A little boy's dream car

Red Alpha

Well, maybe not every little boy wants an Alpha. Some may want a fire engine, while others hanker after a tractor. But most little boys dream of driving if not owning an Alpha at some point. And if it’s a red one, so much the better. It just looks faster.

I was in my very early teens when I discovered Alpha Romeos. Never a petrol head, I knew nothing about cars other than the fact that they have six wheels if you include the spare and steering wheel. But that didn’t matter. You don’t need to know how to make bread to enjoy a slice with peanut butter and syrup – another little boy’s favourite. I liked the look of sporty cars and the Alfa Romeo Spider was the epitome of engineering fashion and speed.

Then, in the late seventies, I needed to buy a new car and realised that I could afford my dream. Off to the Arnold Chatz dealership in Hyde Park. Where else, he was the champion who drove Alfas and sold Alfas. (The dealership still exists but has moved location.)

Dressed in rather shabby jeans, I failed to impress the showroom salesman who saw me as an Alfasud buyer at best. He quickly informed me that there wasn’t a spider to test drive and suggested I give the Sud a spin. When I pointed at the spider standing on the floor, he informed me in a hallowed voice that it was Arnold’s personal car and wasn’t available to be driven by anyone else.

Astonished that I would actually wish to speak to him, he disappeared for a while and returned to inform me that Arnold was busy, but that I could take his spider for a drive. I did so and within minutes, my dream was shattered.

I’m barely six foot (in the old language) and was skinny as a rake at the time. But I felt too big for the car. Bitterly disappointed, I returned to the showroom where the salesman again suggested I drive the Sud.

Turning around, I discovered the Alfa Giulietta. A blue one. After a quick drive, I knew it had to be mine. The salesman and I completed the paperwork and two days later I drove it out of the dealership. I kept it for eight years – until just after Alfa pulled out of South Africa. A sad day for little boy car lovers.