Upper Middle Petrol Head Drives John Madigan's '77 Alfasud TI Racing Car

Symmons Plains in Tasmania's north.  Image by Scotty B Photography.

I've recently come to the conclusion that whilst driving racing cars is an absolute hoot, getting in and out of the damned things is a proper pain in the bum!  John Madigan's Improved Production series Alfasud TI is no exception; climbing over - or more accurately through - the car's six point roll cage and into its narrow, super-supportive driver's racing seat requires yogic levels of flexibility and dexterity that I don't really possess.  

Baskerville.  Image by Callanrs2000 Motorsport Media.

The strapping-in procedure was similarly fraught, fighting with broad slabs of webbing, adjusters, buckles and, worst of all, the six point system's too-snug crotch straps!  Just as well John was there to close the door for me, because I had no chance of reaching the door-pull by myself.

Owner John behind the wheel.  Image supplied.

 

Now securely trussed-in, I was surprised just how low the Alfasud's seating position felt, with the dashboard being much higher than I'd imagined and the grippy, deeply-dished suede steering wheel closer to my face than anticipated.  However, the car's instruments remained visible and the gear-shift was beautifully positioned, falling easily to hand.  Any doubts I had about the narrow, lozenge-shaped pedals' spacing were soon dispelled, with practice heel-toe shifts found to be easily achievable. 

 

It only took a few turns of the key and a bit of right boot to fire the feisty little Alfa up, the car making the most glorious combination of induction noise - courtesy of its twin 36 mm Weber IDFs - and a rorty but not overly loud exhaust note via standard manifolds, a two inch pipe and a single sports muffler.  There's no sound deadening, it being one of the few things that can be legally deleted in Improved Production cars, but the interior wasn’t too noisy, even at high engine speeds. 

   

Baskerville.  Image by Scotty B Photography.

The 1.5 litre Quadrifoglio Verde boxer engine puts out about 105 bhp - maybe a little more thanks to its ported heads - which is up about 10 ponies on the standard unit.  It pulled strongly from low revs, but really came alive when kept between the 5,000 rpm mark and just short of its 7,000 red line.  It's no powerhouse but made for great fun in a car that only weighs about 870 kg.        

The car's heart: a 1.5 litre flat-four engine.  Image supplied.

  

Steering was agile, with super-quick turn in and heaps of feed back, adding to the car's "chuckability" as I negotiated what is, for one day a year, the 11.5 k Longley stage of the Targa Tasmania tarmac rally (https://targa.com.au/), only 15 minutes' drive from Hobart's CBD.  John credits this to a set of modified coil-overs that permit as much as five degrees of camber, three more than they initially allowed.  He runs them at two degrees short of their maximum, though, as he's found that adjusting the camber to its fullest extent isn't good for CV longevity. 

 

Considering how long the gear shift is, cog-swapping was remarkably precise but not super-rapid.  The standard pattern five-speed relies on a solid rod from the shifter to the 'box itself, which is mounted behind the engine in what’s a quite rare - and very Alfa - north / south, front wheel drive configuration.

  

Braking was reassuringly firm and consistent, with good feel and no fade at quickish but road-legal speeds through the tight, twisty Targa stage.  The original inboard front discs have been replaced with outboard VL Holden Commodore callipers and ventilated Fiat Punto rotors, while the rear discs are standard issue Alfa fare.  The racing pads worked efficiently from cool and only got better from there.  Any additional unsprung weight of the now-within-wheel mounted front braking hardware would seem to be a worthwhile trade off.  

At speed, the pugnacious Italian felt very nearly unstickable, benefiting from much stiffer than standard springs all-round, coupled with fully height- and rebound-adjustable shocks front and rear.  The ride was firm with no discernible body roll, or pitching under deceleration.  The entire chassis was impressively rigid, which is no doubt aided by the inclusion of the aforementioned Targa-spec roll cage.

     

This combined brilliantly with the car's grippy 185/55/14 Yokohama AO50 Improved Production control tyres on a set of classic Alfa "tele-dial" alloy wheels.  Add a really narrow footprint into the mix - 'suds are only 1,590 mm wide - and you find yourself with a lot more road to play on than you would with a more corpulent vehicle. 

And play I did, making use of as much of the serpentine, bumpy country road as safely possible, exploiting all the Alfasud’s performance and balance in what was one of the most enjoyable country blasts I’ve had in several years.  It was analogue and raw, and very much worth the price of admission, even if that was the risk of a slipped disc!

Baskerville.  Image by Rusty Photography.  

Post-script:  The weekend after I drove John's mighty machine, he raced it to second place in his class at the Improved Production meeting held at southern Tasmania's Baskerville Raceway, also shaving a very creditable 0.9 seconds off his personal best lap time on the circuit.  Congratulations, John!

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(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)