I’m walking down the street, minding my own business when this utterly bad ass XKR cruises by in all its customized glory. It immediately reminded me of those machine gun-touting movie cars used to chase down 007 in Die Another Day. While I never was a huge fan of the first gen XK8, modifications like this are working time and a half to change my mind. Notice how the clamp on hard top achieves a completely different design effect than a true fixed roof does. It’s chunkier and I dig it. Mixed in with the slick wheels, tires and ground effects and you have yourself one wicked Jag. We followed it into the service bay of this quaint little West Village garage and found other hidden treasures lurking within.

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Pictured – Robbie Pyle and his 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT

WHAT’S YOUR OCCUPATION?

DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL STYLE.

That’s a tough one, I’ve never been asked to describe my style. I would say it has and always will be inspired by skateboard culture, probably a result of growing up a S.F. skate rat in the early 90s. I also admire clothes that aren’t necessarily able to be placed in any specific decade, if that makes any sense. A simple pair of boots, jeans, and utility shirt are usually par for most of my occasions, but I do always have a pair of Halfcabs and my board in the trunk for those random skate sessions. I try to keep my life and style simple. People go through many different phases of style in life, and I am no exception, but if I could land on one that I am able to respect 30 or 40 years down the road, I would be happy.

IS THIS YOUR DREAM CAR? IF NOT, WHAT IS?

For now, yah it’s my dream car. It just seems to do everything so well. I tend to have a little bit of A.D.D. when it comes to automobiles, so I cannot say how long this love affair might last, but out of the 20 or so odd cars I’ve ever owned, I have never enjoyed driving one more than this little Giulia Sprint GT. I would love to own an unrestored mid-sixties Ferrari 330GTC someday, but who knows if that will ever be feasible. Or maybe one of those big brown UPS trucks, I’ve always wanted to drive one of those.

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT A CAR LIKE THIS IN LA?

WHERE DID YOU PICK IT UP?

I knew I wanted a 2-headlight (aka “step-nose” or “scalino”, ’63-‘70) Bertone styled couple, but it seems people like to hold onto them as they are rarely seen for sale. I looked for over a year, even flew out to Utah to look at a car that turned out to be a basket case. I was at the point where I wondered if I’d ever find something or if i should just forget it. I was about to give up when I found a lead on a ’65 out of Tennessee with 40k original miles. I looked at so many cars in person that I began to know exactly where most problem areas would hide. As weary as I was to buy sight unseen, I finally committed after talking to and grilling the previous owner on its condition. It was originally a west coast car from Vancouver and lived there until 2007 when it moved east. The car arrived with zero rust and every factory panel straight and in place, so I was a happy camper.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?

A white 1991 Toyota MR2.

YOUNG GUYS IN LA ARE USUALLY DRAWN TO THE MUSCLE CARS, WHY THE ALFA?

I grew up with a father and older brother who were American muscle fanatics, so I can and still do respect domestics. With the Alfa, I wanted something I could drive and rarely, if ever, see another on the road. I also noticed that Alfa Romeos and other classic European cars were hardly ever driven by younger guys. Maybe this is partly due to the fact that so many are priced to a point that drives the younger crowed away, but I wanted something I could enjoy now, not later in life.

Nick Maggio

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As if legal immunity and ridiculous parking privileges weren’t enough, you can now add grey market importation to the list of cool shit Diplomats get away with in New York City.  We’re not sure if this sexy 916-series Spider lives at the Italian consulate or not but it sure does look purty basking in the Mercer Street sunshine. The sighting also makes us that much more excited for the brand’s long-awaited U.S. comeback tour. 

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We found this sporty red Alfa parked on Morton Street in the West Village. This was our first GTV-6 sighting since launching ManOnTheMove and the 1982 model pictured here is a particularly rare one thanks to its Balocco designation. Named after Alfa’s Balocco test track in Italy, the special edition of the Giugiaro-designed coupe, itself based on the handsome Alfetta sedan, was only available in red with a sunroof, black interior, leather wrapped steering wheel and red piping on the seats. What is it with Italians and painting cars red? There were also two green Quadrifoglio alfa badges, which appear to missing from this one, fixed on the rear quarter trim pieces above the “Balocco SE” badge. A serial numbered plaque inside the glovebox tells owners which of the 350 produced they possess. Sports Car Market scribe Rob Sass referred to special edition GTV-6s like Balocco and Maratona as “a ploy to sell slow-moving product”, alluding to their lack of differentiation next to the base GTV-6. Let’s just say that Alfa is not the only automaker guilty of such a crime.

We wait patiently for Alfa to make their US return, which was pushed back (again) to 2011 thanks to global economic woes.

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