Refurbishing and Modernizing a 159

Hi all,

Last time I was here was 13 years ago, when I had a 156 V6 Q-System. Unfortunately, the car met its end in a battery fire and I moved on to other European marques.

Last year, I saw a red 159 on the road and it was still such a stunning car that the image stuck with me. I started my hunt for a 159 Sportwagon but those are extremely rare here (only one unit in the country). End of last year, a lovely low-mileage unit came up on sale in the right colors (red with tan) and, after more than a decade, I'm back in an Alfa!

My car is a 2011 159 2.2 JTS Selespeed. It was sold as a 'Sport Pack' here and came with a lot of stuff from the TI parts bin - TI brakes and suspension, TI black alu interior trim, TI red gauges, and power seats. Car had 68k kms and had been lovingly cared for by the previous owners. The front and boot badges weren't even faded yet!

I'm starting this thread to document the restoration process of the 159. It will be my spare car and I intend to restore it back to a like-new condition. And at the same time, modernize it a little so it doesn't feel as dated compared to modern cars.

Here's a pic of the 159 parked next to my buddy's 156.