[alfa] Re:RE: Skoda, Soviet steel

[George Graves <gmgraves@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I remember once reading a story in Road & Track (or maybe Car & Driver. 
They were both, once, really good magazines) about a writer who visited 
the Alfa factory and was appalled to see new Alfas, sitting in a 
holding area, ready for shipment all over the world, ALREADY showing 
signs of surface rust in wheel-wells, under the cars, bumpers, etc.!

George Graves
'86 GTV-6 3.0 'S'

On Jan 8, 2004, at 2:52 AM, alfa-digest wrote:


> Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2004 13:40:57 -0800 (PST)
> From: George Theofanous <gt_theo@domain.elided>
> Subject: [alfa] RE: Skoda, Soviet steel
>
> Skoda is not actually a Soviet car, but Czech. The Soviet cars that
> were built on old Fiat platforms were Ladas. When I was a kid
> travelling in Greece, I remember wondering why the Fiat 124, Seat 124,
> and Lada 1100 all had different names, when they were CLEARLY the same
> car :+) Eventually Skoda as well as Seat were bought by VW, and now
> they make cloned Golfs and Passats like the Skoda Octavia.
>
> As for the Soviet steel story, as far as I know it is true. Doesn't the
> Alfa Owners Bible make a mention of this somewhere?? Let's face it -
> those 70's Alfas and Fiats rusted way too quick, even allowing for
> standards of the period. One book I have makes a joke about Fiats from
> around then "literally oxidizing before their owner's horror-stricken
> eyes". Classic stuff.
>
> regards
> George
> 74 GTV (no rust yet, knock on wood)
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