[alfa] Berlinas

["agiyo" <agiyo@xxxxxxxx>]

Gort, my '73 Berlina, has been on the road long enough for me to chime in on
the Berlina vs. 164 discussion.  But first a bit of biography.

Gort, nee Norm Riffle's The General, came to me as a roller with a blown motor
and unknown transmission loose alongside.  Subsequently, I got the engine from
Mortimer, Brian Shorey's Berlina, and Norm's not-very-old Merrit Cardin
transmission, and installed them, along with a new Ingram race Spica pump and
several cosmetic changes such as the Miata seats I had in the Spider, a Super
Trapp muffler at the end of Mortimer's exhaust system, and a Billy the
Bigmouth Bass deodorizer hanging from the rearview mirror.

The assembly took a while then had to be redone when the new Reinz headgasket
leaked coolant into the sump, just as Jon Norman and Tom Sahines tell you they
do, but Reinz won't.  Finally, it runs OK, though several things still need
work, and we are coming to know each other.

One nice thing about Gort is the gold paint.  It shows the body sculpting
better by far, than the flat paint on most Berlinas.  When the Super-like
creases along the edge of the roof and fender line are visible, and the crease
along the lower body is visible, the body appears far less blocky, slab sided,
Trabantish, and you see what Bertone had in mind.  Tasteful striping or subtle
color differentiation could do aesthetic wonders for a lot of Berlinas.  I
wonder how many they might have saved from the crusher?

(I suspect the Berlina evolved from the Super, where so many body features are
crammed into such a small space, partly as a cost-saving measure.  The Super
body must have been very expensive to produce and repair.)

AROC President Bill Gillham told me when I got the Berlina that it would
"Probably be the best car I ever had."  He's right, it probably is, and will
be even better after another year or two of development.

Norm's suspension setup, double stock front antisway bars clamped together
with stock springs cut one coil, corners flat but retains suspension
compliance which makes Gort far nicer to drive on crummy city streets than the
Spider, which has Rugh springs.  It is comfortable, fast, and on the Pirelli
P7000s, might well outrun the Spider.  And I can, and have, fixed almost
anything that will happen to it.

The V6 cars do sound lovely, (and do it similarly, at far lower rpms and cost
than a V-12 Ferrari, not that they are part of the equation for most of us).
A 164 or Milano is a far different animal than a 105 Alfa, though, and 1973 is
as new as my Alfas need to get.

YMWV,
Joe Cantrell
Squadra Empirica, Servici Vari, Portland, OR
Sono Lento, Ma Sono Bruto
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