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Another Sportscar

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F

FWK-MGTF

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I just bought another sportscar -- let's see if you can guess what it is:

1. Although it is not British, a component of the Union Jack appears in its nameplate.

2. When its engine displacement was increased from 1600cc's it was given the name of a famous predecessor.

3. It was the last complete design by a famous designer, and it was the last year that design was used unchanged.

4. It was featured in a movie in its year of introduction.

5. I have applied for CA plate "FNOTPH" for it.

There is enough here to tell the marque, model and year of the car.
 
Clever license plate. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I'd say ALFA (and not "Alfa").
 
Yes, it is an ALFA.

The ALFA nameplate has St. Goerge's Cross on the left side. The right, a serpent devouring a Saracen is the crest of the Visconti family. Together, it is known among ALFA owners as representing "Jesus Christ, the cost of ownership is eating me alive!"

When the engine capacity was increased to 1779cc's, the car was named the 1750 - in homage to the 6C1750 of the late '20s and early '30s

The Duetto was the last design completed by Battista (Pinnin) Farina. There was no 1968 or 1970 Spider sold in the US. When it returned in 1971, the tail was chopped off in a Kamm design.

"F" not "PH" is how you spell ALFA (Anonima Lobarda Fabbrica Automobili)
 
I enjoyed trying to puzzle that through, got the license plate but thought maybe it was an earlier Bertone design. Just obscure enough to be difficult without being impossible!
Liked the explanation too, I was not aware of the details of the badge and their meaning.
Simon.
 
Congrats on your new purchase. What year?

I had one (a 1988, dual-carb model) in the past. It was not the most reliable car I ever had - but one of the best looking and most fun to own. I hope you enjoy your new toy as I did mine. (Sold it only because we moved to a very urban area and did not have the space to keep or use it).

Ron.
 
Interesting how tastes differ. I'm always reading how these Spiders are considered one of the prettiest cars ever made but I can't see it myself (I have the same problem with recent Ferrari's, maybe its an Italian thing). The boot (trunk) looks too long compared to the bonnet (hood) but there again I'm probably biased by love of british sports cars. Their design always seems to favour short(ish) boot and long bonnet.
 
Hi Steve. In Italy the car is referred to as "Osso di Seppia" which translates to "cuttlefish" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

It's all in the eye of the beholder, some people think a design may be wonderful, others recoil in horror from the same thing. Even the more boxy Alfas had a certain flair to them, and I would have any Alfa in my garage. Not to put down any other design themes.......most British designs are wonderful (with the exception of the Daimler Dart) and don't forget, Triumph had a lot of Italian-designed vehicles in their range for a long time.
 
Edit: Just before I posted this, I reviewed UK Steve's comments and realized that our American Steve had posted many of the same thoughts....great minds think alike!
Anyway, here was my response.....

That's an interesting point.
The "short-tail look" was one of the things that made the original Ford Mustang such a big hit. I actually prefer the shorter trunk of older Miatas (MX-5 Eunos) to the newer, longer tail of my M2 Miata. I prefer older Corvettes for the same reason.
But when it comes to ALFA Spiders, I like the longer, fish-like round-tail model...not sure why (I owned a 1300 Spider eons ago).
I agree that certain cars "look Italian". TR-4s and Spitfires are nicer examples of that look than many "real" Italian cars.
The Brits did some great styling......but then there's the SP-250 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif


ALFA Kamm-tail and Round-tail Spiders
n_barnes_88_spider_grad_th.jpg


m_romagnoli_69_spider_th.jpg
 
[ QUOTE ]
I owned a 1300 Spider eons ago).

[/ QUOTE ]

Being nosey - but what year ALFA? I bought, in early 1964, a 1961 white ALFA Guiletta Spyder which was my first car.

Bruce
 
I don’t know all that much about these cars (Official disclaimer) – but I do seem to recall reading or seeing something about the long tailed Spider only lasting the first year or so model years. But that the rest of the body basically didn’t see all that many changes over its long production run. BTW, how many years did these cars last in production? Longer than the MGB? Other comments?

Anyway – there’s a rather nice little red one (don’t know the year) around the corner with a for sale sign on it. Never talked to the guy who’s selling it but I drive pass the guy’s house just about every day and it’s almost always been garaged.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
The round-tail Duetto was introduced in 1966, and was changed to the Kamm tail around 1971 I think. The final update was in 1991, so yes, it did have a longer production run in its various forms than did the MGB. Not sure when they were finally discontinued.
 
From what I understand, the Alfa convertible changed model names which makes the MGB a longer run of a single model car. If not mistaken, the MGB had the longest single model run of any car until the Miata. Or am I confusing my facts?
 
[ QUOTE ]
From what I understand, the Alfa convertible changed model names which makes the MGB a longer run of a single model car. If not mistaken, the MGB had the longest single model run of any car until the Miata. Or am I confusing my facts?

[/ QUOTE ]

I tend to agree with Steve on this one. (What is that now Steve two?) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/angel.gif

Anyway - it is my understanding that the MGB saw fewer changes from introduction to end of production than any other single model and was basically the same car when production ended.

Not sure exactly where the Alfa fits into this but in the last issue of Classic Motorsports there was a letter from a person who disputed a previous CM article that hailed the MGB as the best all time sports car – simply based on both years of production and units produced. The disgruntled letter writer said that the he felt that the Datsun/Nissan Z cars deserved the title as it out produced the MGB by significant numbers. But CM rebutted – pointing out that the Z cars saw many major manifestations in it’s production life, while there was little difference between the first and the last MGBs.

Of course whenever someone says that anything is the BEST –you’re always going to have someone who disagrees.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
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