Roadster with Alpha twin cam engine

[martinclan56]

Spotted on Car and Classic website. https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1508365


Don't think I have ever seen a Roadster with an Alfa twin Cam before. Does anyone know anything about this particular car? Reg Q644HAC

Robin

[jon_wilkinson]

Re: Roadster with Alpha twin cam engine

I'd seen that one. I think it was up for sale back in August at a lower price.

I would be nervous about the gearbox playing up; I am told parts are hard to find and expensive.

Other than that, nice looking car.

[martinclan56]

Re: Roadster with Alpha twin cam engine

I'd seen that one. I think it was up for sale back in August at a lower price.

I would be nervous about the gearbox playing up; I am told parts are hard to find and expensive.

Other than that, nice looking car.

Ok thanks. So probably not worth the asking price then.
I don't suppose you remember what the previous price was? I have been looking arround for sometime but don't recall seeing that particular car.

Cheers, Robin

PS - Yes I know it's alFa and not AlPHA. The auto spelling thingy has a lot to answer for :-)

[jon_wilkinson]

Re: Roadster with Alpha twin cam engine

It was on FB at £3,600: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2444...search/?q=alfa

I almost made a comment about autocorrect but held back

[martinclan56]

Re: Roadster with Alpha twin cam engine

Thanks for that. Useful to see the original add and know what the guy paid for it.
Cheers, Robin

[ggrum]

Re: Roadster with Alpha twin cam engine

For information, I fitted an Alfa twin cam in my Roadster which I no longer have. In my case the engine was mated to a Ford Type 9 gearbox via a suitable adaptor plate. There are a number of companies supplying old Alfa spares but I agree that gearbox parts would be expensive.

[martinclan56]

Re: Roadster with Alpha twin cam engine

For information, I fitted an Alfa twin cam in my Roadster which I no longer have. In my case the engine was mated to a Ford Type 9 gearbox via a suitable adaptor plate. There are a number of companies supplying old Alfa spares but I agree that gearbox parts would be expensive.

Thanks for the info. May I ask:
What is your opinion of the Alfa engine?
And why did you fit the Ford box?
Cheers Robin

[ggrum]

Re: Roadster with Alpha twin cam engine

Its a well proven engine with a reasonable output (c. 130bhp) considering its age and good torque because its a long stroke engine. It also looks very good in the car but that obviously is a personal opinion. The reasons I fitted the Ford box are a) I already had one plus the bell housing which I had originally planned to mate to the 1.3 "A" series engine in the car to replace the Marina box and give 5 gears. b) The Alfa engine I acquired (very cheaply) came from an early Alfetta GTV which had the clutch and gearbox in a rear transaxle unit so the engine was never intended to have a gearbox attached directly. A fair amount of engineering was required to mate the two but that was part of the challenge which I enjoyed. I was also extremely pleased with the result and, in my opinion, the car drove very well.

[A_Hogg]

Re: Roadster with Alpha twin cam engine

I had the pleasure of owning Geoff's car a couple of years ago. That engine /gearbox combo was bloo--- brilliant and a credit to Geoff for the engineering. I recommissioned the car as it had stood a while in Geoff's garage since he acquired a Cabrio. In my opinion the Roadster was crying out for this engine, Reasonable power /torque [remember it's going through a Marina axle] Looks superb and has all the induction /exhaust notes you could wish for and some!

[yellowbelly]

Re: Roadster with Alpha twin cam engine

I looked at an Alfa engined roadster for sale in May of this year - not the Q reg one, but possibly the other referred to above.

It was lovely to drive, but I didn't buy it because the fragile-looking sump was too near the ground for my liking.

[martinclan56]

Re: Roadster with Alpha twin cam engine

Does anyone know if "Geoff's car" ever found a new owner? I guess it is the one that was for sale on Facebook in April of this year.

Cheers, Robin

[A_Hogg]

Re: Roadster with Alpha twin cam engine

Went to a chap in Cornwall - first name Bill/Billy I think

[chrislibby]

Re: Roadster with Alpha twin cam engine

I mated a 1600 Alpha twin cam to a Ford five speed box. Beautiful sound, revved forever and used it for trials. Plenty of sump clearance with a belly pan.
It’s sold and stored somewhere. Possibly in Cornwall. XLB182G.