Vendors and Car Clubs at the 2025 Auto e Moto d’Epoca

November 7, 2025November 7, 2025 RichardReina Car shows, Events 30, Auto e Moto d'Epoca, BolognaFiere

THE VENDORS

Spare parts vendors were a big part of this year’s Auto e Moto d’Epoca, taking up approximately 20% of the available floor space at the BolognaFiere. When I write “spare parts vendors,” I am including businesses selling everything from original-equipment replacement items to performance components, clothing, books, magazines, scale models, and lots of automobilia (collectibles like signs, oil cans, gas cans, advertising material, toys, etc.). The photographs below highlight some of the more interesting vendors I visited during my romp through Building #30.

Alfa parts vendors were aplenty, which was no surprise given our location:

Note the orange-and-black NOS Alfa parts boxes

MyAlfaGroup was a vendor I utilized for some small items last year, and again this year:

If you needed new keys cut, this vendor stocked plenty of key blanks:

Several upholstery vendors were on hand. While my car does not need upholstery work, I thought it would be a good idea to gather some intelligence for future reference. Looking at the upholstery job in this Maserati, I was impressed. The company name was Commerciale MediciStyle, and I gave my contact info to the young woman behind the counter, who followed up with an email to me. BTW, her name was Giulia!

Here was another upholstery vendor who looked like they had interesting things:

Are you out of room for the full-size items? Scale models take up much less space:

If you want to relive your boyhood and purchase a kit for assembly, this vendor had one for a 1955 Alfa Giulietta Spider. And it was only $265!

This body shop was demonstrating its glass-out approach to a complete paint job:

I must give a joyous shout-out to D’Angelo Motors. I remember this vendor well from last year. They make performance parts for the classic Fiat 500, offering everything from bolt-on suspension components to major engine overhauls to outrageous resto-mods. This year, they also hosted my new artist friend Ada Gambino, who was the subject of a recent previous post.

Me and my new friend Marco (and dig the ‘stache)

This 500 had a complete air suspension, allowing it to be raised or lowered by several inches:

THE CAR CLUBS

Car clubs (along with organizations, teams, and museums) occupied four of the sixteen buildings, so their presence was significant. Unlike in the U.S. , where we mostly have car clubs devoted to one manufacturer (with exceptions, of course, like the Mustang Club), in Italy, it is quite typical to see car clubs devoted to a single model. For example, for Fiat, there were clubs solely for the 124 Spider, the Barchetta, the X1/9, the 127, and the Ritmo. For Alfa Romeo, I spotted car clubs for the Duetto and the 916. Lancia had a club just for cars with boxer engines! The photos below illustrate these examples.

The Fiat 500 Club, a big club for a little car

Part of their display included this illustrated tribute to Tom Tjaarda, who designed the 124 Spider among other cars.

The Fiat 127 Club. Wonder if they have a U.S. Chapter?

The Fiat Ritmo Club. That car was sold in the States as the Strada.

The Lancia Club, which looked like they embraced all Lancias

But here’s the Boxer Lancia Club; that name has got to fool the unknowing

The ASI (Automotoclub Storico Italiano) is an overarching organization for historic automobiles

Introducing Automotive Artist Ada Gambino at the Auto e Moto d’Epoca

November 3, 2025November 3, 2025 RichardReina Car shows, Events Ada Gambino, Ada Go, Auto e Moto d'Epoca, BolognaFiere

Before arriving in Bologna for the Auto e Moto d’Epoca, we spent several days in Torino. Traveling as I was with my wife Margaretanne and her brother Kevin, with whom I attended high school, Kevin and I had a mutual school colleague named John Rasiej, who now resides full-time in Torino. We three alumni had a fantastic reunion, highlighted by John and his wife Luisa in the role of our own private tour guides. During our days there, John introduced me to an artist friend of his named Ada Gambino. After seeing that she had creatively painted the entire side of a vintage Fiat Cinquecento (500) for display in a barbershop’s entrance, John commissioned her to paint an original image of Marilyn Monroe on a piece of automotive sheetmetal, specifically, the front clip of a Fiat Cinquecento (500). The flat, grille-less front provided plenty of space on which to paint. Subsequently, Ada received an invitation from a vendor in Fiat 500 performance parts to set herself up in their booth at the BolognaFiere, giving her the potential for huge exposure.

In Torino: Margaretanne, Ada, John, and Kevin

In Torino, I spent some time getting to know Ada, which was a fun challenge as she spoke almost no English, forcing me to utilize my months of Duolingo Italian training. Of course, John, who is bilingual, was always close by and ready to bail me out. With Ada set to work all four days of the show, John decided that he would also travel to Bologna in support of Ada, which also enabled us to spend some time walking the show together.

On my first day at the show, I immediately sought them out. There was Ada, comfortably perched on her artist’s stool, at work on a delightful painting on another Fiat 500 nose. This image would depict a Fiat 500 in the Italian countryside, and this painting was being done for Raffaele D’Angelo, the proprietor of D’Angelo Motors, who so generously offered Ada her own work area. I watched as many show attendees stopped and gazed as the painting progressed in real time. Ada seemed completely at ease fielding questions and comments. Amazingly, a national news reporting crew who was covering the show stopped by to admire her artwork and interview her, and the clip ended up on Italian TV.

This woman actually asked to touch Marilyn’s lips

According to John, as the weekend went on, some of the passers-by expressed serious interest in acquiring a painting from her. She is open to either supplying a piece of sheetmetal herself (she has a local source for that), or having the customer provide the “canvas.” This is a somewhat new venture for Ada, who, previous to this, has both painted on canvas as well as painted on copper jewelry of her own design.

As her business card states (in English), “Ada Gambino: Hand-painted Italian masterpieces of automotive art.” During the week with him, John picked my brain, asking me what I thought about the market for this type of art. I first told him that this is a new field to me; at the same time, I informed him that in America at least, the collecting of “automobiliia,” including everything from spark plugs to oil cans to road signs, is huge. Certainly, there are collector car hobbyists who would be interested in adding a custom hand-painted painting such as Ada can create to their collection of garage art in their man caves.

John’s finished piece was displayed just a few meters from the work in progress

Ada’s business card is attached among the images. It includes her phone number, email address, and a QR code to her Instagram account. Should anyone reading this post have an interest in her art, or be simply looking for additional information, please reach out directly to her. If you do so, as an option, let her know that you found out about her from this blog post. I wish her nothing but the best success with her automotive artistic endeavors.

Admirers were stopping by all day long (Note John’s phone on the right capturing this same image)

Cars For Sale at the 2025 Auto e Moto d’Epoca

October 31, 2025November 7, 2025 RichardReina Uncategorized Auto e Moto d'Epoca, BolognaFiere

When I describe the Auto e Moto d’Epoca as a “car show,” what exactly does that mean? In the States, a “car show” can be a Concours d’Elegance, a judged show, a cruise night, or even a bunch of locals meeting up at a diner for a Sunday breakfast. The BolognaFiere event was four shows in one: motorcycles, motorcycle manufacturers, and motorbike clubs; spare parts and automobilia; automobile clubs, museums, and institutions; and cars for sale. The motorcycles represented the smallest element, limited to one of the smaller buildings. The spare parts and automobilia were in three buildings. The car clubs and institutions took up four buildings. And the cars for sale occupied SIX of the larger buildings on the premises. Like last year, this show was mainly focused on European dealers, along with a few privateers, offering classic cars for sale.

Last year’s visit was my first, and I was so overwhelmed with the immersion into Italian collector car culture that I didn’t pay enough attention to the buying and selling. This year, I put more effort into recording what treasures were being offered to the public. My focus remained on Italian cars only, and I went so far as to engage a couple of dealers in conversations about potential purchases (more about that anon). This post’s entire content covers cars for sale. They are arranged first by marque (Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and Lancia) and then by asking price.

Speaking of price, a few words about the realities of purchasing a car overseas. Unlike 2024, when the Euro and dollar were almost at parity, the dollar has slipped (or the Euro has strengthened) in 2025. Prices given in Euros must be multiplied by 1.15 for conversion to dollars. Ouch. Adding to the pain is the ever-evolving tariff situation. The best information I had as of last week was that a car purchased in Europe and shipped to the U.S. would be subject to a 10% tariff. Now let’s do some math. Let’s say you found the Italian car of your dreams for twenty grand. Except, that’s in Euros, so in dollars, it’s $23,000. A 10% tariff on that number brings things up to $25,300. Figure that enclosed shipping to a NY port is $3,000. So your “20,000” (Euro) dream car is $28,300. Still, for the right car, it could be worth it. Keep these calculations in mind as you peruse the listings below.

ALFA ROMEO

1995 Alfa Romeo 155 Super, €6,500 / $7,500. Attractive four-door model which was not sold here. According to Wikipedia, the 155 replaced the 75 (Milano in the U.S.) and the switch from RWD to FWD resulted in a lukewarm reception from the buying public. At this price, though, this would be fun to have.

1978 Alfa Romeo Giulietta sedan, €9,900 / $11,400. Dark blue paint, tan interior. I had a lengthy talk with the dealer about this car. His English wasn’t great, but I surmised that he claimed this to be a two-owner car with a new engine, fresh paint, and a reupholstered interior. It was he who quoted me an “all in” shipping price of €2,500 (about $2,900). This berlina was FWD, and is a different model than the RWD Alfetta sedan which was sold here in the late ‘70s.

2004 Alfa Romeo 916-series GTV Spider, €16,500 / $19,000. The car looked sharp in metallic blue. These were introduced in the 1990’s and if you find one which is twenty-five years old or older, it can be legally imported. This one, though, as a 2004 model, is still too new to bring home.

1982 Alfasud, €16,800 / $19,300. This version, with its blacked-out grille, black fender flares, alloy wheels, and rear spoiler, was one of the more sporty-looking Alfasuds I’ve seen. I believe that it’s still FWD with a boxer engine, though.

1971 Alfa Romeo Montreal, €17,500 / $20,000. The saddest looking car at the entire event. I know that my fellow Alfisti are going to cry at these photos. My question is, how does one allow such a rare, beautiful, and valuable car to deteriorate to this extent?

1973 Alfa Romeo 2000 Berlina, €18,500 / $21,200. These later Berlinas, with their smooth flanks, are some of the better-looking Alfa sedans. This car looked very clean.

2009 Alfa Romeo Brera coupe, €24,500 / $28,000. Brera, oh sweet Brera, where have you been all my life? Is this the best-looking Alfa of the twenty-first century? Alas, it’s too new to import. If I can just hang on nine more years….

1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI, €28,900 / $33,250. Very straight, and very striking in this unusual color. At this price, one could possibly bring this home and resell for a profit, even after the taxes and tariffs.

1964 Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint, €39,500 / $45,500. The silver over red looked great, and the interior was like new. The paint, however, was a poor respray, with cracks and scratches in various places. Here’s another one where I engaged with the dealer. Actually, when I couldn’t find a salesperson, I knew how to get someone’s attention. I ignored the NON TOCCARE (DO NOT TOUCH) signs and I opened the driver’s door. Within thirty seconds, a saleswoman was next to me, scolding me for my brazen act (I actually had no idea what she was saying to me). She fetched a salesman who spoke some English, and after a short while, he said to me, “I’m ready.” I told him I would think about it…. At first I thought the price was below market, but soon after, I checked Bring a Trailer and discovered that these 2600 Sprints are selling for less money than I thought.

1965 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint, €49,900 / $57,500. As a ’65, this must be one of the last of the Giulietta Sprints. They still command strong money.

1968 Alfa Romeo 1300 Spider, €58,000 / $66,700. This one looked freshly restored and I thought the color combo was great. I have not included many “Duetto” and later Spiders here because I found the asking prices to be much higher than one would pay in the States. Is that because most of them were shipped out of Italy, making them somewhat rare there?

1966 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT, €68,000 /$78,000. Like the Spiders, I have included very few Bertone coupes because I found the prices to be crazy high. This scalino, though, was striking in this color, which I’ve never seen before.

1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint, €79,500 / $91,500. This one is over 50% higher in price than the one above.

1959 Alfa Romeo 2000 Touring Spider, €82,500 /$95,000. Years ago, I didn’t care for these large 102- and 106-series Spiders at all, but they’ve grown on me. The price is still a bit out of my range, and this is a lot of money for a four-cylinder car. For a bit more lire, one can move up to a six. See below.

1966 Alfa Romeo 2600 Touring Spider, €105,000 / $120,000. That big inline six must be delightful, even if the car is slower than a Duetto 1600. I need to drive one, then I need to figure out how to buy one.

1963 Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale, €110,000 / $126,500. The Alfa for those who find the Bertone-designed Giulia coupes just a little bit too ordinary.

1956 Alfa Romeo 1900 Coupe, €110,000 / $126,500. Same ask as the Sprint Speciale above. I’d choose this 1900 over the SS.

FIAT

1965 Fiat 1100D sedan, €6,800 / $7,800. Your basic mid-‘60s Italian economy sedan. Room for the family (as opposed to the 500). A most affordable way to enter the collector car hobby.

1965 Fiat 600D, €7,000 / $8,000.

1968 Fiat 600D, €8,900 / $10,200.

Compact Fiats which, with their four-cylinder engines, are a step up from the two-cylinder 500.

1965 Fiat 850 Coupe, €11,900 / $13,700. I adore these, and in the 1970s, these were not difficult to find in the Northeast. But I have not spotted one in the wild in at least 40 years. The tin worm ate them. This would be a blast to have, in some ways, more fun than the 850 Spider.

1957 Fiat 600, €12,000/ $13,800. A first-series 600. Note the suicide-hinged doors.

1974 Fiat 124 Special T sedan, €13,000 / $15,000. Two gentlemen who spoke no English engaged me in conversation at this car. Turned out that they were trying to sell me parts for a Fiat 124. Somehow, I managed to convince them that I don’t own one. During the intervening sign language, I was able to confirm (I think) that this car has the twin-cam engine (I think).

1967 Fiat 500, €16,500 / $19,000. There must have been three dozen of these for sale at the show. Take your pick! (But prices for them in the U.S. have come down.)

1964 Fiat Multipla, €25,900 / $30,000. Some folks refer to this car as an early version of the minivan (ignoring the VW Bus). I always found these to have a certain charm. This price seemed reasonable compared to some BaT sales which I recall.

1966 Fiat 850 Coupe, €26,900 / $31,000. I’m not sure what made this one worth twice as much as the one above. The signage alluded to a special edition of some sort.

1968 Fiat Dino Coupe, €32,500 /$37,400. I have been smitten with these since I saw one on the street in Rome in 1978. They have always been about 1/3 the price of the Dino Spider, yet you still get the Ferrari V6 motore. As you can see, this one is sold (venduta). I’ll take mine in red, thank you.

1964 Fiat 2300 Coupe Abarth, €45,900 / $53,000. A large Fiat, with some styling cues which to my eye looked outdated. Still, not a car you’ll find in the States.

1958 Fiat 1200 Transformabile, €49,900 / $57,500. One of Fiat’s better-looking Spiders from this time period. But pricey for what it is.

1972 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth Rally, €79,900 / $92,000. Fiat successfully campaigned these heavily-modified Spiders in various rallies. From my understanding, most of them got used up, understandably so. Before plunking down all those Euros, a buyer had better do their homework to ensure this is not a “tribute car” (gotta love the clever way to say FAKE). BTW, this was the less expensive of the two on the floor. The ask on the other car was €100,000 / $115,000.

1967 Fiat Dino Spider, €87,000 / $100,000. This was the least-expensive of numerous Fiat Dino Spiders on the floor. Prices are down from their highs of several years ago, when it took about $130,000 to put one in your garage.

1939 Fiat 1500 6C Transformabile, €95,000 / $109,000. Built just before things got very nasty in Europe, I thought this car had a lot of presence. Expensive, but find another one.

LANCIA

1989 Lancia Delta GT 1.6, €4,900 / $5,600. The least-expensive car at the event. A bare-bones Delta, and with bad paint to boot. Just a car, but worth it to someone.

1972 Lancia Fulvia 1300 sedan, €5,500 / $6,300. Do you love Fulvias like I do, but can’t afford the coupe? This sedan shares its mechanicals with its two-door brother, and can carry all your work buddies to the bar on a Friday night.

1969 Lancia Fulvia Coupe, €23,900 / $27,500. The world still can’t get over how affordable these are compared to Alfa GTV coupes. A lot of style and engineering for the money. You can still find decent ones here in the U.S. for a little less than this.

1968 Lancia Fulvia Zagato, €24,000 / $27,600. While I prefer the styling of the regular coupe over this design, this is one of the least expensive ways to own anything “Zagato.” I thought that this car might have been one of the better deals at the show.

1977 Lancia Beta Montecarlo, €25,000 / $28,800. In Europe the car was badged “Montecarlo.” But because Chevrolet sold a Monte Carlo in the U.S., Lancia renamed the car “Scorpion” in our market. It was sold in the states for only two years. Outrageous design, outrageous transverse mid-engine placement.

1972 Lancia Fulvia Coupe, €27,000 / $31,000. A racier livery made for a higher asking price.

1955 Lancia Aurelia B24 Spider, €895,000 / $1,300,000. For 1955, one of the most striking and beautiful designs from any car maker anywhere. And it has the engineering to match its looks. At a million smackers, you have lots of choices, but nothing looks like one of these.

Still to come: spare parts vendors, car clubs, and a special guest artist!

The Rare and the Unusual at the 2025 Auto e Moto d’Epoca

October 29, 2025October 31, 2025 RichardReina Car shows, Events Auto e Moto d'Epoca, BolognaFiere

This year’s Auto e Moto d’Epoca (Autos and Motorbikes of the Classic Period) was again held at the BolognaFiere, a massive exhibition hall located in its namesake city. Every day spent there was an overwhelming automotive delight for the senses. Most of the the Fiats, Alfa Romeos, and Lancias which were everywhere were familiar to me. But if I thought I knew Italian cars well, it only took a few minutes of strolling the aisles to teach me otherwise. At almost every turn, I came across some vehicle that I had never seen in the metal before, or had never heard of before. Below are the highlights of the cars I’ve grouped together as “the rare and the unusual.” Note that I have indicated the prices in Euros as displayed. At the time of the show, the equivalent dollar value would be calculated by multiplying the Euro by 1.15.

This 1971 Fiat was labeled as an “850 Grand Prix.” From what I could translate, the description read: “This rare version of a Fiat 850 was made by the noted Francis Lombardi design house. Mechanically functional, it is a good base for a restoration.” It was for sale for an asking price of €17,000 ($19,500). Because of its positioning, this was the only shot I was able to take of it.

This very 1950s-looking thing was listed as a 1956 Fiat 1100 103 Elite Vignale. The windshield placard opened with “Vignale is one of the more important Italian automobile design houses,” and it further identified Michelotti as having had a hand in this car’s design. Mechanicals are based on the Nuova Fiat 1100, and while production numbers of around 250,000 are quoted for the “regular” Fiat 1100, the placard further stated, “it is unknown how many of the Elite Vignale were produced.” The dealer was asking €24,950 ($28,700) for this rare Fiat.

The Alfa Romeo 75 of the 1980s was sold in the States badged as the Milano. But I never heard of the “75 Evoluzione” version. This one was a 1987 model year, with an 1800-cc turbo engine. Supposedly one of only 500 produced, the placard said “everything works.” Asking price was €65,000 ($75,000).

This Alfa 1900 Coupe was stopping traffic based on its color alone, never mind its striking design. A “Touring Superleggera,” the only signage on the vehicle itself was a phone number. Several design houses did their own versions of the 1900 Coupe, but this one from Touring is magnificent.

Here is another Alfa 1900, this time, a four-door Berlina. Again, no further information was provided.

An Italian version of the VW Microbus? That’s what this “Romeo” van looked like. It appeared like you could seat about eleven people in there. I especially liked the roof-mounted windows, which really gave it that Microbus vibe.

I was greatly helped by a placard that was 100% in English: “1967 Osca 1600 GT2, with 48,000 km (about 30,000 miles). Four cylinder 1568cc engine with 140 HP, four-speed manual. Osca GT2 with Fissore bodywork. Twenty-one units built. Fiat-derived engine, Maserati chassis. Price on request.” (Badge on rear says “Sebring”.) Osca was the company started by the Maserati brothers after they sold the company named after them. This tiny car was adorable.

This Alfa 6C was on display by an organization sponsoring a reenactment of a tour/rally throughout Sicily to be conducted in May of 2026. There was no signage about the car anywhere. Based on its design, I’d pin it as from the late 1940s. Maybe if I sign up for the event they would let me drive it for a day.

The Lancia Club displayed a number of cars including this Gamma Coupe. According to Wikipedia, the coupes were designed by Pininfarina and were built from 1977 to 1984. The car bears some similarity to other squared-off designs from around this time including the Ferrari 400 and the Fiat 130 Coupe. I don’t think I had ever seen one before.

The signage had plenty of information in English about this car: “The Fiat 525 SS (the initials SS stand for high-compression) is considered the most beautiful Italian car of the period between the 1920s and 1930s, achieving numerous victories in Concours d’Elegance.” Further to that, it was identified as 1929 model year car, with a 3.8L engine producing 88.5 HP at 3350 RPM, allowing it to hit a top speed of 120 KPH (75 MPH). I found the design striking for 1929, and I can even see how it may have influenced some Mercedes-Benz and BMW designs of the ‘30s.

A Fiat Barchetta (little boat). An Italian Miata? I remember seeing photos of these when they were introduced, and at that time, did not find the looks to be attractive. In person, though, the car has a certain quirky charm.

A Fiat 8V. The story goes, Fiat wanted to name this car the “V8” but they were convinced that the Ford Motor Company held the rights to the V8 name. Ergo, they named it 8V (in Italian, “otto vu”; doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue the same way). Turns out that Ford in fact did not own those rights. I think this one was designed in-house. I’ve seen more attractive versions penned by outside design houses.

This 1960 Abarth 850 Scorpione Allemano looked great in giallo (I would bet money that before this, every Abarth I’ve ever seen was red). This sign claimed that this was one of only forty ever produced.

This Alfasud Sprint Veloce 1.3 looked like an Alfetta coupe that had been shrunk by 20%. It was the opening of a factory in the south (sud) which caused Alfa to drop “Milano” from their badge. I believe that all Alfasud models were FWD with boxer engines. These were never sold stateside.

Here is a very cute pair of the original Fiat Topolinos.

Again, I’m helped by a placard in English: “1965 Fiat 1200S OSI Spider. Rare spider designed by Giovanni Michelotti and produced by OSI in Turin (Torino), only 280 produced, 1221cc engine, 58 HP, only two owners.” Hmm, looks a bit like a TR6 from the front. And who designed that? Oh, wait…. The vendor was asking €29,500 ($34,000).

From the same vendor: “1965 Fiat 1300S Coupe Vignale, very rare car, produced in only 50 units by Carrozzeria Vignale of Turin based on a design by Michelotti, 1295cc engine.” Asking price was €32,000 ($36,800).

Here’s another pre-war car: a 1938 Fiat Balilla convertible, looking very dapper in light yellow. The vendor started out asking €39,900 ($45,900). By the time I saw it, the price was marked down to €34,900 ($40,000), “trattabile” (negotiable).

Another Alfa 6C, this one a 1949 6C 2500 SS Passo Corte. The placard stated that this car has an SS engine with 110 HP.

Still to come: posts about car clubs, vendors, and cars for sale. Stay tuned….

Overview: the 2025 Auto e Moto d’Epoca Car Show in Bologna, Italy

October 28, 2025October 28, 2025 RichardReina Car shows, Events Auto e Moto d'Epoca, BolognaFiere

The 2025 Auto e Moto d’Epoca (Cars and Motorbikes of the Classic Period) car show in Bologna, Italy ran from Thursday October 23 through Sunday October 26, and I was thrilled to again be in attendance this year. I have hundreds of photos to sort through, and once that is done, numerous posts about the many different aspects of the event will be coming in the next few days. In the meantime, here are some photographs to whet your appetite for this automotive version of La Dolce Vita.

The doors opened at 9am each morning, and the crowd excitedly poured in

Each of the many buildings was filled door-to-door with cars

Italian cars were in the majority, but other European makes were there as well

Fiats of all years, shapes, and sizes were well-represented

This Lancia Stratos was one of many at the show

This vendor was advertising a 2026 tour of Sicily

The building with parts and automobiia for sale was full of vendors like this one

Ya gotta eat! The food there was 100% Italian, of course

The National Alfa Romeo Club Magazine Publishes My Bologna, Italy Article

February 24, 2025 RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Car shows, Events AROC, Auto e Moto d'Epoca

The Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) has been in existence since the 1950s and has a storied history in the U.S. You can read more about the club’s history and mission at this link, where the passion for the marque is obvious. It has been said, without the slightest exaggeration, that it was AROC that kept the Alfa Romeo spirit alive during that long gap of time (1994 – 2016) when new Alfas were not offered for sale in this market.

The club’s monthly magazine, Alfa Owner, is a highlight of club membership. It is a full color publication, printed on high quality glossy paper, and carries stories about recent and upcoming events throughout the country. After my trip to the Auto e Moto d’Epoca in Bologna, Italy last October, I submitted an article to the club. I am proud to let you know that it was accepted for publication, and was selected to be the cover story as well. Twelve of my photos were included, and I was honored by the editors’ decision. I have included scanned pages from the magazine in this post. (Please excuse the fact that several photos were positioned across two pages and appear disjointed in my scans.)

Auto e Moto d’Epoca Summary Part 4

November 6, 2024 RichardReina Car shows, Events Auto e Moto d'Epoca, BolognaFiere

This 4th and final installment includes the cars which didn’t fit into any of my previous categories.

This 1966 Autobianchi Bianchina convertible was for sale for €26,900.

FERRARI

There were not many Ferraris here, certainly not compared to other Italian makes.

This 400i Automatic was for sale for €58,700.

A Dino 246GT in yellow for €355,000

According to the sign, this 330 GT was Enzo’s personal car.

A stunning 275GTB in yellow.

Another yellow Ferrari, this time a 308GTB.

And yet another yellow Dino.

My all-time personal favorite, the 330GTC. Vendor was asking €650,000.

A Daytona.

Parked outside, and looking like it belonged to an attendee, the world’s first 4-door Ferrari, the Purosangue.

ISETTAS

This BMW Isetta in blue/green had an asking price of €33,900.

A painted Isetta body shell.

No, this is NOT a BMW Isetta. This is a car I’ve never seen before: an Iso Isetta, from 1954. Iso was the company which originally designed and manufactured the Isetta. It was Iso which sold the licensing rights to BMW so that they could produce their own version. When I belonged to the Isetta Club in the U.S., there was only one known Iso Isetta in the entire country. The detail differences between the ISO and BMW are significant.

Bosch was there to sell spare parts. Note how the emblem on the front of this VW Bus has been changed to the Bosch emblem.

This Abarth Simca was for sale for €310,000!

VIGNALE

Although based on Fiat mechanicals, I’ve listed the Vignale-bodied cars separately because of their uniqueness.

This is a Vignale 600 convertible.

Another Vignale convertible, asking €28,900.

A Vignale coupe in grey, asking €14,550.

A 1958 Vignale based on a Fiat 1100TV.

This Autobianchi Bianchina Transformabile convertible could be yours for €30,000.

This Fiat 128-based Moretti looked like a downsized Fiat Dino Coupe, and was only €17,000.

The beer truck lady flashed me the Victory sign. She was doing a brisk business all weekend. “Long Island” made it onto the menu.

RM Sotheby’s Auction company had its own display which included these two Abarths. I’m sorry that I did not record details about either of these cars.

This Abarth 1300 Scorpione had an asking price of €58,500.

A pair of OSCAs, made by the Maserati brothers.

A Stanguelli, with racing history going back to 1948.

A Moretti-Fiat 1500.

A tiny Abarth (is that redundant?).

A 1950 Siata, asking €145,000.

A 1966 Cisitalia 850 Spider, asking €108,000.

The Bianchina Club had these two adorable examples on display.

This blue and white Abarth was ready to rip.

Auto e Moto d’Epoca Summary Part 3

November 5, 2024 RichardReina Car shows, Events Auto e Moto d'Epoca, BolognaFiere

Days 3 and 4 in the BolognaFiere were spent making sure that I walked at least once through every one of the 13 halls. The show category called “The World of Classics” did not contain vehicles for sale; instead, it consisted of display cars which were brought in by manufacturers, car clubs, and organizations. Non-Italian brands were well represented. Clubs for Alpine, BMW, Volvo, MG, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes Benz, Mini, Mustang, Porsche, Triumph, Toyota, and Volkswagen had vehicles there. ASI, which stands for “Automotoclub Storico Italiano” (Historic Italian Automobile Club) had a huge presence, taking up most of one hall.

By Sunday afternoon, the final day of the show, I made one last walk through the cars for sale sections, this time paying more attention to the asking prices. After being on my feet for 6 hours a day for 4 days, it was time to quit.

While I like all cars, I especially like Italian cars. And while I like all Italian cars, it’s my ownership of an Alfa Romeo which puts that brand at the top of the mucchio (heap). The below photos reflect just a sample of the many Alfas at this show.

This 1963 Giulia Spider was for sale for €78,000, presumably including the hardtop.

This 1961 Giulietta Sprint could be yours for €55,000. It would make a nice bookend with the Giulia Spider above.

I was smitten with this ’67 GT 1300 Junior because it was an almost exact duplicate of my car. The owner was asking €46,000.

This 1991 SZ had an ask of €90,000.

This 1970 Spider looked to be cosmetically near perfect, and it stood out for me compared to almost every other Spider at the show. The vendor was asking €63,000.

A 1973 GT 1300 Junior in white. Note the 2^nd series front end styling.

An Alfetta GT coupe in black. This was one of only a few at the show.

This blue GTA “tributo” was only €39,000.

A 1957 1900 Super sedan.

I thought this GTV looked sharp in silver with the silver wheels.

One of the better priced Alfas here was this 1976 Spider 2000 for €26,500. The sign on it seemed to claim that it had only 9,000 original kilometers on it.

A beautiful blue 2600 Sprint.

A beautiful silver Giulietta Sprint.

If you’re looking for a starting point, this restored shell was for sale.

This yellow RZ Spider was for sale for €125,000.

There weren’t too many 4Cs there either; this one had a sale price of €85,000.

SZ in the front; 8C Spider in the rear.

A 1982 Alfetta GTV with a 2.0L in it, for €25,000.

A white 1968 Super for €27,800.

Another Super, looking sharp in grey.

I loved this Disco Volante, even though (or maybe because) it’s a replica.

A rare (only 1,000 made?) GTC. Asking price of €120,000 makes me wonder what else I could get for that amount of money.

An unrestored Romeo truck.

The Alfa parts vendors were out in full force. Cicognani is a well-known supplier for rubber, upholstery, and other soft goods parts.

Who said Italians don’t talk with their hands? I think he was saying “your offer is an insult!”

Looking for those hard-to-find Lodge plugs? Here they are.

Label on the starter on the right: Alfa Romeo Giulia, 8 teeth, pre-’68. Hey, that’s my car!

Carburetors? We have carburetors.

Wheels in many sizes, designs, and colors.

Sheetmetal too.

Project cars are still out there.

One of the few Montreals at the show.

This red ’62 Giulietta Veloce had an asking price of €65,900.

Or, this silver Giulia Sprint Speciale for €129,000.

Club Alfa Romeo Dolomiti had a nice display.

AutoGiro d’Italia was here to advertise a rally to be held in September of 2025.

1948 Alfa Romeo 6C Sport.

A personal favorite was this 1961 Giulietta Sprint Zagato.

Another Romeo truck, this one done up as a tour bus.

This ’73 Berlina looked very clean for €20,500.

A vendor who specializes in Alfas brought this impressive lineup.

Older and newer Alfas side by side, in red of course.

By Day 3, the asking price on this ’66 2600 Sprint was reduced from €49,000 to €46,000.

A trio of Alfa Type 916 2-doors.

This SS was nicely staged outside in front of a filling station display.

The next and final post from this show: the rest of the cars.

Auto e Moto d’Epoca Summary Part 2

November 3, 2024 RichardReina Car shows, Events Auto e Moto d'Epoca, BolognaFiere

My Day 2 stroll through the BolognaFiere began by tackling the huge hall filled with vendors who were selling parts, accessories, books, and clothing. My personal goal was to find sales or marketing literature specifically for my ’67 GT 1300 Junior, and while I did find a maintenance manual (I passed at the asking price of €125), and while there were sale brochures for newer Alfas, I struck out on my search. So I turned my attention to the numerous parts suppliers, most of whom I had not heard of. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they sold repair parts of interest to me, and I collected their contact info for future reference.

Although I have close to zero interest in motorcycles, I did wander through the single motorcycle hall just to be able to say that I saw it. I concluded the day’s tour by taking in the sixth of the six buildings with cars for sale. Like Thursday, Friday was 6 hours on my feet, so I headed back to the hotel for the day.

Among the many surprises waiting for me at the Auto e Moto d’Epoca were the large number of Lancia automobiles. Compared to Fiat and Alfa Romeo, Lancia never gained a strong sales following in the United States. Lancia’s reputation in Europe was due in great part to its huge rallying success. Perhaps the most popular Lancia models for us were the FWD Beta coupes and sedans which were launched in the mid-1970s. Like other European makes, though, lack of a strong dealer network was the most likely cause of the brand’s failure in America, in spite of attempts by others to blame the quality of the automobiles. Today, my photos will feature Lancias. Note the asking prices here, as many of them seemed relatively affordable.

This Lancia Fulvia Zagato was the very first car I saw upon entering the show on Thursday.

This ’67 Fulvia Coupe in white had a For Sale sign which read: “Published book value €22,000, price negotiable”.

Another Fulvia Zagato, this time in red.

A handsome Flaminia convertible in silver.

A white Flaminia, this time a coupe.

A Lancia Flavia Sport. Get a load of that quarter window treatment!

This white Fulvia coupe had an asking price of €21,000.

A Lancia Appia Zagato for sale, at €115,000.

The ultimate rally car? A Lancia Stratos, a car that I’ve read about for decades and have seen maybe once in my life. “Confidential negotiation” said the price sign, but these sell in the States for around a half million.

The Lancia Beta Montecarlo was sold in the U.S. as the Scorpion, to avoid conflict with Chevy’s Monte Carlo. These are mid-engined cars with terrific handling.

A Fulvia HF “Fanalone” (large lights), asking €93,500.

There were two versions of the Lancia Aurelia B24 convertible. The 1^st version, the “America”, had a split front bumper, wraparound windshield, side curtains, and lacked outside door handles. Only 240 were manufactured, and they command a premium price. The 2^nd version had a one-piece front bumper, vent windows, external door handles, and wind-up windows.

This Lancia B24 Spider is the “America” model, with an asking price of €895,000.

This yellow B24S is the second series convertible, so its asking price is only €270,000.

This second-series Aurelia Spider had an asking price of €298,000.

A grey Flavia 2-door for sale for €29,000.

Here is a Montecarlo in red. Note the transverse engine placement. The vendor was asking €25,500.

A rare body style: the Beta HPE hatchback.

A Lancia Beta Zagato in silver, with a removable targa top and fold-down rear window, for only €15,900.

An Aurelia B20 coupe which competed in the 1954 Mille Miglia, with an ask of €585,000.

I loved the color combo on this Fulvia coupe. At €25,000, I thought about bringing it home.

Another Flaminia coupe, this one in grey. Note the off-white wheels, seen on many Lancias.

Possibly the oldest Lancia at the show, this 1947 Aprilla Berlinetta Pinin Farina looked resplendent in green over tan. Note the RHD.

Strong club support brought out this impressive row of Lancia Delta models.

Likewise, the Lancia club showed up with more Fulvias than I could count.

Another day, another Lancia Stratos, this one in rally livery.

This one got my attention: I’ve never heard of nor seen a Lancia Kappa, also simply called “K”. It’s a 1999, FWD with a 5-cylinder turbo engine putting out 220 HP. Styling was a bit bland but inoffensive. The ask? €10,000, not negotiable.

And yet another one new to me: a 1997 Delta 2-door, 2.0L turbo making 193 HP, 51,000 kilometers (about 32,000 miles). The vendor was asking €19,000.

Was this the least expensive Fulvia coupe at the show? This 1973 with 60,000 original km (37,000 miles) had an asking price of €17,500.

Auto e Moto d’Epoca Summary Part 1

November 2, 2024 RichardReina Car shows, Events Auto e Moto d'Epoca, Bologna, Fiat, Italy

The “Auto e Moto d’Epoca” (Autos and Motorbikes of the Period, referring to vintage and classic items) is an annual motor vehicle show held in Italy. The 2024 event was its 41^st edition, and substantial growth forced it to move from Padova to a larger venue in Bologna. I first became aware of this show in 2023 and had hoped to attend but was unable to. However, I made the journey in October 2024 and attended all four days. I’ve experienced all types of car shows over the decades, but this was easily one of the best shows of my life (it helps that I love not only Alfa Romeos, but all Italian motor vehicles).

The 2024 show dates were from Thursday Oct. 24 through Sunday Oct. 27. I arrived in Bologna on Tuesday the 22^nd so I could adjust to the 6-hour time difference. Once I got off the plane in Bologna, a 15-minute taxi ride got me to my Marriott hotel. The show was held at the BolognaFiere, a huge exhibition complex which was an easy 15-minute walk from the hotel. The Auto e Moto d’Epoca occupied 13 of its buildings, or halls, with the halls organized into 4 categories: vehicles for sale; vehicles displayed by car clubs, manufacturers, and other organizations; motorcycles; and spare parts & automobilia.

Thursday was billed as preview day, and I had pre-purchased a combo ticket for all 4 days. I arrived shortly after the doors opened at 9 a.m., and as I walked into the hall and got my first glance of the cars on the floor, I knew that my expectations were about to be greatly exceeded. As it happened, the first of the 13 buildings I entered featured cars for sale by private individuals. Italian cars included various Fiat models such has 124 Sport Coupes, 130 Coupes, Dino Coupes and Spiders, and 500 sedans. Lancias were plentiful and included various Fulvias and Flaminias. Of course, there were many Alfa Romeos, mostly GT Coupes and Spiders, but a fair number of sedans too. Non-Italian cars included various Jaguars, Mercedes-Benzes, Volkswagens, and even some American cars. And this was just the first building!

On Thursday, I only visited the halls which contained cars for sale. Aside from cars offered by private individuals, many of the remaining vehicles for sale had been brought in by specialty auto dealers, of which there seem to be a great number in Italy. Asking prices were listed in Euros, and with the dollar almost at 1:1 parity (actually the Euro is worth a little more), there were no complicated calculations to make regarding pricing. I spent about 6 hours on Day 1 wandering through 5 of the 6 buildings with cars for sale.

I’ve decided that the most organized way to share my photos is to break up the blog posts into segments based on vehicle marques, starting with Fiat.

This 1962 Fiat 600D had an asking price of €8200

Fiat Dino Coupes and Spiders

Fiat, in collaboration with Ferrari, agreed to build a certain number of “Dino” Coupes and Spiders with the Ferrari V6 engine for homologation purposes. Never officially imported into the U.S., they were built in limited numbers during the late ‘60s-early ‘70s. They have always been a favorite of mine, and I’m lucky if I see one a year in the States. Here, I saw EIGHT.

1968 Dino Spider in red

1968 Dino Coupe in red, paint was bad, asking €23,000

Yellow Dino Coupe

Blue Dino Spider, asking €97,000

1967 Dino Spider in red, asking €115,000

Yellow Dino Coupe, asking €57,000

Silver Dino Coupe

Dark red Dino Spider with a brown interior

Fiat 124 Sport Coupes

Long a favorite, as I had one in college, which ignited this Italian love affair. They have all but disappeared from the roads here, but there were 3 at the show, and two were for sale at seemingly fair prices.

This 2^nd-generation 1971 Coupe had an asking price of €16,999. It looked sharp in yellow over black with its alloy wheels, but with the hood up, the yellow in the engine compartment didn’t match the exterior paint. The car was still for sale when I walked past it on Sunday.

This 1968 Coupe (1^st gen car, note the single headlamp per side compared to the yellow one) had what looked like a restored interior, with headrests on the front seats. The owner was asking €13,900, a bit less than the yellow car.

This 2^nd-gen silver car was displayed outside, and I presume that it was there as part of a Fiat club.

Fiat 130 Coupes

Looking somewhat like the 124 Coupe’s big brother, these V6-powered cruisers pop up once in a while on Bring a Trailer. There were two at the show.

This 1969 Fiat 2300 Coupe had an asking price of €34,000

I call this 1955 Fiat 1100 “Transformabile” the ‘Eleanor Roosevelt car’, because there is a photo of her in the driver’s seat of one. The vendor was asking €57,500 for this one.

Fiat 124 Spiders were thin on the ground at this show, and understandably so, since out of a total production of 197,913 vehicles (1966-1985), 170,720 were imported into the U.S.! Still, a few interesting examples were there.

This blue Spider looked impeccably restored, and featured the dual carbs under the so-called ‘turtleback’ air cleaner.

This presumably authentic Abarth 124 Rally car had an asking price of €105,000.

This ’69 Spider was claimed to be one of only 4 prepped by the factory for competition.

A ’68 Spider in yellow. Note the original style grille with horizontal bars.

I’ve read about Fiat 8Vs, but had never seen one in the metal before this show. Interestingly, Fiat gave it that name under the mistaken impression that “V8” had been trademarked by the Ford Motor Company.

This early 20^th century Fiat racer was on display in the Center Hall.

This Fiat 128 2-door sedan looked racy with its blacked-out panels. It sold in 2 days.

The Fiat Multipla is considered by some to be the first “minivan”.

This Fiat pickup looked like a conversion job, although I’m not sure.

And you thought that Fiat only made small vehicles? This bus was plenty big. It had a 6-cylinder diesel engine.

This Fiat 850 Spider was likely the nicest one I’ve ever seen. It was an early model as noted by its flush headlights.

A Fiat Ritmo Abarth. The Ritmo was Fiat’s answer to the successful VW Golf (Rabbit in the U.S.).

The hit of the show among the Fiats were the diminutive 500 models. They were out in great numbers, in stock and modified versions. In fact, there were plenty of vendors at the show selling all kinds of performance upgrades for these air-cooled 2-cylinder pocket rockets.

Next up will the Lancia (say “Lon-sha”, NOT “Lan-see-ya”)