Ian Crouch has the perfect antidote for working life stress - a magnificent race prep'd open-top Alfa Spider. According to modern science, the usual Monday to Friday toil takes its toll on us humans, and it's been medically proven that a good ol' fang in an exotic Italian sports car helps relieve this stress. And the more Ferrari-like the car is, the more concentrated the dosage!
Ian wrote himself out a prescription for fun in 1995, when he purchased this 1976 Alfa Romeo Spider 2000 from a guy who'd brought it over as an American import. This previous owner had already done a nice job converting it to Australian-spec right-hand-drive and had rejuvenated the standard interior. But as soon as Ian had made the cash transaction, the car was handed over to the highly experienced Peter Axford of Eurosport. Over the course of a few months, it was completely dismantled and prepared for re-assembly to better-than-new specification.
The gorgeous body panels were sent off to what was then known as Straight Line Crash, for a full massaging down and the all-important removal of any metal cancer (ie rust). Several layers of a standard Alfa Romeo red colour were then applied, replacing the pukey original light red/orange colour.
The suspension and many of the other driveline components had their well worn-out parts replaced with new items, and the whole package was assembled right up to scratch. Given the car's intended racetrack role, the old spent dampers weren't just replaced with standard replacements, but instead a full set of high-quality adjustable Konis were fitted.
Under the bonnet, the standard 2-litre twin-cam injected four was in pretty good mechanical condition, but the primitive injection was a cause for concern. Being a fairly early SPICA fuel-only system with limited scope for more power, it was discarded in favour of a pair of reliable and higher-flowing 40mm Dellorto carburetors. So with relatively minor mods to the suspension and the engine, it was time to hit the track - though not before a roll bar was fitted to comply with club racing regulations.
The results were satisfactory given the extent of the mods, and at last Ian got his long-awaited chance to actually drive the car - but alas it still needed work. Later (in mid-1996) the axle and diff were reconditioned, bringing the US-only 4.5:1 LSD up to par, and the centre was also fitted with different clutches to provide around 50-60% lock-up.
It was in October 1996 that the bella Alfa was really sharpened up. Eurosport took the all-alloy twin-cam out and lovingly rebuilt it using all the knowledge they'd accumulated over the years. The 8-valve head was extensively ported and flowed by Vin Sharp (of Pace) and the intake manifold was made to match.
Inside, a pair of much more aggressive camshafts with 11mm lift made a big different to the shape of the engine's breathing and its derived torque curve. A set of four oiled-foam air filters also aid the top end flows quite substantially. Ian says the engine now has very flat torque, with peak torque very nearly holding from around 2500 rpm to 5500 rpm. Once the tacho's needle starts pointing towards the big six, breathing efficiency does start to fall noticeably however. The rest of the engine - including the bottom-end - was assembled using standard replacement parts, which have since proven durable under the conditions.
The exhaust system remains quite mild, with a set of Vin Sharp's Pace tubular extractors passing gasses into a standard Alfa Romeo rear pipe section. In case you're wondering, the standard pipe does flow quite well, and it also maintains that wonderful twin-cam tune. The points and dizzy ignition system also got upgraded to an electronic Magneti Marrelli operation that gives much-improved reliability.
With this done, it's no shock to learn the power output has climbed from a previous 67kW (with the twin carbs) to 78kW - both measured at the wheels. While it may be true that a modern high-spec Toyota four can produce the same peak power, this engine is far and away more suited to track work. Its tremendous spread of torque and throttle response gives the lightweight (under 1000kg) Spider heaps more legs out of tight twisties. What - a spider with more legs?!
The tight and heavy-on-brakes South Australian Mallala circuit has one fairly long banana straight which enables engines to wind out to their maximum revs. After standing on the pedal for a few hundred metres, the Spider is pushing along quite rapidly and its pre-aero design has created a couple of concerns. Front-end lift was the cars' main Achilles heel, which in turn, produced high-speed understeer - which isn't want you want when there's a kink in the middle of the so-called main straight! Eurosport came to the rescue with a trick-looking fibreglass front spoiler that stops a large portion of airflow getting under the nose. The result, as Ian says, is "far out of proportion to its cost".
Another difference at the front end is the deletion of the heavy, impact-absorbing front bumpers. In a highly successful styling mod, a simple wire mesh (that conceals the relocated indicator lights) fills this void. At the same time, the equally heavy rear bumper was also pulled off and replaced by nothing other than a painted timber nudge bar.
As it was felt that the engine was performing strongly and reliably, the suspension and brakes were next to be given a tremendous boost.
Even back in 1976 the Spider was graced with four wheel discs brakes, but under extreme racing conditions they showed some shortcomings. As most of the braking effort is at the front of the car, Eurosport took the time to adapt a pair of Mercedes vented discs clamped down by BMW 3-litre 4-pot calipers. The discs started out being 278mm, but to create the necessary amount of clearance, they were machined down to 272mm. These made a huge improvement in the area of brake fade and consequently the car became much safer after a couple of sprint laps. Other changes to the braking system include a set of QFM pads all 'round and the use of high-temperature Castrol SRF fluid. Ian was particularly impressed by the performance of the QFM brake pads.
This Spider sticks almost like the creepy-crawly type too. Each guard is filled with stylish Simmons 15-inch rims wearing road/race Dunlop Formula R D98Js. These measure a relatively huge 225/50, which is plenty for a little car! The last mods prior to our shoot were to the suspension and gearbox. Vin Sharp came to the party again with a set of 800 lb/inch front coil springs that tightened up the front end a little more, giving improved tracking. He was also the source for a set of close ratio gears that went straight into the original 'box. All of these ratios are different to standard except for fourth and fifth.
In action on the track, the Spider - in Ian's words - "is very communicable and predictable". It shows turn-in understeer, but it can be easily power-oversteered upon exiting the apex. However, this transition from under to oversteer certainly is "not a sudden death thing".
And its track times are steadily improving, as Ian so far has recorded a personal best of 1min 29sec. In comparison, Ian's new slick tyre shod Porsche Boxster 2.5 is a fair match. Although, Ian points out, he's probably a little more tentative behind the wheel of the German thoroughbred...
As we pointed out earlier, most of the Spider's interior work was done prior to Ian's purchase of the car. This included the new dashboard (converted from left to right hand drive), carpets, seat and door trims and a new hood. The design of the gauges and the contour of the dash is pure Italian sports car. There are big,` angled gauges, a wooden steering wheel (now complimented by a wooden gear knob) and a new-ish model Pioneer CD/tuner head unit wired to standard Alfa GTV speakers. Unfortunately, the over-head roll-bar that was required for racing meant the driver's seat couldn't be slid back enough to give Ian a comfortable driving position. The solution was the fitment of an aftermarket English bucket seat, which was also re-bolstered and covered in matching black.
So learn from Doctor Crouch's fine example of stress relief - buy yourself an Alfa Spider 2000.
From its Ferrari-inspired headlights to the all-alloy twin-cam engine, the Alfa Spider is a pure driver's delight with all the right ingredients. And if stress still persists, then perhaps you really need to see a specialist!
Contact:
Eurosport
+61 8 8347 7105
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