quote without comment

["John Hertzman" <johnhertzman@domain.elided>]

The New York Times has a "Sunday Styles" section which fills a slot similar to
that of the funny pages of the lesser journals of the hinterlands. There,
today, on page six, under the headline "Cherry Red and Worry-Free", was a
three-column photo of a Spider, complete with BWA wheels. The article is about
it and its owner, an upscale mechanic to the vintage cars of show-business
glitterati like Jerry Seinfeld and Paul Simon; "he also owns his share of
them, including a couple of Ferraris, a couple of Audis, and a '57 Chevy. But
when it comes to naming his favorite, Mr. Pilla picks the car he drives most
often: his little Alfa Romeo convertible."

"The Alfa Romeo is, more precisely, a 1986 Quadrifoglio Graduate Spider, in
cherry red. Quadrifoglio refers to the car's four-cylinder, four-valve engine;
Graduate, means it is a step up from the previous model; and Spider denotes a
convertible. The year is also important, because 1986 is when the carburetor
was replaced by fuel-injection."

There is a lot more- "for a 36-year-old design, it looks are almost as au
courant as the new Ford Thunderbird" - but the final paragraph is something of
a letdown. "Mr Pilla's little Alfa, as pristine as it is, appeals to him in
part because of its modest status. 'Sure, I love driving the Audi', he says,
'but lets face it, one person opens his car door on it and your nice drive is
over. With the Alfa, I don't have to worry.'"

YMMV - -
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