Some thoughts on driving the Spider

"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
08/11/2016 at 12:03 • Filed to: None

1. It’s slow enough that when pulling away from an uphill traffic light, it holds up traffic a bit. This problem is exacerbated greatly on occasions when it loses power for a few seconds.

2. It needs new tires. Oh my God does it need new tires. That will be dealt with in the next week or two for safety sake.

3. It’s an Alfa, so obviously you want to know what’s broken. Well, I’ll tell you. The heater/AC (open car, who cares?), odometer, speedometer, passenger door lock, and the occasional loss of power I mentioned earlier. Basically, after you’ve driven it for about 15 minutes, the car will sputter and lose throttle. Lifting off the gas for a few seconds remedies the problem, until it does it again. We think it may be gunk in the tank, we’re going to clean out the fuel lines. The fuel gauge works, but it’s a bit crap. Everything else appears to work.

4. It gets a surprising amount of attention from strangers, and amazingly all of it has been positive. I’ve had everyone from college kids in bro tanks to old people compliment me on it. Some people recognize it as an Alfa Romeo, some just say “Cool car!” I was expecting a bit of “chick car” flak, but have received none so far.

5. Even with the bad tires and the intermittent throttle and the automatic transmission, this car is an absolute joy to drive. I love it. We’ve got some work yet to put into it, but as rolling projects go, this is a pretty fantastic one. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

DISCUSSION (19)

mazda616 > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/11/2016 at 12:06

Sounds like fun! Definitely a change of pace!

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > mazda616
08/11/2016 at 12:07

To say the least.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/11/2016 at 12:12

That’s a gorgeous car

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
08/11/2016 at 12:13

Thanks!

Batman the Horse > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/11/2016 at 12:19

You have superior taste in conveyances. I give you this GTV6 that looks like it went WOT on its way to Gas Town.

Kinja'd!!!

Steve in Manhattan > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/11/2016 at 12:19

The one I drove was older, had ridiculously long throws on the stick, which was itself in a strange place.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Batman the Horse
08/11/2016 at 12:21

Thanks! I have a thing for the GTV6. Good car or not, I will own one someday.

mazda616 > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/11/2016 at 12:21

Did you ever find a wheel cover?

I need to know more about this car’s history. Because I love these things. And I'm nosey.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Steve in Manhattan
08/11/2016 at 12:21

Yup. The shifter on the manuals are almost up on the dash, sort of like a minivan.

random001 > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/11/2016 at 12:22

Pretty. Because Pretty.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > mazda616
08/11/2016 at 12:27

1. No, but we talked to a guy at the Concours who used to work for Alfa before they left the U.S. market, and is now some sort of regional guy at Ferrari. He’ going to try and help us out.

2. My dad’s best friends purchased this car back in the late 90's. This guy is a full-blown Jalop, had a 60's Fairlane convertible, XJR, Paeton, etc. He stopped driving it in about 2004, and it sat in the garage of his apartment complex in whatever fancy L.A. neighborhood until 2010, when he started moving around the country (first to Atlanta, then Phoenix) at which point he shipped the car to us since we’ve got a big garage. It sat there until about a month and a half ago, when my dad decided to have it towed away to a friend’s European car shop and put it back on the road. It’s still the California plates from 2003 on the back, and the odometer reads 22,000, though it’s actually got closer to 30,000 miles on it.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > random001
08/11/2016 at 12:28

Thanks. Because thanks!