Good guess, Alf! Yep, thought I’d seen it before but when I looked up Lancia coupes this didn’t come up.
Damn, I am a big fan of exotic older things like that Lancia, I had meant to check it out but got distracted by the Ferrari and forgot to look afterwards. Getting the side by side pics meant standing in a disabled zone, so not a good look to hang around there long as an able bodied lad.
Re the 4C and decisions, the short answer is no I haven't changed my mind.
Getting the Mini has been a revelation, I'm absolutely loving driving it, every week I do an extra little mod, camber pins, down pipe, MP4S tyres, with plenty to come.
It's reminded me of what I love about cars, doing nice incremental, cheap and easy improvements and feeling the benefits straight away when you get behind the wheel.
Within a few weeks I am driving the Mini at close to 90%, having a manual box is a nice change too.
There's a confidence I have with it which I never really feel with the Alfa, no doubt being a bit slower, a little softer, FWD etc all helps the feeling you're close to the limits, which = satisfaction.
One thing I have to mention though is that it's made me realise how capable the Alfa is. The guy on the MV Augusta can ride and we had a blast around a 10km little section where we'd been with the Alfa a few weeks before.
I actually expected to drop him in the Mini, but while I snuck away a little on the corners he'd reel me back in without too much trouble on the short straights. When we pulled up I was 100% sure I'd been faster in the Mini, but he was certain it was the opposite (he said we were faster a few weeks before when it was bike + Alfa). The Alfa obviously has an advantage on the straights but I guess I'm surprised to hear that 80% in the Alfa is as fast as 90% in the Mini.
Either that, or I am driving it a little closer to the 4C's limits than I thought.
Jumping straight into the Alfa I immediately after the Mini I got a sense of it's width and a feeling of stability, which is odd as I never get that feeling when driving it from scratch.
I've for it booked in to get a few more alignment shims added and the rear toe corrected in a week, and I'm also thinking of taking it to the track. By then it'll have max castor and will be pushing the limits of camber on the road. If I take it to the track and absolutely love it (Mini is going out anyway), well, never say never, but selling it is as much about me trying different cars and experiencing what else is out there than anything else.
If I sell the Alfa I'll likely sit and wait till the market calms and get a 718S which is a few years old. I've researched them a lot now and they really do seem like a flawless car, amazing on the limit, and that 2.5l 4 pot can me massaged for plenty of power.
I'm fully aware that the Porsche isn't a patch on the 4C visually. Ultimately the 4C may end up being
that girl who it never quite worked out with. Stunningly beautiful and great in theory, the things dreams are made of, but in practice the magic just isn't quite there between us.
