One for Theo

[chris131]

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1372093.htm

[sid131]

the seller also has a beautiful opel monza for sale

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1320282.htm

wonder what he is replacing the cars with or is it the sign of the times we are in?

[Thotos]

The Series 1 Gamma Coupe looks lovely but that's really top price for a Gamma and I doubt it will make that much. If I hadn't already started (and part paid) for the ground-up restoration of my own Gamma (same colour Bruno Mogano - Mahogany Brown) I would be very interested.  

Don't forget to see Top Gear tonight (29/11/2009) guys for the Top Gear Special on the manufacturer that has produced the most Great cars. I have it on very good authority that a Gamma is featured! 

[eugene]

A Gamma should not be left anywhere near IDIOT Clarkson and his asshole mob as they will just ridicule it.Recently i saw them ridicule a Rover2200 which was very unjust to the car considering the times it was built in.Your Gamma looks very nice Theo and also they are beautiful cars.Eugene

[jasonh131]

YES , he said as soon as you turn the steering wheel  the engine blows up ,,,

[sid131]

did he mention the rust?

[jasonh131]

ye s lots of times, sais the beta cause the downfall they could never recover from..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00p4z1y/Top_Gear_Series_14_Episode_3/
 j

[Thotos]

YES , he said as soon as you turn the steering wheel  the engine blows up ,,,

That's why I always park mine like this to prove him and everyone else wrong! 

[simon131]

Blimey Theo - that must have been taken a while ago cos it's still got paint on!

When was the last time you saw what's left of your car? Has Mark actually made any more progress since he employed another pair of hands to help him?

[Thotos]

Yes that one was taken a few years ago for the Practical Classics feature. It was in December 2004 in fact. But the photo further up this thread of the car on the track was taken for the Auto Italia article only a couple of months before the restoration started.  The car looked fine, in fact looked very well from the outside because all the rust was on the inside!  There's been very little progress by Mark who promised me last month that it WILL be finished by Christmas but I think he meant Christmas 2010    The other pair of hands have found alternative full-time employment so it's just Mark on his own again. Were you planning to have anything done to the Abarth before May? If you did, you better take it down today for any chance of getting it back in time. Mark has taken on too many jobs and doesn't seem to be able to do a good juggling act with them.   

[simon131]

Yes Theo, I do indeed plan to have a few jobs done on the Abarth before May, but I have discounted Mark I'm sorry to say. Whilst his standard of work is superb and his prices very competitive, he is a long way away from me (110 miles) and it was difficult to control his time keeping last time, when he didn't have your Gamma, so I can only imagine it would be much more difficult now.

I have been using a guy I know in Farnborough, who's wife is a personal friend of Wendy, to do a few small jobs on my BMWs and the Abarth. He has 25 years experience of rally car preparation and has acted as support crew on a number of very large European Rallys. He is the mechanic for a guy who regularly races a 1977 Escort Mexico, and has fully prepared the car, so I have a some faith in him and have experienced his work.

So, I shall be having work done on my Abarth, but not by Mark, which is a bit sad to be honest

[Thotos]

I know this is way off subject on a 131 forum but I didn't start it   so that's my excuse for continuing it  

In 2006 about 200 Lancias from the UK drove to Italy to take part in the marque's centenary celebrations. I was there in my Gamma and one of the many memorable activities we had was a drive on the rooftop test track of Fiat's Lingotto factory. Today a friend and fellow Gamma owner received a CD of photos from the week-long celebrations (only took the Italians 3 years to put it all together   ) and he sent me the photo below of me in my Gamma on the Lingotto test track.   It's made me really miss my Gamma  which I will have been without for a year next month and still no end in sight for the long restoration.