Comments by "Ray Purchase" (@raypurchase801) on "Number 27" channel.

  1.  @grewdpastor  These older Alfas rust badly, but in truth, EVERY car of that generation rusted badly. Including Minis. I almost NEVER see a rusted car these days. Modern cars fail because the electrics are f*cked, although they're still good mechanically.
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  2. The original Austin/BL Mini (wonderful car, I've owned several) cost more to manufacture than it was sold for. Ford took a Mini back in the sixties, dismantled it and realised the truth. Nobody told Austin/BL. Their huge sales success contributed to killing the company.
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  3. I'm looking forward to the day when there's an inexpensive off-the-shelf kit which can be easily adapted to older cars.
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  4. I've owned Minis and I own a '69 Alfa. The fastest long-distance journeys I've ever made were by Mini.
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  5. A common fault with the steering is for the steering box to come partially-adrift and twist as the steering wheel is turned. If your Alfa's steering is unintuitive, it's a good place to look. The 1750 is usually shod with 165 tyres. Fit 185 tyres and you'll have phenomenal grip, but close-turning at parking speed requires big muscles.
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  6. I had a Corgi Iso Grifo. Metallic blue. Opening doors. Sparkley headlamps. Then I took it to school and some ucnt stole it from me. Still rankles.
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  7. I've got a '58 A35 with a bored-out engine and a Ford five-speeder. An A35 is a Sprite wearing an overcoat, the Sprite is an A35 with running shoes. Same kind of thing but with a tin top and a bit more space. The looks resemble a Jaguar D-Type, and the Maniflow exhaust gives a great sound. On a dark night, you'd think my Austin is a D-Type howling down the Mulsanne straight, but it helps if you're half-blind and partially deaf.
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  8.  @Number27  I recall the first time I saw a Testarossa, back in the 1980s. A little old man was driving it, so wrinkled he looked like my scrotum, so tiny he could barely look over the steering wheel. A sad example of how most of the people who can afford a Ferrari are on the wrong side of 60.
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  9.  @robertsmith9810  All true.
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  10. "Pillowed rails". Nice phrase.
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  11. Correct. I remember tatty Interceptors going through car auctions for a couple of hundred quid.
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  12.  @boyracer3477  Agreed. Whole-heartedly.
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  13. Agreed. Driving my Mini at speed in driving rain did many bad things.
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  14. GREAT SCOT, IAN !!!
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  15. Even the best-looking Alfas are often rotted-out. Pretty paint and filler can hide lots of faults. It's sunny today, so I think I'll take mine out for a blast a bit later. But NEVER if it's raining.
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  16.  @CarloPlaya  John Brookes claims Alfas are ugly - What the eff? What a numpty.
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  17.  @sergiobrunetti2072  The Mini is surprisingly quick, but you'll be deaf after a long fast journey.
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  18.  @captainchaos3053  I've got a '58 A35 with a mildly-tuned engine, 5-speed Sierra box and other upgrades. I wish I'd never started because it'd be cheaper to have bought a Silver Shadow and tolerated an occasional big expense.
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  19.  @AlastairSmith  BL should've fitted a five-speed box. A serious lack of investment. Many faults could/should've been put right during its long production. How about a screen-demisting ventilation system which actually works? Or a galvanised rust-resistant subframe? Or an electrical system which doesn't get drowned in water during heavy rain at motorway speeds?
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  20. BAD NEWS: My '69 GTV rusted very badly. GOOD NEWS: Its replacement panels are made in Germany.
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  21. The BEST Ferrari of this era was the Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV.
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  22. I want somebody to fit a Jag V6 in my 1958 A35.
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  23. Those aren't the original front seats. I'm not complainin', just sayin'.
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  24. How £much does this conversion cost? In ten years, will the equivalent conversion be achieved at half the cost?
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  25. Yes it was. And because it's sunny today, I think I'll take mine out for a drive. But I wouldn't leave it in the rain overnight. By the morning, all that would remain is four rubber tyres and a big rusty puddle.
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  26. I laugh at your Fiat and raise the Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV.
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  27. I had a friend who had one of these. Rust was bubbling along the top of the front wings at the age of just two years.
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  28. Consider the car chase from the Stanley Baker movie, "Robbery".
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  29. A good review. But James Steed, Roger St. Hammond and Jason Clarkson did it funnier.
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  30.  @captainchaos3053  The A-series engine can be modified to accept the head from a BMW motorcycle. Serious BHP.
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  31.  @captainchaos3053  You have greater knowledge about this than I have.
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  32.  @captainchaos3053  Getting a new wiring loom next week.
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  33. A rusty Italian car from that era? As the owner of a '69 Alfa, I'm sympathetic but not surprised.
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