To make a long story not so long, a very respectful fellow car nut named Mark called me to touch base and get a few details about the history of a car that I spent nearly 10 years restoring. A car I sold 11 years ago, a week after hauling it out to British Columbia, the Canadian west coast, from London, Ontario. I loved that car but most of all I'm grateful to it for the astonishing therapeutic value it brought to my life during those outrageously trying years.
The restoration of "Alfonzo d' Credenza" (so-called because for the better part of 10 years he resided, in boxes of parts and service manuals, on the credenza in my home-office) gave me the gift of patience; patience for the world outside and the diverse people living there, and patience for myself as I learned to craft a classic italian sports coupe out of a pile of pieces. I also learned that there are people who share my appreciation for beauty in the details as well as the whole. (the gestalt of the thing)
Rebuilding a not-so-common, and even less understood "ferin"car such as the Alfa Giulia (pronounced Jewl-yah) series GTV will put you at odds with those who prefer a path well trodden. You will have to reach deep down inside yourself to find your real strengths and learn to tolerate their pettiness and ridicule. It shocked me how often I had to defend my sanity and good name against dismissive and derogatory criticism, as I visited vendors and auto specialists to buy parts and refinishing services during the restoration of "that EYE-TAL-YUN piece of crap!" as the red necks called it. (their punishment is going through the rest of their lives as them.) In the end, I won the right to drive off into the sunset (I literally arrived on the west coast at sunset eleven years ago) with a jewel of a car in tow. Poetry in motion and art when it's parked! The Alfa GTV is a remarkably well proportioned sculpture whose form is best appreciated in person,.. inside and out.
Two important lessons came to me after selling the car; diligence and authenticity bring long term gratification that allow us to move on to what ever opportunity comes next, and there are many others who appreciate things of intrinsic beauty way beyond their commercial value.
Mark, the third owner of Alfonzo since I brought him out of the shadow cast by Detroit, is one of those who can see intrinsic beauty.
Upon settling in BC in 1998, I agonized over how to shelter my rambunctious red sports car from the elements in my garageless sea-side home. I conceded that the best place for him was with someone who could give him a safe stable. The manager of a local high-end European car dealership had been hounding me for the car and I did what I thought was best for Alfonzo. With surprisingly little reluctance I sent him off to live the life of luxury with several other sheltered '50s and '60s era sports cars. His new friends were of equal pedigree and well turned out, but none of the others was Alfa Romeo 501 Red. Alfonzo was clearly the Alfa of the group.
After a couple of years of the pampered life ( only going out for a romp often enough to stay limber and fit) Alfonzo was invited to move to California to live with a Hollywood professional named Ben, another die-hard Alfista. When Ben moved to New Mexico of course Alfonzo went too. Ben often called to update me on their adventures and to tell me of his car show acknowledgements. Those frequent calls made letting him go feel like the best choice I could have made. Alfonzo was getting to see some nice places and living the life I had intended for him.
Well, today, 11 years almost to the day since I sold the car, I learned that he is now hanging out with new friends in a quiet northern California town that I passed through in 1993. At that time I was on my way home with Alfonzo's new windshield, in a box fresh from Alfa Parts in Berkeley. I always said that if I ever moved south, I would move to the area where Alfonzo lives now. It gets more freaky!
Prior to meeting Ben and Alfonzo, Mark sold his Beck 550 Spyder to someone near Albequerque New Mexico, and set out to find a GTV. The 550 Spyder is, in my mind, THE DEFINITIVE SPORTS CAR. Fast, fun and agile and you can use every ounce of its power, if you're careful. The year I finally got Alfonzo's body work done, I saw my first "Beck Spyder" replica of the 550 and that was it. I've lusted after one ever since. That was the beginning of a new chapter. "pursuit of the Spyder". I went to California and met Chuck Beck and drove a beautiful example of his work, with the master himself coaxing me on from the passenger's side, encouraging me to let it go. (I was already going almost 80). What a car!!
So in effect, Mark traded in my favourite car that I've never owned for my favourite car that I've ever owned. With luck we will meet at the annual Pebble Beach Concourse d' Elegance this summer, and I will get to say hello to some new friends, Mark, his wife and his son, and my dear old friend Alfonzo. To Mark; thanks for your kind words, thanks for caring enough to hold out for a really special car and thanks for giving Alfonzo a nice place to live. I'm glad to hear your 2 year old son has an affinity for him. By the way, my son was 2 when Alfonzo came to live with us. There's some strange Good Karma with that car. Enjoy!!
is this a classic car that is still a favorite of many people?
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