Alfa GT Build Origins

[Sheldon McIntosh]

Oh wait, maybe the 932 V6 GTV and Spider had Brembo too?

[Gotta B Red]

Thanks Sheldon,
I apologise for the 'old world terminology' that's coz I am old world.But to be absolutely technically correct all metal wheels are alloys the only ones that are not, are wooden and made by wheelwrights an artful skill that is, or soon will be, lost forever.
In view of your second post, would it be too great a stretch to include the GT with the group of models you advise had Brembo brakes?
Formula One are not the only users of Mag alloy wheels, Marchesini definately make them for bikes and probably cars too,but I'm unable to verify that. Having been advised by colcol that Speedline are the maker of choice for many Alfa models regarding wheels they too manufacture Mag alloy wheels for cars but it's unclear which models from the Fiat group are adorned with them,if any. My guess, it would be the top-shelf stuff, the "supercar" aspirants. Unfortunately their price would dictate "only for the very well heeled" and they are not very practical for everyday use. Scratch them and it's game over .....ruined, they'll oxidise faster than a rat up a drain pipe.
Cheers,
Andy

[aggie57]

Don't get carried away with the Brembo brand on GTV6 or 75's etc.  Yes, they were alloy and yes they were a big improvement on the earlier iron calipers on 4-cylinder cars, but they were pretty simple 2-pot units. Brembo being a PBR of Italy.....

[Sheldon McIntosh]

In view of your second post, would it be too great a stretch to include the GT with the group of models you advise had Brembo brakes?

Yes, my bad.  I guess in my head I consider them a variant of the 147.  I must admit, I completely forgot about the GT, remiss of me considering the title of this thread.

Don't get carried away with the Brembo brand on GTV6 or 75's etc.  Yes, they were alloy and yes they were a big improvement on the earlier iron calipers on 4-cylinder cars, but they were pretty simple 2-pot units. Brembo being a PBR of Italy.....

True, but they were good enough for Porsche to use on the 911.  I've read elsewhere that the 911 SC fronts are the exact same unit, and a simple google search turns up pics of very similar looking brakes, but obviously I couldn't confirm they're the same....etc....

[aggie57]

True, but they were good enough for Porsche to use on the 911.  I've read elsewhere that the 911 SC fronts are the exact same unit, and a simple google search turns up pics of very similar looking brakes, but obviously I couldn't confirm they're the same....etc....

For the 180-204bhp SC and later 3.2, yes.  Now a little bigger...pictures below if that helps.

[McAnnik]

 Didja know! Alfas were also assembled in Indonesia for the local market, RHD of course.Bloke I know was instrumental in setting the plant up.I think they were the basic boxy 1300 Berlina, nothing fancy as the market wasn't large enough.I think this was in the mid 60's.,I remembr doing some remedial work on a 1300 (very rusty) that had been imported from New Guinea to Oz,most likely a Indo built car, I remember it drove very well indeed which belied its appearance somewhat! More homework there for those who are bent that way....Cheers.....Ian

[Paul Newby]

According to an impecable source in a post from about 2 years ago, Lightburn did build a few Alfa's, they are now very rare, cars where easier to build 45 years ago, there were 100% tarrifs imposed on fully imported cars, so to get around that they would import the parts in CKD form, [completely knocked down] and assemble them here, and  if the parts were locally made, then there was less tarrifs imposed on the cars, and i beleive Lightburn was a sales agent for Alfa Romeo's, and once the sales of Alfa Romeo's got going in the early 70's, Alfa Romeo Italy set up themselves in Australia as Alfa Romeo Australia, and stayed here until they buggered off in 1992, leaving us with savage depreciation, and poor servicing facility's and spare parts availability, when they closed down in Australia, they auctioned all the spare parts they had left, and that was it, lucky Alfa Romeo's are such reliable cars, you hardly ever need anything apart from the odd filter or light globe, Colin.

I don't believe that Lightburn actually assembled any Alfa Romeos in Australia. True, they intended to assemble Alfas and may have even entered into an agreement with the factory, but it didn't actually happen.

They did import a number of Alfa Romeos, if I recall correctly a 101 Giulia Spider, a 2600 Sprint and the first Giulia Sprint GT in 1964.

The Giulia Sprint GT was the road test car featured in Wheels and Sports Car World. This car actually ended up in New South Wales in the hands on long time club member Ron Lighton. When I saw the car in the late 90s it was running and registered but needed restoration. A friend of mine was interested in buying it at the time but it never happened. I wonder what happened to this car? (and while we're at it Ron's white Appendix J Sprint GT racecar for that matter...)

Ron also happened to own the first Alfetta that arrived in Australia. This was the metallic olive green Sydney Motor Show example that Harry Lewis owned for a long time. Ron was undertaking its restoration in the mid 90s and I think he may have moved it on after he finished it as I've seen a similar car around Sydney.

Back to Lightburn, and prior to the factory setting up Alfa Romeo Australia in 1970, most Alfa Romeos were imported by either Alec Mildren (ACT, NSW and Queensland) or MW Motors (Victoria and rest of Australia.) I think you will find very few that were actually imported by Lightburn.

[Gotta B Red]

I wonder what such a model may have been called Alfa Romeo - Luce Ardere Evoluzione ?

More seriously and on thread, if paint is considered original, "Ice Blue"?? and it must too have an Italian name, Gelo Azzuro might come close.
Was this a factory colour in any model of the 932 ? Circa 2003~5 It's a Metallic Blue/green/silverish .....  and yes I am still taking my medicatioon
I've done some surfin' but not much light thus far ..... anyone seen a specimen/example or swatch? Better still, a pic of the colour would be great!
I'm guessing here but I think Alfa sold more Blue cars in the years, most likely, the "Azzuri" were going well.
To my eye this colour has only a tenuous claim to be blue or at least the example I've seen and I'd be V/grateful for any advice whether it is indeed a genuine alfa colour.
I've come across some really strange references notably 'Stromberg' Grey ..... really?, surely they mean Stromboli Grey or Grigio de Stromboli perhaps, but a ref to a carby or perhaps the town. Who knows maybe it is a grey town(no offence intended) and you could easily say the carby was grey but could/would present some colour matching challenges with the everpresent benzene stain or hue.
All jokes aside, I defer to your superior knowledge and familiarity with the marque!
Cheers,
Andy 

[AGM155]

Would you mean Nuvola Blue/Azzuro Nuvola? That was available as an option for a while - apparently it was special order and frighteningly expensive. There are a few cars in that colour floating around Oz though.

[Gotta B Red]

That might just be the colour,thanks for the info AGM 155.
Some early examples I looked at following your lead, looked too dark, as if they had a greater black component but other examples,even non-alfas but reportedly sprayed in Alfa's 'Azzurro Nuvola' looked much closer to the colour called by the owner 'Ice Blue'
I was able to view images of a 156,GT and a 147 in Azzurro Nuvola and they are very close if not the same.
It's a difficult task matching colour on a computer monitor from images created digitally in either the 1st instance or secondarily via scanning an emulsion original. So many variables, not to mention light and the photographers talent or lack of it.
Thanks for the help, I'm a little more comfortable that the colour is an original, just need to see it "in the flesh" and maybe part with my hard earned reddies.
Cheers,
Andy