[alfa] Re: Alfa's US return/ Giulietta top

[Steven Luftman <sluftman@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

George, 
My guess is you have never erected a Giulietta Spiders top.
It is not a pull up top like that of the Duetto. It is a pull out a little, push in a little, get your fingers pinch a bit, tuck under, pull out again, clamp down, pull up, get fingers pinch again, push in, clamp down again, top. But it does look darn good when it's down and hidden behind the seats.
Steve Luftman
1961 Giulietta Spider
1992 164L

-----Original Message-----

From: George Graves <gmgraves@domain.elided>
Subject: Re: [alfa] Re:  Alfa's US return

True, but that's always been the case with "Gray-Market" cars, so it's
nothing new. Hell, If I could get a current V-6 Spider into the
country, I'd gladly put up with no warranty and order my parts from
Europe, These days, that's no big deal.


BTW, many gray-market 'dealers' used to provide some warranty and parts
support, but certainly not all. There was a time in the USA when all
foreign cars were gray market. On the east coast, for instance, between
the World Wars, if one wanted a Bugatti, a Talbot-Lago, Isotta
Fraschini, or indeed, an Alfa Romeo, one went through an establishment
on 5th Avenue in New York City called Zumbachs. I'm sure there were
similar places  on the west coast as well. Anyway, if one wanted an
Alfa, for instance, one went to Zumbachs, told the nice people there
what one wanted, passed their palm with silver, and they would contact
their buyers in Europe who would place the order for the car, pay for
it, and when it was ready, they took care of all the paperwork and had
it shipped to New York where Zumbachs picked it up for delivery. That's
how the so-called Maclure Haley 8C2900B now owned by John Mozart (and
driven by Alain deCadinet at the end of the Alfa Victory By Design DVD)
got here. I used to know an old guy who got to ride in it through
Central Park the day Maclure Haley took delivery! After the war, Max
Hoffman was the gray-market importer for Alfa and eventually became the
official importer and started the organization that became Alfa Romeo
of North America. It was he who was responsible for the 750/101
Pininfarina Spider, and he's the reason that the car had roll-up
windows and a pull-up top!

George Graves
'86 GTV-6 3.0 'S'
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