Last Call: Alpha Romero Edition


I spotted this sign a few years back at the place of business of a friend of a friend, who was hosting a gathering of car folks as well as an impromptu garage sale. Now, let me be clear, the owner of the shop where this event was held is not just a car guy, he’s a well-respected car restoration guy which is why I’ve waited all this time to share it. I chalk it up to an unaware underling, but it still makes me chuckle nonetheless. And yes, that’s what dirty Borrani wires go for these days.
Last Call indicates the end of Hooniverse’s broadcast day.  It’s meant to be an open forum for anyone and anything. Thread jacking is not only accepted, it’s encouraged.
Image: ©2017 Hooniverse/Robert Emslie, All Rights Reserved

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50 responses to “Last Call: Alpha Romero Edition”

  1. Inliner Avatar
    Inliner

    Dang, Borrani wires for an Alpha Romero go for that much?
    I guess I’ll settle for a Borrani wires for a Delta Romero …

    1. nanoop Avatar

      I hear there are nice Bianchi wire wheels available, too.

  2. Inliner Avatar
    Inliner

    Also, I’ve been having image upload issues over the past few weeks – pasted links for images would show up just as links. I’d have to edit a couple times and repaste the link before having it magically work again. Does it generally magically work again after time, or is it the repasting?
    I also just noticed that you can choose to upload an image from your computer when first posting a comment, but not when editing. Quite an oversight.

    1. Sjalabais Avatar
      Sjalabais

      Same here, and I don’t get the mechanics. Pinterest-images tend not to work at all, and they’re always https, not just http. If I have the time and really want the photo to be seen, I (re-) upload at postimg.org.

    2. Peter Tanshanomi Avatar

      I think it is a Disqus server load issue. The missing image appears eventually for me, but I can’t promise that’s always the case.

  3. Inliner Avatar
    Inliner

    While browsing for today’s Crapshoot, I came across a LHD (!!) Vanden Plas Princess 4-Litre R (!!), probably what I least expected to find today. I didn’t even know they made them with LHD.
    http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDUwWDgwMA==/z/d8IAAOSwA3dYUtzt/$_27.JPG
    http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/sudbury/rare-rolls-royce-1965-vanden-plas-princess-4l-r/1224588001?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

    1. mdharrell Avatar

      Let me know if you end up buying it. I’m the Area Secretary for the USA and Canada for the Vanden Plas Owners Club.

      1. outback_ute Avatar
        outback_ute

        Of course you are

        1. Batshitbox Avatar
          Batshitbox

          There was a commentator in these parts called accipiter, who casually mentioned their pet hawk after years of not mentioning it, and did it in a manner that was tasteful and organic to the discussion. In retrospect, it shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise.

          1. outback_ute Avatar
            outback_ute

            Mr Harrell’s announcement was definitely not surprising!

          2. mdharrell Avatar

            It’s probably also not too surprising that the club has eight Area Secretaries for various parts of England, then one each for Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, but beyond that only Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Scandinavia, and me.
            The position for London remains vacant if anyone’s interested.

      2. Vairship Avatar
        Vairship

        Given that VandenPlas were from Belgium, and Volvo owned DAF’s car division as well as production facilities in Belgium, why was there never a Volvo 66 VandenPlas?

  4. CraigSu Avatar
    CraigSu

    I’m not sure which is worse: Alpha Romero (as in Cesar Romero) or Alpha Romeo (as in Romeo and Juliet). I’ve heard both with too much frequency.

    1. ranomatic Avatar
      ranomatic

      I didn’t even notice the “Romero” – Too busy processing “Alpha”!

    2. crank_case Avatar
      crank_case

      Hey, I regularly see sorry looking 156s advertised as Alpha Romeo. It’s one thing when it’s sort of an exotic thing from the past, but when they own the actual car, you have to wonder if it ever occurred to them that the correct name is written on their car.

      1. P161911 Avatar
        P161911

        They are replacing it with a V-6 BMW.

    3. dukeisduke Avatar
      dukeisduke

      I was wondering if the seller was a Joker.

  5. Gianni Burrows Avatar
    Gianni Burrows

    Edd China has left Wheeler Dealers. Seems Velocity has taken over production and want to dumb the show down. I look forward to guys with tats yelling and throwing spanners around in some manufactured drama.

    1. mrh1965 Avatar
      mrh1965

      I really like Edd. I have noticed that his role has been reduced in the past season or two, and I’ve not enjoyed that. He was the heart and soul of the show.
      Edit: what a great opportunity for Edd and James May to team up!

      1. nanoop Avatar

        I’m at work and must not watch videos, is that team-up your idea, or theirs?

        1. mrh1965 Avatar
          mrh1965

          Mine, I take all the blame. I can just see the two of them working on some old MG or whatnot, Edd actually working while James makes philosophical comments about the distributor. I’d watch that.

          1. nanoop Avatar

            I did enjoy ‘The Reassembler’, so I’d watch that, too. You should pitch that to the BBC.

      2. crank_case Avatar
        crank_case

        Did James May get a haircut? Because I don’t think the universe can handle that much foppy hair in the one room..

    2. Michael Mitchell Avatar
      Michael Mitchell

      Edd WAS the show…Mike’s a nice guy but didn’t really bring much I felt to the show other then looking for used parts and shaking hands. I always enjoyed the Edd working in the shop more then an other aspect of the show – which is funny since this is what Velocity thinks is the one aspect of the show they didn’t feel was watchable..

      1. Dabidoh_Sambone Avatar
        Dabidoh_Sambone

        This. Sometimes I cringe watching Mike hard-bargain some sap into believing that their already competitively priced car is a bit rubbish. Sure, he’s got decent charisma for the role, but damn…

    3. SlowJoeCrow Avatar
      SlowJoeCrow

      There goes my reason for watching Wheeler Dealers. I deliberately didn’t watch the “Trading Up” series with Mike on his own and occasionally fast forward through Mike. I hope Edd gets his own show since he is the best of the TV mechanics.

  6. Alff Avatar
    Alff

    I’ve found this to be a useful search term on Craigslist.

  7. P161911 Avatar
    P161911

    But I needed wire wheels for my Austin Martini…

    1. Tiller188 Avatar
      Tiller188

      I dunno about the wires. For that car, I think a set of Minilites would see you right.
      https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/7b/6d/17/7b6d173ac2c3c52138b11d6d7f9ca7b4.jpg

  8. Batshitbox Avatar
    Batshitbox

    I’ve spent 30 years trying to figure out how to pronounce “Laverda”.
    Early on I said, la-VAIR-dah, until I met an Italian girl who corrected me; LAH-ver-da, with descending emphasis, so the last syllable is really diminished. An Italian motorcycle mechanic confirmed this.
    Most Americans, and my German parts supplier, say something like la-VR-də.
    So now you know. I hope you have the opportunity to use this knowledge, because that will mean you’re somewhere close to a Laverda, and that ain’t a bad thing at all!

    1. outback_ute Avatar
      outback_ute

      Italian is generally easy to pronounce; much easier than English!

      1. crank_case Avatar
        crank_case

        English is bastardised Danish, with some Latin, French, Germanic and even a little Gaelic languages thrown in the blender.

    2. jeepjeff Avatar
      jeepjeff

      I have fond memories of the first time I found myself in the presence of a Laverda.

    3. nanoop Avatar

      Useless knowledge, but better knowing and not using, than using and not knowing!
      The supplier must be from southern Germany (Franken, Schwaben, (maybe Sachsen(-Anhalt), if the “o” leans towards “ö” )), other regions would say Yota.

    4. crank_case Avatar
      crank_case

      Don’t get people started on Peugeot/Porsche

  9. Sjalabais Avatar
    Sjalabais

    Reading an old random car paper in a waiting room, I found this Swedish rat rot. Belongs to one Kenneth Olsson. Red window tint is something I haven’t seen before, and it’s apparently street legal – he has driven 50000km in it. What I do like a lot are the massive wood bumpers. Cars need more wood.
    https://pipr.startsiden.no/abcn/resized/972x/drp//2016/11/02/195253655/1/hovedbilde/3185481.jpg
    https://pipr.startsiden.no/abcn/resized/680x/drp//2016/11/02/195253656/1/artikkel_100_prosent/3185483.jpg

    1. crank_case Avatar
      crank_case

      I could lose the red tint, and the built not bought cliche, but that’s pretty sweet.

    2. caltemus Avatar
      caltemus

      The red tint was an old gasser trend from the 50s

      1. Sjalabais Avatar
        Sjalabais

        Ah, ok. I’m actually a wee bit surprised that this is legal, seeing how all sorts of colours and lights are strictly regulated in traffic.

        1. caltemus Avatar
          caltemus

          Oh i was referring to the window tint, I only just realized the lights are tinted to, which is super illegal in the US. Hardly enforced though

    3. dukeisduke Avatar
      dukeisduke

      I’ve seen a few cars with red window tinting, but yeah, it’s very rare. I’ve seen other weird tints, like iridescent, mirrored flames, etc. It takes all kinds.

    4. bv911 Avatar
      bv911

      Pretty sure that “wood” is “rust”.
      Someone insert a relevant “that’s what _she_ said!” joke here, I can’t pull it off…

      1. Sjalabais Avatar
        Sjalabais

        Ey, the wood is the only part I liked, cough. Rusty wood though is nothing to envy.

  10. Lokki Avatar
    Lokki

    Back in the late 70’s I bought a 66 Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider in Boise Idaho. I couldn’t really afford the car, but I was living for the moment in those days. When I went to insure the car I accidentally wisely parked the car around the corner from the agent’s office. When the agent tried to look up the car in her paper book of cars, she couldn’t find such a beast, so she asked me to describe it. “It’s a little Italian car with a four cylinder engine and a manual transmission”. “Italian? Like those tiny Fiats?” Well, yeah I guess. I got economy car insurance rates. I was quite pleased until the hand-typed paperwork showed up in the mail listing the car as an “Alfie Romeo”.
    What’s it all about?
    Well you see there was this movie and a very popular song

    1. dukeisduke Avatar
      dukeisduke

      Growing up in the ’60s, I remember the song, but I didn’t see the movie until the ’80s. Kind of a dark and depressing film.

    2. Sjalabais Avatar
      Sjalabais

      I was only born in 1982, but I am a bit nostalgic for a world when this was even possible. Today, everything is so controlled and interconnected…convenient and less prone for faults, but also really uninspiring.
      Tried to get a local Honda dealer to register my new speedo today, and it was impossible. Nobody’s willing to stamp that my car shows less kms now than it should, or, Splonk forbid, raise the odometer’s reading to what’s true. Honda dude even suggested I might have some sort of elaborate setup with three speedometers in order to lower the odometer reading on my car. Who even cares on a 15 year old van that is going to be driven to Valhalla one day?

  11. Michael Mitchell Avatar
    Michael Mitchell

    Alpha Romero this is Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, do you read me…..

  12. Victor Avatar
    Victor

    “On this day in 1937, Craig Breedlove, the first person to reach land
    speeds of 400mph, 500 mph and 600 mph in a jet-powered vehicle, is born. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3440ea7b3b0303f1e5c364122c56ff191bcf281fb28e3ee713c15e491d74af2c.jpg

    1. dukeisduke Avatar
      dukeisduke

      And he still wants to set another record.