This Week, We Wish We Were Commuting In.

Well! That was a blast commuting last week in the Alfa Romeo SS. It's light weight and tiny, high revving engine made it agile in traffic, and exciting to drive, if a little manic. This week though we're going in a different direction because, it's stopped raining in SoCal, and isn't set to start again for the rest of the week! Yes, we're excited too. In fact, it's set to be a banner week of sunny days and cool breezes; so what better week to indulge in the joys of a small roadster?

A couple of parameters: First, the car needs to have wind up side glass. We know, we know, but we do a lot of night driving, and warming up is helped when you don't have to take the side windows out of the trunk first. Second, we're still not in the mood to spend the end of my commute erecting a top that rivals an A-frame tent for complexity, fold it and forget it, that's what we're looking for. Finally, we're not really looking for awesome power, so a nice, small, efficient "four" will be just the ticket.

That said, it's a real crap shoot out there with lots of choices and huge range of comfort and performance. So, what roadster to choose. Well, as you may have figured out, this site isn't really about going fast (though clearly, we don't mind if we do), but about driving fun, and interesting cars. The obvious choice for a roadster is an MGB, and there is a lot to recommend that car, including simplicity of maintenance and huge parts availability, a function of the "B" being one of the most popular sports cars of all time. That same ubiquitousness of course makes the MGB kind of boring, a worthy car, but...

No, what we're looking for is something a little out of the ordinary, but not too expensive (which itself will make a nice change). We could look to Alfa Romeo, with their Duetto or to Fiat and their 124 Spider, but those cars aren't exactly rare and anyway, this blog has been looking a little Italian lately. So it's to the rest of Europe and the Isles (we're foregoing the Far East for the moment) that we must look.

We think we've found a good answer. It's rare these days, it's not as fun to drive as something like a Sprite, of a Elan, but it's a pleasant car, and a pretty one, in the vein of a Triumph Spitfire. It also has room enough for commuting and, in case we want to get out of town this weekend, touring.

So, without further adieu, the car we'll be enjoying sun and air in this week is...

The Series I Sunbeam Alpine!

Ok, it's not fast, not at all. In fact, this is the slowest of the Alpines, which is saying something. The 1494cc, OHV four cylinder gives a 0-60mph time of around 14 seconds, and it will struggle to break the ton even with a tailwind. We think it looks great though, with its down-draft Strombergs and seperate header tank. To address some of the performance issues, we're thinking about fitting the engine upgrade kit and suspension pieces from the faster, more powerful Harrington Alpine coupes, which should help with getting on. An overdrive gearbox would be a nice addition too, and help keep the fuel milage in the 30s.

We're going to go ahead and wish for one of the removable hard-tops, in body color. It's a nice piece to have for any roadster, and that of early Alpines is one of the nicest looking, doing nothing to spoil the attractiveness of the lines. In fact, with the hard-top in place the Alpine takes on the aspect of a miniature Maserati 3500 GT, well, if you squint a bit anyway... Of course, it also carries the benefit of turning the little Sunbeam into a snug coupe, should the weather man turn out to be less than accurate. Along the same, comfort oriented line, we're going to want the Micorcell seats that were an option on the Harrington cars. Wire wheels should be all that's needed to get the exterior in line aesthetically.

The rest of the car is pretty conventional, with control arms holding the front off the ground while the rear has a live axle on Semi-elliptic leaf-springs. It does feature unit construction though, which we weren't totally expecting, as well as front disk brakes. Really, the car is more about comfort than it is about speed or even handling. It'll offer a nice ride on the freeway, but still acquit itself well on twisting roads because it will be lighter to drive than an MGA or TR-3. We're looking forward to early morning commutes, top down with the heater on and the side windows rolled up.

So that's this week's choice. It's a long-shot in a lot of ways, but it's a good, unusual roadster that combines comfort and style like few others. There's even the matter of a true folding roof that drops completely out of sight behind a clever cover system that also forms the rear seat-back. Not that you'd ever think of using the rear seat for anything besides your jacket or shopping.

No, the Alpine may not entertain on country roads to quite the same extent as an MG or a Triumph, and both those cars would probably leave it for dead. This is a segment about commuting though, and here the Alpine gives everything that could be hoped for. The modifications we've asked for will give the car the power and handling it needs to not only make its way in traffic, but also reclaim some of its rallying/racing heritage when we cut out for the weekend. Despite the cars that appear in the pictures, we'll take ours in Moonstone over Scarlet, with Moonstone piping.

This Week, We Wish We Were Commuting In.

Well, we'd like to tell you that we'll be running around in a lightweight sportster this week, but it's still raining here in SoCal... a lot. we've been watching the hills outside town fill with snow, and even been up in the mountains to see it close up. It's been great to have this kind of weather, but it does mean that at least half of last week's criteria still apply. So, in the spirit of the season, we're still wanting what is basically a GT. That said, we've gone in a different direction and looked for a car that might give us some of the lightweight sports car driving experience that last week's choice the, Lamborghini 350 GT, cannot hope to provide. So this week, we'll be dodging big-rigs in...

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale!


All right, so it may not be that lightweight, but at around 2000-2200lbs (depending on whom you trust), and a lot less of it composed of giant engine, this little coupe will almost certainly turn out to be more agile than any V12 engined continent-crusher, lighter to drive as well. The engine may never match the smooth-revving nature of a big inline-six or a V12, but it's wonderful motor none the less. It's the Veloce version of the first iteration of Alfa's classic "four." You know them already, but let's do the rundown on specs. This 1290cc gem has an alloy block and head, twin overhead-cams, two valves for every hemispherical combustion chamber, and dual, twin-choke Webber carburetors. All that produces around 100bhp and almost no torque at 6500rpm. Should be enough for getting on, and it'll be energizing on these cold mornings.

The suspension too will be a great help. Once again it's classic Alfa Romeo spec with unequal-length wishbones at the front, and a live axle out back running on trailing links and an A-bracket, all of it suspended by coils. The body is of unitary construction. The car is braked from its potential 125mph top speed by heavily vaned Alfin drums. The gearbox is novel for the time in being a five-speed.

We have no explanation for why some of the cars seem to have been supplied with no bumper and a different grill. They may simply be early cars, more closely related to Bertone's concept. For reasons of weight and styling, this is the car we want.

The real reason we want this car is of course its roof and windows. Following on from them, the interior is a comfortable place to be, well trimmed and laid out, if a bit narrow of roof. It's a major reason for picking the SS over a Zagato model of otherwise equal specification. We don't think we'll miss the extra performance of the SZ, but we would miss the SS' level of comfort and style. The Zagato's aluminum body would also bring a huge increase in noise level.

So to the real question. Why the Giulietta and not the later, better performing Giulia? After all the Giulia had disk brakes at the front and a torquier 1600cc engine; Giulia's are slightly cheaper as well. That bigger motor is a lot of the reason we want the earlier car. The Veloce tag still meant something at Alfa in the 50s with engines running 20bhp or so more than their Normale counterparts. The five-speed transmission, the Alfin brakes, the whole car seems that bit more exotic than the later iteration, that bit more of a thoroughbred. Isn't that what you're looking for in an Alfa Romeo? Well, it's what we're looking for. For this week anyway...



In slate gray please, with dark red seats.

This Week, We Wish We Were Commuting In.

Welcome to "This Week, We Wish We Were Commuting In" a new, weekly feature where we think for a little bit about what we'd be driving across the valley for the week if someone would only lend us the car in question.

As this is the first week of the feature, we're feeling a bit of pressure to come out with a car that agrees with all the sentiments so oft expressed in this trifle of a blog. A car with nothing holding the driver back from experiencing the full sensation of driving. A car with none of the superfluous features that, well intended though they may be, often get in the way of having fun. So what shall it bee then? Something small and light, with a tiny, high-strung motor that'll kill in the corners? A super-sports car with the power to excite in 10 second increments called "on-ramps?" Maybe a carefree roadster with nothing between our self and the road...

Yeah... thing is, we've had a headache for the past week, so we can't see getting into anything with spine-chassis and a buzzing, shrieking four-pot that makes little power under 5000rpm, and zero torque at any revs. I'm not up for a punishing ride either. Also, it's been raining for the past four days in a most un-SoCal sort of way, so we're not really up for side-screens and a top that rivals an a-frame tent in setup time.

This week, we want cushy leather seats, a heater that works, and butter smooth power. We're not total fashion victims, so no modern BMWs or tripe like that. We want a GT, maybe a Bentley, a Continental R-type, except that's all wrong because we don't want to steer a car that can be seen from space. Handy size then is important, as is visibility, so thin pillars and a large glasshouse are on the want list.

Hrm... there are still a few cars that will work, but we're ready to call it. This week, in our dreams, we'll be running freeways in...

Lamborghini's 350 GT!


Ok, there may be a few compromises that will make us wish we'd just stopped by the Nissan dealer and picked out a new 370Z; it's not exactly a quiet car (though neither is it loud), the steering is heavy at low speeds, the brakes aren't up to modern standards... These objections won't last long however, because we'll just get into our Lamborghini and remember that we haven't had to search around for all the buttons that turn off various systems. Then we'll look over our shoulder and be able to see out, which isn't a guarantee in the Nissan. And if we're tired and simply want to make it home, we'll just get into fifth gear as soon as we get on the freeway, and cruise home in relative quiet.

If the headache goes away, the Lambo can still provide for us, with a sophisticated chassis, and that smooth, tractable V12 that will make taking Mulholland home fun instead of simply added chore, even in the wet. It looks incredible as well. Not the most outlandish of Lamborghini's, nor the most subtle, but with a dash of 60s cool that later Lamborghini GTs like the Jarama made do without. The cabin continues that theme, with none of the cheapness or cheesiness that ruin the 350's successor, the Islero. We'll have ours with the original white and red raging bull shields.

And if we feel like getting out of town on the weekend, we'll be hard pressed to think of a car that would do a better job. designed as it was to cross Europe in bounds, the 350 GT should take a trip up the coast on the 101 to morrow bay (or wherever) in its loping stride. It's got room for luggage for a few days away, and when we get there, it'll let us have fun on local roads. Fuel economy may not be pretty exactly, but it's as good as most modern super GTs, and really, we're there are reasons this exercise is taking place in our heads.

Mostly though, we'll be too busy riding along behind that wonderful V12, looking out at the glow from the oblong Cibies, basking in the comfort of our leather-lined cocoon. Safe in the knowledge that we won't see the same car coming the other way, even in Los Angeles...


Photos from: Supercars.net