ABOVE THE CLOUDS
Last weekend I met with a good ol’ friend for a drive in the mountains. Nothing special so far, right. After all, mountains are Alfa’s favourite hunting grounds.
Yet, this time, it all felt very special. We didn’t see each other in 10 years. It’s only my second drive in my Spider. Also his second drive in his Spider. And he is now driving the car I used to own about 5 years ago.
I got the Alfa virus in 2006, the moment I first bought my “cento quaranta sette”. Since then, I was in a constant chase of better platforms, engines, or simply more fun, emotional drives. I bought my first 916 Spider in early 2011 and upgraded to a 939 a couple of years later. But somehow , that car kept a special place into my heart forever, strengthening my belief that the 916 is a future classic. So, lately, I knew I had to get one back into my life!
Calin’s story closely resembles my own. He also used to own both a GTV and a Spider. After many years of driving boring but reliable cars , something clicked and one day he approached me asking for advice about the 916 series and some cars on sale on the local market. I got him in touch with the guy I sold my car to and next thing you know… bam , he was buying my ex Spider!
We’re living in different cities, so we decided to meet halfway, on a scenic alpine road. Romania is well known for it’s famous Transfagarasan, that Jeremy Clarkson proclaimed as being “the best road in the world”. But few people know about Transalpina, the other epic road that crosses the Southern Carpathians, that, in my personal opinion, is in many ways even better than Transfagarasan.
Driving there in late October is pretty ambitious , as it’s offseason and many fear bad weather. On the plus side, this meant that the road was pretty empty, allowing us to push hard on here and there, but also admire the breathtaking views and stop for pictures wherever we wanted.
We were not alone, as we joined some other alfisti for this trip. The local community might not be as big as in other countries, but for sure it’s one of a kind: people here are very attached to the brand, the club or to each other, creating strong bonds that seem to last forever! Just like my friendship with Calin
Their cars are pretty cool too, ranging from the smallest to the biggest Alfas in modern history, not to mention the choice of Teledials on display.
Last, but least, I know it’s a bold statement, but I sometimes think God is an alfista! The weather was really good to us, allowing us to drive topless the whole Saturday, while on Sunday morning, just as we left, it started raining. Not long after, in the afternoon, the whole road was fully covered in snow. And it got officially closed ‘till the next spring kicks in.
