The 159 is too damn good!!!

[Pseudonym]

Yeah the only other thing that put me off the 2.2 159 was the flywheel usually wears out and it's $3k plus in parts and labour. Asides from several minor electrical failures like seats and switches our 164 was pretty sound mechanically, until the auto gearbox gave up that was.

I definitely miss the sound in the 156 but coming home on the freeway last night the actual consumption was sitting on 6.8l/100km [emoji23]

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[Citroënbender]

4HP18 or the later autobox? Former is frequently crippled by governor seals failing.

[Pseudonym]

I think it was the early ZF - used to jump into 2nd violently then one day it said no more and stayed in neutral. Having another 8 Alfas Dad just parked it put the back and let the rego go [emoji28]

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[V AR 164]

Well, it didn't take me long to start modifying it....

Bought a set of 19' wheels with tyres for a very reasonable price and fitted them up. I personally think it makes the car look a million times better and fills the guards out sooo much better than the stock 17's.

Recently I did a muffler delete with some very nice chrome tips. I highly recommend this mod as it honestly still sounds like a stock car but gives the car a nice 'note'. Very happy with it so far!

I also have a front lip coming in the mail and should be here by the end of the week.

It's coming together really nicely.






New exhaust:



Still loving the 159!!!

Cheers, Andrew.

[VeeSix]

What has happened Andrew, I just noticed your 159 up for sale today, have you lost interest already or do you have another model Alfa Romeo on your mind now?

[Citroënbender]

Nothing matches the 164's charismatic Pininfarina side creases, cabin comfort and lazy torque.

Well, save for the SAAB 9000 series and the Peugeot 605!

[V AR 164]

Purely just an expression of interest so far. Nothing to do with not wanting the 159 anymore, just seen a couple older... ahem... Nissans... for sale recently at reasonable prices. era 1990 and rwd. I'll let you figure out what I'm talking about. Most likely will keep her though, just done a full service and running very beautifully.

Andrew.

[bazzbazz]

  

[Citroënbender]

You need a bike.

Italian.

Learner legal.

A bit unusual.

Maybe a Guzzi Lario?

[kaleuclint]

Maybe a Guzzi Lario?

Dealing with the Lario heads??  That'd be like living with ... a 164!

Monster 659 is the go. 

[Citroënbender]

Dealing with the Lario heads??  That'd be like living with ... a 164!

Why do you think I suggested it?

[Citroënbender]

How's the Lario hunt going, Andrew?

[As the day goes]

Nice mods, but rather sudden to put her on the marketto

[oz3litre]

And I don't care how special your exhaust note is, the sound of that oh god glorious Merlin engine shall go down in history as the most emotive sound ever created.

You may never have heard the sound of one in your life, but the second you do, your heart will race, a lump will appear in your throat, and a tear to your eye.

If not, you've been dead for 6 weeks.

You are absolutely right there. I have been in love with Spitfires since I was a kid in the 60s. Back then I had never heard a Merlin engine but had read enough about them to know they were something special. I also never thought I would see a Spitfire fly either because I thought they were pretty much all gone, apart from the BBMF ones. Well that has all changed now. There are heaps of them flying around the world, including three in Australia with two more on the way. I saw my first Spitfire fly at Shuttleworth in 2005 and as you said, it caused a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. Even my wife who is not into engines like I am, (although she is a true Alfisti), was really moved by the sight and sound of it flying 200 feet off the runway at over 300 MPH.

We have an aviation museum here in Adelaide that has a Spitfire engine on a special mobile trolley that they fire up several times a year and that is an awesome experience. They used to do it at 10:00pm in the street at their old location and that was even more awesome because the stubby exhausts glowed red and blue flames came out of them like huge oxygen torches when it was warmed up. Being three metres from a running 27 litre Supercharged V12 Merlin is the ultimate engine experience. Earplugs are a necessity of course.

On the subject of 159s, we recently bought a 2011 ti 1750 TBI manual sedan to replace our ti 2.4 JTDM Sportwagon, which sadly suffered a turbo seal failure that led to cascading problems. (It is advertised in the for sale section currently by the way.) We loved the wagon and it is still a beautiful car, but the TBI is something else again. That engine is an absolute gem and a true Alfa engine in every way. Being considerably lighter it is very nimble. Not that there is anything wrong with the handling on the wagon. The ti sedans have fold down rear seats like the wagon, so it has almost as much load space but with less height. 159s are definitely Alfas and possess the Alfa soul and fun factor, despite what some motoring journo idiots have suggested in the past.

[kaleuclint]

The rear seats fold down??  I didn't know that!  How??

EDIT:  Okay, I looked in the obvious place.  They DO fold down!