Why a Alfa? Share your story

[magista]

Ok...here's my story:

I road in my first Alfa in high school. It was a GTV6 owned by a friends dad. My friend told me he raced it. I didn't really think much of it other than there was this vague sense of awe in the back of my mind..."Ooh, I'm riding in an Alfa Romeo."

My next ride in an Alfa was in 1989. I was living and working in Zurich for the summer. My uncles friend had a GTV6, we drove from Zurich to Cannes via Milano. It was one helluva ride.

My next experience with an Alfa was in 1996ish. My friend bought one from another friends parents. It was an '89 Milano (red of course). I made fun of him for buying it. In fact I gave him tons of **** just because it was fun to. We were all flying high with tech stock and because we came from a town that had/has a very strong indy/punk rawk scene (no not Seattle) I had to razz him about becoming a yuppie. Had nothing to do with the car really.

In anycase this was the beginning of the end. A few months later we are getting drunk and I ask him to lend me the Milano so I can drive my girlfriend and I to the Oregon Coast. He says sure. A few days later, as soon as I hit 101 and opened that thing up I instantly fell in love. That was it. It was all over...

A few months later he bought a 164 (suckah) and sold me the red Milano. Since then I have owned another Milano and Berlina and soon to be another Berlina.

He also was bummed that he got rid of the Milano and bought the 164. Talk about a money pit. He eventually sold it and cheesed out by buying a black Saab 9-3. You have to understand that in Seattle 9-3s are a dime a dozen...every yuppy poofter owns one. I got to drive it and eh...it was alright but it's NOTHING like an Alfa.

[generaljimt]

Having to never want to follow the crowd, Alfas were a natural. I remember seeing the rubber spoiler spiders of the 80's and always admiring them. In the era of "screaming chicken" Firebirds, their subtle beauty was refreshing. After purchasing my first spider ( a 78 ) , I quickly was absorbed by the marque. Besides, the chicks dug it!!!! Even while enjoying the spider, I always had a thing for the 105 body coupes. I even convinced a good friend to purchase a 164 L, instead of an Infinity convertible (basically a rebadged Stanza). In fact, that same buddy bought a spider after I bought mine. Anyway, a little rambling. Maybe its the gas fumes. But really, where and how can you have so much fun, prestige, individuality and style for so little???? I think we (Alfisti that is) should keep it a secret. The general.

[GTV4EVR]

I attended the first ever Montreal International Auto Show in January 1969. On display was a Yellow Ochre 1750 GTV. I loved the look of the car and those seats were special. Three weeks later I was the proud owner of a Yellow Ochre 1750 GTV. By 1972 the body had fallen apart and I had it repaired and repainted. I later bought a blue 71 GTV with a bad engine. I took the engine out of the 69 (whose body had developed cancer again) and put it in the 71. It fell apart too. 12 years ago, I found another 69 1750 GTV from Europe and refurbished it. Last June in a fit of common sense, I sold it because I wasn't driving it much. I missed it so much that last month I bought a 1974 GTV (white) on ebay. The car is still in the garage as they fix the front end so it will pass the safety inspection. I can hardly wait to drive the car again. You are never cures of the disease!!!!!

Ken

[generaljimt]

chin nuggies forever!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mr. C.]

Based on the time lines in your great stories, I must be old enough to be your father's age guys.
I was a hot rodder in High School in Mamaroneck New York which was far from the hot rod world except that you could buy Hot Rod magazine. Then I met a customer at the Esso gas station where I worked/hung out/did my phd in living who was into sports cars.
I took to reading Road and Track (25 cents) and was soon in love with Ferraris and Alfas.
My older brother started working at a "Foreign Car Dealership that sold everything with wheels that was made in Europe or England. Fiat Abarth 750s were the choice ride. But on occasion we got to drive an Alfa and found them in calss by themselves.
Many years went by with Triumphs and German Fords and such.
Then in 1970 I took a job as a VP in a company in suburban Philadelphia and found Algar. My wife and I had a 1970 Audi and when I saw an olive green '71 GTV on the show room floor at Algar I started to negotiate. The Audi was basically new and the trade in value very low compared to what we had in it. Then my boss one Noel Oliver Kile (bless his soul whever he is) called me into his office and told me not to trade the Audi. That is all he would say. Noel is a man that you trust - period. I waited and soon was told about my sizable raise in pay. Went right to Algar and bought the GTV no trade in. My first Alfa !
Drove that gem all over. Drag raced 240Zs, raced a Jag across Pennsylvania farm country to Hershey etc etc. Next came a '74 Berlina, then the Ferrari 250 a 750 Giulietta Spider and now a
Nuova Giulia Super 1300 Berlina.
In between Alfas there was always the desire to look at everyone I got near. I do some mechanic stuff and worked on lots of them for friends, neighbors and theretofore strangers.
Well now I have pledged to always own an Alfa.
MrC

[Alex Csank]

Mine is a looooong story. Here's the short version:

Gear-head at age three! Grew up in Montreal, many imports there in the '6os. Loved Alfa GTA and Spider. Drew Alfas as a kid. Grew up reading about and admiring great cars, bought bikes, VWs, Muscle Car...ice-raced in Minis and Morris Minors. Loved anything cool, fast, unusual! Got married, joied navy, had three kids, ended up driving wagons and minivans (usually turbo and AWD Volvo, Subaru, etc.). Divorced. Bought GTI. Remembered love for Sports Cars. Found '69 Spider 1300 Junior in friend's garage. Remembered Alfas! Needed one. Went looking. Same friend had to move and sell his Spider. Bought it, went to work on it (lots of work!). Loved it. Moved to Norfolk, VA. Joined local Alfa club. Became Alfaholic. Got free Alfetta track car. Fixed it up. Sold it. Bought Milano for $750. Fixed it. Bought another Milano for $200. Gave it to a friend (he has many parts I can grab in his collection). Bought Verde for $600 plus a washer and Dryer. Fixed it. Leased it to a co-worker for a while. Got Alfa tattoo. Got elected as Leader of Hampton Roads Alfa Club. Will always have Alfas! After driving many different cars, nothing comes close (for the money!).

Ciao,

[GianniB]

OK, I'll pile on. The family doctor (I grew up in a small town in another time) that delivered me always had an Alfa, so I've known about them all my life. They always seemed much more interesting than anything else in my small town. In 1973 I remember he had a Rosso Amaranto GTV that I thought was the coolest. My older brother was an I-car nut as well and in 1973 he bought a brand new FIAT 124 Spider with his high school job savings, I remember being mad that he didn't buy an Alfa Spider. In high school I read R&T religiously and joined AROC, dreaming of the day when I'd own my own Alfa...

Fast forward to 1989 after I was out of college and had a job for a while, I bought a 1976 Spider from Darrell Johnson at International Auto. It was a fun driver, but the '76 was a dog performance-wise. I kept the Spider until I got married and then traded it on a brand new 1991 164L. I kept the 164 until last year.

In 1992 I bought my current Alfa, 1973 GTV, in Rosso Amaranto. Hmmm, I see a connection here...

[Scunitz]

I was fortunate enough to grow up in South Dakota, where at the time you could get a driver’s license at age 14. Got mine driving an early Toyota Corolla (nicknamed “The Tank”), and I learned to drive a stick on an Opel Kadett (3 cyl, 1 liter engine). I have Italian blood in my veins as my mother is a war bride from Naples, but it was my brother’s fascination with “neat” cars that brought an Alfa Romeo my way. He bought a 1969 Berlina sedan in that weird flesh-tone beige color off some guy in college and then sold it to my dad for me (I think the price was $300). My first impression was – “this thing looks like “The Tank”"! Well the rest, as they say, is history. Most people have fond memories of their first car. Mine include learning how to start a car by popping the clutch with two friends pushing, pushing a car for two miles when that didn’t work, getting jumper cables for a birthday present, knocking all the blades out of the radiator fan on high-performance left turns (saggy motor mounts), buying Alfa Romeo decals in a vain attempt to hold all the lower body rust together, learning how to mix Bondo just right, finding fuel in the oil sump (blown SPICA seal), cracked oil pans (watch those bumps), learning how to drive with a slipping clutch, learning how to double-clutch (no 2nd gear synchro), watching in amusement as a local exhaust shop had a hell of a time getting an Alfa to “shut up”, and a particularly memorable time when I tried to get out of an ice covered parking lot by using the hand throttle and pushing the car from behind! It must be some sick personality quirk on my part to view any of this with fondness, but I since have come to grips with the fact that I have to have a certain amount of turmoil in my life to keep from getting bored. Alfas are definitely not boring!

[Alex Csank]

Hi Rick!! Welcome to the BB!!

Cheers and see you soon!

[papajam]

GREAT story Rick!
Welcome to the Board.

[rloewy]

My father is a pilot - for him cars are just too 2 dimensional - so I grew up in a house full of Citroen's and Jeeps - the simple ones (Jeeps, 2CV's) had long suspension travel and the complicated ones (GSA, BX) had suspensions that could lift and lower the car - so my father had a bit of the "3rd" dimension to play with.

When I went to college I purchased an old (1969) Citroen Ami 6 that my father helped me to restore. It is still under a tarp on my parent's property. It was ugly, slow, not reliable and cheap. Cheap was important. I drove it for about 6 months and never had a longer than 10 minutes drive in the thing without having to crawl under it to fix something. At this point I figured that instead of spending 150 minutes for my 1 hour commute - I should just move to use public transportation and the Citroen has been waiting ressuerction ever since.

After college, I got a job in an urban area and continued to use public transportation while looking for a proper car to own as a gearhead in training. A Fiat Uno Turbo or a 205 GTi were my dream cars. Fast, small, good handling and did I mention fast? While on vacation in the desert - I spent some time in the bed of a pickup and remembered how much I liked open-top cars - so decided to avoid the hot-hatch idea and look for a convertible instead.

First to test was a Gold GLi (Same as a Rabbit GTi, but convertible and a bit more oomph). Liked it a lot - but before commiting I went to look at a Fiat X1/9 - and liked it a lot more - it was much crisper to drive than the Golf and I have now deceided that it would have to be 2 seater, RWD and open-top. The X1/9 proved to be a rust bucket and in a rare moment of clarity I decided to pass on it and continue looking. Than I ran across a 1988 Spider 2000, Red. I was in love, but it was out of my league - but with some help from my parents the Bank was willing to extend me credit and I got it. Had it for 3 years before moving to the US and NYC - when I had to sell it. Unfortunately, I did not have an Alfa since.

I am now in the process of looking for a "reasonable" backup 4 seater and hope to keep my Miata as a daily driver - so a Giulia as a backup classic sounds just about right. On one hand - I miss the Alfa engine and feel, on the other hand - BMW 2002's are easier to find and probably cheaper too. So - with some luck I might rejoin the Alfa family soon, or it will just have to wait until I can afford to have a GTV as a toy classic.

Ron.
--
'93 Miata
'02 Impreza TS
'00 Birkin S3

[Favali]

I was inivolved with cars for as long as I can remember. 67 Chevy 283 w/ Hurst to 64 Bug to Datsun 510 sedan to 610 sedan to BMW 1600 to BMW 2002 to Datsun 610 wagon to 67 Chevy Nova to Nissan Sentra, Altima, to Chrysler Concorde (!), to Maxima, Pathfinder, to Infiniti J30t. Now its an Audi Avant A4 and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

But it was my wife who suggested the Alfa. Her first boyfriend picked her up in a ratted out Giulia (he is a very well known Alfa mechanic). She had loved them all these years so when we came upon one on Long Island ... well, 3 days later it was in my driveway. I was smitten on my first drive. What an awesome car. I only wish I had known of them when I was 16!

I owe it to my wife!

Now, if I can find that GTV or GTA .......!

[genericwood]

The year I was born, my Dad was racing a Bugeye Sprite in H-Production. By the time he passed away 2 years ago, we figured he had owned over 150 sports cars (OK, a few were Corvairs!). The first Alfa was a '58 Sprint Veloce purchased in '69. It was to be my Mom's car. I still remember this car autocrossing. We used to joke that it was going to scrape the chrome off the door handles. Giuliettas do lean a bit!

When Dad got back into racing in the early 70's, it was with a '57 Spider in G-Production. He had a fair amount of success with this car, including a trip to the runoffs in '74. I was 9 at the time. Whenever we needed to pull the motor, my job was to take everything loose underneath. The driveshaft, the crossmembers, motor mounts etc. Unfortunately, that car burned in a house fire in about '76, but was replaced by another. The replacement was even more successful making a couple trips to the runoffs. It was sold in the late 70's. I've been trying to buy it recently but can't get the owner interested in selling. Damn!

My first Alfa was a '75 Alfetta Sedan which I bought in college. Even though it was underpowered, it was a joy to drive! My mom ended up driving it until the rust gods claimed it many years later. I later had a nice '81 Spider. Not the best year, but fun nonetheless. My wife could not understand when I traded it for a '56 Giulietta needing a full-restoration. That restoration has now taken about 10 years. I'm driving it now, even though a few details remain unfinished.

Last summer, I bought a '74 GTV that had been sitting in a basement for 13 years. It has become my fun street / track car. Can't wait to get my big-valve head finished!

That's my story. I can't imagine selling either of my Alfa's. But I'm pretty sure I will eventually add a Duetto and possibly a Giulietta vintage-racer to the stable. Got to keep building that emotional bank account with the wife before the next one arrives!

Erik

[memphis raines]

little late, but ill share.

to be honest, im not sure why i bought this car. i haev a commuter and a project and a motorcycle....and im busting my ace to get a miata in my driveway.

Anyway, we went to the VSCDA in elkhart and I got to drooling on a lot of decent cars, and i read the last open road and realized i missed a lot of really cool shiz before my time.

and on and off through the whole escapade my dad kept talking about this car he wanted to buy and part out. some "alfa romeo or some thing or other down in kenosha." My dad gets a kick out of finding some old heap in someones yard and ebaying all the bobbles and parts made from "unobtanium" (SPICA fuel injection for instance ) for a tidy profit, in order to fuel his british car habit. for the most part this means old sprites and midgets, but in this case he was willing to try his hand at this alfa...knowing the owner would sell pretty cheap.

anyway, he had told me these things and i slowly started to care, until one day i was standing with him in his garage and he was talking about going down to kenosha to look at the car, asked me if i wanted to go with, not that i really cared to, i just bought a house and im a little tapped out. didnt seem to be a problem, i guess he was willing to float me the cash, so i bit, sounded like a great oppurtunity if things werent too far gone.

drove down to kenosha and met a slightly older, kinda attractive italian from alabama with all the characteristics of an easy mark, "inherited" the car from her late husband, spent a few years abusing it to learn clutch, found it to be a bit of a nuisance but hadnt been able to part with it, a pretty flighty lady, when all is said.

so her husband had cared for the car for some time, until he passed away unexpectadly (young too/too young!). The car was in his name, but we were able to work out the trade. after pumping the hell out of the gas pedal she turned over...the alfa had sat for 3-5 years without moving and she turned over, battery was still good even! She coughed and sputtered and i took her out and it was fun all right, almost as tight and clean as my dads 78 midget, and definetely restorable to something better.

so for $500 i got an ok body, a running motor, a leak free roof in need of replacement...basically not a bad jumping off point to get started on a restore. I would guess for $1000 it will look respectable, and within $5,000 it should be 90% of her former self.

So so far ive slowly been learning SPICA and i replaced the faulty head gasket, which im quite proud of as its the first one ive done. i put a new pair of tires on the back to start, as the old ones were badly dry rotted. fixed some electrical. i would say the car is proly 65% of her former self, up from 45-50...as long as my wallet holds out ill have a damn fine car in no time