Grand touring in a veloce style...

I always wanted an Alfa GTV so it's no surprise that I have one now in my garage. When I say 'always' I mean from about the age of 17 or so, when the Alfetta GT grew into the 2.0 GTV. I still prefer the 1.8 GT's chrome over the later model GTV's plastic but I found NWV714, a low miles example in 1990 and swapped a turbo 4wd Ford Laser for it and some cash.

Yes folks I preferred a 10 year old Alfa to a new Ford. The Ford was built by Mazda and had lots of Mazda design in it. That's not to say Mazda is bad, but it's bland. Even now I have a Mazda Premacy in the driveway to get the family around. It's safe, reliable and does the job without fuss. That's a Mazda. The Premacy is no sports car to drive or to look at, whereas the Laser Turbo 4wd was both a prettier coupe and quicker than the standard hatch. It made a nice whistle as it spooled up and launched without wheelspin. However it was not that fast (just 160bhp, or 30 more than the GTV). And it was twitchy on the limit. It wasn't as chuckable as other cars and the central diff - a fluid type unit - seemed to muck up the handling somewhat when on the edge of adhesion.

Rather than muck around trying to fix the Mazda/Ford, I went back to Alfa. No more broad expanses of dull grey plastic. No more simply functional controls and seats; instead I fancied faux-Recaro, some fake wood (maybe it's a real veneer?) and a Momo wheel that looked right at home, rather than an afterthought.

The pluses go on and on. Ride - firm but supple. Handling - absolutely balanced. Traction - magnificent, especially on tight twisty stuff where the turbo had traction but fell out of the power band. Maybe a WRX is better but we didn't have WRXes in Oz back when I bought the MazFord. They were coming, but I didn't wanna wait. And when the turbo 4wd thrill was found wanting I found myself reverting to a dream that I had been having since the 1970s - to own an Alfa coupe.

Seems silly now, with climate change and what have you, but I still get a kick out of older Alfas. Just standing next to the GTV is a thrill - it's so low. Getting in is an experience. Sitting inside you feel the history and the barking, vibrating cough of starting that timeless carbie 4 is unforgettable. Do you get that kind of kick out of any modern cars?