Fred Frey      Hampton Bays NY    1972 GTV 2000, 1973 Giulia Super 1.6

In 1978 I borrowed $880 to buy my first car; a 1968 Mustang convertible. The paint was faded and there was some rust of course. My father and I fixed the rusted sections (bondo and fiberglass) and repainted it bright red in our garage. It soon replaced my bicycle as my transport to high school. The car was lots of fun but I needed something more exciting. A few years latter the ‘68 was sold to help pay for a ‘67 Shelby GT 350. That car was way more fun, but ownership soon became more worry than enjoyment as I was afraid to park it anywhere for fear that it might get stolen or damaged and with its racing stripes; it was a cop magnet. So, I sold it for a fraction of what it’s worth today and purchased my first imported car and my first brand new car. A 1984 VW GTI. A few years later I yearned for more of a true sports car. This led me to a new (’88) Mazda RX7 turbo. It was very fast and handled great but I missed having something unique like the Shelby.

A few years later came my introduction to the world of Italian autos. While on vacation in Rome I was taken aback by the beautiful architecture, gorgeous women, fantastic food and more importantly, amazing cars! One that astounded me more than any other was the diminutive Fiat 500. I recalled seeing them in the Italian crime films that I am fond of, but never in person. And only in person do you realize how small they are! I saw hundreds of them in Rome and no matter the condition they were all stunning. I wanted to put one in my suitcase and take it home. Eventually I did bring one back via a transport ship from Holland. The Fiat is even more astonishing now that it lives in the land of the gigantic SUVs.

I joined the Fiat club and attended their car shows. It was at one of these shows that I discovered a car that knocked me over at first sight. The cool logo read “Alfa Romeo”. At that time I had not seen any Alfa’s other than the occasional Spider… but this car was no Spider. What I discovered from speaking to the owner was that it was a GTV 2000. My search for a year for a rust-free car ended in San Jose California. It less then 56,000 miles, was in perfect and very original condition but it was GREEN! Undaunted by a color I had the car shipped home where I spent months working on her; including a new Green paint job. The GTV is one of the best Alfas, only bested by the Giulia Super - a car I recently purchased in Holland and am in the midst of restoring.