Alfa Romeo Spark For Sale

Web Images Videos Shopping News Maps More | MSN Hotmail Join Ciao|Login|Help|Mobile Browse by category Appliances Books Cameras Cars Computers Electronics DVDs Music Phones Travel More Ciao - for people with opinions Latest reviews Write a review Best picks Latest videos SHOPPING Product Information Car Reviews Questions I WANT TO Write a Car review Ask a question More... Please login/register to access a lot more useful features like creating your own product list etc. SHOPPING > Cars > Cars (By Manufacturer) > Alfa Romeo > Alfa Romeo 164 Alfa Romeo > Alfa Romeo 164 Twin Spark Alfa Romeo 164 Twin Spark · Product Information User car reviews (1) Write your own review Ask a question ... The ‘Auto-Trader’ was purchased and low and behold there on the first page of cars for sale was a gleaming white LARGE ‘Alfa Romeo 164 T-Spark’. Not being that wise about ‘Italian’ made cars we hurriedly rang the number and arranged a time to go and look at the motor advertised. Several ... 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Recommend it (1) Don't recommend it (0) I own it (0) Offers for Alfa Romeo 164 Twin Spark Overview Product InformationCar ReviewsQuestions Products you might be interested in » Alfa Romeo 147 1.6 Hatchback - Front (FWD) - 5 Speed Manual Gearbox - 1598 cc - Max Speed: 121, 115 mph - 120, 105 bhp - Petrol User car reviews (18) Buy now for only £ 4,488.00 Alfa Romeo MiTo 1.4 TB 155bhp Hatchback - Front (FWD) - 6 Speed Manual Gearbox, 5 Speed Manual Gearbox - 1368 cc - Max Speed: 134, 123 mph - 155, 120 bhp - Petrol Rate it now Buy now for only £ 12,990.00 Alfa Romeo 159 2.4 JTDm Saloon - Front (FWD) - 6 Speed - Manual QTRONIC - Automatic - 2387 cc - Max Speed: 144 mph - 210 bhp - Diesel Rate it now Buy now for only £ 10,990.00 Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 Twin Spark Saloon - Petrol User car reviews (27) Buy now for only £ 3,888.00 Alfa Romeo 147 1.9 JTD Hatchback - Front (FWD) - 5 Speed Manual Gearbox, 6 Speed Manual Gearbox - 1910 cc - Max Speed: 119, 129 mph - 115, 150 bhp - Diesel User car reviews (7) Buy now for only £ 5,905.00 Alfa Romeo 159 1.9 JTDm 8v Saloon - Front (FWD) - 6 Speed - Manual QTRONIC - Automatic - 1910 cc - Max Speed: 132 mph - 120, 150 bhp - Diesel Rate it now Buy now for only £ 8,999.00 Sponsored Sites - Cars Car Reviews of Alfa Romeo 164 Twin Spark » 1 review Italian Stallion Advantages: Large and nippy Disadvantages: Expensive running costs ...horror as the gleaming white Alfa made off down the road at a great rate of knots. Not realising the true potential of the 2 litre engine I had managed to accelerate up to 70mph without even so much as getting out of second gear!!!! This was FUN. “Are you alright Liam??” SILENCE “Are you ok?” On looking at the passenger seat I noticed that poor Liam looked like he had been on a really bad fairground ride! About Us - Jobs - Advertise with Us - Press - Become a Partner - Our Shopping Partners - Ciao Quality Seal Ciao Deutschland - Ciao France - Ciao Italia - Ciao España - Ciao Nederland - Ciao Sverige - Bing Shopping Site Index - Product Index - Ciao Charts - Most searched products © 2010 Ciao GmbH || Alfa Romeo Twin Spark engine From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Alfa Romeo TwinSpark engine Manufacturer Alfa Romeo Production 1986– Predecessor Alfa Romeo Twin Cam Successor Alfa Romeo JTS engine Displacement 1.4 L 1.6 L 1.7 L 1.8 L 2.0 L Cylinder block alloy aluminium alloy and cast-iron Cylinder head alloy aluminium alloy Power output 76 kW (103 PS) - 114 kW (155 PS) Alfa Romeo Twin Spark (TS) technology was used first time in Alfa Romeo Grand Prix car in 1914.[1] In the early 1960s it was used in their race cars (GTA, TZ) to enable it to achieve a higher power output from its engines. And in the early and middle 1980s, Alfa Romeo incorporated this technology into their road cars to enhance their performance and to comply with stricter emission controls. Contents 1 The 'Twin Spark' 2 Variable Inlet Control 3 Variable valve timing 4 2 valve Twin Spark engines 5 4 valve Twin Spark engines 6 See also 7 Footnotes [edit] The 'Twin Spark' Twin Spark name usually refers to the engines installed in Alfa Romeo cars. Initially appearing in Alfa Romeo 75 model and then used in Alfa Romeo 164, 155, 145, 146, 156, 147, 166 models. The TS series engines are all '4 cylinder inline' with twin cam (DOHC) shafts. The original 8 valve engine featured a light alloy (Si enhanced alu alloy) block + head, wet cooled iron cylinder liners and the camshafts were driven by double row timing chains (long and short). Similar design to the earlier and famous Alfa Romeo DOHC engines, but with narrower valve angle on this model. The later 16 valve engines had a heavier cast iron block engine, with an alloy head, and the camshafts were belt driven. The Twin Spark name comes from the fact that there are two spark plugs per cylinder. The block was Fiat sourced. The two sparks on the 8V Alfa Twin Spark engines fire at the same time per cylinder and this makes the fuel mixture burn faster than single plug ignition because it is fired from 2 different places simultaneously. So less ignition advance could be used and also leaner mixtures could be burned. The 8V engine also has 8 identical spark plugs. They are symmetrically located at opposite sides of the combustion chamber. There is no room for a center positioned spark plug because the 2L version of the 8V engine use a 44mm intake valve and the two spark plug holes are on the sides of the 2 valves. On 16V engines there is room for a spark plug in the middle of the cylinder as in all 4-valve configuration engines, but also a second smaller plug is installed as well to keep the name Twin Spark. Both of the plugs fire on compression and on the exhaust stroke, due to the way in which the coils are paired (1&4 and 2&3). This production economy allows the use of 4 coils, instead of eight, which would normally be required to fire eight plugs, and is common practice called "wasted spark" system. (used also in Ford EDIS system as well as in some Alfa Romeo V6 engines 3 coils for the 6 cylinders). The main reason for the wasted spark system is cost. As both plugs are connected to the same coil the spark one of them comes with reversed polarity and requires decreased breakdown voltage. On the later (CF3) 16v TS the four coils fire the same cylinder spark plugs (so not 1 and 4 and 2 and 3 as pairs but coil #1 fires the big and small plug of cylinder 1, and so on). The TS 16V engines, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0, all use a 10 mm diameter and a 14 mm diameter long life platinum electrode spark plug per cylinder. The spark plugs have a replacement interval of 100,000 kilometres (62,000 mi). The operation of the Twin spark engine has been subject to much debate but this is the general theory of operation, as described by Auto Italia magazine. 16 valve Twin Spark with older cover. The engines also incorporate two other devices to enhance the performance under operation, the Camshaft Phase Variator and the Variable Intake Length Control on the later (plastic cam cover) 1.8 and 2.0 litre versions. On lower rpms the intake length is increased which increases the intake air speed and promotes better combustion and mixing under these conditions, also changes the intake resonance frequencies. The advancing of the inlet camshaft by 30 degrees (or 15 camshaft degrees) which makes the intake valves open and close earlier, when the predetermined rpm and load range is reached, makes the compression phase of the combustion process to begin earlier than when the camshaft is not in its advanced state and in this way the dynamic effective compression ratio is increased which produces more torque at the given engine speed. Also as the intake valve is also opened earlier the valve overlap is also increased at that mode. On some similar inlet cam phasing systems like BMW VANOS the phasing is returned to the retarded state at higher rpm. On 8V engines the valve overlap and intake open duration are quite big. These engines hardly idle with the variator at On position so on these models it had the meaning also to enhance lower speed operation. On the newer 16V engines the camshaft variator is used to enhance the performance/emissions but also might be the source to the common 'diesel noise' problem often seen on high mileage used models which used the earlier internals of the variator. The same variator system is also used in many Fiat/Lancia engines like one used in Lancia Kappa 5-cylinder engine, some Fiat Bravo/Marea engines, Fiat Barchetta, Fiat Coupe, Fiat Stilo etc. models. [edit] Variable Inlet Control 16 valve Twin Spark The Variable Inlet Control causes the air intake (plenum) to shorten its path from the intake trumpet to the valve bores, again when the engine reaches a pre-defined RPM. This works on the principle that the air intake length is a tuned pipe that when operating at its ideal frequency-in tune with the valves, will allow a smooth and even air flow, and will assist with filling the cylinders efficiently. This works in a similar method to the tuned exhaust system on all modern cars, where the exhaust system creates back pressure to pull spent gasses from the cylinder bores. The variable intake system uses the cone inside the airbox to reflect negative pressure waves back down the inlet. These waves are used to assist in filling of the cylinders. the variable inlet allows this to take place at different engine speeds. The notable effect that these two devices have is that the engine will have a linear power deilivery from low RPM up until the red line, without the lack of torque at low RPM, and a kick in power at higher RPM, that is typical of multivalve engines as they come "On cam". It is a type of Variable Length Intake Manifold [edit] Variable valve timing Variable valve timing gave the Twin Spark engine very good performance for its cubic capacity, but it is one of the weaker areas of the 16 valve engine. The variator that controls the cam timing is prone to wear or jam. Symptoms are a slight loss of performance and a diesel type rattle from the top of the engine, which appears at startup and gradually lasts for longer. It is therefore advisable to get the variator changed regardless of its apparent condition at the 36,000 mile (60,000 km) cambelt replacement. The variator problem is not often seen in the earlier 8V Twin Spark version, as these use a different type of cam timing variator system, this is also the case for later 16v versions used in the Alfa Romeo 156 and the 147 where the weak variator was addressed. [edit] 2 valve Twin Spark engines 1.7 L 1749 cc 84 kW (115 PS) @6000 rpm, 146 N·m (108 ft·lbf) @3500 rpm 1.8 L 1773 cc 98 kW (129 PS) @6000 rpm, 165 N·m (122 ft·lbf) @5000 rpm 2.0 L 1962 cc 109 kW (148 PS)@5800 rpm, 186 N·m (137 ft·lbf) @3000 rpm 2.0 L 1995 cc 104 kW (143 PS) @6000 rpm, 187 N·m (138 ft·lbf) @5000 rpm (cat.) applications: Alfa Romeo 75 Alfa Romeo 155 Alfa Romeo 164 [edit] 4 valve Twin Spark engines 1.4 L 1370 cc 76 kW (103 PS) 6300 rpm, 124 N·m (91 ft·lbf) @4600 rpm 1.6 L 1598 cc 77-88 kW (105-120 PS) @5600-6200 rpm, 140-146 N·m (103–108 ft·lbf) @4200-4500 rpm 1.8 L 1747 cc 103-106 kW (140-144 PS) @6500 rpm, 163-169 N·m (120–125 ft·lbf) @3500-3900 rpm 2.0 L 1970 cc 110-114 kW (150-155 PS) @6400 rpm, 181-187 N·m (133–138 ft·lbf) @3500-3800 rpm applications: Alfa Romeo 145 Alfa Romeo 146 Alfa Romeo 155 Alfa Romeo GTV and Spider (Type 916) Alfa Romeo 156 Alfa Romeo 147 Alfa Romeo 166 [edit] See also Alfa Romeo Twin Cam engine Fiat Twin Cam engine [edit] Footnotes ^ "Alfa Romeo Cars". ukcar.com. http://www.ukcar.com/history/Alfa%20Romeo/index.html. Retrieved 2007-07-05.  || skip to main menu skip to search Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 T-Spark Selespeed Reviews Watch this item Average rating for this product is: 4.2 out of 5 From 5 ratings and 23 reviews 78% of users recommend this product Overview Reviews Write a review Ask a Question Average Ratings for Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 T-Spark Selespeed Performance Practicality Reliability Value for Money Reviewer Ratings Overall Rating 23 Reviews For Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 T-Spark Selespeed Guest 18th Nov 2010 Reviewer rating: Guest's review has yet to be rated - Be the first! Report this review i part exchanged a mercedes clk 230 kopmpressor for this!! ive had it three months,it had 67000 miles on the clock. dont get me wrong,they are great looking cars......and thats about it. wish id never had it now,sensors going wrong so my t-spark wouldnt work,or something,and now i cant go from 2nd to 3rd,its 2nd to 4th. just a constant worry incase things do go wrong,and im sooo glad to be rid of it!! Read Guest's full review and ratings (86 words) Guest 6th Nov 2009 Reviewer rating: On average, people found this review very helpful Report this review i got this car about 8 months ago & in a few words....i love it. the alfa romeo 156 selespeed has the power, the style & handles like a dream. only recently ive been having trouble selecting 4th gear. i had the computer reset that did sort the problem but it has started doing it again. if anyone can help me with this problem then i would really like to know what it is & how much it will cost to fix. other than that its not let me down as i can still drive it. if you put your foot down & change u ... Read Guest's review (120 words and 1 comment) Guest 3rd Nov 2009 Reviewer rating: Guest's review has yet to be rated - Be the first! Report this review seriously is a peice of rubbish!!...bit like a leyland p76 replaced complete motor...cracked piston..now the sillyspeed gearbox is giving me grief!!! cant even sell it...my worst NIGHTMARE!!! Read Guest's review (31 words) Guest 3rd Sep 2009 Reviewer rating: Guest's review has yet to be rated - Be the first! Report this review I have just sold my beloved Alfa Romeo 156 T-Spark Selespeed. I had to say, it was the best car I have ever driven. Seriously the handling and overall performance was outstanding. My little sister said this to me yesterday "The Alfa was like our car, and the new car is like a hire car" That describes the feeling perfectly. I had a few problems with gearbox, and had it replaced for a new one but the real problems were with the mechanics not the car. Just too add it is beautiful car throughout ... Read Guest's review (103 words and 1 comment) Guest 17th Jul 2009 Reviewer rating: Guest's review has yet to be rated - Be the first! Report this review Absolutely love my car!I have had some problems, but I am not selling it for anything. Had problem with the MAF that took a while to fix because the problem can't be picked up on the computer check. I live in Botswana and struggle to keep my engine clean, but that hasn't stopped my screaming along the open roads. My 156 TS drives like a dream and it's the best buy ever! before you buy, ask the dealer what the common problems are and costs as it can be very expensive to fix the car. Read Guest's review (95 words) 32 gta 13th Jun 2009 Reviewer rating: 32 gta's review has yet to be rated - Be the first! Report this review Still one of the best looking cars on the road even after all these years, engine sounds great at speed, only had mine for three weeks but love everything about it. And as jezza clarkson says your not a petrolhead unless you have owned an alfa, long live alfa and jezza. Read 32 gta's review (74 words) AlfaAl 29th Apr 2009 Reviewer rating: AlfaAl's review has yet to be rated - Be the first! Report this review The Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 T-Spark Selespeed is quite possibly one of the best Sports Saloons currently available. Firstly, it's amazing value for money, especially on a slightly older model, i.e. 98-03 model, rather than the 03 onwards model. I have had my Alfa 156 2.0 Selespeed Turismo for just about 2 months and have loved every day with it. Yes, i have had problems with it. 2 days after i got it, the MAF Meter went, and i'm currently having to order a new Key and Code for the car, but it is 11 ... Read AlfaAl's review (377 words) Guest 5th Apr 2009 Reviewer rating: Guest's review has yet to be rated - Be the first! Report this review i git this Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 T-Spark Selespeed car about 5 months ago and loved it right away. The actuator went on me but it was under warrenty so i didnt have to spend 1600 on gettin a new one, phew :-) it performance is superb, really quick car. i left a lexus is200 for dust Read Guest's review (60 words) ghubbard 2nd Jul 2008 Reviewer rating: ghubbard's review has yet to be rated - Be the first! Report this review Love my car, had it for 1 year and a half. Wife drives it most to work, but every now and then I get to gun it on the open farm roads at 245km/h. Well we have a Powerflow exhaust on with branches, K&N replacement filter, chip. 130kw. Read ghubbard's review (87 words) mingus 16th May 2008 Reviewer rating: mingus's review has yet to be rated - Be the first! Report this review Had my Alfa 156 selespeed for 2 years, started making crunching noises from 1st to 2nd then had massive gear box failure cost £1.500.00 to fix, thought everything was fine but it happened again but as i left the uk the garage refused to fix it so I had to pay near enough the same again but got it fixed by a German company never had any problems since would recommend the 156 selespeed to anyone but if you start hearing crunching get it looked at straight away. Read mingus's review (98 words) Richard Lunn 14th Aug 2006 Reviewer rating: Richard Lunn's review has yet to be rated - Be the first! Report this review My Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 T-Spark Selespeed is a great car, would definitely get another Alfa! It's a great value for what you get, isn't anymore expensive to run then your average Mondeo. Great styling and performance and really turns heads! Great sounding engine, wouldn't think it's a 2.0 litre. The only problems has been with the injectors, was about £70 to replace. Read Richard Lunn's review (59 words) antonio3 13th Apr 2006 Reviewer rating: antonio3's review has yet to be rated - Be the first! Report this review I bought the car because I loved the look of it. Still do actually. Loved the way the Selespeed can operate in 3 different modes. Interior is quality if you have the Irish Lusso leather kit. Every one who has either seen it or been in it has complimented it! However, the car is so unreliable at the moment, which is a real shame. I wish that it would stop clunking! Read antonio3's review (142 words) Suzanne German 27th Feb 2006 Reviewer rating: Suzanne German's review has yet to be rated - Be the first! Report this review The Alfa Romeo 156 is the best car I have ever driven and owned. I feel proud and thrilled to be behind the wheel each time Iget inside to drive it. It has class, power, moves like a wild cat and has soul! I would never want to drive another car! L-O-V-E it!!!!! Read Suzanne German's review (95 words) delaneyshaun 29th Oct 2005 Reviewer rating: delaneyshaun's review has yet to be rated - Be the first! Report this review I bought my Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 T-Spark Selespeed, and will never regret it. It feels like a Ferrari to me. It has a great sounding exhaust, and it handles very well. It's nice to have a car and not want to change anything. The cockpit is class. Read delaneyshaun's review (60 words) Tony828 28th Oct 2005 Reviewer rating: Tony828's review has yet to be rated - Be the first! Report this review I can honestly say that the Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 T-Spark Selespeed is a full blooded Italian masterpiece. You won't find other car at this price that can give you so much va va voom (Italian style). It growls in every gear, and holds the road like a train. If your worried about the cost of maintenance, get a warranty, service her regularly, keep and eye on the oil and have real driving fun. It's worth every penny spent, which with a little research isn't a fortune. Read Tony828's review (112 words) radagast 26th Feb 2004 Reviewer rating: On average, people found this review very helpful Report this review I owned an Alfa 156 for almost four years and I am glad to see it gone. Given the number of problems I had with the car I will never buy an Alfa again. Selespeed electronics failed after 10k miles. this took 10 days to fix during which time the dealer refused to provide me with a replacement car. Selespeed occasionally causes the engine to stall when the engine has not fully warmed up. Problem remained unresolved. Gearbox failed after 40k miles and a new gearbox had to be fitted. At thi ... Read radagast's review (179 words) markmark 10th Dec 2003 Reviewer rating: On average, people found this review helpful Report this review The Alfa 156 2.0 T-Spark Selespeed is an excellent car and I highly recommend it. To get 0-100 in 8.2s at this price in a 4-door is amazing. It's also one of the most beautiful cars on the road - only the exotics look better in my view - it bucks the trend of featureless Germans. Absolutely nothing has gone wrong on mine yet - although I've only got 600 miles on it (so touch wood!). The engine note above 4000 rpm is gorgeous. I still remember the first time I pulled out to pass on the motor ... Read markmark's review (340 words and 3 comments) bigbak. 17th Jun 2003 Reviewer rating: On average, people found this review very helpful Report this review It was fantastic when I first bought it, but the novelty has worn off. I've had it just over a year. When I can afford to change it, I will. I'll probably get a Honda S2000 or Lotus Elise next. Read bigbak's review (154 words) Kwang. 8th Jun 2002 Reviewer rating: Kwang's review has yet to be rated - Be the first! Report this review i've just bought an Alfa Romeo 156 2.0l T-Spark Selespeed 3 weeks ago and i love it very much. I have no plan to sell it now. I just love it. All i am worried about is its gearbox. There are many rumours about the gearbox. I've also added up the accessory part from Alfa romeo. I've added High-boot spolier, front-spoiler, back-spoiler, side-skirts and the metal-gas-step inside. Very cool. i have some pictures. If u want, mail to me. Read Kwang's review (215 words and 3 comments) mazen. 30th Mar 2002 Reviewer rating: On average, people found this review somewhat helpful Report this review All is good about my Alfa Romeo 2.0 T-spark Selespeed. Read mazen's review (26 words) Share this page: Del.icio.us Furl My Yahoo Digg Google StumbleUpon Facebook Share this Selespeed Problems Alfa Romeo 156 Problems Alfa Romeo 156 Gallery Alfa Romeo 156 Parts Alfa Romeo Owners Club Alfa Romeo Parts Online Performance of an Alfa Romeo 156 Alfa Romeo Styling Manual Alfa Romeo Download Alfa Romeo 156 Body Kits Alfa Romeo Used Cars More from Review Centre Review Centre Deals "Save up to 20% on your day to day shopping with ReviewCentre Deals. 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You will also have full access to the modifed car gallery, project updates and the members only Arcade. (All car owners of all ages and from all countries are welcome). Sign up now!!! Forum Hot topics Here are the pics of my new ride ... Sign up now I must say this is one of the friendliest forums ever...Sign up now We will be attenting this years Show at ...Sign up now Syline tuning question. How do I ...Sign up now Evo Tuning tips required ...Sign up now Having trouble with loss of power at 3000 RPM - 4000 RPM ...Sign up now Tuning the Alfa Romeo range of cars"The national Alfa Service! (Sorry for the pun!)"Alfa Romeo Considered to be innovators with many new performance enhancing features that other marques have not yet introduced. Among the innovative ideas are aluminium engine blocks and rear mounted gearboxes to create the perfect balance showing that the designers are real drivers rather than just after a good looking car. The twinspark and salespeed transmission are also fantastic innovations. All alfas are throughbred cars steeped in their racing heritage. The last of the 'real' Alfas was the 75 - a rear wheel drive car with rear mounted gearbox and lighweight aluminium Block and Head. All models have superb handling and are considered to be a drivers car, especially since 1996 when revisions were introduced including the 2.0 Twin Spark engine. The smaller 'family' cars such as the 145 and 146 have respectable fuel comsumption and with the exeption of the 1.6 engined models all reach 60 from standstill in under 10 seconds. Alfas are underestimated sporty cars, each model shows Alfa's racing heritage. The notable hot hatch has to be the 2.0 Twin Spark producing 150 bhp with an 8.5 second sprint to 60. The next car size up is the 156 considered by many to be a serious rival to the BMW 3 series although the sprty nature of these cars can be irksome on long motorway journeys - more of a sprinter than a cruiser - again the 2.0 Twin Spark models upwards offer respectable performance. The larger engined models positively sparkle 2.5 v6 24v and 3.2 v6 24v in performance terms but return poor fuel consumption 22-26mpg! An interesting development is the salespeed transmission - a clutchless transmission system steeped in Formula 1 technology. The 164 model was replaced in 99 with the 166 model all are solid performers and a good compromise between a fast car and a family car. The 3.0 engines are among the best to come out of the Alfa Romeo stable and produce a satisfying roar although they can be a little on the expensive side to maintain and are not particularly economical. The Cloverleaf badge indicates a car prepared for no compromise performance with enhanced suspension. As the years go by the models are more and more dependent on electronics for engine management and even now on brakes suspension and traction control so when when buying one ensure that it comes with a good quality service history. For out and out performance you must consider the GTV - a coupe version and the Spider an open top cabriolet. The models offer a 2+2, so read 2 adults and 2 small children, or 2 adults and some shopping. Some owners have reported faults on the hood opertation and fit on the Spider. The GTV feels much more at home in corners as the Spider flexes a little - this is only a minor critisim of an excellent car. The styling is a love it or hate it affair with its dedicated fans and critics alike. Watch out for oil leaks and Electrical faults and corrosion - although since Fiats aquisition of Alfa Romeo the rust resistance has been substantially improved. The bodywork on most models is suseptible to knocks and scrapes and annoying car park dents. Generally the prestige models are much better built so avoid going for a base model and tuning it up - start with a good performer with good specification and then apply your preferential tuning tweaks to this for the best return on your investment. Tuning:- Alfas are refined cars and little needs to be done to improve them. Most owners add a sports exhaust and on the larger engined models (2.5l plus) an induction kit helps with the breathing. The 3.0 Models also respond well to chips - a complete replacement ECU or a supplimentary piggy-back ecu. There are few specialists out there, but, the ones that exist all offer a very good service and know what they are doing. A number of suspension upgrades are available but I would strongly avoid the off the shelf 'fits most models' variety - make sure it is adjustable and specifically made for your model and engine type (the wide range of engines availble have a profound effect on the weight distribution and the suspension settings need to take this into account.) On the 3.0 models with switchable suspension settings I would recommend leaving well alone as the standard setup is fine and changing it gets very complicated - read a lot of money. Like this story? Stumble it and spread the word: PLEASE HELP US IMPROVE! - Please send us your comments. (constructive feedback is greatly appreciated) To track abuse your unique IP address is recorded. (QUESTIONS? Please use the forum or PARTS? See our partner shop.) Comments E-Mail Your rating: TUNING :: STYLING :: GALLERY :: EDITORIAL Car Alfa Romeo articles. 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To read more on this and how to opt out click here All information held by us is kept secure and confidential and will not be stored or divulged to others. (c)TTB 0.00297 s. || HOME NEWS Log in/Register NewsHeadlines Summary News WidgetGrab one NewslettersSubscribe Friday 12th November SOTW: ALFA ROMEO GTV T SPARKA red Pininfarina-penned Alfa coupe this week - how could Shed not? It's red. It's a coupe. It's got that coveted Pininfarina badge. It's even got an MOT until next April. And it's an Alfa Romeo. And we really should just stop writing about today's Shed of the Week right now, because if we need to say anymore about this car, then you probably shouldn't be reading SOTW. Heck, maybe you shouldn't even be on PH. But just in case you don't quite understand why we've selected a flaky front-wheel drive Italian coupe with a six-figure mileage as this week's shed of choice (and actually we can see where you might be coming from there), allow us to explain our logic. It's a horrific cliche to say that you're not a true petrolhead until you've owned an Alfa Romeo but, like all the most annoying cliches, there is some truth in it. This is because the decision buy - and then run - an Alfa is something you are far more likely to do with your heart than with your head. Nobody (at least nobody with any sense) has surely ever bought an Alfa Romeo expecting it to provide them with years of faultless, trouble-free transport. From time to time that might [i]happen, but as an Alfa enthusiast you'll be happier living in hope rather than expectation. But the key is that a good Alfa is more than the sum of its parts (fortunate, in many cases). It looks good, it feels good. It makes you feel good. It's more than just an appliance. And that is why every true enthusiast should own one at some point - because it is the essence of why cars are more than just transport (and sometimes not even that). And so we come to why an Alfa Romeo shed is such a gem: it's a genuinely cheap way to scratch that Alfa itch (something, I'm ashamed to say, that I have yet to do). After all, even if it does go epically wrong, you're only going to lose £975 quid. Having said that, this particular Alfa GTV looks to be a clean, honest car in reasonable mechanical and cosmetic condition. Could be the perfect car for an Alfa novice. In fact I do hope somebody buys it soon, because I can feel my wallet twitching already... Advert is reproduced below Alpha Romeo GTV, 2.0 T-Spark 16V (1997)101,500 miles £975 Leather Interior, Electric Windows, PAS, Electric Door Mirrors, MOT April 2011, Taxed Jan 2011, 101,500 Miles, 3 Prev Owners, New: Tyres (Pirelli P6000), Clutch Master/Slave Cylinder, Front Wheel Bearings, Factory Rear Spoiler, 8 Disk CD Player/Radio/Cassett, Factory Carpet Mats, Original Handbooks & Workshop Manual(CD), Manufactured 1997 & Registered Aug 1999. Join SOTW on Facebook Author: Riggers 164 comments on this storyLatest comment by Chris Type RWant more PH news like this daily - then signup for the PH newsletter here! Terms of UsePrivacy StatementCopyright © 1998-2010 PistonHeads.com ® Speed Matters ®