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Detroit, 7:52 PM
Fri Nov 20
28 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/16/09
11/15/09
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11/15/09
But they are both big bumpered, emissions strangled Italian iron and aluminum, so everyone's a winner here. #beta
11/15/09
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11/15/09
Also, I know nothing about Italian cars, except that they are pretty and diabolically unreliable, and hence expensive. I'll go with the Alfa, though, because it looks more like its heritage and less, as with the Lancia, like an old Sentra or Stanza. Or Cressida. You know what I mean.
Because PCH is all about the suffering, and why suffer for what looks like an econobox?
11/15/09
This is the same logic that drives those in the know to tell the world how bad these affordable Italians are - so that they will remain affordable. The truth is, they are remarkably easy to wrench on (by modern standards) and incredibly rewarding to drive. #beta
11/15/09
11/15/09
11/15/09
The juxtaposition of the descending orchestral part and the pics of the 710 in front of a white picket fence made my brown sugar and cinnamon low-fat Pop Tart churn in my stomach. Odd Japanese automotive design holds a temporary appeal to me, until my breakfast digests. #datsun710
11/15/09
11/15/09
I know enough people to help me with the Alfa ... gotta go there... #beta
11/15/09
11/15/09
The Alfa looks to be a private import. I don't think that Alfa was still selling the GTV in the US in 1974 (I couold be wrong, though). The front bumper looks like a Euro model. At any rate, it has the classic Giugiaro styling and these coupes have become genuinely collectible. Which makes it the bigger tease. You'll be forever chasing the ephemeral dream of creating a desirable driver that will be worth some coin. That makes it more hellish.
Glad to see PCH is back - I hope it becomes a regular feature again. #beta
11/15/09
11/15/09
I picked the Lancia. You know why? Because everyone else has a goddamn Alfa. Where I live, you can't shout "Spica injection is unreliable and produces less power than properly set-up Weber sidedrafts" without a crowd of Alfa fanatics coming out of the woodwork to explain how wonderful and easy-to-tune Spica systems are, and how it was only restrictive emissions requirements that made later Spica-equipped cars difficult to deal with. Likewise, you can't say the phrase "crappy high-carbon Soviet steel" without them explaining that Italian cars really don't rust that badly, as long as you don't get them wet.
I'm not a big fan of the Lancia. It's got a nice, snorty twin-cam motor, but you can get the same motor in a Fiat 124 Spider, and it will be placed in a better-looking body and driving the proper wheels. If you get the Alfa, you'll have the support of a group of friendly, knowledgeable, supportive Alfa enthusiasts, and when you're done with your project you'll get to drive around in an absolutely fantastic little car.
Where's the hell in that? #beta
11/15/09
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11/15/09
and this guy: [jalopnik.com] #beta
11/14/09
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11/14/09
11/14/09
In your commitment hearing. #datsun710