Ok, my $.02. The big, number one question anyone should ask themselves
before you decide on anything: WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WITH THE CAR?
If you really want to race the car, then you need to look in advance at
where you will be racing and what their rules are as far as classes and
modifications. I understand that almost any decent modification to an
Alpine will put it straight into the modified class. But, there are very
few modifications available for the Alpine compared to the other marques,
making it very difficult to make a modified Alpine competitive against
non-Alpines. If you plan to only race against other Alpines, then maybe
it's not so bad.
Maybe you only want to race it a couple times for fun, but really want to
use the car as a reliable driver. It has been said time and time again on
this group that the Alpine engine is pretty darn reliable. After 30 years,
your distributor, throttle shafts and oil pump are all worn out. But, with
a proper rebuild you can get them back to snuff or buy new ones. You don't
like the fussiness of the dual carbs. Well, go with the single downdraft
Weber. It's not an all out performance carb, but it is an efficient,
reliable, strong and relatively inexpensive replacement. I think getting a
ride in a fully sorted stock Alpine is a great suggestion.
The reality is that there are all sorts of people with all sorts of
opinions and wants. To me the Alpine is a fun sporty car that looks great
and zips along. I get the most fun out of my car by zipping up and down
the rpm range - not necessarily the top speed. And, it has to be that
English four banger roarty zip. Personally, I don't get that feel from a
Tiger, nor do I think I would get it from a V6, rotary or truck four
cylinder (no offense guys, this is my box and my opinion). This is also
why the Capri/Pinto 2.0 liter (known for its revviness) would interest me
instead of the Ford 2.3 liter engine (known for its pull). But, I can see
how some would like to have a car that looks like an Alpine but has an
engine with more common parts availability to keep it on the road every day
(I'd still go with the 2.0).
I would also point out, people shouldn't fool themselves that we can have a
VW Rabbit beater here (reference to a recent thread on the Tiger list,
where one Tiger owner beat a Rabbit off the line; they also referenced a
Tiger beating a Ferrari off the line - they didn't mention if the Ferrari
knew of the race). Even with everything I've done to my Alpine, even with
my 1973 Porsche 911, today's family sedans will out perform the cars.
IMHO, you can get just about as many smiles per mile (to copy Suzuki here)
from a top running stock Alpine then you can from a modified one or one
with another engine.
Ok, I'm done. My goal was really only to make sure that before someone
embarks on some expensive trail, they think about what they really want,
and how to get there. Certainly keep the cars alive. I respect any
modification or change.
Jay
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Sep 05 2000 - 10:18:47 CDT