Get that Arna off my driveway!

[Station]

 

"Aw, but dad, there's only three left in the country (that we know about)."

 

1 down, two to go!!

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I had two of those MoFos. First was a B plate 1.2SL in a grim dark bluey green that I ran in 1996 and 1997 (not 100% sure if it had a valid disc or not) and the second was a white 1.3SL that was a low mileage mionter that had been stuffed through a hedge - I bought it for the engine to go into a 1978 Alfasud Ti.

 

They weren't a bad car at all. I treated mine very badly and it didn't break once.

[Micrashed]

Lad who I did my nurse training with bought a Cherry Europe, went like stink and rusted twice as fast.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Mine was okay for rust and in 1997 was a 13 year old car. Look through Tiggers road tests and the Arna was considered to be a pretty good driving car, derpsite what 'experts' say.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

How smart is this?

 

http://flipacars.com/pics/Alfa%20Romeo/ ... rna-06.jpg

[vulgalour]

Lose one Shite Card if you had to Google what an Arna is/was. *hands over Shite Card*

[Junkman]

How smart is this?

 

http://flipacars.com/pics/Alfa%20Romeo/ ... rna-06.jpg

 

This is roughly the dumbest thing I've seen and I saw a lot of dumb things in my life.

I guess it's time for an Allegro II, no?

[trigger]

I don't know, that looks pretty nice to me.

[Junkman]

I don't know, that looks pretty nice to me.

 

Yeah, it's another uninspired variation of the generic contemporary McAlfa design, so yes, it looks McGood if you have never seen an old car.

The totally bonkers thing is to call it Arna II. That's a bit like calling the next Mondeo Edsel II or a new cruise ship Titanic II.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I don't know, that looks pretty nice to me.

 

 

Looks okay to me - not so much the Alfa grille but with shades of the final shape Primera. In other words it doesn't look too obviously Alfa or over styled.

[Station]

Isn't the Arna a Cherry anyway ... ?

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Cherry shell but with Alfa 33 inner wings, front half trans tunnel and chassis legs grafted in. Compared to a Fiesta or Mark 111 Escort they were very refined.

[autofive]

 

 

this bloke has two; one white and one in green

[Micrashed]

How smart is this?

 

http://flipacars.com/pics/Alfa%20Romeo/ ... rna-06.jpg

Shrunken Primera with 2.2DCi engine? Kwolity - not.

[Spiny Norman]

I remember when the Arna/Cherry Europe was launched.

Fecking genius idea to get the Japs to do the ride/handling set up and the styling and then let the Italians build it.

 

Behold the magnificence...

 

[Lacquer Peel]

Most of the opinions about them seem to be from people who've read the 'Crap Cars' book and not been near one in the metal, old Rev. BJ's post confirms my idea that they were alright really.

To say that they're all Datsun underneath is wrong, I think the front end is from an Alfasud.

[gtd2000]

I remember at the time when they came out thinking..."WTF were they thinking?"

 

I could understand an Italian styled car using Japanese workers and components - but take a car that would rust in a few short years and add Italians to the mix and hey you have a very bad outcome

 

I always thought a German car with Japanese gear running it, would have been a good combination.

[Lacquer Peel]

I remember at the time when they came out thinking..."WTF were they thinking?"

 

I could understand an Italian styled car using Japanese workers and components - but take a car that would rust in a few short years and add Italians to the mix and hey you have a very bad outcome

 

I always thought a German car with Japanese gear running it, would have been a good combination.

 

The Nissan tie-up with Alfa was so they could make inroads into Europe with a European-built car.

 

If Fiat hadn't got jealous we might have seen a stylish Alfa Romeo based on Primera P10 underpinnings eventually, that would have been great, Primeras are great to drive but look dour.

[HillmanImp]

I remember seeing this one at the NEC the year before last. (not my photos).

 

 

Not sure of this was the original interior trim colour?

 

[HillmanImp]

Sorry, double post

[Spiny Norman]

Does look quite funky with the green seats.

[gtd2000]

Funky green is my memory of them.

[gtd2000]

The Nissan tie-up with Alfa was so they could make inroads into Europe with a European-built car.

 

If Fiat hadn't got jealous we might have seen a stylish Alfa Romeo based on Primera P10 underpinnings eventually, that would have been great, Primeras are great to drive but look dour.

 

 

I can see the logic of that.... I guess - but using Alfa as a partner...hmm?

 

Then again KIA built the Rover KV6 under license, so it appears you can sell any old chod to some people

[HMC]

Had both a cherry europe and an alfa arna that i used to have a nose at on my paperround circa 1992 and both were starting to look moth eaten at around 7 years old.

 

It was quite a future shite spotters paradise as there were 2 cx estates and no less than 2 montego vanden plas estates plus an alfa romea alfetta

[Burnside]

I remember seeing this one at the NEC the year before last. (not my photos).

 

 

Not sure of this was the original interior trim colour?

 

 

Spoke to the owner of this car at MITCAR about 2 years ago. That interior is original. The car was a 1 owner job from new and did look like a new car condition wise. I used my voting form for the best car of the day on this badboy though it didn't win. Alot of the "older" Alfa owners were less than pleased to see it too! Which really annoyed me to be honest. I can remenber seeing a pov white Arna 5dr round Tamworth when I was still a kid and thought it was ok

 

 

this bloke has two; one white and one in green

.

 

Any more pics of these?

[Mash]

Do I assume that Arna II is a photoshop based on a Primera? I tell you what, I really like the shape of that!!

[autofive]

 

Any more pics of these?

 

 

[SambaS]

I fucking love Arnas.

[hairnet]

How smart is this?

 

http://flipacars.com/pics/Alfa%20Romeo/ ... rna-06.jpg

looks like a shortened primera with alfa tat on it

[Spiny Norman]

Is that real or is it a shoop? I can't see any pixels.

 

Silliness aside, it's a damn sight better looking car than the ill-proportioned MiTo, even if it does seem to have a massive oil leak.