re: build quality

["John Hertzman" <johnhertzman@domain.elided>]

Dana Loomis is certainly correct in AD8-0086 when he argues that the
Arese-built sedans and coupes were equals in quality of materials and
workmanship, and I absolutely agree with his final line that the best solution
may be to have one of each, which is what I finally suggested for Adam Reeves.
The perceived build quality, which Dana says "for most people, it seems to
revolve around things like fit and finish, freedom from squeaks and rattles,
and the tactile and visual quality of materials" probably favored the Sprint
GT over the Giulia Super, initially, for most people. It is a visibly more
elegant design, more what one would expect of Ferrari while the Super might
seem, to some, more like a Fiat.

 Design decisions (whether styling or engineering) can affect those perceived
factors over time. One minor example is the treatment of the door, both the
shutline and the hidden framing, at the base of the windshield. On the Giulia
Super there is a relatively straight diagonal line across the body scallop
following the angle of the windshield pillar to a vertical shutline which
corresponds to the doorpost. Any rain that comes in that shutline flows down
the doorframing outboard of the door seal; all well and good. The considerably
longer door (+8") of the coupe has a straight fore-and-aft shutline along the
top of the fender crease, (all very handsome) with a near-horizontal shelf in
the top of the door frame, and to decrease water inroads it has an added bit
of weatherstrip and three small drain-louvers on that shelf. The Berlina,
restyled by Bertone (perhaps by Giugiaro?) to echo aspects of the coupe forms,
has a 2" shorter version of the same fore-and-aft shutline, but the
doorframing itself, behind the doorskin, is similar to that of the Giulia
Super. That bit of extra weatherstrip in the coupe was, on mine, a watertrap
in a place one would not look; both doors are rusted out under the
weatherstrip. Neither of my Berlinas have that problem, because neither (nor
my Super) had that designed-in vulnerability. Do any other coupes rust there?
I can't say, but mine did. That is an aspect of what I consider quality.

 The Alfetta coupes are probably more comparable to the Alfetta sedans in many
ways; the framing of the door-windows, for example, is the same on both while
the 105/115 coupes had unframed door-windows like a Spider, unlike the full
perimeter channels of the Giulia Super and Berlina. A "feature" which I
dislike on the 116 coupes is the devious structure connecting the platform and
the roof structure. All of the 116 sedans have a bulkhead between the
wheelwells joining the floor to the package tray behind the top of the rear
seats, and the sedan 'C' panel ties directly into this very tightly knit
structure. The 116 coupes have glass there, held in place by a couple of
clips, and a foot or so back the rear quarter panels and some gussets tie into
a C pillars and then into the roof. I have two 116 coupe hulls which were hit
well behind the integrated wheelwell/bulkhead structure, and the consequent
lateral roof displacement messes-up the doorfit enough that both hulls are
junk. I can't prove that a comparable hit on a Sport Sedan rear fender
wouldn't ruin the front door fit irreparably, but I know it, proof or not. I
also can't prove that the coupes have less torsional rigidity because of this
devious structure, or that the lesser torsional rigidity will have other
consequences in durability, safety, or handling, but I think I know.

 I have other examples on tap, and think I could dredge up more. The materials
were comparable, the workmanship was comparable, the initial fit and finish,
squeaks and rattles would have been comparable, but the application of the
materials by the stylists and engineers resulted, I think, in different
durabilities which can be modified by the use and care of owners, which then
makes any 'proofs' debatable. YMMV. I must concur thoroughly, though, with
Dana's bottom line; he sold an immaculate Verde to have a Giulia Super and a
GT Veloce, and I don't expect to see him in a 164 anytime soon, despite their
irreproachable quality.

 Cheers,

 John H.

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