We've bought Clarkson's favourite hatchback for just £1700 – How bad can it be?
Summary
TLDRThe narrator buys a used 2007 Alfa Romeo Brera hatchback for £1,700, choosing the less common 5-cylinder diesel engine over the V6. He takes it to a specialist who confirms it was overpriced but not terrible. It fails its MOT on several minor issues like parking brake, wipers, and exhaust. They make a plan to modify the Brera with coilovers, new wheels, and a tune to turn it into the driver's car it should be, dubbing the project 'Project Bleep' after Jeremy Clarkson's colorful quote about the car.
Takeaways
- 😀 The video is about modifying an Alpha Romeo Brera to make it a proper driver's car
- 🚗 The host bought a 2007 Alpha Romeo Brera diesel hatchback for £1700
- ⛽️ The Brera has a 5 cylinder turbo diesel engine which is better than the V6 gasoline engine
- 🚦 The Brera failed its MOT test on several issues like brakes, suspension, exhaust
- 🛠️ The plan is to fix the issues and modify the Brera - coilovers, tune, interior, wheels etc
- 👨🔧 The workshop owner thinks the host overpaid for the Brera even after seeing the issues
- 🔧 The issues found during MOT test don't seem too bad and are fixable
- ⬆️ With fixes and modifications, the Brera can be turned into an amazing hot hatch
- 🏁 The goal is to make the Alpha Romeo Brera the best one in the country
- 🎥 The workshop owner has an Italian car modification YouTube channel called Auto Sportivo
Q & A
What car does the narrator buy?
-The narrator buys a 2007 Alpha Romeo Brera.
How much does the narrator pay for the Brera?
-The narrator pays £1,700 for the Brera.
What color is the Brera that the narrator buys?
-The Brera is misano blue color.
What engine does the narrator's Brera have?
-The Brera has a 5-cylinder turbo diesel engine.
Why does the narrator choose the diesel engine over the V6?
-The narrator chooses the diesel because it can be tuned to have more power and torque than the V6, while also being lighter.
What modifications does the narrator want to make?
-The narrator wants to install coilovers, get a tune-up, replace the interior, get new wheels and tires, and a custom exhaust system.
How many MOT failures does the Brera have initially?
-The Brera fails its MOT on 6 counts initially.
What are some of the MOT failures?
-MOT failures include: faulty parking brake, worn windscreen wipers, loose track rod end, exhaust leaks, a broken coil spring.
Does the mechanic think the narrator overpaid for the Brera?
-Yes, the mechanic thinks the narrator slightly overpaid. He would've offered £1,300 for it.
What is the goal for the Brera project?
-The goal is to modify the Brera to turn it into the driver's car it should have been originally.
Outlines
😄 Introducing the new Alpha Romeo Brera project car
The first paragraph introduces the new Alpha Romeo Brera project car that was just purchased. It describes the car's misano blue color and mentions that Jeremy Clarkson referred to it as an 'automotive icon'. The goal is to modify the Brera into the driver's car it should have been.
🤔 Assessing the Brera's engine and condition
The second paragraph discusses the Brera's diesel 5 cylinder turbo engine, which is better than the V6 engine option. The owner and mechanic acknowledge the car needs some work but don't think it's in terrible shape. They agree upgrades like a tune, coilovers and new wheels will improve it.
👨🔧 Reviewing the results of the MOT inspection
The third paragraph goes through the results of the MOT inspection, which highlighted issues like brake, suspension, exhaust and drivetrain problems. However, the owner notes these defects can be addressed with planned upgrades like new coilovers and exhaust.
🚦 Planning next steps for the project Brera
The fourth paragraph concludes by recapping plans to modify the Brera into a great hot hatch, including creating a parts list. The owner and mechanic agree on moving forward to make this the best Brera in the country.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Alpha Romeo Brera
💡modification
💡diesel engine
💡MOT
💡Jeremy Clarkson
💡project car
💡hot hatch
💡Top Gear
💡Italian passion
💡driving dynamics
Highlights
We bought a 2007 Alpha Romeo Brera for £1,700, hoping to turn it into the driver's car it should have been
The Brera features a beautiful, sloping hood and rear design with quad exhaust pipes
Most go for the V6 engine but we chose the more tunable 5-cylinder turbo diesel instead
The expert says we slightly overpaid at £1,700 but it's not a bad example overall
Common issues on Breras are corroded subframes and problematic V6 engines
Planned modifications include coilovers, a tune, and nicer wheels and tires for better handling
The MOT failed on 6 counts but most issues are easily fixable things like wipers and exhaust
Despite high hopes the expert still thinks we overpaid but will help make it the best Brera possible
The lovely color and design means this Brera could be an internet icon after we fix it up
Named this build Project Bleep due to the 5 cylinder turbo diesel engine
Recommends checking out the Auto Sportivo YouTube channel for more Italian car content
Let Project Bleep commence to turn this into the ultimate driver's hatchback
The Brera is an iconic Top Gear car but the diesel engine choice is a bold move
Jeremy Clarkson said only mustache-twirling villains drive gorgeous coupes with diesel engines
What do you think of Project Bleep? Let us know in the comments!
Transcripts
it is bitterly cold but it doesn't
matter because today is new car day it's
just over there and it's the prettiest
car we've ever had on the driet trick
Channel
Welcome to our 2007 Alpha Romeo Barrera
Jeremy Clarkson referred to one of these
as
automotive and I've bought this one in
misano blue for
£1,700 it may be one of the prettiest
cars of all time it is definitely the
prettiest hatchback of all time I know
it was featured in twodo Coupes but I
see it as a hatchback when you give a
designer like jarro a coup to build he's
going to go mental with the design that
beautiful sloping Bonnet up into the
roof line and then my favorite bit of
the entire design the rear I've never
known a hatchback to curl right down
like this and it's so squat at the back
it's a beautiful line with quad pipes as
well it's a lovely car but there's a
difference with this one this may be not
what you
expect
everyone makes the mistake of going for
the V6 because they see 3.2 and they
think it's the legendary buso engine
it's got a 3.2 L buso
engine but it's not it's some crappy GM
thing that probably ended up in a Vox
all what you want to go for is the 5
cylinder turbo now I know what you're
thinking I didn't know that alfha Mayo
brera came with a 5-cylinder turbo
engine but this one does
there is one catch it is a diesel It's
the JT dm20 valve but diesel means it's
more tunable and if you ref this thing
and put the right exhaust on it it can
sound like an Audi
Quattro first modification this random
rag Jeremy did say that if you get the
diesel engine in a car that looks like
this you're the kind of person that
thinks the monaa should have a mustache
to be honest I don't think the monaa is
that great don't think she's that pretty
she looks a bit grumpy more like Mona
loser am I
right so why have we bought a Bara well
sadly the journalist back in the day
panned this car saying it was super
disappointing to drive compared to how
it looked but I want to change that I
want to modify the Alpha Romeo brera so
it turns into the driver's car it should
always have been turning Jeremy's
favorite hatchback hot today's goal is
to get this thing to an expert give it
the once over and try and get it through
anot how bad can a 1700 alpha male
be we obviously couldn't drive our new
Alpha yet due to the lack of MOT so
shout out to our man Lewis at Bigfoot
Transportation who got it down to us go
check him out on Instagram we are sure
our brera is the prettiest car he's ever
transported you guys probably recognize
an here but he owns this place autop
sportivo Bedford and you've got a
YouTube channel yes so you mocking about
with Italian cars is out there on the
internet yeah it's painful and your your
place here weirdly is becoming a bit of
a hub for internet breas because Taylor
heatherington from the a Alex Channel
had his red one down yeah how bad was
his compared to ours um it was bad
really is this a
I I wouldn't say Mina but it's a hell of
a lot better give that b give
better somebody gone over that with a
scour pad so I bought it from a guy who
was going it was going to be a project
for him and he was going to respray it
but he just I think he got a bit too old
and just didn't have the time so we've
taken over this project BR and then you
thought do you know what let's just send
it here I know a guy and punish me with
it you're that guy yeah so tell me alfha
Pras yeah awful good uh I don't want to
be cruel okay but be cruel come on I
think you you pay too much for it really
yeah how much do you think I should pay
for this I would have given
£1,300 okay slightly over the odds but
Alphas they come very good or very bad
and this is probably sitting borderline
I think just on the middle okay where'
you stand on breras as a car just like
in decent condition are they any good I
like them The Styling especially the um
the pro drive one I think this come on
stylish um and you have done something
good and I you've gone for the better
engine well you tell me so I've gone for
the five I like Cy engin I saw 5
cylinder diesel I was like that's really
cool but they do sound nice when you get
it up the Rev band they sound good um
I've had this engine in my 159 TI and I
did a stage one map on it really T I do
love the engine the only issue you'll
get really EGR valve could you know mess
up that'll throw up an engine light okay
but I had mine for years and it never
gave me any issues and it was a good
engine the engine I don't like in this
car is what Taylor and Alex got the V6
yeah so I've already explained the
differences but um that stage one shun
can take this engine past the V6 I think
both in power and has more torque yeah
so both stats it's going to be further
up plus a bit lighter as well than the
V6 which means it probably be better to
drive yeah okay so my aim with this is
to make it a proper driver's car because
lots of people say it does not live up
to the looks so I'd like to get your
thoughts on yeah coilovers y a tuneup
yep it's not really performance but I'd
like to get a tan interior although I I
would love to get some like Delta
integral Style leather or Alcantara
buckets in there so lose some weight um
I would like to get better Wheels
there's like the alpha wheel I think
they're on the pro drive cars and I'd
like to get them cuz I'm not too sure on
those and guess some proper tires yeah
is there anything else we should be
contemplating or is there not really too
much we can do to this
package stage one for performance I
think that's plenty enough if you sort
the handling out if you get them BC call
overs and those nicer Alloys it'll give
you know it will give it such a nice
stance as well cuz I think it is a sexy
shape I don't think it needs to go much
lower like if it it's sitting quite nice
yeah but I reckon just like an inch or
so less and it'll really hunker down
with those Wheels it'll look beautiful
and then stage one and I think that'll
be enough and then this look this color
misano blue obviously it's looking
pretty hellish now and there's clearly
rattle can spray all over it where
someone started but you know we've got a
body shop that can sort this out and I
reckon this will be a very nice car by
the time we're done yeah we're missing
up bit trim at the front here aren't we
there should be something here and here
oh yeah you got like these slats here
you've got them here but I did see one
in the car but then um right okay the
other one must be in there if it's not
we'll just order one off eBay or
something and wack it on there well I
know you're gagging to get this up on
the ramp to see just how bad it is but I
want to go in completely cold I want to
see if if this 1,700 Quick Car can get
through an mot what's your
bet knowing nothing about the underneath
yeah what do you think um am I right
seeing sub frames yeah they they suffer
why is
that that's just the way they built them
I guess honest this one
the9 and the spider version they got the
same subframes and they just corrode
over time it does smell a bit I know
diesel smell but like this one is
pungent could that be your blockage
somewhere yeah don't worry about it I'll
have a look at it it's in the right
place anyway but we'll check it out and
um we'll just go from there we'll make
we'll make a long list like this cuz I
doubt there going to be
short I know just get it in and have a
look and see what we're dealing with
okay well to create that list first
things first
[Music]
Mot
[Music]
and The Good the Bad and the Ugly I know
the car has failed on six counts I don't
know whether I'm happy or sad about that
but let's go through them some of them
aren't too bad yeah do not drive until
repaired dangerous defect is parking
brake efficiency parking brake so is
that just a cable that LE Titans hand
breake it could be how long has this
been um stood I reckon judging the mot
history and stuff a bit over a year
maybe 13 14 months he could have parked
it up with the hand breake up so it's
just the calipers at the back could have
seized so we that's an easy repair take
them off strip them clean them up don't
worry about that toss as side yeah
repair immediately major defect wind
screen wiper does not clear the wind
screen effectively all right okay oh yes
I think I found yes yeah there you go
there's our that's a lovely easy fix and
I've got them on the Shelf so not a
problem yeah that's 2 minutes and a half
for that's done okay uh the other stuff
all looks like it's underneath so should
we get the car in the air and take a
look at these okay starting from this
end I've got track rod end ball joint
has excessive play offside
front biger
okay is that really enough to fill an
mot I guess so yeah yeah there's quite a
bit in there it's still not as bad as
Taylor's car hell no oh my is it got
four-wheel steering as well um okay and
then moving back just visually I'm
surprised it's not on here the subframe
this we talked about this earlier it's a
common Brea corrosion Place yeah it's
it's got loads of surface but I guess no
holes there isn't we have had a poke and
it is you know still
yeah inside I feel like I want to sort
that anyway if you want to change it
then we'll get one in and we'll change
it can you get like refer
bre uh you could get cuz it's such a
common it's not hard to get hold of so I
a sour one it's not an issue I love that
this bit is it's been nicely undercoated
here by oil so that bit's fine yeah that
bit is okay moving back uh the next one
is exhaust system major leak where the
calls there we go oh oh
wow U yes I mean again I don't want to
get some sort of infection but yeah
should given some gloves I'm fingering
my exhaust right now and I'm back out
so's one that is it both sides that's
looking pretty Hy there in there yeah
okay oh well that at least another one
exhaust system insecure that really fell
on your
head oh
my oh yeah that's coming off that's
coming I think I would call that
insecure actually I'll give him that
yeah um okay that's quite major coil
spring fractured or broken near side
right yeah I see it yeah it's collapsed
there okay is that common on these or is
that just British roads annihilating an
old car if it's been sat and then it's
gone off you you know that's going to
happen well just looking at this list
though coil spring we're going to Bo
coilovers on it from DC so sorted um I
see one of the monitors is tires we're
probably going to get new bridge stones
on these so that's fine wipers fine
exhaust we're going to get a custom job
on this so we get that 5 cylinder nice
roll juice SC so I mean it's not too bad
is it I'll be honest I don't think
that's bad I thought thought it was
going to come back with a hell of a lot
of advisories as well that's that's
nothing that's that's cool I'm happy
with that okay so next thing we'll come
up with a parts list yeah and suddenly
would you say my 1700 quiz looking a bit
better or still too much be honest if I
was to go and view this car I wouldn't
have given them what you paid for it I
would have gone in I would have lowed
him and gone for £1,000 and then he
would have probably come back at me and
said oh5 then I would have found
something else while picking at it and
then I would have gone in at 13 what if
I was to tell you he was a lovely old
man was he yeah oh I still think you
pick he was he was such a lovely old man
he really struggled to do a electronic
bank transfer SW up his bang see you
would have given them the money all day
wouldn't you yes cuz I'm such a nice
person I would have felt sorry but they
just take my money the best 170000 quid
I've ever spent okay right parts list on
and then turn this brera into the best
one in the country and a genuine hot
hatch deal yeah deal de
yes with that another car joins the driv
tribe garage what do you make of it tell
me in the comments below the brera is a
top gear icon I will admit I've gone
slightly Rogue with the engine choice
but I reckon with our whole aim to this
project that engine is going to come
good we've decided to Crown this project
project you're going to need to bleep
that out editor cuz of the key words on
YouTube but I think it's fitting for a
car that looks this amazing and of
course Jeremy's quote if you're into
Niche Italian sports cars definitely
head over and subscribe to the autop
sport Bedford YouTube channel I love the
content on there and the kit that's in
this Workshop is topnotch so head on
over there we'll put the link in the
description and maybe also in the top
comment if you like this video give it a
thumbs up I've been m and don't forget
to subscribe to driv tribe let project
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