ALL THE CARS I’VE EVER BOUGHT
Russ Smith looks back at his best – and worst – classic buys. This week, the car he has kept the longest
WHAT I PAID £7750 IN 2011
PRICE NOW £11,000- 13,000
WHY DID YOU WANT ONE? Strictly speaking, I didn’t particularly want a Spider. What I wanted was a GTV or GT Junior, having fallen for them after driving several for road test features. Sadly, after the ridiculously long time it took to sell my (very nice) Porsche 924, the values of those Alfas had risen – by roughly the same amount I got for the Porsche – so a Spider was the option I was left with. They are the same mechanically and I’d driven and liked Spiders too. They are also one of very few convertible models that are cheaper than their coupé equivalent – quite substantially, both then and now. I found this one via the Alfa Romeo Owners’ Club. It told a good story, the body being bare-metal restored four years previously – with a CD of photos documenting it. It also unusually had leather seats. But most importantly, I could afford it. An Alfa owner at last!
HAS IT BEEN A JOY – OR A NIGHTMARE – TO LIVE WITH? A little of both. Even now, every time I get behind the wheel it puts a smile on my face. It’s gorgeous, faster than you think, the twin-cam makes a wonderful noise and the handling and steering feel make it the perfect car for any cross-country blast – the twistier the better. It’s had issues though, many of those caused by its post-resto re-assembly. Unable to track down who owned it at the time, I can only assume that either the bodyshop had issues, the owner had financial ones, or there was some kind of dispute. The upshot was that it had been very hurriedly flung back together, with a lot of parts you’d replace at that stage being re-used – whether they were any good or not. It took about a decade to improve bit by bit. I’ve actually spent more on it than it cost me in the first place, but I got there in the end.
WHAT ARE YOUR ABIDING MEMORIES OF IT? So many. One was an trip to Somerset for the Classic & Historic Motor Club’s 2014 Mendip Tour where we picked up the Long Distance trophy. I stayed there with friends because a night shoot for Classic Cars magazine in Bristol Docks the next day went on until 2.15am – after which I drove home to Lincolnshire. Keeping the top down all the way ensured that there was no chance of me falling asleep. Another was a trip home one Sunday evening on an unusually empty A14 and A1M, when I overtook a Triumph TR5. He then re-took me. We exchanged grins and waves, then stayed pretty much side-by-side for a good number of miles at speeds I shall not mention here. I was a very naughty boy! But it’s still an abiding memory. Proba
