We like Chris Harris and we like Ford Falcons (see http://blacksteelies.com/2013/04/03/when-henry-went-rallying-falcon-sprint/) so we were happy to settle down and watch him roar around Spa in a lovely ’64 coupe (it’s not a ’63 Chris) on YouTube. Then came the bonus side-story of him pedalling a beautifully prepared Giulia Super and we were hooked.

Chris is famous for his fish-tailling antics in the world’s most glamourous machines. So imagine the joy in watching him achieve impossible angles in a cute little Alfa while scraping door handles with Lotus Cortinas and Mini Coopers – in fact don’t imagine, what it here: Retro Cool: Spa 6hrs in a Ford Falcon

Tastefully modified Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV with a great stance on Momo Vega alloys. It’s for sale too – check it out on the Classic Alfa website – http://www.classicalfa.com/products/Alfa-GTV-2000-.html

So we finally got around to painting the wheels and fitting new tyres. The car looks great on 14 inchers all round but that is only half the story. Something truly magical has happened to the car, it has been transformed from a track day brute that reluctantly put up with the daily commute to a twinkle toed, lightweight delight. It now exudes that classic Alfa grab-it-by-the-scruff-neck-and-fling-it-at-the-next-corner vibe and every trip is a blast.

How did this transformation come about? Well we went from a set of lovely Saab sourced 15 inch steelies fitted with awesomely grippy 195/55 r15 Toyo Proxes to a set of OEM 14 inchers with more humble Dunlop 185/65s. So a drop of an inch in diameter, 10mm in width and 10mm in profile has resulted in a completely different car.

Of course the other change is that we have gone from silver steel wheels to black steel wheels and we just wonder whether some black steelie magic happened during this process, and that’s the real reason the car is so different.

We’re looking forward to giving the previous owner a drive in the Giulia – reckon he’ll want to buy it back!

Well we couldn’t very well drive around with silver steel wheels now could we.

Actually there is a practical reason for the change too. Our Giulia came with very nice 15 inch steelies from a Saab which look great and allow for wide rubber, but they rub the inside of the rear wheel arches when we carry passengers. So we are swapping to OEM 14 inches that will be black. This will provide the added benefit of making the steering easier at slow speeds and allow the car to be generally lighter on its toes.

A quick post for a Friday night. The impossibly pretty Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale sitting proudly on a set of steel wheels – what else?

Alfa Giulietta Spider

Image Credit: Octane Magazine