Alfa Romeo Alfetta

[340-6]

Hello everyone!

I'ts been awhile since I posted anything, so I thought that I'd show you my first try at modifying diecasts.

Alfa Romeo Alfetta / GTV has been one of my favourite cars for a long time, and since there are no plastic kits available, I had to go and buy a 1:24 scale Quattroruote die cast model. Here's what the Alfa looked like when I first got it:

While it was not exactly rubbish, there was a lot of room for improvement. The doors didn't fit very well, paint had scratches in it, and detailing was not very good. I personally didn't like the general look of the car. I think that Alfa Romeos should look aggressive and sporty, and this thing with it's silver paint, high suspension and general sluggishness didn't convey that idea, so I took the car to pieces and began dressing up this "Beta Romeo".

There were some mold lines and other problems with the body, so I thoroughly sanded it and then painted it using Maston -spray paints.

This is how the engine bay looked before:

The Alfa's 1800cc i4 engine pushed out around 120 hp, which was -in my opinion- quite well for such a small engine in mid-70s, but I gave it a new exhaust manifold along with some new air filters to make it appear a bit more sporty. I also removed some molded in details and replaced them with better ones.

The engine bay after:

To be continued.

[340-6]

The chassis before:

The chassis had a lot of holes for screws and some molded in texts. I Sanded the texts away, filled the holes ,added a new exhaust tip and I also drilled some new holes for axles so the car sits a lot lower now. I painted and weathered the chassis so it's general lack of detail is not so obvious now.

The interior of the model was not so bad looking, but I just didn't like the seats, so I did some modifications. Old seat on the right, left ones modded.

I also filled some holes on the floor and repainted the whole interior:

Finished pics comig soon!

[mikevillena]

I remember working on several of them during my brief stint as a mechanic at Motodelta (small import repair shop in Chicago). The all alloy engine was a lovely little thing and sounded magnificent especially with proper pipes fitted. Looks a lot better with the additional work that you've put in especially the intake.

[340-6]

Many thanks, Michael! I've always had a place in my heart for older Alfa Romeos. Alfetta's might not have been the fastest things around when compared to German sports cars of the era, but I'd have one over a Mercedes or a Beemer any time, just because of the looks and the sounds.

I repainted and foiled the front fascia along with the bumpers and I also repainted the rear lights and blinkers. Some old style Finnish plates were also added.

Here's the finished Alfa:

-Pauli

Edited April 16, 2014 by 340-6

[mikevillena]

Turned out beautiful, Pauli. Don't forget that the engine has a long and illustrious history in various versions; Guilia Sprint, GTA and GTAm's that won multiple Touring Car Championships for Alfa.

[340-6]

The engine certainly has proven itself on racetrack, I remember my father mentioning that his friend used to own and race a GTA 1300 junior many years ago. The car was then unfortunately sold to Sweden, which I think is a shame since there are certainly not many of those things left in world, let alone in Finland.

[AzTom]

Very Nice!

[hjracing]

Great job! I like it!

[sjordan2]

Great job! I like it!

x2. I had a 1977 Alfetta GT, and have never been able to find a model larger than 1:43.

As for wanting to own a 1:1, I bought mine new and (having owned 3 Alfas before), it reinforced my opinion that I must truly be a masochist.