Alfa romeo spider - the oppositelock review

"aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe" (emaxxbl) 02/05/2015 at 14:40 • Filed to: oppositelock reiews, ALFA ROMEO

4

10

( Full Disclosure: Alfa romeo wanted me to test this so bad that they made some guy leave the united states for two years because of his job, and then some random 16 year old bought it and started posting about it on the internet)

i'm sick and bored so i made this

Exterior - 5/10

It may not be the idolized boat-tail of "The Graduate" but it still carries those tantalizing pininfarina body lines. But because mine is so full of rust and holes and because of the ugly rubber collision-condoms they put on the cars of yester-years i can not give this one anymore than 5

Interior - 4/10

Even though this is a small car it does not feel cramped due to the non-intrusive dash and center console (and the fact there is NO GODDAMN ROOF). But for the cars age the interior isn't bad it could just use some refurbishing. Plus mine has a rare interior color so bonus points

Acceleration - 10/10

This is not a fast car, it has a top speed of 125 miles an hour so its not fast , but it is quick due to the short rear-end ratio. This car is quick enough it can trick most people into thinking there is more than just a merely 2.0L inline 4 under the hood

Braking - 9/10

Now this car weights a little over 2400 pounds so Alfa Romeo could of put drum brakes and it would of stopped as well as any other car from the period but the car has discs all the way around, because Alfa Romeo uses discs on their race cars and knew that it was the right way to go on ALL of their cars.

Ride - 8/10

It's a sports car so would expect the ride to be harsh. But it isn't its firm with a hint of comfort (although that might have something to do with the springs being 40 years old)

Handling - 7/10

Its an Alfa romeo so it has and i quote "racing-type chassis and suspension" now either this was just a marketing ploy or its for real. I have no way of proving it because i have never driven an alfa racecar but i can report that this car has a lot of chassis flex. But i'm sure most people could tell that because its a unibody convertible and they're famous for being about as rigid as a wet noodle. Does this make it a bore to dive? Hell no, it just doesn't drive as well as a race-prepped GTV

Gearbox - 6/10

The gearbox is nice and light while being as smooth as the pope's dome (is he bald? I don't know.) BUT! One of the biggest flaws with Alfa's gearboxes was the synchros wearing out with age, which means you better granny shift it into second if you want to make it home. Plus the throw is long.

Toys - 0/10

This thing has more warning lights than toys. Seriously radios were an option and the only things you can play with are the turn signals, the lights, the horn, the fan, the windshield wipers and the little knob that dims or brighten the interior lights. Now all that sounds like normal stuff to me so i give this one a 0

Audio - 9/10

Like i said before the radios in these cars were an option. (of course if you didn't get a radio you get a bitchin' pininfarina blanking plate, unlike my car) But the exhaust makes up for every little squeak and rattle this car makes.

Value - 10/10

It's a GODDAMN ALFA ROMEO that i bought for $1000 and it came with at least 1k of spare parts including a extra transmission how is that not a good deal?

Total - 68/100

Engine: 2.0L inline 4

Power: 135 BHP when new

Transmission: 5-speed manual

0-60 Time: no idea

Top Speed: 125 +/-

Drivetrain: Rear-wheel drive

Curb weight: around 2,400 pounds

Seating: 1 driver 1 passenger

MPG: 24 city/17 highway (in 1976)

Price: $1,000 at purchase

(wow this took me an hour to do)

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe 02/05/2015 at 14:55

0

I know it's a bad angle, but damn if it doesn't look like that back bumper is big enough to be a picnic bench.

stuttgartobsessed > aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe 02/05/2015 at 14:57

1

Why did you do this?!?! Now I'm going to go into the back room at work and cry for a while because I had to get rid of my Spider!!

Seriously, glad to see you have the ability to work on it. It's a goddamn treat to drive, and I miss the long throw of the perfectly placed gear lever, the wind in my hair, and the noise. That glorious Italian rapport.

Unfortunately I rewired the coil wrong, short circuiting the ignition turning the dash into a smoke machine. Then I realized it would never pass SMOG in CA. At least I got to drive PCH from Oregon to LA before I killed it...

aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 02/05/2015 at 14:59

0

no, that rear bumper is as huge as you think it is

JR1 > aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe 02/05/2015 at 15:00

0

Awesome article. Sometimes I feel like I should own an Alfa (Ya know so I am an official petrol head by TG standards.) But then I get scared away due to terrible readability.

For a first car though what an awesome ride. Few people can say they owned an Italian Sports car for their first ride.

aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe > JR1 02/05/2015 at 15:18

1

they are unreliable but not as much as everyone makes them out be, they just have a lot of quirks that are unusual to normal car guys

but if you do buy one you will need to either work on it your self or know a shop that is comfortable with working on it. Even though these cars are pretty basic i wouldn't trust any normal shop with anything more than basic maintenance

Captain of the Enterprise > aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe 02/05/2015 at 15:19

1

It actually looks like a boat in this picture

505Turbeaux > aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe 02/05/2015 at 15:37

1

JR1 > aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe 02/05/2015 at 15:41

1

It certainly is a speciality car to work on

aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe > 505Turbeaux 02/05/2015 at 15:42

1

RallyWrench > aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe 02/05/2015 at 20:20

1

More points needed in the "Toys" department. The whole car is a toy=full points.