The sound of my brother in law's Giulia with 2 liter engine still rings in my ear. And the instrument panel was an absolute beauty. Sure, today's cars offer so many more safety features and rust isn basically no issue anymore, but most have no soul.
VVT in production car is Italian innovation. Italians are too modest about their brilliance. Wanna bet most people would give the Germans or Japanese the credit for this - It is not boasting if you can do it.
Yes indeed. The idea of VVT had been circulating for some time in engineering circles, but Alfa's solution is indeed the first practical system to have reached the market. There's a US patent from Ingegner Garcea, filed in 1980 ahead of the system's launch on the Spider.
From the time that when you'd open the bonnet of your car men would come and crawl out of spaces giving you technical information which was sometimes useful sometimes useless. These engines were in their time bullet proof as long as you kept yourself to a few golden rules (Remember these were Engines with a capital E, not the aggregates that are put into cars today!) And you were proud to open the bonnet of your 1300 Giulia Super showing the double Weber carburetors and the twin-cam engine, it was a work of art ! 1 You had to heat up an Alfa Nord engine by driving slowly (every engine by the way) once warm you could rally drive it hard 2 You needed 'Golden Lodge ' sparkplugs 3 In Holland - where we have a wet climate- you had to keep your ignition wires in good shape 4 You needed to give the engine a real good quality oil back then I always used Duckhams. The thing that always surprised me was people talking about those twin-cam Lotus engines, these had a legendary reputation, but the Alfa Nord engine was much better, at least in my book ! Thanks for this video !
All the Alfa engines were overbuilt units designed by passionate people who cut their teeth designing aero engines. The Bialbero, the boxer and the V6 are all very strong engines capable of high mileages if treated with a minimum of care, as you said.
Well, let's also highlight the defects of these baritonal advanced engines. The main one was the non homogeneous lubrication of the 4 cylinders; the outermost one received less oil and with the kilometers tended to seize. This was the reason the bialberos need an high quality oil and the control of the level. Others? Well, they were racing engines put on a everyday car; which is a unique fact, even more considering that it was a state-owned company. No other cases come to mind.
Dear sir, what to say, congratulations aside?! ..that is incredible that fans of automotive history and beautiful mechanic have had to wait all these years and your short doc to enjoy an historical summary so well done on this masterpiece. Perhaps the first engine sculpture on a sedan. An engine so beautiful to look at that it ignites the quality of its design and the desire to restore a car for the engine. In a word: unique. Bialbero
Possibly the most advanced 4cyl engine, in relative term's, ever produced. Coupled with perfect narration and only the most vital or significant information. Roadster life is fast evolving in becoming my life.
Glad you like them :) I try to outdo myself with every single video I make, as I want this channel to grow in the ultra-competitive TH-cam space, where only the best content wins. And I enjoy every minute of doing it. Thank you very much for your kind words.
Absolutely brilliant video Matteo, complimenti! The historic imagery was just a feast x tutti appassionati di automobili Italiani. Thanks for sharing such high quality material.
Amazing engine way ahead his time. I had a 82 Alfetta 2.0 and another 147 2.0. LOVE THEM. As someone said it's a tough engine that just requires to the owner to know how to drive it. Some people complain because they pretend to rev it in cold, or put any cheap oil and that kills the engine. Thanks for this video!
Gorgeous content man...everytime better and better...!! Rarely seen so much precision in details within perfect synthesis...it's like a pray for us Alfisti 🙏🏻
Out of respect, I will now delete "Nord" from my vocabulary... Bialbero is it's rightfull name. Thank you good sir again, I have learnt more from you today!
Thank you very much :) Yes, the "Nord" term has been largely coined by foreign press. Here in Italy the classic Alfa inline-four has always been "il bialbero".
@@Matteo_Licata I live in South Africa, one of Alfa Romeo's historical "outposts". In SA it was also always called the twincam (vs V6)... "Nord (vs Busso)" are more recent terms used here recently following online popularity. I have a 73 GTV... and am rebuilding the glorious 47 yr old engine you have just so beautifully presented the history for. It makes it even better for me. Excellent work, and very much appreciated.
Grazie mille. La dedica a Chirico ci voleva, visto che ho fatto molto riferimento alla sua bella serie di articoli sulla motoristica Alfa Romeo, apparsa su "Auto Tecnica" fra il 2001 ed il 2003. Un peccato che il suo libro "L'Alfa e le sue auto", sia stato stampato in troppe poche copie e sia difficile da trovare oggigiorno.
Hey, thank you very much :) Had a good run on Twitter, but I was enjoying it less and less over the past month or so. Was almost impossible to silence the anger and intolerance reverberating from events in the wider world...
Thank you so much for another great video. I love both, the original and second Giulietta, just beatiful cars. And this engine is like a sculpture, only the looks would justify to buy one. Ciao 🙋♂️
Reminds me of my Italian father in law. Loved Alfa's, but said if you didn't warm them up properly the head gasket was guaranteed to blow. Love the engines.
Yes... As you'll know all too well, the 8-valve TS engine ended with the 164. The next installment of the "great engines" series will be about the TS. I'm not yet sure whether to make two separate videos or one longer one
Another interesting Alfa Romeo story that included a few of my favorite models (the 75 being one of them). Have you covered the Lancia Delta Integrale? If not, I can almost guarantee that there is interest in that particular car.
I've covered the 'Grale at the very beginning of this channel... When I wasn't yet very good at videomaking... So it'll be a good idea to go back on the subject in the future
@@Matteo_Licata , anyway, the long life of all Alfa Romeo motors (Bialbero, Busso, boxer) shows how the conception of such motors are great, and how ingeniors (Orazzio Satta Puglia, Giuseppe Busso, Rudolf Hruska) deserve all our thanks forever ...
As the owner of both the DOHC 4 cylinder and the 2.5L V6, its still a mystery to me why only the glorious V6 is colloquially known as a "Busso". They are both masterpieces from the grand composer that deliver an operatic tour de force.
Like how everyone calls the 105-series coupe "The Bertone coupe" though both that one and the Alfetta GTV was really designed by Giugaro, working at Bertone in the first instance and on his own at the second.
@@ingvarhallstrom2306 "Bertone" had always been the name given to the work of many different designers that worked FOR Bertone. IE the most iconic "Bertone" designs are almost all of Marcello Gandini (Lancia Stratos, Fiat X 1/9, Ferrari Dino GT4, Lamborghini Miura...)
Thank you :) A story of the "Lampredi" twin cam would make for a nice video. Will happen someday, as "Great Engines" has now become one of my video series :)
I had the 2 liter in my GTV of 1984 . I had stage 2 cames and bigger jets in the Webers . Also flowed the in and exhaust manifolds . 155 BHP and 210 Nm at 3500 rpm . Insane engine with a ferousious sound . There was not much below 3000 rpm , but past that it was like a train hit your back ! In 1991 I completely blew away a 308GTB on Zandvoort circuit . One of the best engines ever designed When treated right and warmed up gently , they were BOMBproof , 6000 rpm every day , year in year out . Try that with a modern engine !!!!!!
Indeed. Alfa's engineers had racing in their blood, which resulted in largely overbuilt engines that responded well to tuning and lasted long if treated with a minimum of respect. Your GTV sure must have been a ton of fun!
And it's nice to learn after 35 years or so the engine known to me as the "Nord" has actually got a different and older nickname. Bialbero sounds way better too :) Love your videos.
@@Matteo_Licata Yes thanks to your video I think many people learned something new which is actually old :) Here in Holland also a lot of people called it Nord, but from now on one less :)
Miss my Alfa’s 75 TS 75 3.0 with QV engine 146 ti 156 2.0 JTS 159 1.9 jtd 159 Ti 2.0 JTDm Gulietta 2.0 TCT Now I drive a Volvo V60 T6 R-design hybrid 😩😩
Oh man. Every time, I see a new car I want to have. :-) Miss you man. If you ever what to chat away from all the Social Media noise, let me know and I'll find a way.
Alfa Romeo never went beyond 1995cc with the original "Nord" aluminum block. However, tuners like Alfaholics are now building 2,3L Twin Sparks by going for siamese cylinder bores, which is something that material technology once didn't allow.
@@Matteo_Licata I remember at Omega Motorsports in LA we saw a few 2.2, and I didn't know about 2.3. We also a 3.7 V6, but that really pushed it to the limits. And dropping my friend's race-prepared 2L in my right 1973 Spider was a hoot in LA traffic. No one bothered me until my friend with his Tesla Roadster :(
Mi sono sentito quasi in obbligo, visto che per i miei video sulla motoristica Alfa Romeo sto consultando molto gli articoli che egli scrisse a riguardo fra il 2001 ed il 2003.
@@salvatorep.1685 Ho quello di Busso, ed ho consultato quello di Chirico per i miei libri, ma purtroppo non ne ho una copia mia. Difficile da trovare oggi, ne stamparono pochi.
@@Matteo_Licata il titolo è "L'Alfa e le sue auto", mentre quello di Busso "Nel cuore dell'Alfa". Ho anche 2 libri introvabili di Catarsi sull'Alfetta e sulla Giulia e uno di Ardizio sulla produzione di Arese.....e tanto altro...
It is one of the finest engines ever made. I have little doubt about that, and its been depressing to realise the best we could do in Britain was the MGA Twin Cam...clever but temperamental and the single cam 16 valve Dolomite Sprint.....er.....clever but temperamental..😕
Hey Tim, however, you mentioned two particular and valid cars in the banal forgotten automotive universe! Especially the Dolomite, a beautiful sporty berlinetta, a sort of English Alfa
Well to make life a bit easier for you : The French also failed with their Facel Verga Facellia twin cam engine, actually in the same way as the MGA twin cam : the thing wanted to revv to happily and kill itself.
Hello Matteo, very interesting video. I never knew the first TS engines used the Bialbero engine block. Is this the 2.0 engine in the 164, 75 and also the 1.8 8Valve TS of the 155 with 125HP? And also, were the first TS 16Valve (CF1 TWIN SPARK) engines used by the 1st series (1995-97) GTV 916 the type with the old Alfa engine block or different block?
I'll go into detail next friday, as the Twin Spark video is coming :) The 8v TS engines were Arese-made engines with the older block. 16v TS engines were a completely different breed, based on the new Fiat "Pratola Serra" block.
I did not know that the bialbero was also designed by G Busso... interesting. So, all 4cyl and 6cyl engines proposed by Alfa Romeo in that period were Busso designed
Hallo. I wonder if you can make a interesting video about alfa's vans and trucks. I like for example the alfa AR 6 and AR 8. I own a peugeot j5 camper, but i turned into a ar 6😁. Don't tell it to anyone 🙄. I look forward to it.
A joy as ever - must be the English language with the authentic Italian accent - just joking - great content beautifully told -thanks again for the entertainments
I can't understand the reason even we italians call carburetors Weber initial w with english pronunciation, a double u, instead of the german: Edoardo Weber, from a swiss parent, worked here in Bologna and the old factory we say it with the V pronunciation.
I have a 74 spica and want to convert to side webbers but are the newer webbers better than the old ones they used on these cars? My spica is very temperamental and I don't know anybody at all who will work on them and I live in a big city. I mean one year it dies at idle but starts great, the next year it is very hard to even start, but once it does, it runs great with no stalling. I just want the consistency of a car that starts easy, and runs until you shut it off. But when I called even the best company in Seattle to ask if they could do the switch? the guy didn't know and said he would have to ask somebody else. I wish I could find a little old man who knew these cars in and out. But as the years go by, it gets more and more hard to find anybody even willing to work on them
@@fredgarv79 The issue of the disappearing expertise related to maintenance and repair of classic cars is indeed very real and it’s only going to get more acute in the future. Unfortunately, I’m in no position to help you on this matter, as I have no information about the quality of modern reproduced weber carbs
Hold on. What I've said in the video is that the Alfa one is the first practical VVT system ever seen on a production car's engine. Honda's VTEC system came later, and it followed a different principle. While the Alfa, like other VVTs that came later, rotated the camshaft relative to its pulley, therefore changing the timing, the Honda VTEC system used two different cams, one for low revs, one for high revs. With VTEC, lift and duration can change, not just the phasing. Here on TH-cam you'll certainly find videos that show how the VTEC works.
@@Matteo_Licata yes i know . But it's more or less the same principle i.e. variable valve lift . Honda uses a VTEC system whilst alfa a VVT system . But was it Alfa who came up with this idea ? . Many Japanese " innovations " are usually creations from Europe and then perfected and or copied and made reliable by the Japanese .
@@ivanvisanich Basically the VTEC is different and much more sophisticated, because it modifies the valve lift. The VVT of the ALFA ROMEO, only modifies the timing on the intake camshaft for increase the valve overlap. Was adopted to comply with Californian anti-pollution regulations, reducing unburnt hydrocarbons caused by high overlap angles.
I am still working on the South Africa project! Today, I heard an Alfa I'd never looked at before. For some reasons the Montreal. 😩2.6 V8 didn't make sense to me. From this video, I learned Guiseppe Busso designed the Twin Cam. He also designed the best sounding V8 EVER. And the best sounding engine EVER the V6. How about a video devoted to the genius musician? 😃
Well... Busso did not design the V8. The V8 was designed at Autodelta by Carlo Chiti. Busso did certainly oversee its development into a production unit for the Montreal, but the general design of the engine wasn't his.
I see you haven't read the description ;) I've left the GTAm out because it has never been a road car the public could buy. Secondly, the GTAm cylinder head is a precursor to the Twin Spark... So I'll treat it in the upcoming TS video ;)
Grazie mille per il tuo apprezzamento. Capisco e non è la prima volta che mi viene suggerito. Non lo escludo ma non faccio promesse: gli introiti legati alla pubblicità sui video variano secondo le aree geografiche, ed il mondo anglosassone tende a generare un ritorno migliore. Mai dire mai, comunque ;)
An observation: You of course need DOHC if you want to win races but it is typical SOHC's sooner or later hit the same power outputs but then maybe 10 years later. DOHC also do not have inherently lower fuel consumptions. Is it very oldfashioned to say that a daily drive car still does not really need DOHC or is that just conservative nonsense?
@@Matteo_Licata My appologies. As you probably already guesed I meant that question in a rather rethorical sense. I did however not want to be too presumptious since you clearly DO know what you are talking about. :-)
SOHC and DOHC in automotive had been practically become synonyms of "two parallel valves" and "angled valves (two or four)" respectively. Since you can put bigger valves on a head if they are put at an angle (not to say if there are four of them) DOHC are more powerful, becaue they'll breath better at higher revs, where the max power is reached. In ten years other things (IE shape of the cams and manifolds) can evolve to offset that advantage, but in ten years those things will evolve for twincams too. In motorcycle engines, this difference is not a given IE almost any scooter/moped has a single cylinder, SOHC with four valves. The camshaft is put between the angle of the valves, because that's the most compact configuration possible. www.kmotoshop.it/upload/27/274ad4786c3abca69fa097b85867d9a4/2731aa33bc180cbbbb3da78a0199b12c.jpg In automotive this configuration is not used because it's more complex than putting two camshafts over the valves, and the compactness of the head is not that important.
@@neutronalchemist3241 Your point about parallel development of many other variables actually fits into my assumption. By the way: Almost all higher performance motorcycles nowadays actually have DOHC. SOHC tends to survive in the 125 cc class because many types carry a chinese produced engine derived from older Japanese models.
@@marcbrasse747 It's because high performance motorcycle engines tend to pass 10,000 rpm. Once passed 10,000 rpm the rockers can't follow precisely the cams any more, so DOHC are required. That's obviously less important for automotive engines (where practically no engine reaches that limit) or singles. Infact the most powerful single cylinder engine in production for motorcycles (The KTM LC4) is SOHC and so are the Honda CRF, or XR, equally used for competitions too. KYM LC4 690 s3.amazonaws.com/advrider-photobucket-images/images/l/lortdadu_IMG_20150523_213038.jpg Honda CRF blog.gearhead.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/IMG_8883-Medium.jpg Honda XR 2.bp.blogspot.com/-PTg9FZUtI5E/UlDhpbQ87wI/AAAAAAAADwY/rxQ3VPLaeSA/s1600/engine+cutout.jpg
Muy buen motor el alfa romeo twin cam pero el Fiat Twin cam es muy superior al motor de alfa romeo , ya que el fiat tiene bloque de hierro fundido que es mucho mas fiable y robusto que el de aluminio, la culata del fiat es mas moderna y el angulo de válvulas de alfa es a 80 grados y el angulo de fiat es a 65 grados que es mucho mejor , y la distribución es por correa de neopreno que es mas silenciosa que la cadena de alfa romeo además la distribución por correa es mas fácil cambiarla y mucho mas económica , me gusta el motor alfa romeo pero el motor fiat tiwn cam de lampredi es muy superior al de alfa romeo
what a disaster this engine. Incidentally, this applies to all otherwise beautiful Italian cars. I have driven fiat 124 sports coupe's, fiat dino' s and lancia coupe's and finally alfa romeo. Disastrous.
The most iconic 4 cylinder of all times and we can rest assured that this will be for ever.
The sound of my brother in law's Giulia with 2 liter engine still rings in my ear. And the instrument panel was an absolute beauty. Sure, today's cars offer so many more safety features and rust isn basically no issue anymore, but most have no soul.
I have to agree! 👍
VVT in production car is Italian innovation. Italians are too modest about their brilliance. Wanna bet most people would give the Germans or Japanese the credit for this - It is not boasting if you can do it.
Yes indeed. The idea of VVT had been circulating for some time in engineering circles, but Alfa's solution is indeed the first practical system to have reached the market. There's a US patent from Ingegner Garcea, filed in 1980 ahead of the system's launch on the Spider.
From the time that when you'd open the bonnet of your car men would come and crawl out of spaces giving you technical information which was sometimes useful sometimes useless.
These engines were in their time bullet proof as long as you kept yourself to a few golden rules (Remember these were Engines with a capital E, not the aggregates that are put into cars today!)
And you were proud to open the bonnet of your 1300 Giulia Super showing the double Weber carburetors and the twin-cam engine, it was a work of art !
1 You had to heat up an Alfa Nord engine by driving slowly (every engine by the way) once warm you could rally drive it hard
2 You needed 'Golden Lodge ' sparkplugs
3 In Holland - where we have a wet climate- you had to keep your ignition wires in good shape
4 You needed to give the engine a real good quality oil back then I always used Duckhams.
The thing that always surprised me was people talking about those twin-cam Lotus engines, these had a legendary reputation, but the Alfa Nord engine was much better, at least in my book !
Thanks for this video !
All the Alfa engines were overbuilt units designed by passionate people who cut their teeth designing aero engines. The Bialbero, the boxer and the V6 are all very strong engines capable of high mileages if treated with a minimum of care, as you said.
Well, let's also highlight the defects of these baritonal advanced engines.
The main one was the non homogeneous lubrication of the 4 cylinders; the outermost one received less oil and with the kilometers tended to seize.
This was the reason the bialberos need an high quality oil and the control of the level.
Others?
Well, they were racing engines put on a everyday car; which is a unique fact, even more considering that it was a state-owned company.
No other cases come to mind.
Dear sir, what to say, congratulations aside?!
..that is incredible that fans of automotive history and beautiful mechanic have had to wait all these years and your short doc to enjoy an historical summary so well done on this masterpiece.
Perhaps the first engine sculpture on a sedan. An engine so beautiful to look at that it ignites the quality of its design and the desire to restore a car for the engine.
In a word: unique.
Bialbero
Thank you very much! Comments like this really make my day :)
I could not agree more. A piece of art. Which has a great sound as well....
Brillant production again. I could have sworn that the engines weren’t much changed between Giulietta and Giulia, but it’s never too late to learn.
I learned a lot from this video. Thank you!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Possibly the most advanced 4cyl engine, in relative term's, ever produced. Coupled with perfect narration and only the most vital or significant information. Roadster life is fast evolving in becoming my life.
Thank you very much for your kind words :)
@@Matteo_Licata After honouring my request of a video covering my Berlina and rekindling my near 45 yr's romance with AR, it's the least I could do.
Some good explanatory visual graphics there Mateo. Thanks.
Also Happy 110 year birthday to Alfa Romeo. Forza Alfa !
Thank you! 👍
Awesome job Matteo, i always enjoy your videos, for me this engine is they real scense of twin cam engines!!!! Excellent job!!!
Thank you very much!
i have watched almost all your videos and was so waiting for this one. as a big Alfa fan, thank you!
Thanks for watching! I'm glad you enjoy my content so much. It's great to reach so many automobile enthusiasts all over the world.
Thanks for this video Matteo - the fascinating story behind Alfa's classic Milanese twin-cam engine.
Glad you enjoyed it :) Thank you!
Matteo your videos are very professional and informative, thank you for the effort you put into them!
Glad you like them :)
I try to outdo myself with every single video I make, as I want this channel to grow in the ultra-competitive TH-cam space, where only the best content wins. And I enjoy every minute of doing it. Thank you very much for your kind words.
Love this channel 👌🤘
Thank you!!!! 😊
Yet another masterpiece.
It's been a real joy to watch this video, made by you. You should be proud my friend!
Thank you so much 😀 Next week the TS engine, watch this space ;)
Absolutely brilliant video Matteo, complimenti! The historic imagery was just a feast x tutti appassionati di automobili Italiani. Thanks for sharing such high quality material.
Grazie Mille :)
Watch this space, as this Friday I'll cover the Twin Spark ;)
I have always thought when you buy an alfa romeo you buy an engine everything else is free
Truth.
more than trust
Not really. The handeling is what stands out more
Amazing engine way ahead his time. I had a 82 Alfetta 2.0 and another 147 2.0. LOVE THEM. As someone said it's a tough engine that just requires to the owner to know how to drive it. Some people complain because they pretend to rev it in cold, or put any cheap oil and that kills the engine. Thanks for this video!
Thank you :) The story of the Twin Spark is coming this Friday, by the way ;)
Gorgeous content man...everytime better and better...!! Rarely seen so much precision in details within perfect synthesis...it's like a pray for us Alfisti 🙏🏻
Glad you like them so much, thank you!!!
Out of respect, I will now delete "Nord" from my vocabulary... Bialbero is it's rightfull name. Thank you good sir again, I have learnt more from you today!
Thank you very much :)
Yes, the "Nord" term has been largely coined by foreign press. Here in Italy the classic Alfa inline-four has always been "il bialbero".
@@Matteo_Licata I live in South Africa, one of Alfa Romeo's historical "outposts". In SA it was also always called the twincam (vs V6)... "Nord (vs Busso)" are more recent terms used here recently following online popularity. I have a 73 GTV... and am rebuilding the glorious 47 yr old engine you have just so beautifully presented the history for. It makes it even better for me. Excellent work, and very much appreciated.
Lol! Same here!
Yet another fantastic video! You put so much information in them! Keep up the good work!!!!
Thanks, will do! Twin Spark engine scheduled for next week ;)
My friend, your videos help me reach closer to Heaven. God Bless, your videos are the hightes of the high. Thank you so much. Marc.
Wow, thank you very much indeed. Very kind words that make my day!
Well this was worth the wait . It’s like going to school but actually enjoying the lessons for once 😂 Great video once again Matteo 🙏
Glad you enjoyed it!
I miei complimenti. Passione e competenza della materia sono evidenti. Bella la dedica a Domenico Chirico. Bravo!
Grazie mille. La dedica a Chirico ci voleva, visto che ho fatto molto riferimento alla sua bella serie di articoli sulla motoristica Alfa Romeo, apparsa su "Auto Tecnica" fra il 2001 ed il 2003. Un peccato che il suo libro "L'Alfa e le sue auto", sia stato stampato in troppe poche copie e sia difficile da trovare oggigiorno.
Great video. Many thanks. Viva Alfa Romeo!
Glad you liked it, thank you!
So today we have learned a new word of Italian - 'Bialbero'. Great video as always. Grazie!
👍🏽👍🏽 a magic word into Italian language
My pleasure! Grazie mille!
My Alfa GT with twin carbs was thirsty ..... But awesome sound and pretty quick for a 30yr old.
Yep. My '81 GTV 2.0L with twin 45mm Webers drinks about 50% more than my 2.5L V6 156....
Taking the Busso GTV out today, cheers to this great channel - un abbraccione 👍
Wow, really detailed and interesting video about the "bialberos". A must to vew for any alfisti or petrohead. Congratulations Matteo!
Thank you!!! :)
GREAT EPISODE AS USUAL 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾🍀🍀🍀🍀
Thank you!!!! :)
Another fantastic video Matteo. Very interesting and educational. Keep them coming.
P. S. Miss you on Twitter dude.
Hey, thank you very much :)
Had a good run on Twitter, but I was enjoying it less and less over the past month or so. Was almost impossible to silence the anger and intolerance reverberating from events in the wider world...
Thank you so much for another great video. I love both, the original and second Giulietta, just beatiful cars. And this engine is like a sculpture, only the looks would justify to buy one. Ciao 🙋♂️
Glad you enjoyed it! I'm a big fan of the 1977 Giulietta, an underrated design in my view. That's the reason why I wrote my first book about it
I've posted the same expression a few hours ago!
One of the few cases that you can buy a car for the sculpture that's inside
@@Matteo_Licata Just ordered the Giulietta book!
I absolutely loved this video. I recently found your channel. Very informative. I hope I’ll be buying my first soon. A 75 105 Junior.
Awesome! Thank you! Welcome on board. Love those late juniors, with the grille and interior from the 2000 GTV
First i press like then i enjoy watching the video! 😁😁
Grazie Matteo for this tribute to the legendary bialbero!
Buon compleanno Alfa Romeo! 💯+🔟🎇
Right.
Happy birthday to a top marque from 110 years.
The top auto-brands are not few but the most loved ones since ever, yes
Thank you very much!
beautiful automotive Alfa history!
A good basic design lasting decades, fantástico! Great video, thank you 👍👍👍😊
Thank you! Cheers!
Brilliant knowledge and details!👍🏻
Thank you! Glad you appreciated it!
ottimi video, veloci rapidi e concisi. Subscribed !
Grazie mille! Mi fa particolarmente piacere quando anche i miei compatrioti apprezzano! Benvenuto!
Reminds me of my Italian father in law. Loved Alfa's, but said if you didn't warm them up properly the head gasket was guaranteed to blow.
Love the engines.
Well, that could be said for most engines of the era... You had to be more careful than now if you wanted your car to last
@@Matteo_Licata yes. I'm hankering for a 2 seater with a Busso...
Great Docu 👍 So interesting , please do more Articles about the FCA Factory’s 🙏🇮🇹🤟😎✌️👍
Great video, I learned some new things here, thank you so much! 👌🍀🇮🇹
My pleasure! Thank you :)
wohoo awesome video! I saw the little easter egg at the end for the 164 :DD
Yes... As you'll know all too well, the 8-valve TS engine ended with the 164. The next installment of the "great engines" series will be about the TS. I'm not yet sure whether to make two separate videos or one longer one
@@Matteo_Licata hmmm in not sure. Maybe 2 separate. So that we learn more for the ts engines in a video all about them. And then one for 164 later.
Another interesting Alfa Romeo story that included a few of my favorite models (the 75 being one of them). Have you covered the Lancia Delta Integrale? If not, I can almost guarantee that there is interest in that particular car.
I've covered the 'Grale at the very beginning of this channel... When I wasn't yet very good at videomaking... So it'll be a good idea to go back on the subject in the future
The Lampredi designed engine in it alone is as iconic as the Bialbero :)
Congratulations !... As usual, a very clear and good explain 🇮🇹
Thank you! 😃
@@Matteo_Licata , anyway, the long life of all Alfa Romeo motors (Bialbero, Busso, boxer) shows how the conception of such motors are great, and how ingeniors (Orazzio Satta Puglia, Giuseppe Busso, Rudolf Hruska) deserve all our thanks forever ...
Another amazing video! Keep it up!
Thanks! Will do!
As the owner of both the DOHC 4 cylinder and the 2.5L V6, its still a mystery to me why only the glorious V6 is colloquially known as a "Busso". They are both masterpieces from the grand composer that deliver an operatic tour de force.
Yes indeed. Everyone calls the V6 "Busso", yet the 4 cylinder was just as much his creation as the V6 was.
Like how everyone calls the 105-series coupe "The Bertone coupe" though both that one and the Alfetta GTV was really designed by Giugaro, working at Bertone in the first instance and on his own at the second.
@@ingvarhallstrom2306 "Bertone" had always been the name given to the work of many different designers that worked FOR Bertone. IE the most iconic "Bertone" designs are almost all of Marcello Gandini (Lancia Stratos, Fiat X 1/9, Ferrari Dino GT4, Lamborghini Miura...)
Sud boxer is also a Busso engine
Tottaly love my alfa 75 bialbero T.S ! Such sound for a injection engine, pretty like carburator with the vvt ! Really love it!!!
Couldn't agree more! The TS sounded real good
Beautiful...
Rauf, your logo speaks for you
Thanks a lot 😊
Ottimo lavoro Mateo, la mia Alfa 155 TS ha un motore in alluminio simile a quello del 75. Quei cuori sono belli e mitici.
Great little history lesson there Matteo. Thanks man. There is a other "Bialbero" across the road in Turin that would more than warrant a mention.
Thank you :)
A story of the "Lampredi" twin cam would make for a nice video. Will happen someday, as "Great Engines" has now become one of my video series :)
Look forward to it.
Right
Fiat developed excellent ideas by simplifying solutions for attention to costs and maintenance
Thank you very much for video! Valuable lessons again for the twin cam owners. 👍
My pleasure! :) Thank you!
Both NORD and the V6 are legendary. G. Busso is a genius engineer. Please do an "VM MOTORI" story. Cheers :)
Thank you :)
I didn't know someone would be interested in the diesel engines from VM... But it's a nice idea, may happen someday :)
I had the 2 liter in my GTV of 1984 .
I had stage 2 cames and bigger jets in the Webers .
Also flowed the in and exhaust manifolds .
155 BHP and 210 Nm at 3500 rpm .
Insane engine with a ferousious sound .
There was not much below 3000 rpm , but past that it was like a train hit your back !
In 1991 I completely blew away a 308GTB on Zandvoort circuit .
One of the best engines ever designed
When treated right and warmed up gently , they were BOMBproof , 6000 rpm every day , year in year out .
Try that with a modern engine !!!!!!
Indeed. Alfa's engineers had racing in their blood, which resulted in largely overbuilt engines that responded well to tuning and lasted long if treated with a minimum of respect. Your GTV sure must have been a ton of fun!
VVT system has been used in 1987 on Alfa 75 twin spark as well.
I know. But I've left the Twin Spark for today's new video ;)
Great !
And it's nice to learn after 35 years or so the engine known to me as the "Nord" has actually got a different and older nickname. Bialbero sounds way better too :) Love your videos.
Thank you :)
Yes, "Nord" is a term coined by the English press, it has never been used here in Italy.
@@Matteo_Licata Yes thanks to your video I think many people learned something new which is actually old :) Here in Holland also a lot of people called it Nord, but from now on one less :)
Wow!
Great video!
Thanks!
Thank you too! I'm glad you've enjoyed it so much :)
Miss my Alfa’s
75 TS
75 3.0 with QV engine
146 ti
156 2.0 JTS
159 1.9 jtd
159 Ti 2.0 JTDm
Gulietta 2.0 TCT
Now I drive a Volvo V60 T6 R-design hybrid 😩😩
The Giulietta isn't a great Alfa, but I feel a certain affection to it because I worked on it: www.roadster-life.com/post/alfa-memories
Terrible when compared to the list you wrote. but more domestic, ..electrododomestic.
This is a common characteristic of the today's cars
@@Matteo_Licata Agree. Interesting
Oh man. Every time, I see a new car I want to have. :-)
Miss you man. If you ever what to chat away from all the Social Media noise, let me know and I'll find a way.
You can always drop me an email, I've not disappeared :)
Roadster Life okay. I’ll drop you a line.
Enjoy you documentary, I love FIAT LANCIA and Alfa Romeo history
Thank you!!!
Great video, again. Did I imagine it or was there a 2.2L Twin Spark from Alfa?
Alfa Romeo never went beyond 1995cc with the original "Nord" aluminum block. However, tuners like Alfaholics are now building 2,3L Twin Sparks by going for siamese cylinder bores, which is something that material technology once didn't allow.
@@Matteo_Licata I remember at Omega Motorsports in LA we saw a few 2.2, and I didn't know about 2.3. We also a 3.7 V6, but that really pushed it to the limits. And dropping my friend's race-prepared 2L in my right 1973 Spider was a hoot in LA traffic. No one bothered me until my friend with his Tesla Roadster :(
Do the fiat twin cam next
That was very good. Please do a similar one for the twin spark, even though it doesn't really deserve it...
A twin spark video is coming this friday :)
And it does deserve it, in my view...
Bella la dedica all'Ing. Domenico Chirico, il creatore, assieme a Rudolph Hurska, dell'Alfasud e successivamente della 164.
Mi sono sentito quasi in obbligo, visto che per i miei video sulla motoristica Alfa Romeo sto consultando molto gli articoli che egli scrisse a riguardo fra il 2001 ed il 2003.
@@Matteo_Licata io ho letto il suo libro, anche quello di Busso.
@@salvatorep.1685 Ho quello di Busso, ed ho consultato quello di Chirico per i miei libri, ma purtroppo non ne ho una copia mia. Difficile da trovare oggi, ne stamparono pochi.
@@Matteo_Licata il titolo è "L'Alfa e le sue auto", mentre quello di Busso "Nel cuore dell'Alfa". Ho anche 2 libri introvabili di Catarsi sull'Alfetta e sulla Giulia e uno di Ardizio sulla produzione di Arese.....e tanto altro...
It is one of the finest engines ever made. I have little doubt about that, and its been depressing to realise the best we could do in Britain was the MGA Twin Cam...clever but temperamental and the single cam 16 valve Dolomite Sprint.....er.....clever but temperamental..😕
Hey Tim, however, you mentioned two particular and valid cars in the banal forgotten automotive universe! Especially the Dolomite, a beautiful sporty berlinetta, a sort of English Alfa
Well to make life a bit easier for you : The French also failed with their Facel Verga Facellia twin cam engine, actually in the same way as the MGA twin cam : the thing wanted to revv to happily and kill itself.
@@Rammstein56Fascinating fragile car.
From the 30s onwards the French have no longer excelled in the supercars, as they attempted with Facel
How about the engines Lotus used?
@@sannedelahaye3407 I know that the 1.6 Lotus had problems with the heads, which were solved a little late, when now the customers were wary
Superb 💖😷👍
Thank you! Cheers!
Hello Matteo, very interesting video. I never knew the first TS engines used the Bialbero engine block. Is this the 2.0 engine in the 164, 75 and also the 1.8 8Valve TS of the 155 with 125HP? And also, were the first TS 16Valve (CF1 TWIN SPARK) engines used by the 1st series (1995-97) GTV 916 the type with the old Alfa engine block or different block?
I'll go into detail next friday, as the Twin Spark video is coming :)
The 8v TS engines were Arese-made engines with the older block.
16v TS engines were a completely different breed, based on the new Fiat "Pratola Serra" block.
Once appointed to be the sexiest 4-cyl. engine.
Did they ever make multivalve heads for these engines?
No. Alfa in the 80s evaluated three and four valve heads but went with the Twin Spark head in the end.
I did not know that the bialbero was also designed by G Busso... interesting. So, all 4cyl and 6cyl engines proposed by Alfa Romeo in that period were Busso designed
I don't think he developed the Sud engine?
Porn for engineers explained with the most suitable accent! Appreciated! Loved it!
Glad to hear that :)
Thank you!!!
Alfa Romeo the best in the world & of all times !!! 🇮🇹 💓 💪 🏎 🇮🇹
The 1.8 8v Twin Spark in the 155 was really nice. Just a bit less powerful than the 2.0 but it felt quicker and more responsive.
The TS is coming in this week video... Watch this space ;)
@@Matteo_Licata 👍🏻great!
Bellissimo video..Scusate se mi permetto ma ogni tanto qualche pausa e virgola in più sarebbero l'ideale..
Hallo. I wonder if you can make a interesting video about alfa's vans and trucks. I like for example the alfa AR 6 and AR 8. I own a peugeot j5 camper, but i turned into a ar 6😁. Don't tell it to anyone 🙄. I look forward to it.
It's a cool idea, even if I wonder how many people would be interested... But I'll need to try in order to see it ;)
Interesting purpose
A joy as ever - must be the English language with the authentic Italian accent - just joking - great content beautifully told -thanks again for the entertainments
Entertainment
😀 Thank you!
Here in Brazil we have the Alfa Romeo 2300, with 2.3 liter twin-cam engine
th-cam.com/video/98uXbLWeFQs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=0eMIJ5d5DOKfy2Gq
FORZA ALFA!!!!💪🏼🇮🇹🏎
I can't understand the reason even we italians call carburetors Weber initial w with english pronunciation, a double u, instead of the german: Edoardo Weber, from a swiss parent, worked here in Bologna and the old factory we say it with the V pronunciation.
Sorry, I know Weber's history but I do pronounce it badly from time to time. Thank you for reminding us :)
I have a 74 spica and want to convert to side webbers but are the newer webbers better than the old ones they used on these cars? My spica is very temperamental and I don't know anybody at all who will work on them and I live in a big city. I mean one year it dies at idle but starts great, the next year it is very hard to even start, but once it does, it runs great with no stalling. I just want the consistency of a car that starts easy, and runs until you shut it off. But when I called even the best company in Seattle to ask if they could do the switch? the guy didn't know and said he would have to ask somebody else. I wish I could find a little old man who knew these cars in and out. But as the years go by, it gets more and more hard to find anybody even willing to work on them
@@fredgarv79 The issue of the disappearing expertise related to maintenance and repair of classic cars is indeed very real and it’s only going to get more acute in the future. Unfortunately, I’m in no position to help you on this matter, as I have no information about the quality of modern reproduced weber carbs
So the VTEC engine was first produced by Alfa Romeo ??
Hold on. What I've said in the video is that the Alfa one is the first practical VVT system ever seen on a production car's engine.
Honda's VTEC system came later, and it followed a different principle. While the Alfa, like other VVTs that came later, rotated the camshaft relative to its pulley, therefore changing the timing, the Honda VTEC system used two different cams, one for low revs, one for high revs. With VTEC, lift and duration can change, not just the phasing.
Here on TH-cam you'll certainly find videos that show how the VTEC works.
@@Matteo_Licata yes i know . But it's more or less the same principle i.e. variable valve lift . Honda uses a VTEC system whilst alfa a VVT system . But was it Alfa who came up with this idea ? . Many Japanese " innovations " are usually creations from Europe and then perfected and or copied and made reliable by the Japanese .
@@ivanvisanich Basically the VTEC is different and much more sophisticated, because it modifies the valve lift. The VVT of the ALFA ROMEO, only modifies the timing on the intake camshaft for increase the valve overlap. Was adopted to comply with Californian anti-pollution regulations, reducing unburnt hydrocarbons caused by high overlap angles.
I am still working on the South Africa project! Today, I heard an Alfa I'd never looked at before. For some reasons the Montreal. 😩2.6 V8 didn't make sense to me. From this video, I learned Guiseppe Busso designed the Twin Cam. He also designed the best sounding V8 EVER. And the best sounding engine EVER the V6. How about a video devoted to the genius musician? 😃
Well... Busso did not design the V8. The V8 was designed at Autodelta by Carlo Chiti. Busso did certainly oversee its development into a production unit for the Montreal, but the general design of the engine wasn't his.
Oh, I see. The video I saw must have had incorrect information. Still a genius though 😃
You forgot the mention the 16v on GTAM!!!
I see you haven't read the description ;)
I've left the GTAm out because it has never been a road car the public could buy. Secondly, the GTAm cylinder head is a precursor to the Twin Spark... So I'll treat it in the upcoming TS video ;)
Nice video. Nothing about the 155
The 155 will feature in the upcoming video about the TS engines ;)
Thank you!
Can you put this engine on a Alfa romeo 164 3.0 v6 1989car? That engine doesnt work any more but the rest of the car is intact
Potresti farli anche in italiano questi video sarebbe fantastico
Grazie mille per il tuo apprezzamento.
Capisco e non è la prima volta che mi viene suggerito. Non lo escludo ma non faccio promesse: gli introiti legati alla pubblicità sui video variano secondo le aree geografiche, ed il mondo anglosassone tende a generare un ritorno migliore. Mai dire mai, comunque ;)
Loved the video! Alfas are so sexy!
There are the 155 with the bialbero
th-cam.com/video/P_tUhnOh12Y/w-d-xo.html
@@Matteo_Licata sory 😅
Alfa people, i know, don't call the Nord engine the Bailbero. In my circles that is an Abarth term.
I mean nearly every Alfa engine is a bailbero
An observation: You of course need DOHC if you want to win races but it is typical SOHC's sooner or later hit the same power outputs but then maybe 10 years later. DOHC also do not have inherently lower fuel consumptions. Is it very oldfashioned to say that a daily drive car still does not really need DOHC or is that just conservative nonsense?
Very interesting thought! But that's a question best asked to a powertrain engineer, rather than an automobile historian :)
@@Matteo_Licata My appologies. As you probably already guesed I meant that question in a rather rethorical sense. I did however not want to be too presumptious since you clearly DO know what you are talking about. :-)
SOHC and DOHC in automotive had been practically become synonyms of "two parallel valves" and "angled valves (two or four)" respectively.
Since you can put bigger valves on a head if they are put at an angle (not to say if there are four of them) DOHC are more powerful, becaue they'll breath better at higher revs, where the max power is reached. In ten years other things (IE shape of the cams and manifolds) can evolve to offset that advantage, but in ten years those things will evolve for twincams too.
In motorcycle engines, this difference is not a given IE almost any scooter/moped has a single cylinder, SOHC with four valves. The camshaft is put between the angle of the valves, because that's the most compact configuration possible. www.kmotoshop.it/upload/27/274ad4786c3abca69fa097b85867d9a4/2731aa33bc180cbbbb3da78a0199b12c.jpg
In automotive this configuration is not used because it's more complex than putting two camshafts over the valves, and the compactness of the head is not that important.
@@neutronalchemist3241 Your point about parallel development of many other variables actually fits into my assumption. By the way: Almost all higher performance motorcycles nowadays actually have DOHC. SOHC tends to survive in the 125 cc class because many types carry a chinese produced engine derived from older Japanese models.
@@marcbrasse747 It's because high performance motorcycle engines tend to pass 10,000 rpm. Once passed 10,000 rpm the rockers can't follow precisely the cams any more, so DOHC are required.
That's obviously less important for automotive engines (where practically no engine reaches that limit) or singles. Infact the most powerful single cylinder engine in production for motorcycles (The KTM LC4) is SOHC and so are the Honda CRF, or XR, equally used for competitions too.
KYM LC4 690 s3.amazonaws.com/advrider-photobucket-images/images/l/lortdadu_IMG_20150523_213038.jpg
Honda CRF blog.gearhead.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/IMG_8883-Medium.jpg
Honda XR 2.bp.blogspot.com/-PTg9FZUtI5E/UlDhpbQ87wI/AAAAAAAADwY/rxQ3VPLaeSA/s1600/engine+cutout.jpg
Muy buen motor el alfa romeo twin cam pero el Fiat Twin cam es muy superior al motor de alfa romeo , ya que el fiat tiene bloque de hierro fundido que es mucho mas fiable y robusto que el de aluminio, la culata del fiat es mas moderna y el angulo de válvulas de alfa es a 80 grados y el angulo de fiat es a 65 grados que es mucho mejor , y la distribución es por correa de neopreno que es mas silenciosa que la cadena de alfa romeo además la distribución por correa es mas fácil cambiarla y mucho mas económica , me gusta el motor alfa romeo pero el motor fiat tiwn cam de lampredi es muy superior al de alfa romeo
what a disaster this engine. Incidentally, this applies to all otherwise beautiful Italian cars. I have driven fiat 124 sports coupe's, fiat dino' s and lancia coupe's and finally alfa romeo. Disastrous.