License plate gets to the heart of the matter; Alfa owners enjoy their cars.
Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Petya Elitch unless otherwise noted
Over 700 people registered for “Alfa California 2013: Sonoma Valley Wine Country,” a joint venture of the National Alfa Romeo Owner’s Club (AROC) and the San Francisco-based Alfa Romeo Association (ARA).
Keep in mind that the last new Alfa was sold here almost twenty years ago. Alfas were never common in the US, and expensive when new. Unlike the owners of some even more expensive Italian marques, Alfa owners are different. For one thing, they drive their cars. For the most part, the cars are not restored to a “better than new” standard for concours judging or evaluation. Many of the cars at the show here were restored to a very high standard, but they are usually driven, not restored and put away to await the next swell in market pricing. They are not so complicated, and the parts are not so expensive, so that a person with normal mechanical skills is able to do lot of the work themselves. But what makes them so compelling? And why do over 700 people attend the conventions for these cars? [Read more…] about The Alfa Mystique