wire wheels and other options

["agiyo" <agiyo@xxxxxxxx>]

Tonight at the meeting, I asked one of AROO's real treasures, Denny Pillar,
about wire wheels as factory options.  Denny worked for Rambo Motors, an
enthusiastic dealership in the Portland area, back when 750 cars were new.  He
can only describe what happened at Rambo, but his word is pure gold.  Denny is
one of the finest men I will ever know.

He told me there were NO options.  Rambo Motors would get a notice, "About the
10th of next month, you will get 5 Giulias and 12 Giuliettas," and they'd
arrive about the 30th on a train.  You knew what colors they were when you saw
them; you got what you got.  Bumpers and headlight rings, plus one mirror on
some models, were in the trunk.  There were no seat belts until about 1965,
but they came in the trunk, too.  Some Borrani wire wheels existed could be
fitted (and a Giulia on the recent Old Spider Tour had them) but everything
was a dealer, or friend-of-the-dealer installed option.  First on the list of
prospective buyers got his choice of cars, then they moved down the list.
"There were a lot of white and black ones, but not many colors.  Very few
powder blue ones."

Our Old Spider Tour is dedicated to Bob McGill's powder blue Giulietta, now
owned by Bill Gillham.

There's at least one set of "Alfa" Borranis in a garage across the state line
in Washington; I remember seeing them on a ratty looking, crudely spoilered
GTV driven by one of those sneaky old timers, that has gotten better looking
and has always gone fast in these parts.  I cannot imagine why anyone might
want to put wire wheels on an Alfa from the Giuliettas on.  But somebody out
there kisses cows and likes it.

It's all fractal.
Peace.
Joe
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