If you came from my watch-related sites i.e. Andywristwatches.com and Andywristwatches.blogspot.com, then you would know that I have a passion for watches, cars, and bikes.
I started playing with cars in my 20s. As a young ciku of an executive, my starting pay was in the region of RM15,000 (USD3,600) per annum back then. You could imagine that my disposable income was a bit of a challenge, especially while living in a relatively expensive city like Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Thanks to family and friends, some of the earliest cars that I had the opportunity to drive and hone my skills on were the Fiat 131, Daihatsu Charade, Mitsubishi Galant Super Touring, Volvo 240, Proton Saga, amongst others.
The first new car that I bought with my own monies was the Proton Saga Aeroback. I needed a car for the daily commute to and fro work, and some of the first mods were the sound system. I remembered spending some 20% of the car's retail price on a full-blown Blaupunkt system (thanks to a very healthy bonus as we did really good that year), which probably influenced my onward decision to spend a fair bit on car audio visual systems in subsequent cars. Some of the other mods that I would do on this Proton and my subsequent cars would include stiffened suspension, better brakes, exhaust systems, sport air filters, sports rims, etc.
I would move on to Europe for work; and during those years, I was into small city runabouts like Nissan Micra and Fiat 500. When I returned to Malaysia, I was into SUVs and trucks. And all these while, I was tinkering with watches and bikes.
My youngest son has been an adrenaline fan like me, and he enjoys his time going on bike rides with me. He just started Standard One this year and has been growing bolder. He's constantly egging me to zoom faster on my bikes, which could led me to go faster beyond my skill set.
So I decided to get back one of those rides that was a hit from my younger days. I wanted something with Italian flair, manual transmission, and a bit of a pocket rocket. I pondered for a while and shortlisted the following :
1) Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo Plus
I previously had the Coupe 16V and 20V Turbo, but not with the final Plus trim version. This was the definitive version that Fiat created before having the curtain down on the Coupe in year 2000, so it would be a bonus to find a good example in this Plus trim. So I looked around and there were few and between in the market.
There was one that was going for RM78k in the market, with the owner proclaiming that it was literally like new. Mileage was low at less than 10k km; but I know that even low-mileage garage queens would require care and maintenance, so it would best to approach a modern classic that was approaching 20-year old with a plan to change all the wear-and-tear parts. That would probably require some RM10k - RM15k in the kitty.
So realistically, I thought of getting the best condition Fiat Coupe 20VT Plus in the ballpark region of RM35k - RM40k, then park the maintenance budget of RM10k - RM15k; so that I could have a great example at RM55k tops.
2) Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0
If I said that there were very few good condition Fiat Coupe 20VT Plus in the market, there was even fewer Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0 in comparison. Some had transplanted engines; but typical of Italian electrical gremlins, I was advised by an Alfa Romeo guru to be really careful with such examples. For a good original example within a RM55k budget, it wasn't that easy to find.
3) Alfa Romeo 145 2.0 Cloverleaf
Alfa Romeo 145 2.0 Cloverleaf was also a rare bird. During my find, there was an example with a transplanted 2.0 engine; but there were quite a no. of areas that needed attention. Entry price was affordable at RM15k, but said Alfa Romeo guru advised that I might need to get a half-cut ready to get the car to good condition. As I don't have the space to store half-cuts and such, I decided to move on from this purchase even though I was pretty tempted.
I viewed a no. of cars and it dawned on me that the decision would be fairly simple. While driving the cars, there was simply one car that felt so suitable, so comfortable, so much like meeting an old flame that one was simply used to. It was simply like slipping into one's favourite pair of boxers.
Oh well, the bella in the Fiat Coupe 20VT Plus it was then, in Electric Blue no less. This would be my Project Car, and I would be upgrading her and getting her back into her elements, one step at a time.
