The original and most happening Italian car enthusiast club of Malaysia. Technical info and tips on Alfa Romeo and Fiat. Also lots of club events and activities. www.ItaliaAuto.net - your home.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
THE COMMITTEE FOR ITALIAAUTO 2009.
1. Maxcobmara - Committee Member
2. Desin - Northern Representative
3. Warped - Southern Representative
4. Imppie - Singapore Representative
5. Stevo - Webmaster
more info
Saturday, July 11, 2009
New ItaliaAuto President, Vice President and Committee Member for 2009/10.
President: Ulysse Nouvo
Vice President: Jtan
Committee Member: maxcobmara
Congrats to all new committee and thanks to old committee
More info here.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Dyno Session - Saturday::27June09::10am
GT Auto
14 & 16, Jalan PJS 11/22,
46100 Bandar Sunway,
Selangor Darul Ehsan
MALAYSIA
Telephone: +603-56316636
Fax: +603-56322636
Information: Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 10.00AM to 7.00PM
Saturday: 10.00AM to 6.00PM
Sunday: CLOSED
http://www.gt-auto.net/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
Each dyno costs MYR 100.00 for 3 runs.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
IA 2009 Tshirt, Singapore Edition
Ok, is a little late to order now but fear not, good news is coming. This is our Singapore Edition t-shirt for 2009 collection. Of course any members can have it. Its costs SGD 30/piece and the good news is we are producing more in Malaysia. Stay tuned at ItaliaAuto.Wednesday, June 17, 2009
ItaliaAuto 2009 Polo Shirt.
ItaliaAuto has recently launched it new shirt for its loyal members. Price at only MYR 40.00/piece. The polo shirt is made from comfortable cotton and is white in color. The reason for white that the members like to mingle around under our cozy sun during the club's outings and runs. And it is suitable for a game or two in the highland.For more info, please click here
Monday, March 16, 2009
ItaliaAuto Grand Trip 2009 in Photos
ItaliaAuto Grand Trip 2009
The day started with a gathering at Petronas on MRR2 just before the Karak Highway-Gombak Tol. Shortly after breakfast at Burger King and a short briefing and door gift handout, the group blasted off following pace notes that uses B-roads and passing through towns like Bentong, Rauh, Kuala Lipis, Gua Musang, Jeli and finally Pulau Banding, overlooking Temenggor Lake.
The final 80km drive from Jeli to Pulau Banding was just beautiful roads and sweepers! And what's more, the arrival at the Belum Rainforest Resort gave a great welcome from a long drive since the morning. The resort was absolute beautiful compared to our last visit 2-3 years ago. It has been taken over by Emkay and they renovated it totally. Beautiful rooms and landscaping. Certainly a must see for all.
That night saw us with fantastic buffer dinner at the resort. After that, followed by a lucky draw with prizes from sponsors like OCBC, AutoConnextion, E-Mech, Jeff Chua, and more. It was a fun filled night and everyone got something.
The next day, it was a drive from Pulau Banding to Lumut using towns like Gerik, Lenggong, Cangkat Jering before arriving at destination. The resort that the group stopped and rested was in Swiss Garden Holiday Apartments Damai Laut Golf & Country Club. Not too bad of a place and certainly no comparison to Belum Rainforest Resort but the rooms was huge!
All checked-in and the group headed out to the beach to have some fun in the sun and water. The beach was ok and not the greatest but it was clean enough to play around. The group then proceeded to the swimming pool where some had beer, underwater competitions, "water polo" and anything else you can think of!
The next day, the group headed back using the fastest route possible from Lumut to Teluk Intan to Bidor where some stopped for lunch before heading back to Kuala Lumpur.
Certainly a great grand trip and tons of fun. A good start to the year of ItaliaAuto 2009!
Monday, January 19, 2009
1st Ulu Yam Run 2009
ItaliaAuto's favorite run, Ulu Yam run is back! First Sunday run for 2009. About 30 cars gathered early on Sunday morning on 18th January 2009 at Petronas Batu Caves to hit the hills! It was a clean run with no incidents. We followed with breakfast at the old cable car station opposite Awana.
Some pics from the event.
More pictures located at : http://www.italiaauto.net/viewtopic.php?t=13071
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
IA Grand BBQ 2009!
On a nice Saturday afternoon, ItaliaAuto organized the yearly do, a drive and eat, Grand BBQ at The Cafe Lui in Sg Lui, Hulu Langat! Nice drive on windy roads, sumptious food and great company! And the drive back after lunch is not without excitement either.
More pics on the forum at : the ItaliaAuto photopages
ItaliaAuto Grand Dinner was also featured at Cafe Lui's blog : http://thecafe-at-lui.blogspot.com/2008/10/dear-friends-of-cafelui-as-much-as-we.html
Monday, June 16, 2008
New Committee in mid 2008
Welcome the new ItaliaAuto committee members! Starting 1 July 2008!
President : Raitag
Vice President : Maxcobmara
Committee Member : Dzul & JeffChua
Webmaster : ZainframeCONGRATULATIONS!
ItaliaAuto in Top Gear Malaysia
More pics of the event at http://www.italiaauto.net/viewtopic.php?t=8953
Thursday, February 28, 2008
ItaliaAuto in Hypertune
ItaliaAuto appears in a 2 pages spread of Hypertune magazine 2008 Vol 76. Front cover has a model in white satin lingerie who has herself spread on a white Greddy R32 Skyline bonnet. Other articles inside includes Ms Hypertune ladies and events... Get a copy today!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
ItaliaAuto Trip in Asian Auto
Check out the latest edition of Asian Auto(V35 #01). ItaliaAuto's East Coast Expose 2007 trip is feature here written by Ken Soh @ Gilaman!
Saturday, December 29, 2007
More Site Statistics
Alexa (http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details/italiaauto.net) shows that italiaauto.net users come from countries as below :
Protrackr (http://www.protrackr.com/track/www.italiaauto.net) shows only a google page rank of 1 although a lot of other page rank sites give it a 3.
Friday, December 28, 2007
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008!!!
With just a few days left of 2007, let me recap on behalf of the committee members of ItaliaAuto what a great year 2007 has been!
Looking back at the past 1 year of ItaliaAuto, together, the club has grew tremendously!! The new ItaliaAuto forum was re-created in October 2006 and to date, there are 2009 registered members, 127 thousand posts, 6019 topics with an average of 251 posts per day!! That said, ItaliaAuto is highly searcheable on all search engines, wikis and websites available today.
The year 2007 also marked the biggest grand trips, most runs, most trips, most activities and most events in ItaliaAuto history! Also stronger partnerships with the mothership Torino and SDAI has been built upon throughout the year. All these contributes to a strong and active club and its members; only others would envy of. All this wouldn't happen without YOU. Let's give a big hand to each and everyone here. Kudos! Keep it up and we'll continue to build ItaliaAuto and our favorite marquee to greater heights!
Looking forward to another great year ahead, thanks for the friendships and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
See you all this Sunday's Kuala Kelawang run!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Fiat Coupe Gathering & Photoshoot
On a early Sunday morning on the 2nd of December, ItaliaAuto had a Fiat Coupe Gathering and Photoshoot session at Putrajaya. The group got together at Shell along Jalan Damansara opposite Eastin hotel and convoyed to Dataran Putrajaya for the photoshoot.
A total of 16 Fiat Coupes and 7 other cars showed up for the photoshoot.
For more pictures and future events, go to http://www.italiaauto.net/
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
IA East Coast Expose in Pictures
ItaliaAuto East Coast Expose slideshow. Enjoy!
Pictures contributed by ItaliaAuto members.
ItaliaAuto East Coast Expose 2007
Recently, ItaliaAuto made a trip to the east coast of Malaysia from 2-4 Nov 2007. A total of 50 pax, 40 cars joined the 3D2N event. Started from the Sungai Buloh RSA to Fraser's Hill GAP to Kuantan, Cherating and finally Kijal.
The group stayed at the Strawberry Resort Kijal.
Field Report as posted by Redd @ ItaliaAuto.net:
Day 1
day started at 730am and we didnt arrive at the hotel til 730pm. 12 hours on the road! a lot of it was from waiting for stragglers at collection points, and of course in true IA tradition, getting lost. even with GPS mapped pace notes and in-car GPS units we managed to get hopelessly lost. the Get Lost Champion was Vio who lost his way by over 70kms at one point. but the mad driver still managed to catch up and overtake everyone. hahahaha! after Raub, we got lost looking for Jerantut and happened upon this beautiful back road! it was lovely! undulating terrain with lots of elevation changes and sweepers. there was one hill that if u had crested too fast u'd have caught air; and there was a left hand curve right after the crest! it was like a rollercoaster ride. by the time we got to the resort, everyone was tired, hungry and grumpy. so it didnt help that the hotel wasnt fully ready for us. some of the rooms had no a/c. there was no towels and soap to shower with. and the yellowpansy insisted on having hot water or it would be bad for his skin. or something equally gay like that. most of us crashed early on the first night but the hardcore gang stayed up to play blackjack.
Day 2
the resort definitely looked a lot prettier in the daylight. after brekkie, we arranged a quick autokhana course in the large parking lot. a lot of cars ran the course but top honors was taken by our resident angmoh Alexxx in his 1980 Porsche 911. the RWD monster demolished the course with untouchable times. second and third were thkc and vio, respectively. after the autokhana, we went into town for lunch and came back to relax at the beach and pool. the beach was beautiful! it was a bit of a walk, but the beach was pristine and we had it all to ourselves. after horsing around the seaside for a couple hours, we went to the pool to de-salt ourselves. that's when we started a new IA tradition - tossing people into the pool! we tricked and threw ballerina, may and d320 into the water. so girls, when we say come in swimwear, we mean come in swimwear. and oh, dont wear white so much. lamoo took us to kemaman town to eat stuffed crabs. after dinner, some of the guys went to see kelip-kelip and the rest went back to prepare for the grand opening of Casino de Kijal. we gambled into the wee hours of the morning playing blackjack and in-between. the in-between game was the most stressful, and that was where the screaming of "TIANG! TIANG!" came from. one particular pot lasted almost 2 hours and went from as low as RM8 to nearly RM400 at some point. everyone was shitting bricks as we were paying double if you hit the tiang.
Day 3
Day 3 was the trip back. after the photo session at the resort, we headed off to town to buy snacks and lekor. lunch was at pak su seafood restaurant. after lunch we headed back home towards KL. mid-way on the ECE, tezza called on the walkie to complain about bad vibrations coming from the car. we stopped over at the R&R and determined that it was caused by a badly bulging front left tire. the IA pit crew came to the rescue and we changed tires on the spot and were quickly on our way, albeit at a much slower pace. thkc, stevo and gilaman paced tezza all the way back at 80kph. by the time i reached home, it was 830pm and i was unconscious by 1030pm. all in a great trip! day 1 was definitely one of the longest drives ive been on so far. it was nice that we had the whole 2nd day to relax at the resort. i think we should it this way more often as it gives us more time to enjoy the location we're at.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
ItaliaAuto Grand Trip 2007 Field Report
It was raining. No, that wouldn’t be entirely accurate. Rain would imply droplets of water falling from the sky. This wasn’t so much rain as it was the great big river in the sky breaking its banks. The heavens were flooding and I had nowhere to run.
This was clearly four-wheel drive territory. Twenty inch rollers with big, chunky rubber would have been handy in traversing that last mini-river I had just crossed. As much as I hated SUVs, I dearly wished I had one right then. Instead, I was stuck in my Alfa 156, its wipers painfully outmatched by the torrent of water from the heavens, praying that all those myths I had heard about Italian reliability didn’t decide to become facts just then. How do I get myself into these situations, I asked myself for the hundredth time that day.
As far as beginnings go, the day started innocuously enough. I had joined the Italia Auto Car Club for their first Grand Trip of the year. Italia Auto is well known for its driving excursions, and this trip would take us over the northern half of Peninsular Malaysia. The event, jointly sponsored by car distributors Torino Motors (Fiat) and Sime Darby Auto Italia (Alfa Romeo), was going to be huge – forty cars, sixty members, and a thousand kilometres, in a three-day test of driving endurance. We would be transiting through larger towns like Grik and Cameron Highlands as well as long forgotten smaller ones, with a mix of both highway and trunk road driving. There probably are better ways to see rural Malaysia but I’d be hard-pressed to tell you what they were right now.
The main contingent of twenty-two Fiats and Alfas took off from Kuala Lumpur and made its way north to Penang to meet up with the northern chapter. At Juru, we were joined by another eighteen cars from Penang and Perak. After a quick drivers briefing and a stop to top up the tanks, we were back on the road heading south towards Bukit Merah.
Which was where I found myself in the middle of the largest downpour I had ever experienced in my thirty odd years on this rock. As we got off the highway and headed into the old trunk roads, the sky turned a threatening grey. Undeterred, we went on, thoroughly enjoying the back road drive. I was told later that the scenery was quite fascinating but all I remember is a green blur. Then, the skies opened up and instead of dodging roadkill and potholes, we were dodging fallen trees and small lakes which had formed on the roads.
That was when it happened; as it has happened since the beginning of human history. Despite our best preparations, detailed pace notes, and handheld GPS units, we got lost. Whenever a group of men get together and try to go somewhere they will, inevitably, lose their way. It happens to even the greatest of expeditions – Columbus got horribly lost on his voyage to find Asia. The fact that he discovered America only made it less embarrassing, but it didn’t hide the fact that he was half a universe away from the Orient. Now, if someone like Chris – who has more than a few nautical miles under his belt – couldn’t avoid it, we were doomed from the get-go.
I blame it on the rain and poor visibility. Yup. That, and the horribly inaccurate Malaysian road signs. I think there was a full moon out that night, too. This was bigger than any of us – it was masculine destiny. Still, through the frequent U-turns and stops to check crumpled roadmaps, spirits remained high. These Italia Auto boys were clearly used to not knowing where they were going. As we tried to find our bearings in the boondocks of Perak I was entertained by the chatter on the walkie-talkie. Cow warnings interspersed with jokes crackled across the network as we finally found our way to a recognisable landmark.
When the sun finally came back out, we found ourselves between Bukit Merah and Grik on the loveliest bit of mountain road I had ever seen. It was the sky on one side, the mountain on the other, and perfectly curved tarmac as far as the eye could see. As it turns out, driving in good weather with this bunch was even more stressful. As the roads opened up, the lead cars quickly disappeared around the bend. I worked the wheel furiously, hell-bent on keeping up. The cars behind me were a constant reminder that if we got lost again, it would be entirely my fault this time. Before long, we arrived in Grik, and from there it was just a short hop to Banding Island Resort and a warm bed.
Day Two dawned to the burble of engines warming up in anticipation of the day’s adventure. As I rubbed my bleary eyes waiting for the breakfast caffeine to kick in, I was given the day’s pace notes – directions to our next destination – and reminders to drive safe. It was going to be pure B-roads today – over three hundred kliks of trunk roads – taking us from Banding to Jeli, on to Gua Musang, and finally to Cameron Highlands where we would stop for the night. I should have had that third cup of coffee.
The sight of forty Alfa Romeos and Fiats snaking out of the resort carpark was breathtaking, but it didn’t last long. As soon as each car cleared the last speed bump, the throttle was firmly mashed to the floorboard and it disappeared in a howl of metallic frenzy. The noise was addictive, and soon I found myself trying to coax the same cacophony from the six pots in front of me. Cocooned in the cabin of my Alfa, the roar of the engine in my ears, and twisty roads in front of me, it wasn’t difficult to picture myself as a driver in the Italian Mille Miglia (One Thousand Miles) road rally of the early-20th Century. Truly, if that famed endurance race had existed this day; it would be run on roads like these with cars like the ones we were driving today.
The atmosphere of being in a road race somehow filtered over to the places we passed by as well. As we shot through each small village, the local kids would line up by the road side to wave and cheer us on. Some of us honked appreciatively as we drove by – I waved back a few times – and this seemed to elicit even more passionate displays from the gathered spectators. It was an eye opening experience and racing fuel for the ego.
After a quick lunch in Gua Musang town, we proceeded on the last leg for the day, heading up towards the hill-resort town of Cameron Highlands. Fifteen minutes away from town, we turned off the wheel-killing Gua Musang road and onto this beautiful stretch of motoring nirvana. If any road could be called gorgeous this one certainly was. The surface was racetrack smooth, nearly a hundred kilometres of flowing sweepers disappearing into the hills. I was gobsmacked. Here was the evidence that our road tax money wasn’t just being wasted on toll booths. We were two minutes from nowhere, and here was this exquisite highway just begging to be driven hard. So, drive hard we did! When we finally arrived at the Strawberry Park Resort in Cameron Highlands I was flushed with the afterglow of the motoring equivalent of great sex.
The third day started lazily with a late breakfast followed by Ferrari announcing its early dominance of this year’s Formula 1 season by neatly trouncing rivals McLaren in the Australian Grand Prix. Elated by the Italian victory, passions were high as we made our way down Cameron Highlands towards Simpang Pulai. In hindsight, that was probably not the best condition in which to be driving. Passion, Italian cars and downhill roads seem to mix with explosive results. Somehow, on this particular leg of the journey, I found myself as the lead car of the convoy with the two very determined club presidents hot on my heels. For some reason, despite my usually mild character, I decided that today, damn it, I was going to stay in front!
Thus began what I would consider the most exciting drive for me on this trip. In every holiday, every trip you make, there is always that one moment that you remember best. For me, this was that moment. I used every trick I knew to stay in front of these two maniacs as we quickly outdistanced the rest of the pack. Hours spent at the racetrack were condensed into the forty short kilometres between Kampung Raja and Simpang Pulai as I utilised my collective driving experience to stay ahead. Corners were eaten up in heartbeats, slower traffic dispatched with brutal efficiency. My temperature, as well as that of my V6, rose as the car went into a small tail slide when the outer rear tire went a little wide onto the dusty outside of the road. Control was quickly recovered but the lead was lost as the pearlescent Fiat Coupe grabbed the opportunity and passed me on the inside. Damn, it was a good scrap while it lasted.
We – my Alfa and I – survived a thousand kilometre drive at speeds too illegal to print. We drove through scorching days, pitch black nights and storms of biblical proportions. The car was covered in three day’s worth of road grime, and I doubt I looked much better. My hands are shaking as I type this, but I’m not sure if it was from exhaustion or the leftover adrenaline in my system. This drive has been one of the most grueling tasks I’ve ever undertaken. I can’t wait for the next Italia Auto trip.
You can find out more about the Italia Auto Car Club at http://www.italiaauto.net
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Main ItaliaAuto Site is back up!
The main ItaliaAuto site is back up! You can access if via
italiaauto.net
:)
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Main Site Down
Note:
The main ItaliaAuto Site, http://www.italiaauto.net/, is temporarily down - Issues encountered, lemmings have been deployed. *cracks whip*!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
ItaliaAuto On The Web
If you are an ItaliaAuto member, we are now in a few web applications groups!
ItaliaAuto Club in Friendster : http://www.friendster.com/group/tabmain.php?gid=187738
ItaliaAuto Club in Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2401039751
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Motorsports Media Channel and ItaliaAuto
There's a upcoming joint event organized by Motorsports Media Channel for ItaliaAuto Club, Audi Club Malaysia and BMW Club Malaysia held in Genting Highlands on the 5th of August 2007 - The Car Club Rendezvous!
See plenty of Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Audi and BMW at the event!! It's gonna be a huge event!!
ItaliaAuto Club is planning to field at least 50 Alfa Romeo and Fiat!!
For more info, check out The ItaliaAuto Forum
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Kuala Kelawang Drive!
Recently, ItaliaAuto Club had a join drive with AROC SG. Approximately 50 cars showed up for the drive to Kuala Kelawang beginning from Ampang Jaya. For more info and pictures, visit the official ItaliaAuto website : http://www.italiaauto.net/
Video of the beautiful bellas zooming by by:
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Feature Member's Blog : BenO
This post feature one of the ItaliaAuto members, BenO who has a blog online. He loves his Alfa Romeo 156 too!
You can check out his blog and postings here : http://benong7.blogspot.com/
Monday, May 14, 2007
Another 155 Gathering video
This is another 155 gathering video held recently on the 1st May 2007 in Putrajaya Malaysia. Mostly pictures taken by adamgrapher!
Monday, May 7, 2007
Alfa Romeo 155 Gathering 2007
Recently, we had the biggest 155 Gathering in Malaysia organized after many years in the planning. About 25 Alfa Romeo 155s showed up!!
Look out for next year's 155 Gathering!
Monday, April 30, 2007
More ItaliaAuto Video
Recently, there have been a fair bit of new ItaliaAuto videos for you to check out!!
Vio and DJ driving pass
Lustful69 Doing the Hills
Lustful 69 Doing a Madman
Uncle Lustful Chases Redd up Camerons
Violence666 and Lustful Run to Gerik Town
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Wikipedia Writeup
As published in Wikipedia and reposted here :
ItaliaAuto Club is an unofficial Italian car enthusiast club located in Malaysia. Formed in the year 2000 by a group of light hearted and passionate Italian car lovers, it has grown by leaps and bounds through the years; and is regarded as one of the most active car clubs in Malaysia. For now, its members mainly comprised of Alfa Romeo and Fiat automobile owners.
As of 2006, more than a thousand members have been registered with ItaliaAuto. Registration is done exclusively via an online internet forum on the same name. The majority of the members reside in Malaysia and Singapore.ItaliaAuto promotes the spirit of brotherhood through the sharing of motoring knowledge and experiences, responsible car ownership and social camaraderie among its members. This has brought about a web forum which was in existence since the first day the club was formed.
The ItaliaAuto forum is the primary means of communication between members. It is viewable publicly, but has certain sections exclusive to members only. An elected committee governs and moderates the forum and oversees other matters such as policies and affiliations. Due to the nature of localized areas where members meet and live, parts of the forum are dedicated to members located in the northern and southern regions of the country.
One of the forum's special features is a comprehensive list of Alfa Romeo and Fiat workshops in Malaysia and Singapore, which is commonly used by members in their respective regions and as well as travellers to obtain more specialized support for their cars.
The culture of discourse within members is fairly casual, as with most enthusiast forums. However, it has served as a useful resource by newcomers and experienced drivers alike.
Different types of activities are organized by the club. A regular feature is a weekly gathering at local coffee shops (known as mamak stalls in Malaysia). Other activities include road trips, known as "runs", both in and out of state.
The official distributors of Alfa Romeo and Fiat have loose affiliations with club members, and occasionally host events and activities for the club
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
ItaliaAuto in Wikipedia
Great news!! Italiaauto is not in Wikipedia!!
Check it out at :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ItaliaAuto_Club_Malaysia
For those who can contribute more, kindly message me or edit the wiki. Thanks!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
2006 Member Awards
Below are the results:
Most Technically Helpful Member - Pistole
Most Entertaining Member - warped
Craziest Driver - Lustful_69
Member Most Likely To Get Lost During Runs - Yellowtaxi
Get A Life Award (Member Most Frequently Online) - warped
Lord Alottaporn - Khalil76
Most Frequent TT Attendee - dzul
Friday, December 29, 2006
Love for Alfa Romeo 156 2.5 V6
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.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
New Committee in 2007
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!
Together ItaliaAuto will continue to grow!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Member Awards 2006
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
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!
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
What's the Content?
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.
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Verified Membership
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?
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!
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!
Thursday, November 30, 2006
ItaliaAuto Membership
Do you love italian cars?
Do you own an italian cars?
Do you have passion for all things italian?
All are welcome. As long as you have the italian passion in you.
Membership is free.
Come to www.italiaauto.net for more info!!
What is Fiat?
Fiat Group, or Fiat S.p.A., best known for Fiat cars, is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial and industrial group based in Turin, Northern Italy. Founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli, the company name is an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (Italian Car Factory of Turin), and it also means "let there be" in Latin. Fiat was also an aircraft manufacturer at one time.
Fiat cars are constructed all around the world; in Italy, Poland, Brazil and Argentina. Joint Venture productions in France, Turkey, Egypt South Africa, India and China.
Agnelli's grandson Gianni Agnelli was Fiat chairman from 1966 until his death on January 24, 2003. However, from 1996, he only served as an "honorary" chairman, while the chairman was Romiti. After their removal, Paolo Fresco served as chairman and Paolo Cantarella as CEO. Umberto Agnelli then took over as chairman from 2002 to 2004. After Umberto Agnelli's death on May 28, 2004, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo was named chairman, but Agnelli heir John Elkann became vice chairman at age 28 and other family members are on the board. At this point, CEO Giuseppe Morchio immediately offered his resignation. Sergio Marchionne was named to replace him on June 1, 2004.
Read more about Fiat at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FiatWhat is Alfa Romeo?
Committee Members
Current Commitee Members
Alfa President :
Redd
Alfa Romeo 156 3.0V6
Fiat President :
Violence666
Fiat Coupe 20VT+
Committee Members :
Subsonique
Alfa Romeo 155 1.8TS
MyLittleMonster
Alfa Romeo 146 1.8TS
Fiat Coupe 20VT+, 16V
Webmaster :
Stevo
Alfa Romeo 156 2.0TS
To contact any of the committee members, kindly go to www.italiaauto.net and register yourself. PM them for more info.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
ItaliaAuto Forum Guidelines
View the forum at ItaliaAuto.net
Foreword
After much deliberation The Committee has decided to maintain a loose set of posting/moderating guidelines to promote information sharing. This is inline with the original spirit of the Italia Auto Club.
Similarly, we wish to promote an environment of self-governance where the forum users take responsibility for their own actions, as well as the actions of other forum users.
Along with these guidelines, we appeal to all forum users to practice common courtesy when interacting with each other. We believe that all forum users are adults and are able to conduct themselves accordingly.
Posting Guidelines
The Committee has full and final say on all Club and Forum affairs. The decisions of The Committee are not subject to question or review.
In case of any conflicts/complaints, you may submit a report to any one of the Moderators via PM. The Committee will have oversight over any single Moderator. With this, there will be two levels of check & balance – First, the Moderator, and second, The Committee.
Please post your thread in the appropriate section. Threads posted in the wrong section may be moved by the Moderators. Multiple identical posts/threads may be deleted by the Moderator.
Off-topic posting will NOT be tolerated in the following sections:
General Discussion
Club Events
All subsections under Cuore Sportivo
All subsections under Driven with Passion
All subsections under Performance and Maintenance
All subsections under Marketplace
Off-topic posting will be allowed in other sections.
Non-car or -Club related topics should be restricted to Junkyard subsections.
We urge forum users to help with keeping posts on-topic. If you feel a post is moving off-topic, feel free to remind the posters to stay on track. Involve the Moderators as you see fit.
We ask the forum users to exercise discretion and good common sense with regards to language, jokes and insults.
All material of an adult nature should be kept within the Verified Members Section.
Friendly insults/banter among members are generally allowed in the relevant sections. We recognize that this can be a grey area. If you feel that you have been unjustly targeted or personally attacked, please notify any one of the Moderators and The Committee will decide on a course of action. Do attempt to solve the issue amongst yourselves [victim & attacker] first. The aim is to promote friendly conversation yet ensuring that no forum user feels that they are being alienated.
If you post an advertisement or a product for sale – be it from a private or commercial source – please be prepared for questions/comments/feedback from other forum users. This is an open forum and everyone is entitled to make their opinions known.
All spam, and double-posted or unrelated advertisements will be removed. If you are a frequent offender, the Moderator reserves the right to ban you.
Any suggestions or feedback may be submitted to any Moderator/Committee member at any time via PM.
Moderating Guidelines
The Committee has full and final say on all Club and Forum affairs. The decisions of The Committee are not subject to question or review.
The Committee members will also be the forum Moderators.
Moderation will be done at the discretion of the Moderators.
If a Moderator is acting inappropriately, you may submit a report to another Moderator who will then take the matter up to The Committee.
No deletion of posts/threads unless with consensus of The Committee (special circumstances), or spam and multiple identical posts.
Improper posts will be edited with the reason and Moderator’s name included in the post.
Improper threads will be locked up with reason and Moderator’s name given.
Moderators will be bound by the same posting guidelines as other forum users. Please bear in mind that the Moderators are also forum users and not superbeings. If we make mistakes, do let us know.
Others
Verified membership and access to Verified Members Section will be granted solely at the discretion of The Committee.
Donations to the Club for operational costs are solely that – donations. Funds will be utilized as The Committee sees fit for the running of the Club/Forum. The Committee will only request for donations sufficient to ensure the smooth operation of the Club/Forum and no more.
The Tradition Behind ItaliaAuto
Below is the list of contribution made by the members in regards to traditions of ItaliaAuto Club! (Credit goes to all contributors. For details, view http://www.italiaauto.net/viewtopic.php?t=159
1. Weekly TTs at Aman Suria
2. Ulu Yam runs
3. Kuala Kelawang Runs (new route coming... exit at Karak!)
4. Members hitting on one of IndoDutch's (Rama) many hot lady friends
5. gtfan and... dare i say it?... Cititel Very Happy
6. IA Grand Trips
7. Weekly Lunch....
8. Mawi is driving a pearl white coupe
9. Anual Merdeka 1500km trip (2007 is gonna be a super bitch)
10. Propeller hunting after TT Twisted Evil
11. At your 1st TT all drinks on the new guy
12. PORNOLIZE every thread as soon as the 2nd reply...
13. Stoner Maut
14. Stevo Playar
15. Kuku liew
16. Grand Vizier Liew Commander of the Northern Armies
17. Yellow Chicken
18. Gt Slut
19. Warped is proven guilty as being too gay!
20. Intro Nazis
21. All IA's cars r "STANDARD".
22. IA mascot guy "Dancing Kangkang Bear aka Sub"
23. IA mascot gal "Jules in Bikini Foam Party"
24. Every Saturday morning, the mechanic place will become IA regular hangout.
25. Jeff is our southern Entertainment Director (kopitiam style)
26. Desin is our northern Entertainment Director (any flavours also can)
27. IA r charitable club as we regularly contribute to Pak Polis welfare since the govt is paying them peanut.
28. Coach or wkc333 is our official IA DK (drift king)
29. IA also hv polish gang (hahahaha) I mean not race type but detailing lovers.
30. IA fav food is chicken headed by our International STD Director Violence666.
31. Zainframe is our official transform Rempit officer. Or also known as Mat Rock Pertama Complex 1989.
32. How can we forget SEPANG TRACK DAY!!
33. Vio's social life is IA... hahaha
34. Chihuahua is IA or Neccessary fav pet.
35. 'IA Slow drive' = 'Fukker better tekan kau-kau or call us for directions later'
36. We change lightbulbs regularly.
37. Uncle Botak's scary exhaust!
38. Popular excuse after a spin at Sepang eg thkc, "It's Redd the ballast that cause me to spin!" Smile
39. The term of convoy in IA means terrorizing the highways and the B roads.
40. If u hear a woman laughing in IA during TT its most likely Adrian the woman bodybuilder
41. Cititel Resident VIP of 3rd floor SPA is Gtfan (doggy yap)
42. IA definition of Sweeper: sapu all the cars to be the first in convoy.
43. IA definition of Zero car: let other cars tapow and later they are lost and need to find their own way.
44. IA definition of Driving in Formation: All line up at the right or left/emergency lane to tapow the cars in the correct lane.
45. IA definition of Drive Slowly: Drive as tho subsonic is chasing after your ass.
46. IA excuse no 1 if lost in tapow session: At least my car is sexy.
47. IA excuse no 2 if lost in tapow session: I got my gf giving me a head while driving.
48. IA excuse no 3 if lost in tapow session: Sub is in my car.
49. We have one Crazy Smart Driver in the Pack.
50. Every Major trip we have we always have an incident
51. So far we always bumped into a patrol car on our major trip.
52. Vio Is partially Gay after October 1st track day
53. On every trip for sure u will hear yello and vio making out or making some kind of noises.
54. Yellows new nickname for his car is the yellow submarine after his incident before merdeka.
55. Vio always takes candid shots where ever he goes.
56. Never let Vio hog the Radio on trips.
57. Whenever it comes to food make sure u bring our uncle from Singapore with u, cuz he sure knows how to order.
58. Don't invite yellowtaxi to your house if you have a teenaged sister unless you want him for a brother-in-law.
59. Slagging off Subbie every chance you get.. I thought this would be right up there!!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
TT Sessions
ItaliaAuto Club TT sessions are held every Thursday from 9pm onwards till late at Kayu Nasi Kandar Aman Suria in Petaling Jaya. It happens every week without fail! Also, the northern and southern chapters of ItaliaAuto have their very own TT sessions too!
For more info on ItaliaAuto TT sessions and events:
http://www.italiaauto.net/viewforum.php?f=3
Thursday, November 23, 2006
What is ItaliaAuto's Logo?
The logo basically contains of 2 major part of the italian car marque family. The cloverleaf is the representation of the motorsports division of Alfa Romeo - Cloverleaf. The scorpion is the representation of the motorsports division of Fiat - Abath. Combine both Alfa Romeo and Fiat motorsports division, you get ItaliaAuto logo!
Red color is used to represent the official color of the club and red usually carries the symbolism of speed! Speed is the favorite of most ItaliaAuto club members!
What is ItaliaAuto?
Make ItaliaAuto your home.
Welcome to ItaliaAuto.net
This site will contain information about ItaliaAuto Club. Some information will be new, some are duplicates from ItaliaAuto.net forum because some information there are only reserved for registered members. We'll bring some of the information out here for the rest of the world to see!
If you have a keen interest, do register at the official club website www.italiaauto.net.
Enjoy your stay here!