Ever since I was old enough to start thinking about cars and way before I was interested in Italy and things Italian I have wanted an Alfa Romeo sports car, to me they seemed to have a style and presence other cars just didn’t have.

My first ever car, an Austin A40 Farina, had Alfa Romeo stickers all over it, stuck there by me, but that was as close as I got, they were just too expensive for me.  As life moved on my love of things Italian grew and my desire for an Alfa never waned but there was always something more important in life to pay for a house, holidays and I was loath to part with vast amounts of money on a car only to see it devalue as soon as a I drove it away. 

So I spent the first 50 or so years of my life Alfaless.In 2003 I bought my first Alfa, a 156 2 litre, Twinspark, Veloce not long after that I joined the Alfa Romeo Owners Club and started to look around for my local section only to find that it, the Cotswold Section, was closed awaiting formation of a new committee. I sent off an email to find out when it was likely to reform to be told “As soon as you can get it going” !

To cut a very long story short, I scouted around for local interest in starting the section up again and found three other Alfa owners who seemed keen enough to at least meet to discuss what we could do, the rest as they say is history.

In October 2005, I finally realised my boyhood dream and acquired a Spider !!

Richard Morris - Secretary

Richard's 2000 GTV

At the time of writing I'm 42. I've been married to Lisa for 10 years and we live in Witney in a cottage we restored. We have 3 children, Will 6, Pippa nearly 4, and Lulu just 2. They're hard work which explains why I always look so knackered! I work from home as a freelance illustrator.

I didn't learn to drive until I was 25. I had motorcycles before then. My first car was a 1978 Mk 1 Golf. I bought it for £500 when it had 98k miles on the clock. One year later it had 138k on the clock and I sold it for £550. Then I had a Lancia Delta 1300, then a Lancia Delta HF Turbo, then a Porsche 924, and a Mini, and then a Volvo 850 T5. Lisa has a Fiat Multipla. Don't laugh it's very practical.

I've always liked old cars especially the cars from the 60 and 70's and I like less exotic marques; an old Marina or Cortina interests me just as much as any Ferrari. I guess it's nostalgia.

I have, or had, no particular interest in Alfas but I saw a burgundy Giulia Coupe in the street about 9 years ago and thought that's a fine looking car. I didn't know much about them then. Then at the NEC classic car show about 5 years ago I saw 3 of them on the a stand. Was it the AROC stand? Or was it the Alfaholics stand? Anyway, they were all red and shiny and looked fantastic. It made me more determined than ever to get one. I bought all the books and read all the reports and funnily enough they didn't put me off.

About 3 years ago I started looking for one seriously. I really wanted a 1750 GTV but couldn't find a good enough one. Eventually Richard Banks at Alfaholics told me about a 2000 GTV that a friend of his was thinking about selling. It was a 1972 model and very original having covered only 40k miles. It had stood in a heated garage for around 13 years from the mid '80s until the late '90s.

Alfaholics had 'recommissioned' it and sold it to this friend of Richard Banks. When I first saw the car I was put off by the dirt. It was kept on a London street and so it was filthy. It was also way over my budget. But I did a bit of research and looked at a few more cars and eventually returned to the car and after a little (not as much as I would have liked) haggling I bought the car.

I've had the car about 3 years now. In that time I have put a door mirror on it (which I regret), I've had new carbs (Dell'Orto's as the old Solex's were falling to bits), electronic ignition (Pertronix). I've had the brakes returned to dual system, new front disks and calipers after the offside one seized on the way home from SAD in 2005, new rear springs, I have the wheels powdered-coated and I have had various bits of welding and painting carried out here and there.

The highlight of ownership so far was winning the concours at National Alfa Day in 2006.

There is something about owning and driving an old car. The feeling of relief when it starts, the thrill of driving a car where you can really feel what it is doing, the admiring glances, the sense that every journey is an adventure... It is difficult to explain and not everyone appreciates it I know.

You can probably tell I love the car to bits. I use it all year and in all weathers. I took it out in the snow last winter - great fun. My neighbours think I'm nuts because I wash it so often but I hate putting it away dirty.

I got involved with the Cotswold Section because I was frustrated at having no regular contact with other owners. I have really enjoyed being part of the Section since it's rebirth and it is very rewarding to see so much enthusiasm from our members. Long may it continue.

I have just bought another Alfa - a 1996 155. Now I can bring Lisa and all the children to a few Alfa gatherings!

Matthew Willmott - Treasurer

Matthew's Old Giulia Spider

I was born in 1970, am married to Claire, and we have two lovely children, Harry and Lilian. My love of cars was probably passed down from my dad, although as a teenager I lusted after Ford's more than anything else - probably because dad had Escort's and Cortina's at the time.

In fact, I must have been 27 before I even drove in an Alfa - a friend's Alfetta. I was immediately smitten - up against my Vauxhall Cavalier company car, this Alfetta had so much character!

First Alfa ownership was a 2 litre 164 for Claire which she really enjoyed. We made the change to a 156 in 2004 not because the 164 was proving unreliable in any way but because, with young children, we wanted air con (which our 1991 164 didn't have). In the meantime, those who know me will know we were also running another Alfa, a 1965 Giulia Spider. And yes, we parted company last year, a decision I often question! However, she needed a complete bare-metal respray and has gone to a good home intent on giving the carr just that. For the moment then, just my wife's 156 1.8 Lusso to participate in the Alfa convoys, although I'm seriously considering looking for a Series II Spider, with the miniscule rear seats for the children!

I thoroughly enjoy time spent organising, planning and participating in Section and AROC events - just got to get the Alfa ownership up again!

Section Members and Their Cars

John & Hazel Mills

John Raper

John's 1965 Giulia Sprint GT

Age - over 50! Married to Helen, three children, oldest one married June 05, third one just finished university (is there a 'financially devastated' smiley?).  Work as a Planning Engineer on a contract basis, most recently on rail projects. Originally from London, we moved to the Cotswolds in 1992. 

Currently living closer than any other member (I think) to our regular meeting place at the Roman Court (less than 3 miles).

Now green, originally green! Mileage now showing 58,000, believed genuine.  Bought it in 2002 and done very little to it except fit braided brake hoses and rebush / respring rear suspension, with standard springs. She has suffered both front and rear end damage in an earlier life - evidenced by the filler at both ends and also the radiator, which was supplied by a firm in Redditch! Also the grill is not original and there is a large gap at the bottom of the 'heart'. The sills were replaced long ago, and it's a shame the workmanship is so bad, with rough welding and plenty of filler. 

No doubt in a few years time, when other parts of the body deteriorate, I'll have them rebuilt properly. At present, there is no significant amount of rust, but she'll never win any concourse event!

The Gotts Family Cars

Vela Blue Selespeed Sportwagon

  The Gotts Family Cars

156 Sportwagon is a 2000 2.0TS Lusso in Artic Green

75 TS LE

1963 101 Giulia Spider in Mid Blue

As I write this I am 39 and looking forward to be able to justify something else Alfa related as a mid life crisis at 40. 

I am married to Elaine, and have two young daughters; Rachel who was born on Christmas day 1998 and Naomi who was born in April 2002. They both have slightly different motoring aspirations. Rachel is keen that we should have a car with no roof, while Naomi’s usual phrase is ‘faster daddy, faster’, usually when doing speeds we shouldn’t anyway. Elaine supports me with my Alfa affliction and now has a 156 Sportwagon of her own, which she is certainly more attached to than she was her previous Citroen ZX estate.

As a family we live in a village just south of  Ipswich (just over two and a half hours from the regular Cotswold meeting place). However, for work I am currently based in Bicester for part of the week. I am a research scientist within the Civil Service. The important thing about work here though is that working away from home allows me to attend different AROC sections. My record so far in one month has been five: Cotswolds, Central Midlands, East Anglia, Herts and South Beds and  South Midlands .  

So how did it all start with Alfas for me? Well it was 1982 and I was at school. All my friends had discovered that if you worked in a shop on a Saturday you could earn money. I thought the latter part sounded good but was not so sure about a shop. Over the road from my school was a garage and so being a car nut I went to see if they had any jobs. I got a job as a car-cleaner in this garage which was an Alfa dealer. I stayed on a while doing this on Saturdays and during holidays. When I passed my driving test I was allowed to drive the Alfas and that was it. I got my first Alfa in 1989 which was a cream Sud TiX and since then have had two 33s another Sud (which we kept for 12 years) a 164, two 156 Sportwagons and a 75. The last three are the current fleet.

For a few years now I have been a member of the AROC National Events Committee, working with Jim Talbott and Stuart Taylor on events such as Spring and National Alfa Days. At these events I can be recognised by having a fluorescent jacket, radios and phone and rushing around in total confusion. This is mainly because one of my responsibilities is to arrange the volunteer marshals and hence this includes covering the whole site. I enjoy taking part in the AROC forum, and can be found there as AlfaPDent. 

Elaine’s 156 Sportwagon is a 2000 2.0TS Lusso in Artic Green. We bought this as my car from a local main dealer in 2002 when it had 12k on the clock. As my work was clocking up the miles on it, we decided that Elaine should take it over and for it to be used as the main family car. This has been a fairly reliable car with the greatest expense being when the airbag control unit failed. When Elaine took my car over, I somehow ended up with another Sportwagon. I was looking for a saloon and preferably diesel. At that time though used diesel 156s were not easy to find. Instead I found myself a Fire Black Selespeed Veloce. However, before I had even picked it up it had been written off. 

The dealer found me my Vela Blue Selespeed Sportwagon in its place. This was purchased in Nov 2003 with 40k on the clock. Since then it has been increasing this at more than 20k per year. I have grown to really enjoy the Selespeed, with my most satisfying journey in it being through the Eiffel region of  Germany . This was the same trip that saw me crossing the Brunige pass in  Switzerland on fresh snow. 

When my Sud was sold at National Alfa Day in 2004 there seemed to be an Alfa shaped space in the garage, and so by October of that year a 75 TS LE had found me. This car was then the one on the National Alfa Day programme and representing the model in the courtyard display in 2005. I thoroughly enjoy driving the 75 and really need to find an insurance company that will do a classic policy that will allow more than 5,000 miles a year

Tim Roberts

My Love of Italian Cars started when I was about two years old, when my Grandfather owned a Lancia Flavia 1800 Vignale convertible, which was a fantastic looking car in Silver. Then my Father bought this car from my Grandfather, which we owned for a number of years. During this time, we also had small Collection of Italian cars which included an Alfa Romeo 1750 Gtv Mk2 which was my Fathers and a Lancia Fulvia 1,3s which was my Mothers.

From that moment on I decided that I would own a 1750 Gtv Mk2 one day but when the time came for me to be able to buy one I could only find a 2000 Gtv located in Yorkshire. Being a little nieve I bought the first one that I saw thinking it would be hard to find another car of this type. This model was a Dutch blue and I thought that all I needed to do was to carry out some minor repairs to the bodywork. But when I started to strip the paint away, I realised how wrong I was. Most of the body work of the car contained over two inches of filler and it looked quite unsafe. I realised that I had not done enough research on buying or restoring Alfa-cars and this had meant that I had ended up making a rather expensive mistake. I decided that I still wanted to get my 1750 and I began extensive research in order to make sure that the next car purchased would be the correct one.

At last I managed to find a 1750 Gtv Mk2 in March 2005 in Red, which already had, had the interior stripped out of it which meant that the car was already at a point where I could begin my restoration project. I started to restore the car myself, but I soon realised that with no prior welding or bodywork skills I would be better off getting the car restored by a professional, which meant that I would end up getting a quality classic car which wouldn't need any work carried out on it for a long time.

Simon Whiting of Gran Turismo turned out to be very helpful by putting me in contact with Russell who worked at Alfa Mechanica in Norfolk. After a few telephone calls and a bit of negotiating Russell agreed to carry out the restoration work on my car at a very reasonable hourly rate. I have been up there three times to see the work which has been carried out so far and I can honestly say that the work is of the highest standard and they have done a fantastic job. I would highly recommend them if you need any restoration work done; you can see the quality of their work from the pictures shown below. If you need help on any 105 series issues Simon Whiting of Gran Turismo or Russell Storer at Alfa Mechanicca will be glad to lend you a hand.

Thank you again to Simon Whiting Gran Turismo and Russell Storer Alfa Mechanica and David my neighbour and Kevin EB Spares Richard Classic Alfa and Titus for finding the car for me and Frank Hanel and the Cotswold Section for all your support and help and my wife for being patient.

My wife, Jo, has just bought an Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 TS Veloce in Nuvola Blue to add to the Italian car collection we needed a bigger car as we have just had two beautiful twin girls. The youngest twin is called Julietta; I could not quite get away with calling her Giulia!
 
Francesca is our other daughters name to keep to the Italian theme. Jo loves her Alfa and enjoys driving it she says compared to her VW Polo there is no comparison which was pretty boring to drive.

I also own a Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo which I think is a fantastic car and have done for the last three years it is such a good package alround. Now all I need is my 1750 Gtv back here so I can enjoy driving it to the Alfa shows and going on trip's to Italy with the Cotswold section who have all become very good friends. Thanks for your entire support guy's the list is to long to put here but you all know who you are.