What It's All About

["Robert A. Sittig" <atomizer@domain.elided>]

Three events in the past 48 hours have caused me to reflect on the
reasons I spend so much of my time and money on this passion of the care
and feeding of my little red car ( 74 Spider ).  First was the
participation of my son and wife and me in a wonderful gathering of
Italian car aficionados sponsored by Ferrari - Masaratti of Seattle
which took place this past Sunday.  The melody produced by more than
seventy-five high performance jewels parading from Seattle to a picnic
on nearby Mercer Island was rare music to everyone's ears.  The array of
shiny bright red, yellow, silver and other hued autos dotting the lush
green lawn of the park resembled an artist's pallet, a beautiful pallet
of color and technology.  All these sensory overloads coupled with the
company of family and friends made the day a truly memorable one.

About ten oclock last night I finished rewiring the speakers in my car
and though I would take it for a test drive.  It was a warm balmy
evening in Seattle as I guided the topless Spider around Magnolia Bluff
overlooking Puget Sound.  The speakers were working well as "Music of
The Night" filled the night air.  As I rounded a turn the full moon was
rising over downtown Seattle presenting a display that a picture post
card couldn't do justice to.  A different kind of sensory overload, but
one still connected to that little red car.

This morning I read on the digest a fellow Alfisti relating a similar
experience which seemed to jog the above thoughts.  Most of the postings
on this site relate to nuts and bolts,  oil and shocks, mirrors and
tires, tension and temperature, and other subjects necessary to keeps
our machines alive and happy.  The truth is, many other manufacturers
have creations that use those same nuts and bolts, oil and shocks and
have specifications that demand compliance.  Most of us don't rush to
the Plymouth Neon nor Saab 900 digest, even though those cars are made
of many of the same ingredients.  While we on this digest talk of nuts
and bolts, it's the history, romance, wind in our hair on a warm summer
night, whine of those stout little engines and, of course, the
camaraderie of kindren spirits, that only Alfa owners really understand,
which set us apart from all the rest.  I think that's what it's really
all about.

Bob Sittig
74 Spider
Seattle, WA
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