26
It should be noted that this has changed profoundly for the better in the past two decades. Mostly
because of competition from both Europe and Japan, modern American cars have come light
years along in responsiveness, performance, and handling.
Again, Alfa Spiders aren
“
t like this at all. Like most European car makers, Alfa is made by and
for Europeans first. Unlike the Japanese (who adapt totally to whatever market they try to enter),
Europeans have historically brought their cars over to the US with the minimum required
changes to meet regulatory demands (more on this later).
Because of this, spring rates, shock rates, tire sizes, and suspension geometry have all been
optimized by Alfa before your Spider ever left the factory.
The engine as well sounds, in description, like something someone put together in a speed shop.
The next time a tobacco-spitting good ol
“
boy (that
“
s what we call them here
in England I
believe they are called
”
gits
„
, and I
“
m sure the Australians in the audience will suggest even
more colorful names for them) starts having a good laugh at your
”
lil
“
eye-talian engine
„
, note
these facts:
That
”
little
„
engine, in pre-
…
75 trim at least, gets quite a bit more than 1 hp per cubic inch (a
nirvana-like goal of gearheads everywhere), is all-aluminum, has a forged steel crank, alloy
pistons, forged rods, five main bearings, dual-overhead camshafts, a hemi head, and holds 7
quarts of oil (one more quart than your typical American 8 cylinder engine). Of course, you have
to pay over $100 for a water pump that will only cost him $20, but you
“
re not going to tell him
that.
Please don
“
t get me wrong. It most definitely is possible for an owner to modify an Alfa to
perform better. Some people find the suspension is too soft, or the engine could be made to put
out just a few more horses. It is really very subjective. But
”
bolt-on
„
modifications along the
lines of what an American is used to simply don
“
t exist (with one big exception, see below). In
other words, the easy stuff has already been done before the car left the factory. Don
“
t buy an
Alfa Spider with the expectation that you will take it home and, with a few quick calls to your
speed shop of choice, have half a dozen pieces you can bolt on to the car and double its
performance. You are much, much more likely to be very unsatisfied with your results, or end up
with a car suitable only for the racetrack.
The biggest exception to this, again pretty much in America only, are the emissions and safety
controls in the Series 2 and 2a cars. While the Series 3 and 4 cars also come equipped with
emissions devices, they are much more integrated with the car. Also, the Series 3 and 4 cars are
more computerized, so some modifications may have unpredictable or negligible effects.
Because Europeans had gotten deeply into the habit of the
”
just enough
„
philosophy when
importing their cars into America, most didn
“
t realize until too late that the profound changes to
the American car market in the 1970s caused the
”
minimum
„
approach to make their cars
undriveable, and that these regulations weren
“
t ever going to go away.
