Red blooded

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, there is no denying that Alfa is one of the most well recognised motoring brands around.

Everyone seems to have either had one, or known someone who has owned one.

The funny thing is that most of the people who admit to owning one will reminisce about the sweet twin-cam engine in their ‘60s or ‘70s Junior or Guilietta. Some will remind you of how great their ‘80s 2.5-litre GTV sounded and most will wish they had a uniquely South African 3.0-litre GTV.

In my mind this affection for Alfa can be directly attributed to the on track success of the various models. Drivers like Arnold Chatz, Basil van Rooyen, Nico Bianco won on Sunday and the models sold on Monday.

And although Alfas aren’t flying off the showroom floor like they did thirty or so years back, you all still love them.

Driving our long-term 159 around cemented this thought. Even while sitting at a traffic light people are admiring the car. Stop at a braai and more than one person will comment on the stylish lines, the blood red colour and the classy looking alloys.

The interior also gets a mention thanks to some classic looking leather, a driver focused dash and plenty of sporty looking gauges. Unfortunately the tacky silver dash detailing isn’t quite up to the same standard and the ventilation is poor.

On another note, we have discovered the likely cause of our Alfa’s sudden power losses, which were reported in the last issue but have not recurred to date. We’re investigating and will report on it in the next issue…