So i visited my girlfriend's grand uncle's garage

[Alok]

he has eight cars in his garage, including the ones he got for his mid-30s childer, he's 65. The cars include two mx5s from the last two generations, each and a fiesta sport for his daughter, a toyota RAV4 and an e30 bmw 3 series, the one with 168bhp 2.5l motor, convertible for his son, and for himself, a classic alfa romeo, a porsche 911 typ 964 carrera 4 convertible and a bmw 1600 convertible. The alfa and the porsche are both classified as summer cars(?) and on their license plate, stood 4/10, which from what he explained to me, meant the car was sort of insured on the streets between that time. The BMW 1600 is classified as Historic. Apparently that certification requires that the car is original and well maintained. All I can say is that after 15 mins of intense scrutiny, i failed to spot a single fleck or spot on the car.

He first took me for a ride in the carrera 4, on the winding forest roads of weinbach and elkerhausen, in Hessen. I tried finding the roads on google earth but they dont cover the areas well, all I can say is that, I totally dont regret leaving the camera back for the porsche ride, as he simply threw the car from bend to bend and I was simply hanging on for dear life in there, deafened by that awesome soundtrack. He also mentioned that that particular car was the last model 964, although I didnt get time to check the chassis number for verification. He also has a very ancient motorbike from a brand called Zyndapp, and one from bmw, 1998 model, but I didnt get time to ask him which one.

Now, I know, I must be taken out and shot in the face, and then shot again for good measure, for not taking pics for the porsche or the bimmer, but both the bmw and the porsche were so fly spatted, that he forbid me from taking pics of them even in the garage. He said he cleans the cars by hand and he wants them properly presented, but in three weeks i might make a revisit. Until then, I have the pics of the alfa I managed to take.

Someone recognise this alfa for me please?

[Adunaphel]

That's the last generation of the classic Alfa Romeo Spider. And IMHO the second best looking one, they finally decided to get rid of the plastic crud added to the arse in the 80s (trust me, it was UGLY) and gave it a good ass-job, leaving the rest of the car virtually untouched (and thank god for that). One of the best looking cars ever, and easily the second best looking roadster (sorry, NOTHING beats the roundtail version)

[Alok]

He took me for a ride in the Alfa right after the ride in the porsche, and he said he didnt like the fact that the gear lever travel in the alfa is way too long and that often there was gear slippage when the lever wasnt fully engaged. Also, he described driving the porsche as an adrenaline pump while likened the Alfa to "Spazierenfahren". I have been since trying to find an english equivalent for that word.

[teeb]

Those are great pictures of a beautiful car.

I've a vaguely technical question - how did you take the first couple pictures? I've seen similar shots in magazines, and they do it using a complex system of suction caps and tripods attached to cars, but I'm assuming you didn't do that (not least because by the sounds of it your grandfather would forbid it!).

[cvrefugee]

Screw those, we need pics of the Rav4!

[Ottobon]

did that spyder sound wonderful?, i know the race prepped 1992 i drove did, honestly it was life-changingly wonderful

and figure out what "Spazierenfahren" translates too already

the direct translation is "go for a drive" so it makes him wan't to go for a drive? a cruise? or something completely different?

[Alok]

Originally Posted by teeb

Those are great pictures of a beautiful car.

I've a vaguely technical question - how did you take the first couple pictures?

I simply wrapped the camera strap round my arm, and just took some pics at 1/30"~1/80".

Originally Posted by Ottobon

did that spyder sound wonderful?, i know the race prepped 1992 i drove did, honestly it was life-changingly wonderful. and figure out what "Spazierenfahren" translates too already

the direct translation is "go for a drive" so it makes him wan't to go for a drive? a cruise? or something completely different?

It sounded good, but he told me that the car was pretty fragile when cold (so was the porsche) and he didnt wanna do anything hard. Nevertheless, I had just been in the 964 a minute before the alfa and it was hard for me to compare the noise, as I was wet already.

[Angst]

As they said, that is the last Alfa Romeo Spider, sold till '94. Quite a car, considering that its shape received only secondary changes in about 30 years of production. However, the ur-Spider is still the best looking. That which appears in The Graduate with Dustin Hoffman. Is the steering wheel the original one? And I'm sorry about our hardly continuing MSN discussion, when you wrote me yesterday I was already gone out. When you join again, I'll be pleased to finally ask you that question (it's about photography).

[Ottobon]

Originally Posted by Alok

I was wet already.

wet?!?

[Alok]

Originally Posted by Ottobon

wet?!?

that car can do things to you man

[Spectre]

Originally Posted by Adunaphel

One of the best looking cars ever, and easily the second best looking roadster (sorry, NOTHING beats the roundtail version)

Third best. E-Type Series I convertible beats everything.