Love for Alfa Romeo 156 2.5 V6

Outgoing ItaliaAuto Alfa President, Redd, posts about his love for the Alfa Romeo 156 2.5 V6 at http://www.italiaauto.net/viewtopic.php?t=2003

Article here below for your convenience:

Redd
ItaliaAuto.net

You've already read from the other reviewers their thoughts about the 156 2.5 V6, about the ownership experience, reliability, etc. However, italian cars are all about emotion and it wouldn't do the car any justice not to talk about the sensory experience of driving an Alfa Romeo, especially an Alfa V6.

No matter how you came about your first drive - a friend's car, a test vehicle at the dealership, your own 156 V6 - the first thing that hits you as you're walking towards the car is always how pretty it is. Some cars you can call handsome; others are labeled purposeful. Very few cars in this price range can truly be called beautiful, and the Alfa 156 is one of them. It's a feast for the eyes. The proportions are just right, with a slightly forward stance from the short back and long front overhang, making the car look as if it's constantly accelerating. The hidden rear door handles make the 156 look like a sporty coupe and are sources of endless entertainment. Alfas are traditionally best enjoyed in red or lighter tones where the styling lines really stand out, and the 156 is no different.

Open the door and the interior is more of the same. High-quality, solid plastic mixed with strategic patches of leather trim the interior, giving it that luxurious Italian feel. Those of you with Ferraris may recognise familiar design aspects in the 156 interior. Upholstery is luxurious leather embossed with the vaunted Alfa logo. Nothing is cheap here. Then it strikes you that this car is 6-years old, yet looks utterly modern and timeless. The dashboard and controls continue that trend. The 156 is the first of the modern Alfas to carry the twin cowled meters, carried over from Alfas of yore. The centre console is slanted towards the driver, clearly stating its purpose as a driver's car. Passengers tend to feel a bit left out inside a 156.

Slot in the key and fire up the engine, and it's your aural senses which are next stimulated. The Alfa V6 was voted one of the best sounding production engines of all time and the title is well deserved. At idle, there's a rich, low burble emanating from the six-pots up front. This is one car which isn't embarrassed of it's powerplant - it wants you to know it's there! Pop the bonnet and six gleaming chrome pipes stare back at you, rumbling with its own pulse. This is not merely an engine - this is automotive art at its finest. It's almost a sin to keep it covered under a metal bonnet.

Leave it in park and stab at the throttle and the low idle quickly turns into a bark as the rpms quickly climb up the rev counter. What's this? The little rev and speedo needle illuminate a reflective chrome ring at the edge of the gauges with a small spot of light. It's such a thrill to see that spot of light climb the perimeter as you rev the engine. Only the Italians would think of a little detail like that!

Ready for more sensory assault? Pop her into Drive and ease on the throttle. The 156 slides forward like any well-behaved European car as you slowly cruise the city streets. You notice that upshifting isn't the smoothest in its class but the Aisin autobox doesn't hunt for gears like in some other cars, either. This little gearbox certainly knows what it's doing. Select Sports mode and instantly, the gears drop a notch and the revs climb.

This is when you will start to see Mr Hyde making an appearance. In Sports mode, the smooth burble of the V6 quickly turns into a snarl. The car's very reflexes also seem to be heightened as a light tap on the throttle makes the car lurch forward, pinning you to your seat. Stand on the throttle and watch the rev needle surge to the vertical redline (again, another nice detail) as you're pressed deeper into the cushion. Feel your adrenaline levels climb with the rpms! Release the throttle and the animal snarl turns into a howl of regret. This car clearly likes revs and speed. The more you give it, the more it craves, driving you to an rpm-soaked frenzy.

Once you've recovered enough from your first encounter with the V6 beast, find some twisty backroads to see what this car can really do. For this purpose, it's best to slot the gears into Manual mode and drive it like real man. Find a corner, slot it into 2nd and dive into the turn. Nudge the steering wheel and the entire vehicle responds at the speed of thought! No manhandling here, this car is clearly a precision instrument capable of responding to your slightest whims. The stock suspension wallows a bit but the car hangs onto the tarmac for dear life while you hang onto the steering wheel for dear life. Still, there's no loss of confidence as every aspect of the car's handling is transmitted to you via the solid steering wheel. You're not quite sure how you know that there's still plenty of grip left in the front tire, but you know! You never knew cars could talk but this one is chatting your ears off.

Stand on the throttle as you exit the corner and the 156 slingshots like a bat out of hell, looking for more turns to devour. Turn after turn, sweepers, switchbacks, hairpins, all demolished in the same efficient manner. Efficient, but not sterile. There's no lack of noise as the engine snarls and screams it's battlecry. In fact, if you're not careful, you might find yourself adding to the soundtrack with a triumphant whoop, or a deranged laugh. The engine is screaming, the steering is talking to you, the tires are screeching in protest as you push them just a bit too hard, and you're laughing like a maniac. It's altogether possible to miss your passenger's cries of terror in that cacophony. Who said driving had to be a chore?

Even great sex must end sometime, and when you stop the 156 by the side of the road and kill the engine, it's almost with a note of regret. With the V6 shut off, the only sounds you hear are the tick-ticking of the fast cooling manifold and your own racing heartbeat. The revs may have dropped to zero, but your adrenaline high is going to last you for some time yet. Your view of what a car should be - no, of life itself - has changed. Never before did you imagine a mere car - a day-to-day tool - could bring you such pleasure and emotional release.

You step outside and walk a distance to see the car in its entirety. There she sits, as pretty as the first time you saw her, but now somehow a bit more menacing. She scowls at you, as if to say, "Now you know." Now you know why people still buy Alfas. Beneath that pretty designer dress lurks the heart of an animal. You don't know why, but you know you want one. You want one in the same way you wanted to kiss your first Valentine. You want one because you know its bad for you. You want one because it makes you want to go out and drive just for the sake of driving, not because you have to go somewhere.

As you lock the car up and walk away, you can't help but to turn around for one last look. There she is, safe and sound, right where you left her. Then it strikes you just what a silly thing that was to do - to take a last look at a car as if it was some cherished lover. You laugh, but you do it anyway, giving her one last look and looking forward to tomorrow when you get to drive her again.

New Committee in 2007

ItaliaAuto has grown a lot through the years. From just a few close friends who share a similar passion for italian cars, to a club with more than 800 members and about 100 extremely active members. The integral part of the club is the committee members. They are the one that keep the club together and growing strong.

A new breakthrough seeing the growth of the club in the Southern Region has sprung to have a Southern Rep who will be focusing on the growth and benefits of the members in the Southern region.

Kudos to Redd for serving as the Alfa President since day 1. His contributions has brought the club to new and greater heights!

ItaliaAuto Committee Members

(begining 1 Jan 2007)

Alfa President

Stevo

Fiat President

Violence666

Committee Members

Subsonique

MyLittleMonster

Webmaster

Thkc

Southern Rep

Khalil76

Together ItaliaAuto will continue to grow!

Member Awards 2006

ItaliaAuto Member Awards 2006 is up for grabs. Let's see who's gonna get the awards!! Results will be posted here in this blog.

Nomination Agenda as follows:
Nomination period : Dec 13-17
Voting : Dec 18-22
Final results - Dec 25

Awards Up for Grabs :
1. Most Technically Helpful Member
2. Most Entertaining Member
3. Lord AllotaPorn (ie Member with Most Double D Contributions)
4. Most Frequent TT Attendee
5. Craziest Driver
6. Member Most Likely To Get Lost During Runs
7. Get A Life Award (Member Most Frequently Online)
8. Post Whore (Most Posts)

And the Awards goes to.... ???

Stay Tuned

Events 2006 - Part Deux

In extension to the blog entry on ItaliaAuto events in 2006, http://italiaauto.blogspot.com/2006/12/events-and-activities-of-2006.html, more details here:

1. TT Sessions Aman Suria (every Thursday weekly without fail)
2. Ulu Yam Sessions (12 Mar, 21 May, 10 Jul, 26 Nov..)
3. Sepang Open Track Days (4 Feb, 1 Oct..)
4. HPC Sepang Track Days (8 Apr, 10 Jun, 17 Sep, 9 Dec)
5. Jeram Toi Run (30 Jul)
6. SDAI Free Check up (15 Apr)
7. Torino Free Check up (22 Apr..)
8. Northern Exposure Grand Trip (30 Apr)
9. Southern Merdeka Grand Trip (1 Sep)
10. Cameron Hillclimb Special (11 Nov)
11. KL-GAB-Kuantan-Cherating with AROCMY, AROCSG and Carfreaks (15 Jan)
12. Desaru Family Trip 2006
13. Mersing Runs (18 April & 16 July 06)
14. Pasir Gudang Open Track Days
15. Pontian Run (4 Feb 06)
16. TT Sessions (Southern Crew)
17. 'Friendly' runs with cars from other clubs
18. HPC Track Days in Pasir Gudang

What would the events and plans be for 2007? Stay tuned!

What's the Content?

ItaliaAuto Club website current content is basically in a form of a forum. In the near future, we'll have a cover page with lots of info as well.

The forum can be found in www.italiaauto.net

ItaliaAuto Forum Content

Public
Rojak
General public forum, forum related help, Q&A

Verified Members Section

Italia Auto
General Discussion
General discussion about ItaliaAuto

Club Events
All club events, TT sessions, happenings and social activities

Track & Street Extremes
Track days and street run encounters!

Members Introductions
Intro about yourself, or talk about other IA members here!

Other Regions
Northern IA Clan
Perak, Penang and the rest of northern region TT and discussion section

Southern IA Clan
Seremban, Johor, SG and the rest of southern region TT and discussion section

Cuore Sportivo
Alfa Discussion
All discussion on Alfa Romeos New Generation Series (145, 146, 155, 147, 156, GT, 159, Brera, 166 and above)

Alfa Romeo Classics
Classic Alfa Romeos pre"AlFiat" days...

Driven With Passion
Fiat Discussion
General discussion on Fiats

Fiat Coupe
Dedicated section just for the Fiat coupe owners!

Automobili Generali
Other Car Makes
All other cars out there...

Performance and Maintainance
Tuning
Mechanical enhancements - NA/Turbo, Engine Upgrades, Suspension

Appearance
Pimp My Ride! Styling & Detailing - Spoiler, Wheels, Wax, Paint

ICE
In Car Entertainment!

Workshop Discussions
Workshop List & Discussion
ItaliaAuto WORLD'S FAMOUS comprehensive list of italian car workshops in Malaysia and around! Discussion on workshops, parts and accessories shops

Marketplace
Sell Cars
Sell your car.

Buy Cars
Buy / Trade / Place Want Ads.

Parts and Accessories
Car-related parts and accessories.

General
Non-vehicle items - GPS, Phone

Junkyard
Mamak
Any type of discussion that you want to shout out.

The Far Side
Humor, jokes, funny stuff.

Verified Membership

What is Verified Members of ItaliaAuto? What do I get by being verified?

Your questions are answered here:
http://www.italiaauto.net/viewtopic.php?t=1188

Posted here for your reading convenience:

Verified Membership

These are the rules for Verified Membership as proclaimed by the Committee after having discussed the terms of Verification together.

We apologise to those that do not make the cut for Verification as the Comm agreed whole heartedly that stricter rules should be put into place in line with the future development and aspirations of our club.

The first round of verification will be done today and those that are not included will have a chance to get verified if they meet the requirements and have a proven track record in the future.

Thank you.


Requirements for Verified Membership

1. Verified Members must own an italian car and register their car in the Garage section. Details of modifications are not necessary (although recomended), but at least the basic information of the car driven is identified.

2. Verified Members must be currently active in ItaliaAuto activities - runs, trips, TT, lunches, etc. - This is authenticated by The Committee. Active meaning participate regularly and contribute to the club one way or another (eg. attendence, purchase of club merchandise and/or organize events). If a Verified Member is no longer active member, verified status can be removed.

3. Verified Members are expected to support ItaliaAuto Club activities and merchandise offerings like shirts, stickers, etc.

4. Verified Members must submit actual personal details in the Verified Members Section.

5. Verified Members must be members in good standing - ie no banned/blacklisted members, or people frequently complained against. Being banned/blacklisted is grounds for stripping of Verified status of a Verified Member, depending on the agreed decision of The Committee as a whole.

6. The Committee have the right to recommend any person not fitting the above descriptions for verification. The recommendation must receive The Committee agreement as a whole in order for the person to be verified.

7. Verified membership and access to Verified Members Section will be granted solely at the discretion of The Committee. The decisions of The Committee is final and are not subject to question or review.

How Do I Register?

ItaliaAuto is open for all who has a passion for italian bellas and all things italian.

To become part of ItaliaAuto Club, membership is currently free for all. All you need to do is to go to ItaliaAuto.net and register yourself

Shortcut Link to Registerbelow:
http://www.italiaauto.net/profile.php?mode=register&sid=52a1292ca88c71f700e71274132a96bd

As stated in RED, do not key in any other information. Just the basics. This is to prevent s.pam from hitting the site with registration.

Once registered, you'll receive an email confirmation at the email address you registered at. Click to confirm. Do note that some mail programs like gmail, yahoo or hotmail does block or mark ItaliaAuto mails as spam. We don't know why but no worries. Find the confirmation email in your SPAM folder. If not, notify the administrator by email to italiaauto.admin at gmail dot com and the administrator will sort you out.

The moment you have successfully logged into ItaliaAuto.net forum, do take your time to fill in your personal details in your Profile section. Let us get to know you better! The more we know you the more we'll be able to help you. Also a fantastic feature of ItaliaAuto Club Forum is the Garage section. Post your car here. If you have mods, do add them too.

Before you make your first post, go to "Members Introduction" section and introduce yourself. Tell us more about you, where you're from and what car you drive.

And if at all possible, do come join us for Teh Tarik (TT) sessions weekly and clubs events that's constantly going on!

Events and Activities of 2006!

The year of 2006 has been a fantastic year for ItaliaAuto. Lots of events and activities were organized and lots of great information was shared.

Here is a short list to name a few:
1. TT Sessions Aman Suria
2. Ulu Yam Sessions
3. Sepang Open Track Days
4. HPC Track Days
5. Jeram Toi Run
6. SDAI Free Check up
7. Torino Free Check up
8. Northern Exposure Grand Trip
9. Southern Merdeka Grand Trip
10. Cameron Hillclimb Specil
11. KL-GAB-Kuantan-Cherating with AROC MY, AROC SG and Carfreaks
12. Desaru Family Trip 2006

More on http://www.italiaauto.net/viewtopic.php?t=1674

Look forward to year 2007 for even more events and activities!