More on auto Berlinas, CKD assembly

[Gary Stark <redbakstark@domain.elided>]

Ok, I'm at home now. No copy of Fusi; it's still
somewhere in storage where it's been for over seven
years while I was AWOL in the USofA.

But I do have a copy of of "Spotlight On Alfa Romeo
Down Under", parts one and two, written by David
Wright. While it's not Fusi, in part one he lists
brief specifications for official Alfa Romeo imports
for the years 1964 through 1975.

Included is the following:

Berlina 2000 (Manual and Automatic)

Australian Importation: 1972-1975 (Auto 1974-1976)
Body/Chasis Code 105.15 (Auto 105.97)
Tranmission:
   Man: 5 speed, floor shift, limited slip diff
   Auto: ZF 3hp 12, 3 speed, floor selector


I've not listed the other stuff which seems to me to
be pretty straightforward.

What also may be of interest is that in early part of
this volume the author discusses the entry,
withdrawla, and rentry to the Oz market of Alfa Romeo.
He relates stories of registration of the corporate
name in Melbourne in 1958, and several false starts to
importation during the several years that follwed this
registration.

He refers to an article in the June 1963 edition of
Australian Motor Sports magazine and states "This
article revealed details of arrangements negotiated by
Harold Lightburn to import the full Alfa Romeo model
range" and that the article "contained information of
the most ambitious plans for future local CKD assembly
with some local content." 

Wright outlines the diversity of the Lightburn
corporation, including the fact that it assembled
(amongst other things) "a curious motoring novelty,
the Zeta car. The locally named Zeta was derived from
the Anglo-Italian Frisky". 

He continues and states that production delays and
difficulties ensued however, and that Lightburn's CKD
plans were never fulfilled. he then outlines the
history of Alfa's distributorship in Oz, but that is
not pertinent to this thread; if others wish, I can
post this at another time.

g.
Gary Stark              No Alfa at present :(
gstark@domain.elided  99 Holden Barina :(
http://redbacksWeb.com  
Back down under in Sydney, Oz.


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