poor mans garage

[The Radium King]

so, everyone has their dream garage, full of lotuses (loti?) ferrari's, an air-cooled 911, etc.

what about us poor guys?

i have a boxster - everyone calls the poor mans porsche.

i have a triumph gt6 historic race car - often called the poor-mans jaguar e-type.

so, what about italy? no ferraris, lambos, etc. even the alfas are getting big $.

but the maserati coupe has a ferrari v8 and can be found for small $.

and fiat? a spider abarth clone? or, ... a forced induction x1/9!?!?!?!?

what's the poor mans italian car?

[Gilles]

Originally Posted by The Radium King

so, everyone has their dream garage, full of lotuses (loti?) ferrari's, an air-cooled 911, etc.

what about us poor guys?
fiat? a spider abarth clone? or, ... a forced induction x1/9!?!?!?!?
what's the poor mans italian car?

I had a few X1/9's until lower back surgery made it difficult to fit inside, my first experience with mid engine cars :-)

Then I jumped to the transaxle Alfa Romeos which are awesome BTW

PS: Still have one 3.0 Alfa Romeo Verde and one Alfetta GT (wifey does not know about it ..)

And inside my garage about (6) Alfa transaxles, one 3.0 V6 engine and one Fiat Uno Turbo engine (for an X1/9 that never did..)

.

[The Radium King]

i read about how the uno turbo drops right in to the x1/9. problem with the x1/9 is that any that are not rotten are beat to crap. the alfettas are not going for crazy $ yet, but i guess you would really want the 6 cyl version.

if i can get a third car for the garage then i have an excuse to kick the gf's hellspawn audi out of there.

[A8ked]

Had a Fiat 850 in my teens (the 70's), in my mind it was a mini Ferrari! It would be fun to have another, but they all seem to have rusted away!

[Gilles]

Originally Posted by The Radium King

i read about how the uno turbo drops right in to the x1/9. problem with the x1/9 is that any that are not rotten are beat to crap. the alfettas are not going for crazy $ yet, but i guess you would really want the 6 cyl version.
if i can get a third car for the garage then i have an excuse to kick the gf's hellspawn audi out of there.

Radium, actually you can find very nice (rust free) X1/9's in SoCal

I still belong to the X1/9 club and usually you can find nice X's in there, I love these cars but unfortunately no longer fit (also 10 years later does not help) ..LOL

https://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php

[Qckslvr]

I don't have a garage..... so can I call it the poor man's carport?

At one time my dreams were complete.
I had a 1992 R32 Skyline GTR (smog legal conversion for CA). Plus a 1992 Mazda Miata with Garrett turbo, and methanol injection pushing just over 300 hp at the wheel.

Right now I have my 02 Boxster S, and 2017 Mustang GT.....

My early dreams.....
I would love to have my 1962 Triumph TR4 back or my 1967 GT390 Fastback Mustang.

As for Ferraris I don't have high standards LOL. I would love a Dino or 308.... Would those be the poor man's Ferraris?

Growing up, my father had 1964 Jaguar E-type and XK140DHC (lets see who knows what that means ) I loved the E-type.... it was sex on wheels..... and thankfully to my father a car was just a car.... Nothing special. So I got to "drive" the E sometimes.... And I drove it LOL . Although, one day on a twisty road the E and I got our tails handed to us by a TR6!

As for other Italians.... I remember my dad having an early 70's Alfa Giulietta twin cam. It was boxy, 2 doors, and four headlights... I remember it being the coolest car ( I was kind of young) And then my older brother wrapped it around a fire hydrant ...... this hydrant would claim 7 more cars at my brother's hands.

[steved0x]

Originally Posted by Gilles

I had a few X1/9's until lower back surgery made it difficult to fit inside, my first experience with mid engine cars :-)

I had one in the mid 80's, was a red one with the little black stripe down the door and I think it was a Bertone edition, if that was a thing. It had no factory seat belts and I think it was a 77. I got it for $500 and a friend of mine helped me fix it up (he and hus dad had one, and also a parts car).

Then had a Toyota Corolla hatchback AE86, that I gave away to a friend of mine when I moved to NC in 1996, I kind of wish I had kept that one...

Right now in the garage, just the 2000 Boxster S as a fun car. Soon be adding a 2009 base Cayman 6 speed.

[Gilles]

PS: a nice example in WVA,(not related)

https://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/1987-bertone-fiat-x-1-9-for-sale.35396/

Please PM for the password to see larger pictures if you wish :-)
.

[Ottomotion]

Definitely Italian DNA thanks to Carrozzeria Ghia.

Not mine but I will own another one some day. (thanks in advance for any leads). Lowlights are a must....

[Benitom]

When my kids are out of the house I want a garage big enough to install a lift. I'll take that over converting one of the rooms to a man cave.

I'll either have the same Boxster or a Cayman

[The Radium King]

Originally Posted by A8ked

Had a Fiat 850 in my teens (the 70's), in my mind it was a mini Ferrari! It would be fun to have another, but they all seem to have rusted away!

go forth in style, sir ...

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1959-fiat-abarth-zagato/

[The Radium King]

Originally Posted by Qckslvr

My early dreams.....
I would love to have my 1962 Triumph TR4 back or my 1967 GT390 Fastback Mustang.

As for Ferraris I don't have high standards LOL. I would love a Dino or 308.... Would those be the poor man's Ferraris?

go for a tr5/250 for the extra 2 cyls and the 'better than tr6' styling.

goddam tom selleck, but 308/328's go for more than the 348. folks still not comfortable with 80's styling (yet; it will come). i think a 348 with the side slats deleted for a 355 look at 1/2 the cost is a semi-budget move.

[The Radium King]

Originally Posted by steved0x

Then had a Toyota Corolla hatchback AE86, that I gave away to a friend of mine when I moved to NC in 1996, I kind of wish I had kept that one...

Right now in the garage, just the 2000 Boxster S as a fun car. Soon be adding a 2009 base Cayman 6 speed.

we had a notchback ae86 when i was 16. mistake - rolled it within a month. insurance bought us a hatchback version to replace it. excellent automobile and i learned car handling the hard way in it (light rwd with some power. in the snow).

how goes the cayman quest?

[The Radium King]

Originally Posted by Ottomotion

Definitely Italian DNA thanks to Carrozzeria Ghia.

well, if you take that approach then my gt6 is part italian as well - designed by michelotti. always had a soft spot for ghias. almost owned one a few times in my life.

[The Radium King]

Originally Posted by Gilles

Radium, actually you can find very nice (rust free) X1/9's in SoCal

well, if i do find myself in cali picking up up a nice x1/9 you'll have to come to grips with selling that uno engine. not many if north america. or that alfetta six ...

[maytag]

You know you all are speaking my language now, right?

When it comes to the lampredi twin Cam, I'm something of an expert.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[The Radium King]

i was waiting for you and the little scorpion to drop by!

[maytag]

I changed phones today..... can't find ANY of my images right now.......
Sunnuva.....

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[MYRX]

I would not give a nickel for an Italian car. My garage has seen two MGB's that suck, one burned up on a date when I turned on the windshield wipers, a GT6 Triumph, a TR6, a lotus eland, a TR7, (junk), a corvette stingray, a C5 corvette Z06 that I raced for 7 years, (awesome), a 2000 Saleen, and now that I am about to be retired I own a 2000 S Boxster that I am still 50/50 about keeping.

Two of my customers had Ferrari's, each claimed they needed another as a back-up. My room mate in college had a 1970 alpha....never ran. We always used my TR6.

I like Porsche very much! Just not sure whether I want to keep the boxster or get a good used 911.

So having raced a corvette, (quit because I had a heart attack) I sold it and bought a bass boat that will do 80+ MPH on the water LOL, That's a rush!

[morgal48]

Bought and sold my small dreams over the years. "65 Corvette fuelie. '89 3.2 Carrera Targa.