Reunion with Legendary Coupe

One day I found the owner of such a beloved Legend coupe on Instagram. We spoke with him, and he was relatively close to us.He had a Legend Coupe Alfa Touring in almost original condition.The first is the "I" in "I".

When we met him in Ashiari, we learned that the owner was a student, and that he had inherited his father's car as a kind of inheritance. And he is an incomparable driving enthusiast.

I was already so happy and pleased to see myself in the past that I forgot about the time and had a great time talking about cars.

The Legend coupe I was shown is the same Alfa Touring I was driving.

The Alfa Touring is the top-of-the-line grade, with 16-inch aluminum wheels, hardened suspension, a special vertical grille, red-stitched leather seats, red meter hands, and a C32A Type II engine with about 20 PS more power.

This C32A engine is the sibling of the C30A engine used in the NSX at the time. Although the cylinder diameter is the same, the Legend's engine has a slightly longer stroke, resulting in a 3200cc engine, and it is a SOHC engine without VTEC. However, it is a very good engine, so it runs lightly and produces a very pleasant Honda-like engine sound at high rpm.

This Legend coupe is a one-owner property.The proof of this is the two-digit license plate number. It is common to see Legend Coupes with lowered ride height and external wheels, but it is rare to find a Legend Coupe that still wears genuine Alfa Touring wheels and has been so carefully maintained.

According to the owner.He says that the car runs quite normally, although there are some problems with the leather on the seats deteriorating over time and the passenger seat sliding.

Anyway, I personally love the design. It is still my favorite design, especially from directly behind, the low, stooped mass from the diagonal front, and the sharp front mask.

Driving a Legend Coupe for the first time in 16 years.

The body, painted in four coats and four bakes, still retains its shine. When you open the door, you'll seeThe door is just heavy.The AMG S63 coupe is also on the heavier side with its voluminous doors, but the Legend feels more stuffed.

When the door is closed, the auto-closer automatically and quietly retracts the door. The seats are sports seats with firm side support specially designed for the coupe, and I think they are firm seats among Japanese cars of that time.

I think the unit I was driving at the time had a little harder leather, but this car feels shinier in the leather.Anyway, it's a really nice seat that doesn't tire me out.

The interior is luxurious as only a car of that era could be, with a center console of Tendo Woodwork's wooden panel, a rare gas rate sensor autonomous navigation system & a factory navigation system with GPS. It is also equipped with a Luxman pure sound system. It was almost all-inclusive for its time.

When the engine is started, the engine wakes up instantly and makes a reasonable engine noise. This is where it differed from the Celsior and other luxury sedans of the time, and this is also where it was said to lack a sense of luxury.

All seats in the ALPHA TOURING are electrically adjustable, and seat memory is naturally included.After sitting in the driver's seat of the Legend coupe for the first time in a long time, I thought that this seating position, with its very good visibility, makes it easy to drive.

Although the car is low in height, the driver has good visibility from front to rear and left to right, and the low dashboard gives the driver the feeling that he or she is operating the car from above. The steering wheel can also be finely adjusted electrically, allowing for a truly relaxed and optimal driving position.

Now that I think about it.This driving position may have been a major factor in the fact that I did not tire after such a long distance.I thought.

When you step on the accelerator pedal and start going forward, the 4-speed AT shifts from 1st to 2nd gear, and you miss the easy-to-understand transmission of the gearshift shock. It is unthinkable today, but this was the case with most ATs at that time.

However, this unit still looks to be in good shape as the shocks are smaller and smoother than the one I was on, and there is no slippage at all.

Running through the Shakego corner, this is the do-under car I have felt in a long time.To be precise, it is not so much understeer as not turning in the first place.They try to expand outward more than you can imagine.

At first, I was puzzled, but memories of those days came back to me, and I became accustomed to driving.

I miss the feeling of being pulled along in front that only a heavy FWD car can give me. Tight corners are not my favorite, but gentle corners are very pleasant. When you turn with a little pressure on the accelerator pedal, the front end of the car stays flat and pulls you through the corner with ease. I loved this feeling of the Legend Coupe.

The ride is smooth and flat overall, although the drivetrain is a bit choppy compared to modern cars.It is. The roll in curves is also large, but it can be managed depending on how the load is applied. In my vague recollection of the past, the body rigidity was a little less rigid and the ride was a little rough, but compared to my recollection, it is much more solid and the ride is generally comfortable.

As I drive, memories of those days come back to me vividly. Commuting to school and part-time jobs, long tours alone, driving with friends, college, clubs, girlfriends, music I was listening to at the time, and many other memories came back to me.

When you drive a car, it can act as "a kind of time machine that brings back memories of that moment in time that you have usually forgotten.

When the driver steps on the brake before a corner, the touch is softer than one would expect from today's cars, and it is the type that works at the back of the car. At first, I thought, "Doesn't it work very well?" I thought, "It doesn't work very well.The position that works is at the backIt is. Once you get used to it, you won't be so worried.

When I rev the engine a little, it kicks down quickly and the engine turns over pleasantly. This is the Honda engine. The engine sound is elegant and sporty.It sounds very much like a Honda V6 engine.The sound of the engine is a nostalgic one, and I turn my attention to the engine.

Power is 235ps and torque is 29.5kgf-m. The Type II C32A mounted on this Alfa Touring is a high-revving type that produces 235 hp at 6300 rpm, making it very fun to turn. Of course, it is not insanely fast, but there is no frustration in terms of athletic performance.

The freeway wasn't tested this time around.The good straight line stability of the Ashiu Tunnel can be clearly seen when driving in the straight lines of the tunnel.I have thought since that time that the high-speed stability of the Legend is, by far, the best among Japanese cars. The same was true of the previous generation KA3, this KA8, and its successor, the KA9, were also outstanding in terms of stability and security at high speeds.

Since then, I have experienced many imported and domestic cars, and I think the Legend's high-speed stability is something to be proud of.

Legend is Legend

By the end of the test drive, I felt as if I had been transported back to the present day in a time machine and was no longer quite sure how old I was.

The Legend Coupe, which I hadn't driven in a long time, is the very Legend Coupe I remember.It was. The feeling of wanting to drive forever and ever. I felt most at home when I drove at a slightly high pace, neither slow nor fast.

I have driven the S63 coupe, the SL500, and various other large coupes in search of the ride quality of this Legend coupe, and it is different from all of them. It is a one-of-a-kind ride.

After all, Legend was Legend.

I can only thank the owner for showing me such a rare specimen. According to the owner'Legend makes me want to ride and drive as much as I can.It seems to be "I feel exactly the same way. I feel exactly the same way. I guess this car has that kind of appeal.

Parts are no longer readily available and repairs are difficult in some areas, but we hope that you will continue to take good care of your Porsche. We secretly hope that one day we will be able to tour together in a Porsche.