What constitute a True Alfa?

[Alfa-mad]

Is it a concidence that the VE Commodore, especially in wagon form, had a pretty strong resemblance to the 159

What are you smoking? There is zero resemblance unless you want to count the fact they both have four doors and four wheels lol

[Ascari32]

I know it has been a while, but I feel I should add a footnote to this. For the last three months I have been unable to drive and I am not sure that I will get back in behind the wheel. Damn it, I am still in the middle of preparing my 3.0 GTV for sale, having just bought a new bonnet shield - I had a new badge to replace the sun - bleached original, but even after drilling out the posts, the adhesive was so strong that the badge and shield only parted company when the adhesive around the outside tore the chrome plating from the grill.

So I bought a second hand grill hoping it would be decent enough, for £134. As it turned out it is virtually brand new, was wrapped in a box as if it was the crown jewels - thanks to to guys who supplied it. While I was on, I bought new outdoor cover - cotton lined for £37 so I was very happy, despite not getting any further with the work on the GTV or doing anything with my Q4.

However, During this period, living in a village with no bus services into town and none from town to the Hospital some 16 miles away, taxis companies have been doing very well out of me and my wife.

And yet, I feel like I am saving money. There has never been the chance of fuel evaporating in the tanks of my Alfa's. The all too frequent £50 - £60 top - ups no longer show on my bank statements. Much of my driving recently has been essential - my wife and I are no longer spring chickens, But an awful lot of driving has been for no good reason whatsoever.

When I look back at my history with Alfa, from the early seventies and without exception, no other marque has occupied space in either my garage or drive, it is probably the case that forty percent of the journeys were essential, the remainder, wholly unnecessary. Reflecting on the cost of those journeys and I am talking of hundreds of thousands of miles, it has really been an extravagance. True, I enjoyed driving and long distances on the continent to get to our holiday destination, were always seen as an essential part of the holiday. However, some long journeys have been undertaken where little more than a couple of hours was spent at our destination.

Regrets? None whatsoever! Magical, is how I describe the attraction of the Drivers Seat of any Alfa. You come to understand the relationship you have with the Marque very quickly. How the car responds to you and how it seems to make you feel part of it. It talks to you, it reflects your mood. If you are feeling aggressive, it responds with aggression. Feeling calm, relaxed, it is all sweetness and light. Whatever the mood, it makes you feel secure, it understands you like no other - it never judges you or your driving, is almost an extension of oneself.

Which is uncanny - it is only a bloody lump of metal after all! But it's quintessentially an Alfa!