Alfa Romeo/Alfa Romeo Digest Archive
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Alfa Daily Drivers
I'm not surprised that some may think of an Alfa Romeo as just a toy or
weekend car, but surely my experience and I'm certain that of many others
here would put the lie to that notion. For the last 17 + years I have relied
on over eighteen different Alfas as my primary, and usually sole,
transportation, covering over 650,000 documented miles in Alfas alone.
This was nearly all done through the tortuous daily commute along the
freeways to and from Los Angeles/Malibu from the San Bernardino/Lake
Arrowhead/Riverside area. Average of one hundred fifty miles daily, minimum.
Those familiar with the drive know that the pace is a crawl, nearly a parking
lot each way, and very hard on the machines. All provided excellent service.
Two hundred forty thousand of those miles were traveled in a 1987 Milano
Verde, which never left me on the roadside, but in the end was fairly
cosmetically knackered, yet mechanically excellent and still fast. Among
other memorable machines were 2 GTV-6s, 4 Alfetta coupes, 1 1750 Berlina, 1
1750 GTV, and 1 2000 GTV. All were surprisingly reliable, and I look back and
marvel at my faith/stupidity in several of these cars, who had clearly seen
better years by the time they landed in my hands, yet I trusted daily and was
not disappointed.
What I came away with, other than many great and a few frustrating memories
behind the wheel, is a clear understanding of the wonderful strength of these
machines when properly cared for, and a base of knowledge of what that care
consists of, which served me later when writing on the subject for
publication. There are no flaws designed into in any of Alfas I've owned that
would prevent them from being driven as a primary mode of transport with the
proper care and maintenance. Are there flaws? Yes. But the biggest issues I
invariably faced were putting the car back to right from previous poor
maintenance and harebrained modifications from earlier owners and mechanics.
To that end I must also thank Stewart Sandeman at APC and Rex Chalmers
formerly of Omega Motorsport for their contributions to the cause. And to the
defense of other Italian marques, the final months of that commute were
performed by an 1965 Lancia Fulvia coupe, which though in need of a
restoration, lived up to the challenge and met the mark set by my Alfas.
Cheers,
Paul Mitchell
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