After a three year full restoration, finally took out the South African last night for a shakedown, it ran faultlessly with the noise from the 3.3L AHM motor absolutely amazing, and performance is breath taking, still some little bits and pieces left to do to finish it but all in all I am extremely happy with the end result
Such a lovely, lovely car. I had mine at a time when LJK Setright was around. And some prat, Steve somebody or another reviewed it for the same Mag. - against a 2.8i Capri.
He came down on the side of the Capri - still around I think, but now no doubt a revered old hack. Clarkson has one now, too fat and old to properly enjoy it. But finally the man showed some taste!
My mate - we worked together on BBC transmitter commissioning - had a 2.8i, but he was green with envy over my 2.5 GTV, metallic Nero. And I used to give him a good spanking on the journey - 200 miles each way between Cambridgeshire and Yorkshire, Mondays and Fridays.
There was nothing in it on the main roads. But once we got onto those Yorkshire twists, he was always in my rear view mirror.
On another occasion, being sent from Marconi in Chelmsford to Whitney in Oxfordshire, to look at some problems on BT Satellite Earth Station, someone tried it on as we approached a fast roundabout. Needles to say the old GTV held her line, came out of the roundabout beautifully, whilst this guy decided to trim the grass and the bushes.
Now that was a proper Alfa, warts and all. Happy days!
