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16 Apr 2008, 08:45 (Ref:2178634) | #1 | ||
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Group A Alfa Romeo/Alfetta GTV6
Right it's not as we haven't got enough Group A investigations to deal with but I thought it was about time we opened a thread about what could be argued was the unsung hero of the Group A era.
Was pretty much the car to have in Class 2/B around the world certainly in 1982-85. Many top outfits prepared and ran them to class success such as Imberti, Luigi, and many top drivers pedalled them in sprint and endurance formats such as Lella Lombardi, Giorgio Francia, Alan Jones, Colin Bond, Rinaldo Drovandi, Jon Dooley, Andy Rouse, Gianfranco Brancatelli and Carlo Rossi etc. I'm particularly fond of the little 'screamers as I owned one for a while! So memories, images, chassis history, stories, anecdotes all welcome. Let's see how it goes! |
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18 Apr 2008, 08:11 (Ref:2180447) | #2 | ||
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Hmmmm, spectacular developments so far folks?!!!!
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"Double Kidney Guv'nah?" "No thanks George they're still wavin a white flag!" |
18 Apr 2008, 08:50 (Ref:2180467) | #3 | |
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There were about half-a-dozen appeared in the BTCC weren't there?
The Napolina/John West/Alfa Romeo Dealer Team pair of Jon Dooley/Rob Kirby were probably the longest serving GTV6 campaigners- Dooley was certainly running one in Napolina colours in 82, and I reckon their last GTV6 appearance was in John West colours at the Donington ETC round (and possibly the opening round or so of the BTCC?) in 86 because the new 75s weren't ready. (As I remember, none of the ETCC Alfa teams had 75s in time for the start of the season- certainly none of the regular Italian teams are on the entry list for Donington) http://www.racingsportscars.com/etcc...-04-06-074.jpg Did Rouse just do a single season in the Alfa, 1983, before moving on to the Rover? I think I've read somewhere that the Rouse car still exists, although much-modified, in one of the Alfa club series, but can't swear that's true- anyone? Terry Drury had two- possibly three- red cars- I think they last appeared in 85- after that he moved on to Escort RS Turbos and eventually RS500s. They usually took in Donington and the TT as well as the BTCC season- in the 635 thread, there was some discussion of a Sytner 635 leased by a pair of South Africans at the 1985 TT- (Viana/Bianco)- another pair of South Africans drove one of the Drury Alfas as part of the same deal, with TDR regular Mark Hales also in the car. There are also probably some GTV6 pics in the Rover thread as well- Snobeck ran Marlboro-backed ones in French Supertourisme, and I think one or two of the French Rover pics I've seen around also feature a Snobeck Alfa |
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18 Apr 2008, 09:02 (Ref:2180479) | #4 | ||
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The Alfetta GTV6 came in DTM from Zolder 84' to Nurburgring 86
Peter Oberndorfer for the team Marko won a race the first year in Hockenheim you can have some informations here DTM databse DTM official website |
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18 Apr 2008, 13:51 (Ref:2180696) | #5 | |
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Browsing through a 'photos from the circuits' thread elsewhere, found Rich Harman's brilliant collections of photos from the 80s- (a couple of his pics of the Rouse ICS Rover appeared in the SD1 thread).
A nice paddock shot of the Jon Dooley GTV6- http://s271.photobucket.com/albums/j...324SSIT-01.jpg 1984 TT- Jolly Club, Luigi and Terry Drury GTV6s (plus Jags and lots of 635s...) http://s271.photobucket.com/albums/j...0Paddock/1984/ Lots of 1986/7 TT pics for when we get round to the Alfa 75 thread in some of the later albums as well.... |
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18 Apr 2008, 18:12 (Ref:2180875) | #6 | ||
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Iam sure i read some mag possibly trc that one of its staff members was doing up a ex Rouse alfa to go club racing. it was a while ago now tho.
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18 Apr 2008, 18:19 (Ref:2180877) | #7 | ||
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Good stuff as ever KA!
Yes I think Rouse did 2/3 of the '83 season when Pete Hall handed the car on to him as he didn't feel he was doing it justice!! So just why he thought he would go any better in the title winning Vitesse 2 years later is debatable!! I also think that it's still running in club racing as you suggest. I'll dig some pics out and post them at some point as well, just wanted the thread to get well underway first. BTW I think that Rich Harman image you've linked is Rob Kirby's example? not entirely sure though. There were subtle differenced between the 2 ARDT cars. Dooley's first ran in the last season of Grp 1 and was then converted to Grp A spec. It appeared to run 'lower' and had a sort of side exahust system, whereas Rob's had a more standard system. Jon's car aso ran different wheels to Kirby's - Jon's were silver Compomotive's and Kirbys more the 'mag' style white alloys. What was most memorable was the total difference in sounds!! Dooley's had a quite distinctive drone (which he once said was reminiscent of a Ferrari Dino!) and Kirby's, the TDR and ETC cars for that matter made the superb high pitched screamer sound when on full song. A superb engine note by any comparison! TDR did run 3 cars on ocassion, but usually 2 for Phil Dowsett, Paul Smith in '84 and then Dowsett, Smith and Mark Hales in '85 IIRC. Last edited by chunterer; 2 Dec 2008 at 17:17. |
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18 Apr 2008, 18:43 (Ref:2180901) | #8 | ||
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Quote:
At least one of the Drury cars was heavily damaged in the infamous multi-car shunt at Thruxton in 85, along with Sheene's Supra and a couple of Brooklyn Escorts. Terry Drury also had some outings in a GTV6 himself- the Donington ETC round in 1985, sharing with Phil Dowsett comes to mind, http://www.racingsportscars.com/cove...985-05-05e.jpg as well as some early-season BTCC races that year before Hales took over the seat. Barry Barnes had a run in a TDR Alfa that year as well- the Brands European GP meeting round Last edited by chunterer; 18 Apr 2008 at 20:53. |
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18 Apr 2008, 18:48 (Ref:2180905) | #9 | |||
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Quote:
Quote:
Last edited by KA; 18 Apr 2008 at 18:51. |
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18 Apr 2008, 18:52 (Ref:2180909) | #10 | ||
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Yeah thats the one KA.
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18 Apr 2008, 18:54 (Ref:2180912) | #11 | ||
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Rouse probably did more than 2/3 of a season, as he won the title overall in 1983.
Over the years I have had a go at what teams was behind the various ETCC teams and ended up with the names of Elio Imberti, Mauro Nocentini and Luigi Cimarosti. Here's a nice link to a GTV-site, that will evolve into a book I'm told: http://www.gtv6-156gta.be/LaGTV6comp....html#circuits. I will dig out my notes on the ETCC Alfa's and return. Jesper |
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18 Apr 2008, 19:05 (Ref:2180914) | #12 | ||
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As to the ETCC cars, Nocentini and Imberti ran the various cars entered under the 'Jolly Club' banner, while Cimarosti was repsonsible for the 'Luigi Racing' entries- it's not on a GTV6, but in this pic of the Castagna/Camathias/Lombardi 75 at the 1986 TT, you can see an 'Imberti' sticker on the black trim strip on the front wing, just ahead of the open door http://s271.photobucket.com/albums/j...907SSTT-05.jpg |
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18 Apr 2008, 20:17 (Ref:2180947) | #13 | |
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Just dug out the 85 and 86 Bathurst annuals for details of the Australian GTV6s. If I've read this correctly, there were 4 Group A cars:
Last edited by KA; 18 Apr 2008 at 20:20. |
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18 Apr 2008, 21:08 (Ref:2180970) | #14 | |||
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The 'rivalry' between ARDT and TDR teams was relaxed but sill intense. Drury reckoned his team was the favourite of the UK importer, when it was Dooley who seemed to get on better with them! The red cars had a certain aura about them, and Dowsett got his car running very well indeed up until that immense engine blow up whilst chasing Class A cars in the early stages of the '84 June Silverstone meeting. I think TDR ran 3 cars at the TT in '84? The TDR cars ran a strange red and yellow scheme from '85 onwards and never seemed to show the form they had done in 1984, when Phil had pedalled his so well. Maybe as you say the damage to the one at the Thruxton '85 round, and of course the huge damage incurred to one of them at the TT the year before meant that if they were rebuilt, such cars never ran the same ever again! Hadn't realised Barry Barnes had a go in one of them! Last edited by chunterer; 2 Dec 2008 at 17:19. |
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19 Apr 2008, 12:03 (Ref:2181324) | #15 | ||
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One of my favourites from 1984:
Phil Dowsett's TDR car in the paddock at Thruxton May 1984. |
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"Double Kidney Guv'nah?" "No thanks George they're still wavin a white flag!" |
19 Apr 2008, 20:44 (Ref:2181554) | #16 | ||
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Here's a link to chassis 14572: http://www.schaer-events.ch/index.asp?l=1&p=37. This being an Autolodi/Mauro Nocentini car.
I have seen an article featuring one of the Luigi cars with "LR" designations. It's on the net too, but can't find it right now. Jesper |
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22 Apr 2008, 23:32 (Ref:2184492) | #17 | |
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A brief history in pics of the ex-Ray Gulson car....
http://www.malvern-group.com.au/dulu...romeo_gtv6.htm |
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23 Apr 2008, 15:37 (Ref:2184942) | #18 | |||
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British teams back then certainly liked the idea of their racing numbers being on the rear quarter panels didn't they (going by the John West Alfa on the previous page, and of course the ICS Rovers and Sierra's)
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"The Great Race" 22 November 1960 - 21 July 1999 |
23 Apr 2008, 17:43 (Ref:2185045) | #19 | ||
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Is there any source of ATCC results for that period online? I know Frank de Jong's site doesn't have them yet. |
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24 Apr 2008, 04:00 (Ref:2185460) | #20 | ||
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There are two of these for sale atm on www.racingheritage.com.au
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5 Jun 2008, 08:03 (Ref:2220257) | #21 | |
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hi all
and what about GTV-6 that took part in rallying ? |
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5 Jun 2008, 08:57 (Ref:2220295) | #22 | ||
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Yves Loubet?
I''m sure Dany Snobeck prepared a few for European rallying too? KA mentioned an interesting point in another thread, that former champion skier Franz Klammer raced one for Helmet Marko in 1984 or 85? I had forgotten that |
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6 Jun 2008, 07:04 (Ref:2221036) | #23 | ||
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Loubet drove a GTV6 for several years in the 80s (1982-86), including several WRC starts, usually the Monte and Corsica, where he went particularly well with a couple of Group A wins and some spectacular top 10 finishes to his name- 5th overall in 1985 and 3rd in 1986, (although the overall positions were aided by the withdrawal of the Lancia team after the Bettega and Toivonen tragedies) The combination of 1986 Rothmans livery (the car was previously plain red) and Loubet's extrovert handling of the car was obviously very photogenic- I had no problem finding lots of pics of this one... http://faimg1.forum-auto.com/mesimag...7/gtv6saut.jpg http://faimg1.forum-auto.com/mesimag...etGTVRoth3.jpg http://faimg1.forum-auto.com/mesimag...etGTVRoth1.jpg http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/6...lfaromenu9.jpg Klammer's touring car career started in an Alfa, backed by Commodore and Lui- he did DTM and occasional ETCC rounds. The car is apparently still around: http://www.gtv6-156gta.be/gtv6zolder2005richter3.jpg Last edited by KA; 6 Jun 2008 at 07:10. |
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6 Jun 2008, 07:30 (Ref:2221050) | #24 | |
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Just for the hell of it, a few more- there seem to be a lot of pics of Loubet's GTV6 on the web, and some of these are too good not to post....
http://www.forocompeticion.com/galer...oubet%2529.jpg Earlier shots from 1985 or before- French national events and Corsica. Last one might be the Bertrand Balas car? http://images.forum-auto.com/mesimag...E%20.jpg1..jpg http://www.forocompeticion.com/galer...oubet%2529.jpg http://www.forocompeticion.com/galer...oubet%2529.jpg http://images.forum-auto.com/mesimag...RIGUES%201.jpg Last edited by KA; 6 Jun 2008 at 07:32. |
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18 Jun 2008, 11:07 (Ref:2231774) | #25 | ||
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I have one of these wonderful cars. Mine is a left hooker GTV6 that I have raced in the AROC/ARCA events for several years and now in CSCC's Future Classics series.
Mine was never a real team car but I have built it up to resemble the Group A machines of the early 80s. Many of the adverts and photos from above have been used to get the car as near to original as possible. Things like brakes are an issue as the factory cars ran all sorts of different makes. None of them are very good! I ran out of brakes last time out at Rockinham and now need a new left front wing. Anyone got one?? I had a very close look at the DTM shown above car last year. It currently runs in the ADAC youngtimers series and is very standard compared to current DTM cars. It does use centre-lock wheels and has very nice brakes. Finding non-rusty examples of these cars is very hard. Mine has been racing for so long it spends no time outdoors unless racing so I am fortunate to have a rot-free example. Nice to hear that I am not the only fan of these charismatic cars. |
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Tags |
alfa gtv6, alfetta, ardt, autodelta, btcc, group a, jolly club, jon dooley, lella lombardi, luigi, napolina, terry drury racing |
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