This calendar year I prescribe ten years Auto Motor Klassiek. During this period I met many people and made reports with them and their classics. In the near future I will share a number of memories from the past ten years with you, and I will randomly highlight a number of cars with which we went out. Today a beautiful Italian is at the center of a memory: the Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300 Super by Frans de Groot.
In 2019 I rode the magistrale for the first time Alfa Romeo by Frans. And that was a nice and actually very spontaneous event. It was like this. An open day was held at Jelle Talsma in Leeuwarden, and another open day was organized a little further away. It soon became clear that a visit to the neighbors was a utopian intention Alfa-friends it was way too much fun. The day had a nice continuation, because Frans quickly offered to take the Giulia with him. “Go ahead,” he said to Durk and me. And we did.
It had been a while since I had my hands on the steering wheel of a Giulia, but it was finally happening again. I remembered what it was like to swing with her, to enjoy that wonderful Nordbrom and the excellent driving dynamics of the car, which is really in my top three of favorite classics. Durk and I had a lot of fun, and during the photo session a couple in ANWB uniform (you can imagine it, the deadly question from woman to man in the morning where he put the cycling stuff) passed by. Success guaranteed. Frans' Giulia, she laughed along, ready to meet our expectations during the remainder of the afternoon.
Two years later, Frans allowed me to take the Giulia with me for a few days. And so it happened. The entire weekend was all about pure classic Italian car joy, confirming that classic cars can make you very happy. And she, La Giulia, can do that in perfect form. I got to know her even better. Time and time again, Frans' Supertje was the beautiful seductress, who whispered softly in my ear, flirting, how wonderful we could have together.
And that shared pleasure passed without a double agenda. Because that is also what the Alfa Romeo: if you take good care of her and treat her with love, you will get that love back in return. Without exploration, without pushing your limits, without wanting to be refined in the wrong way. No, if you offer commitment, you can trust her completely, rest assured in the knowledge that she will never lead you astray. Impossible too, with such a fantastic chassis. She gives you the feeling that you can climb any mountain together. Something that many people have already done with Frans' car.
It wasn't just me who was very happy in the Giulia. I treated several people to a nice ride, bystanders reacted happily and complimented me on the Alfa. Of course I hastened to say that the car did not belong to me, but to someone else. I modestly said that I had the Alfa had on loan. “Well, enjoy it.” Of course, the gesture was well-intentioned, but completely unnecessary.
On Sunday we drove a beautiful rally with the Alfa Romeo, ahead of the troops. And she, Giulia, attracted optimal attention in her Beige Cava suit. The suit, which was adorned with set pieces that were proof that the Giulia had been to Italy several times. The suit that revealed a new line every time. And that I liked to wear. I made people happy with her for more than a weekend. And myself. Ultimately I had to say goodbye to the Giulia. And I didn't do that before I filled the tank to the brim. Even that made me happy. Because that way I can leave one last bit of love in the Alfa could stop.
More images and driving impressions can be found below this link.
There is no denying it (if one would want to): fantastic cars and that sound. I had a Nuova Super 1300 myself, but the best one was a 1600 Sprint GT from '66. Such a shame that I no longer have them, old Giulias (especially the GTVs) have unfortunately been unaffordable for “the ordinary connoisseur” for some time now. A later simple 155 that I had couldn't come close to this.