[alfa] The Golden Age of Sports Cars

["Gregory S. Youngblood" <greg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

For those that don't know, I have decided to return to school and pursue
an actual degree of some kind. That means taking such classes as
Composition I, something I currently find a joke. Anyway, the "research
paper" is upon me and I was digging in the library looking for something
good to write about and I stumbled across this book, copyright 1972, with
a chapter "La DOLCE VETTURA: ALFA ROMEO". Here are a few excerpts:

"The world would be a sorry place if it were not for the Italians. Their
gifts to art and music, not to mention food, and the uniquely Italian
celebration of the joy of living, all rate high in the catalogue of human
accomplishment. Certainly the world of automobiles would be a good deal
poorer if it were not for the imprint that the Italian touch has made on
motorcars, and is still making."

"Italian cars have had their share of these qualities, but their one giant
virtue is a pure felicita di vita which no other machine is quite able to
duplicate. To gather together a scenic road, an attractive companion, and
an Italian sports car is to know one of life's exquisite joys. Being
Latin, the car is entitled to a measure of temperament, and can
teach you the meaning of exasperation. But when she has been sufficiently
soothed, praised, and loved and the mood is on her, she is on your side
like no other car on the road. If cars can be considered a stimulant --
and they certainly should be -- then one probably gets higher highs and
lower lows from Italian machines than from any other breed."

There's more, but it goes more into the history of Alfa cars, including
a mention of "the" Henry Ford quote.

I had planned on writing about something else, digital photography, GPS
systems, something like that. Found one pathetic book at the library on
GPS, nothing on photo restoration like I was hoping to find. So, now I'm
thinking about writing something about Alfa Romeo. One of my requirements
is to include quotes from sources, and a xerox of the page(s) the quote
comes from. Anyone here (in the US simply because postage time) willing to
allow me use of their library by making a few copies of pages from
books/magazines? If you are, please contact me off digest -- I don't want
copies of the whole book, rather I'm going to look for specific
ideas/content and would need a copy of the books cover, copyright page,
and page(s) with the content I'm looking for. Also, any suggestions on
good books and magazine articles dealing with Alfa Romeo influences on the
automotive industry would be greatly appreciated. If I can find enough
info, then I'll be writing about Alfas.

Thanks in advance, and I hope you enjoyed the quotes above, quite a nice
description I thought.

Greg
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