If It's Nice Do It Twice

By Pete Vack

Rich's '72 Spider was now in great shape. There was little left to do, so...

"Guess what, I bought... another Alfa!"
"What happened to the green 72 Spider?", we asked.
VeloceToday had already written up that story about Rich, (One Man's Alfa)
"Oh, I still have that one too. I guess owning one makes one an Alfa enthusiast, but owning two means that you are now a collector." And owning three makes one a madman, we thought.

But maybe Alfas are like Doritos, you can't have just one. Rich's two car garage is now filled with Alfa Spiders, his 1972 parked next to his latest purchase, a 1991 Spider, a lucky stray black cat which found a new home after years of neglect.

A few short years ago, Rich was an innocent virgin, a peace loving guy who was happy with his Plymouth Breeze and Chevy AstroVan. His garage harbored bikes and washing machines and yard equipment just like everyone else's. It was a happy time, especially for his wife and family. But as his children left for college, there was more time in life to recall brief, early interest in sports cars. His casual looking around resulted in the purchase of the first, green 1972 Alfa. Surely it would pass, thought his wife.

Surry County is not a place where one might look for old Alfas. But Rich was determined...

It didn't. Rich joined the local Alfa club, learning much about his car from the members. He made pilgrimages to International Auto Parts,(www.international-auto.com) driving his new purchase from Williamsburg to Charlottesville VA. Rich fixed the top, added a new radio and speakers, did a brake job, changed universal joints, tuned the engine, and made it almost spotless.

Restoration was not part of the game. Astute enough to realize that a serious restoration of a 1972 Alfa was about as good as an investment as Emron stock, he refrained and kept the car as a nice, clean driver. And for the first time in his life, he was actually having fun with an automobile.

Yes, Virginia, a real barn story, farmland and all.

Never count out the fun factor. Working with your own hands and making something inanimate come to life is a satisfying feeling, particularly when the day job concerns itself with numbers and abstracts. Whatever he did with the Alfa, it was an improvement, most of which could be experienced when driving the car.

Not doing a proper restoration meant that after a couple of years, there was very little else to do to the 72 Spider. It was very reliable , the paint was decent, and Rich had attended to all the details, even down to getting the correct wattage lights for the instruments. At the same time, Rich was getting pretty comfortable working on Alfas, and there was little work left to be done.

A nice thing about the Ferry is that it doesn't matter if the car runs and the gas is paid for.

The three year itch

So what else could one do but buy another Alfa? The Want Ad section of the local paper kept appearing before the breakfast table, and of course, eventually, another Alfa was listed for sale. "I called for the car-- the owner Michelle Stivers told me it was covered up but had sat in a field for 2 years and the head gasket was blown-- I figured it was a rusty hulk with a seized engine and let it pass." But he had left his phone number with the owner. Eight months later, the owner called Rich and told him the price had been lowered. It was now too good to simply pass on, so he decided to take a look. "When I got there I found a solid car, no rust on the body anywhere-- and a stainless steel exhaust. only bad thing was the top." There were mice and bird’s nests in the engine, and in general, everything was pretty dirty. "Then the owner told me the engine wasn't seized after all. Two years before, she had turned it off because there was oil in the water. Rich got a set of battery cables, and did the unthinkable. "I tapped the key gently and just for an instant and it turned over." A deal was arranged on the spot.

Ferry across to Surry

Surry County, peanut country, the isolated home of Bacon's Castle, has changed even less than Williamsburg in 400 years. Separated from civilization by the wide and wild James River, where no bridges span the vast expanse of water, for years the Ferry has been the only viable way of reaching this southern shore. It is a very unlikely place to harbor an old Alfa Romeo, but that is part of the romance and excitement of finding old cars.

Rich called on his friends in the Alfa Club for help. This orphan would have to be trailered, and only those whose sympathies lie with the embattled Italian marque could truly understand Rich's quixotic quest. "Alex Czank borrowed a trailer and and Skip Patnode came along to help me getting the car out of the field, onto the trailer, getting it back home via the Jamestown Ferry."

Home sweet home, now a part of the family.

After ridding the car of rodents, Rich called on Tom Gonnella to help him pull the head. "To say Tom he helped me would be a lie; I helped him. He has a real GarageMaHall which holds 15 cars and stores parts-- and tools. When we pulled the head I sent it to Balos Engineering in Richmond It was recommended by Aren Baez of European Classics of Richmond -- they did a great job."

Off with your head! And it was done, with help from Alfa club members.

There would be much to do before the black Alfa was back on the road. Rich's life was suddenly busy again, planning what needed to be purchased next, making trips to International Auto Parts, and spending his time off in his garage and driveway. And when that's done? "If the pattern continues, it looks like I’ll be ready for another Alfa in 2008." And a bigger garage.