As purveyors of rare, oddball or downright quirky Italian cars, we have to admit to being suckers for a “Special” or “Limited Edition”. If there’s some sort of numbered plaque plastered onto the dashboard or they’ve painted the wheels a different colour as a tenuous tie-in to an obscure brand of coffee machine, we’ll want to own it. Read on as we count down five of our favourite Italian oddities from over the years.
Between the long-term restoration projects we’ve been working through and a certain pandemic, it’s been a while since we’ve found the time to head to a classic auction. However, we’ve sold a few cars recently, freeing up some space and, besides, there was a certain boomerang-tail-lighted beauty drawing us in to this sale.
As anyone who’s glanced at our In The Workshop section recently will already know, a certain Pininfarina Spidereuropa we’re working on has gotten us all dewy-eyed and wistful. When we looked in the boot, though, the nostalgia went into overdrive.
First up, let’s get something clear, while this is technically a “How To” guide - please don’t use this as a step-by-step walkthrough to replacing the cambelt on your own Alfa V6 engine. Not unless you have a high level of mechanical experience and a decent selection of tools (at the very least a ramp!) at your disposal. Changing a Busso’s timing belt is no mean feat, even for trained professionals.
The how-to guide for a home hobbyist wishing to undertake this task could be delivered in just a single word: don’t!
