I have heard plenty of unsatisfactory things about Yokohama wet performance.

The Michelin Energy XAS? thats available in a 185/14 looks excellent on a 105 with steels and has good all round performance. Michelins tend to last a while too.

Hi Tim..

I see you're still looking.. be patient, and not too fussy!


--Steering--

I agree with Colin - more likely the steering box. And if it is, it's not a cheap job - better in a GTV than a Berlina but still not small change. And you want to get it done - Ive heard horror stories.

--a--

I agree with Colin - main seal. Cheap part, expensive labour. But remember - it's an RWC item for the car not to be leaking, so it'll need to be done if you ever want to register it.

--b--

A bit of stiffness is good, but if you're actually having difficulty, you're probably looking at worn/bent selector forks. Which brings me to --c--, which will almost certainly be a stuffed fork on Reverse. Pretty common.


BTW, Do you have a copy of the Keith Booker Giulia GT buyers guide?? Id certainly recommend it for someone in your position.

155s are hot hot hot. It really needs some black or charcoal wheels though Jim.

Is this one of the later improved cars?

My Berlina had it's done at Coburg Dashboard doctor and it was a pretty good job - especially considering the 1750 Berlina's twin lump dash top which can be a right pain in the arse to ge t right.

I'm not sure what's worse - that people bother lowering Coronas and Pintaras, or that you publicly associate yourself with them 

Well.. then if a standard S3 Ti had 95hp, why would Alfa Australia sell a "QV", with just some body cladding and not much else, same 95hp output?

I don't think there is any dispute that QVs were sold here...?

Good to see someone bought that. I would've liked to.

VL : This car was from SA... of course, it could've moved.

BTW, David Wright's book claims that there were official 105hp S3 Suds from 82 to 83, and I know a guy who wrecked a QV with a 105hp. I mean, it's all hearsay, but just another side to it.

Obviously some of the earlier Suds and Sprints were down on power compared to the rest of the world though.

I thought it had disappeared?

Hey Tim.

Cant give you any exact figures (someone will!), but it'll depend on quite a few things.

Factory stock, most Alfas sit up fairly high, sometimes even looking a bit silly. If you look at an Alfetta GT, any Alfasud and most 105s when new they sit fairly high. Over time of course they tend to droop a bit - and so you see some 105s which look like they're dragging their arse around like a flea-bitten dog. I personally wouldn't lower the back of a 105 too much, because they squat quite a bit with power on.

I think the best thing to do is see what work has been done on the car and take it from there - Suspension work is mostly a good thing but not always. So if it's sitting low - see if it's had any work done (professionally) and what it entails (possibly new Konis, shorter springs, sway bar etc), and if it hasn't you're probably just looking at a somewhat tired original car.

Just what til Scott sees this.. the jokes about Suds will flow.

Seriously, though, 198hp wouldnt be cheap to replicate. I don't think it's toooo unreasonable, but it might be hard to find a buyer for.

The guy needs a lesson in taking photos... more specifically focusing on the subject...

Cant stand it when people attach pox photos to ads.

Nah I sold the wreck just over 2 years ago.

Car is actually currently on Ebay, having been fixed up. Very overpriced though.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ALFA-ROMEO-1974-GTV-2000-GTA-LOOK-RWC-GREAT-INVEST_W0QQitemZ200237757114QQihZ010QQcategoryZ35227QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Hi tim.

105s have a live rear axle, which although it is quite well located and quite heavy duty, still can't get away from the fact that it is, exactly that - a live axle rear end. In many senses too, they are actually quite powerful cars for their size (approx 100kw/1000kg) and with a weight bias towards the front, so it is quite easy (more so in a coupe) to get the unloaded rear end to play tricks. The LSD is a helpful addition, but doesn't really fix the problem - it will simply stop the inside wheel spinning on a mid corner bump, or might straighten the line on damp patch, but being an LSD, it still needs power running through it to work effectively - and they do wear.

I found all this out from personal experience, being a little too eager on a damp freeway on-ramp one April afternoon. Tail came around, I hit the wall with the front, then kept spinning and hit it with the back too to finish the job. Still, this didnt put me off 105s, and I have to say that in their defence, in the dry they really are magnificent. I remember one night with my 1750 Berlina (which is even better balanced than the coupes), going unbelievably fast around a rather famous and interesting piece of riverside boulevard here in Melbourne and just being astonished at how well this 40 year old 3-box sedan goes, stops and steers.

One criticism is that controls in the 105 are a little bit heavy, but drive one fast and it makes SO much sense. The steering just comes alive and is so communicative, the brakes take a big shove but slow commendably and with minimal fade and the gearbox and clutch are just perfectly suited. After that night I understood 105s so much better - they are meant to be driven fast and with gusto.

Here's the results of that on-ramp btw.

It's a 1996 GTV. What a bargain at 1000 pounds ($2200)!!

True about spotting at the concours - I saw a very nice white GTC and an SZ and a few other lovelies.

No worries. Its also useful to know because red is the most common colour change (resale Red!), and so if you go and inspect a red GTV with brown interior, you know the owner is lying when he tells you it always has been red. Then you might want to wonder what else he's lying about, including that freshly rebuilt engine 

As for a whole resto of a 105. You don't want to think about it. If you're keen to have a really good one, and it seems that you are, I would just wait for a better car to come around. I wouldn't spend less than 10-12K on a 105 coupe now. When I bought mine it was a very nice runner at only 9K, but the market seems to have gone a little mad for these cars.