UIO (Unidentified Italian Object) sightings

[Neil Smith <neiltbag@domain.elided>]

I'm curious...
What strange Italian cars have been spotted in the US? I mean
grey market, bond-import, manufacturer-import, crafty
law-bending or just plain illegal cars. 

The 166 sighting got me thinking, but last year I tried to track
down a Lancia Integrale, and came across two. One (an 8-valve)
is owned by a guy in upstate New York, and is legal and smogged.
The other, a 16-valve, was last sighted in Texas. It had a very
chequered past. At one point it was owned by a guy named Mike
who builds rally cars for a living in Chicago (anyone got his
number - I lost it and want to talk to him about a Mitsu Lancer
Evo he built). 

How did the mysterious 156 get in?

The lengths we in the US will go to find something different is
remarkable... Tearing Rover engines out of Lotus Elises and
replacing them with a VTEC for example(stand up Sun
International). Does this say more for the lack of interesting
cars here, or the profusion of them elsewhere? Even B*W owners
can't get as powerful an M3 here as they could in Europe. And
B*W adores the US! Testament to us as Alfa owners that we stand
up and fight for non-conformity. Of course, given the choice
Europeans have, most of us would still own the Alfas we own now.

Can't wait for Monterey. See you all at Laguna Seca (unless you
live in Europe- ha!)
Neil.

===
Neil A. Smith, Musician
'87 Alfa Romeo Milano Gold
neiltbag@domain.elided
neils@domain.elided
(408) 888-3450 vm
(650) 875-6880 w
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