Alfa Romeo experiences

Sir,

Your “Tale of two Alfas” and interesting readers’ letters in the June issue, prompt me to give some facts and opinions during my Alfa ownership period.

This started with a 1958 heavyweight Sprite Veloce, a superb example of Bertone bodywork and Alfa engineering at its best. The car was raced and used for normal transport without any modification and nothing went wrong. It is now owned by a friend and is still as good as new.

Two years later I bought a similar model and noticed a falling off in quality of body assembly and engine construction. To be fair, the price had been considerably reduced owing to economies of volume production.

Last year I bought a left-hand-drive Giulia SS which had been on order for about 18 months. It arrived with the wrong interior colour, scratched chronic and paint, moth-eaten filthy carpets, and needed a complete respray. While this was being done I was able to see the considerable body rust. One door was out of alignment and was never able to be properly closed. This car was professed to be a very special one for an Alfa enthusiast after I had talked to Alfa, Great Britain and Alfa, Milan about ordering it. A small allowance was made by Alfa, Great Britain to rectify the faults, but it cost me considerably more to make it presentable.

All these cars were bought and serviced by Thomson & Taylor and their standards of service were of the highest. I took the trouble to get to know their Directors, staff, and mechanics and well understood their frustrations over some of the on problems.

The Giulia SS has been well reported by you and another journal and I would summarise it as girlish car. I have now gone back to a virile 12-cylinder G.T. Italian masterpiece, more appropriate to my middle age for serious fun, sporting ventures, and my Alfa affair is finished for the present!

Wormley.
M. B. Baring.