I believe the Italians are obsessed with 'bella figura'.
And they're not the only ones obviously.
However, when you look at your Alfa project. Really look at it. It's just so 'right'.
And when you compare it to what BMC/BL were putting out around that time.
There's just no comparison.
It seems to me that everyone whose hands have touched that car, have really cared about it.
From the factory onwards. Otherwise, it wouldn't still be here, getting a new lease of life.
When you look at the blobs and boxes most of us drive now. Created by accountants.
And amongst them, see this beauty parked. It enhances your day. Helps you forget
even just for a second that you're on a cold, wet island somewhere off the unfashionable
end of Europe. And imagine you're on the twisting coastal roads of the Adriatic.
One eye on the road. The other on the beauty sitting beside you.
I'm buying an Alfa 166 as a daily. To use while I'm still 'ashore' here on the North Coast.
I just can't help myself. It's an itch I have to scratch. I had a long chat with the owner last
night. A delightful guy, in Yorkshire. He told me he was letting the Alfa go, so he could focus
on his Scimitar.
To digress. Years ago, I had a mate from Blackpool, whose father used to let him borrow his Scimitar for extended
periods and we drove that car from one end of England to the other. It looked, felt and smelt
unlike anything else I'd driven by that time in my very early 20's. I'd swear that sitting in it,
had a very unusual effect on women of our age at that time. When you put your foot down
and the engine roared, the engine created vibrations which made some women go quiet and
look flushed. The 166 owner was telling me that when he drives about The Dales, he gets smiles and waves
from strangers. When he's parked, people are always interested in talking about his Scimitar.
In other words, the same reactions we've discussed here previously, when we drive our Italian
artworks around in public. Form matters.
To more mundane matters. I still have contacts in the police motorpools over here, who are
masters at fitting armoured protection to vehicles. Should you feel the need