I knew that!!! - I DID get my countries mixed up! Didn't I. - At least that
proves that I have no real bias against any certain people, just the cars.
Yes, most of the various Alpha models WERE a fun car to drive, even the
sedans that I usually drove as a demo. They were impossible to keep running
reliably though. My memory has dimmed over the years but I DO remember that
the Alphas were so spindly and fragile. Broke easily, especially when
pushed. You had to be a genius to keep their mechanical fuel injection
running in tune. I can't remember a long term happy Alpha customer.
During the seventies, I was the Service Manager for a Alpha franchise
dealership, among other models that we handled, so keep that perspective in
mind. My boss also owned two Ferrari's, a Dino and a 2+2, that we serviced
and that I often had the pleasure to drive for long periods. I especially
liked the Dino, though it was a handful too to keep tuned and running
reliable.
>From that perspective, I don't like Italian cars.
-Jerry Erbesfield
73 B Black Beauty roadster
jerbesfield@mindspring.com
website- http://jerbesfield.home.mindspring.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Root [mailto:proot@iaces.com]
Sent: Friday, June 21, 2002 9:37 AM
To: Jerry Erbesfield
Cc: Tab Julius; mgs@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [Partial OT] Snotty Pinafarina owners
Jerry Erbesfield wrote:
> I don't know what part of the country you reside in Tab but I believe that
> it depends on where you live as to how people react to special interest
cars
> like ours. I live in the big city (Atlanta metro area - 4,000,000 +
people)
> and I get a lot of what you wrote about here. There has been a time or two
> that even an LBC person was rude to me. It's just life in the big city,
> aggressive driving, hustling to and from work and too caught up in their
> material worlds. I often wish that I could get away from it. I am CERTAIN
> that smaller towns are NOT like this. Atlanta didn't used to be like this
> but since we've been "discovered" everybody from the north, the rust belt
> and even the middle and far east have moved here! There are not many
natives
> like myself remaining. Southern hospitality? HA!! Not any more around
here.
> A thing of the past.
Much like 'Minnesota Nice' on the highways and streets of the Twin
Cities, that's long gone.
> As far as Italians and Pinafarinas go, what the Hell do they have to be
> stuck up about in the first place???!!! The only crappier built cars than
> Italian cars (except for maybe the Ferrari) are Polish, namely the Yugo!
Ah, Yugo's were made in YUGOslavia. Go figure. Wasn't it a copy of a Fiat?
> Don't get me wrong. I love the Italian and Polish people. I just don't
like
> the way they build their cars. I used to work on Alphas for a living and I
Alfa
> know more than I want to about Fiats too. Let me tell you that they ARE,
> generally speaking, poorly built and unreliable, even when well
maintained,
> no matter what designer name emblem that one might hang on it.
Many Italian cars are a bit high strung. Twin Cam engines and multiple weber
setups with multiple barrels. Fun cars though.
I drove my brothers Alfa Romeo GTV6 for a summer when I was in Grad
school. That car was great fun. It had this weird oil leak, a design
flaw. There was a kit that rerouted the oil that fixed the problem. You
had to pull the head to put it in, but it did work. Parts are expensive
on them. I think Rich told me a clutch is now something like $900 just
for the parts. That makes the 'Bs $900 for the job not so bad. But you
know, rear transaxle, De Dion suspension, expensive stuff.
> I like cats and I'm not snotty - - but I don't drive an Italian car
either!
> My $.02 worth anyhow.
>
> Flames welcome!
>
> -Jerry Erbesfield
> 73 B Black Beauty roadster
> jerbesfield@mindspring.com
> website- http://jerbesfield.home.mindspring.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-mgs@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-mgs@autox.team.net]On
> Behalf Of Tab Julius
> Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2002 9:10 PM
> To: mgs@autox.team.net
> Subject: [Partial OT] Snotty Pinafarina owners
>
>
> Almost without fail, if I wave to another LBC in my area (which isn't
> exactly rife in LBC's), I usually get an enthusiastic wave back, if not
> more. But I waved at a small red convertible, initially unrecognizable,
> later gave a welcome beep, and when I happened to park next to him, got
> barely an acknowledgement (don't think I'm some oversocial puppy, but it
> was more in context of hey - we have the only two small cars like ours in
> the area). Not only did he not acknowledge in any sense of the word, but
> in a few subsequent encounters where I've waved without recognizing that
it
> was exactly his car, it's been total ignoration. Is this some snottiness
> with Pinafarina owners? I've never seen this from a MG owner. If a MG
> owner doesn't respond, it's only because they didn't notice to begin
> with. Is it just some snotty Italian thing? Is he a cat lover? What
> gives??? :)
--
Paul T. Root E/Mail: proot@iaces.com
600 Stinson Blvd, Fl 1S PAG: +1 (877) 693-7155
Minneapolis, MN 55413 WRK: +1 (612) 664-3385
NIC: PTR FAX: +1 (612) 664-4779
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