Super News Volume 1, Number 3, Summer 2012
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Super News Volume 1, Number 3, Summer 2012 Well, another years draws to a close, and that means another new year Spa Report ahead to look forward to, another year to enjoy our cars, to start up or even The Six Hours of Spa is a whole weekend of spectacular classic motor better, to finish off that resto project racing. The event is held annually at that has been taking up space in your the famous Francorchamps circuit garage, or wherever it is that you have which nestles in the beautiful Ardennes your works-in-progress stored. region of Southern Belgium. The pro- Good luck with whatever project you One of a number of highly modified Su- gramme features more than a 1000 pers at Spa; this one came from Belgium. have on the go. drivers and some 600 vehicles compet- Note the Peugeot GTI wheels. I’ve been using my Super as a daily ing in 20 different races. driver for some time now and I never Favourites such as Ford GT40’s, E- cease to be amazed at the reaction that Type Jaguars, Bentley 4.5’s, Brab- I get from so many people when I am ham's, Lola T70, Ferrari 250LM and in out and about in the car. A situation the Under Two Litre Touring Car race that I’m sure many of you would be all (U2TC), Alfa GTA's along with TI too familiar with. I still get a huge buzz Supers battling it out with Lotus when I hear a compliment or positive Cortina's, Mini Cooper's and BMW remark about my car, particularly 1800 TI's. The highlight of the weekend is the Six Hours endurance race on Saturday This very tidy 1300 Super was from Bel- run from 16.00hrs through to 22.00hrs. gium. The sight of more than one hundred pairs of headlights piercing through the Ardennes darkness gives the event a surreal aspect. when it has been given a good clean and polish as it had when the photo above was taken a while back. Of course some people have to ask A Ti Super replica what make it is and how old. Kind of a nice way to make new friends and or to pass an enjoyable few minutes. One of the other benefits that I have One of many well presented Dutch Supers noticed, and enjoyed of course, is the that attended the Spa classic race weekend. courtesy that a lot of drivers of newer cars display to me in my ‘old’ car and let me slip into a line of traffic from How low can you go? The owner of this the kerb, something they seldom ap- German-registered Super obviously knows. pear to do for others in newer model cars. In the vast P14 parking zone situated I’d also like to thank people for their behind the permanent F1 stands, the on-going support for the newsletter Fédération Belge du Véhicule Ancien and thanks to those who have contrib- (FBVA), co-ordinates a breath-taking uted information and material. display of classic cars from all over Furiani Racing brought their Colli wagon Europe for the Spa classic race week- In closing I would like to pass on the along to the classic racing weekend at Spa. very best of Christmas Wishes to every- end. Whilst just about every make and one and trust that you will all enjoy a Spa Six Hours is far more than just a model was represented, there was a great, and very importantly, a safe succession of races, as prestigious as very strong gathering of Alfa Romeo's, 2013. they might be. The event embodies an with a bias towards the 105 series cars. Super regards incredible atmosphere and is shared by Barry Edmunds the entire family of classic car enthusi- Words and photos of the Spa classic race asts. weekend by Stuart Taylor Super News Official Newsletter of the Giulia Super Register Internationale Page 1 It Broke or Gave Up, So What Now! It might be an old and perhaps even a need and the ability to make something. local footwear industry and through them well worn adage but it is still one that It should be remembered that this was the appropriate knife and access to a applies today - necessity is the mother of back in a time when some replacement press which I was able use to stamp out invention. parts for ‘older’ Alfas were, at best, more the gaskets. I decided to make the most I’m sure that anyone who has ever often than not hard to come by or in the of the opportunity and punched out a few been involved in a vehicle restoration case of Giulia sedans simply just not extras while the opportunity presented. project, tinkered with an ’old’ car or available any longer. I still have a few left if anyone wants acquired a ‘different’ vehicle can readily The replacement parts industry that has replacements. They are only for the relate to being a little innovative on the grown in recent years has certainly made Carello side lights and sadly are not in- odd occasion. life so much easier for those of us who terchangeable with the Altissimo lights. If something is broken or worn and like to tinker with or restore old cars. The same situation occurred with the needs to be replaced and the part/s are Over the years I have created a few heater face plates (see below) so I did not available the only two choices usu- small parts and, because of the econo- some investigation and found the right ally revolve around going without or mies of scale, I was usually able to make material. That I happened to be working creating the replacement part themselves. a few more than what I needed for my in the right industry at the time helped Us car people have become rather adept own use. and so production was ‘relatively’ easy. at making replacement parts. Tinkering In my learning curve with my car one After my experience with the rubber with cars and being innovative somehow of the first parts needing replacement gaskets I ran off a few extra heater face- seem to keep good company. were the white rubber gaskets under the plates too. With the latest run of these I When I acquired my first Super way Carello side indicator light lens. The have used a slightly thicker material than back in the early 1980’s I had to learn, the originals were made from and this and quickly, the numerous quirks and has overcome the rather annoying prob- many other idiosyncrasies that were part lem of cracked heater face plates. and parcel of this strange little Italian car that I had acquired; it was after all a whole lot different to any motor vehicle I had ever owned previously, not just in originals had deteriorated with age and looks but just about every other way. the rubber had turned to powder. I soon Gradually, as I got to know the car I discovered that replacements were just began to find the usual array of parts that not available so I was left with a major were either worn out or broken or just problem; go without or make them. I The purpose of this article is not to needed replacing. opted to make them. That was the easy claim bragging rights about being able to I soon discovered that many of these bit. make replacement parts but to show that parts were simply not available which Going to a commercial gasket maker with a little bit of lateral thinking and left me with a couple of options; go with- was out of the question, mainly because help from others it is possible to over- out or make it, somehow. Not always the of the small quantity involved and also come the problem of replacing a part. best of choices, not if I wanted to keep because of the cost factor involved. With Of course depending on the part and its my car on the road as it was my daily a combination of telephone time and complexity and your own talents you driver. There was also the problem of the good luck I sourced the material and then might be able to help others facing the not inconsiderable gap between one’s found a couple of people involved in the same problem as you. Good luck. Alfa Romeo Artwork English-born illustrator Mike Harbar event here in Melbourne Mike displayed illustrations are a very worthy addition to has always had a passion for cars, and lots of samples of his excellent work on your art collection be they gracing the shows it by drawing them. With an indus- show and, not surprisingly, he had a wall of your office, studio, den or garage. trial design background he has a very steady stream of customers throughout firm understanding of every aspect of the the day. car, from the technical engineering to the For some time now I have been telling artistic side and this is very evident when Mike that his Alfa Romeo collection was you see the accuracy and fine detail he incomplete without at least one Giulia includes in his art work. sedan so it was pleasing to see at Spetta- Over the years Mike has illustrated cars colo that Mike has, at long last, included from almost every automotive name, a Giulia Super to the range of Alfa Ro- from AC Cobras to Zagato.