Ciao, Bella Macchina

When I was director of dance for the Portland Opera, a large part of my life revolved around yearning, passion, searches, mysteries, findings and farewells.

It’s not so different with the classic cars that roll in and out of our garages.

After 10 years and 15,000 miles, I am selling our 1967 Alfa Romeo Duetto. This car, s/n AR661909, came into my life on March 18, 2014. After a nationwide search, I found it tucked away in a garage in Gervais, OR, just 35 miles from my home.

Duettos have always had an outsized impact on me, beginning with the first time I saw one in “The Graduate.”

Yes, I know it’s clichéd, but I was smitten. Not only did the Duetto have a striking appearance, but it also came stock with a pair of two-barrel Webers and four-wheel disc brakes. Compared to the Austin-Healeys, Porsche 356s and MGs of the era, it was like a creature from another planet.

I had to have one.

Summer love

I worked all summer in 1971, selling sweaters at the Macy’s in Union Square in San Francisco. By August I had saved up the $1,800 it cost me to buy my own Duetto. White over black, it was only four years old and had covered just 48,000 miles. I was just 20 and had my own Duetto.

As the years passed, many Alfas came and went, but I always wanted another Duetto. This time, it had to be red. I wanted one that had never rusted, was never crashed and in every way was completely correct. No 2-liter “upgrades” or color changes for me.

Looking back now, I am surprised that I waited as long as I did to acquire another one.

Bumps and cruises

The man I bought the Duetto from said he was the second owner, and he had records going back to 1988.

Aside from a piece of new OEM sheet metal in the nose — yes, the bump is still intact — the car met my requirements. It had no signs of rust and was solid with good panel fit. It had been repainted but in correct Alfa red. As a bonus, the seats still had their original bowling-ball-black vinyl.

During my time with it, I had local guru Nasko install an upgraded Dave Rugh suspension and we refreshed the interior with parts from Matt Jones at Re-Originals. I also had Guy Recordon restore a factory steel Pininfarina hard top.

The car has completed several SCM 1000 tours, and I drove it to the 50th Anniversary of the Duetto at Concorso Italiano in 2016.

It has never let me down and always been a joy. While not as “live wire” as my 1965 Giulia Spider Veloce, it’s a better all-around car with its spacious cockpit and superior weather equipment.

From three pedals to two

I was sure this was the one Alfa I would never part with. That is, until I had a stroke in 2019 and could no longer drive a manual-shift car. This was, of course, a life-changing event on an operatic scale.

Still, I have resisted selling the car, hoping my left leg would regain the ability to push in a clutch, but that doesn’t appear as if it is going to happen. My days of manual shifting seem to be over.

I’m still among the Alfisti. I bought an automatic 1991 S4 Spider, which has turned out to be far better than expected. While not nearly as sporty and direct as my earlier Alfas, it’s sufficiently sprightly. Behind the wheel you know you are driving an Alfa.

The Duetto has continued to occupy a space in my garage. Believing that I should save it for my son Bradley and my daughter Alexandra to enjoy, I hung on to it.

Bradley drove it for the first time on the Alfa Club’s recent Valentine’s Day Tour. Afterwards, he said, “Dad, I have something to tell you.

“I prefer driving the S4 to the Duetto. The S4 is just more modern, with easier steering, better brakes, a great stereo and good A/C.”

He’s not wrong. While I wish this was not the final word on the Duetto, I am realizing time marches on.

Sell your darlings

I have a strong emotional bond with the cars in my little collection. They were each chosen for a particular reason and purpose. I don’t like selling any of them, but it is time to reduce the fleet to the ones I can actually drive.

Therefore, I have asked good friend and SCMer Matt Crandall at the Avant-Garde Collection to sell a few cars for me on Bring a Trailer, where he is known as “911r.” We will be starting with the Duetto, then we’ll see what’s next.

I’ll post on my blog when the cars go live.

Parting with the Duetto represents an emotional loss on a grand scale. It’s the one Alfa model I have been infatuated with for over 60 years. The car I own is my dream Duetto.

But nothing lasts forever. My decade of enjoyment being behind the wheel of one of the greatest sports cars of all time has come to a close.

I still have photos. Plenty with me in the car, but also pictures with Alexandra in front of Timberline Lodge after a “road trip for no reason” and a shot with Bradley in the car in front of his elementary school when he was 7 years old.

Thanks for the memories, bella macchina. ♥