[alfa] Spica / Lucas F.I.

[alfacybersite <acs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I really don't have that much to add to what John Fielding said. I am 
the one guilty of snickering at Alpha Virginis, but that's neither here 
nor there.

I was absolutely positive the 33 Stradale had a Lucas Fuel Injection 
system, but after checking...nope. My "research" material is the June / 
July 1998 magazine "Sports Car International". I highly recommend anyone 
who is a 33 Stradle fan (isn't everyone?), if they don't have this 
issue, to find one. Extremely detailed and well written by a Dave 
Mericle (hmm, that's a familiar name) and incredible photography by 
Winston Goodfellow.

Bottom line, the 33 uses the "twin" Spica unit "similar" (not sure how 
similar) to the Montreal. The two liter V8 engine revs to 10,000, but 
you all knew that. To quote Dave: "...Motoring along the engine comes on 
song above 6000 rpm. At this engine speed a glance in the rearview 
mirror at the air horns thrusting above the engine bay reveals a 
fearsome sight. Fuel vapor seems to hang like fog above the intakes as 
the engine builds revs, and the higher the tach needle climbs, the 
thicker it gets."

Okay, small Lucas F.I. story. After purchasing my Alfetta GT in 1978 
(first registered as a '76, now, thank god, reregistered as a '75) I was 
told that Dave Veghar was The Man, Alfa wise, to see. I called Dave and 
asked what his hourly rate was and said I'd like to buy an hour of his 
time. If I run over (of course I did), then bill me accordingly. We sat 
down and after checking over my car he offered advice along with 
answering my questions. Dave, as I found out later was not only a great 
mechanic, but quite a hotshoe. I asked him about the head with eight 
spark plug holes in it standing against a nearby wall and he told me it 
was for a GTA engine. He then showed me a Lucas fuel injection system. I 
asked why he wasn't using carbs or the Spica. As I recall, he said 
something along the lines he felt the Lucas F.I. was a better unit for 
racing.

True, this was before (I'm pretty sure) that Wes Ingram offered to 
modify the Spica's cam for the more radical / modified Alfa engines.

I'm assuming Dave had a Lucas-CAV system, or did Lucas have several F.I. 
models?

Biba
Irwindale, CA USA
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