me when I was discussing your search for such a car, so I reckon he would have kept your contact details just fine.

Some lovely cars there in the Police Museum for sure, hell even a De Tomaso !  Cheers D