By Petrolicious Productions / 22 April 2013
8 Comments

Gerard Kassabian hails from a family of Mercedes Benz enthusiasts, but like any true Petrolista is able to appreciate a wide range of cars for the unique set of quirks and driving experiences on offer from each. A three-year Targa California veteran, Gerard first drove in this event in 2011 in his Datsun, then again last year in his 560 SL. This year he piloted a friend’s Alfa Berlina 2.0. Strictly non-competitive and informal, the Targa is among the coolest enthusiast events out there.

By Alan Franklin / 22 April 2013
14 Comments

What other word besides “stunning” could fittingly describe this car? “Audacious” seems the only word to explain a purebred racecar with license plates, whose short list of accommodations for street use were so impractical as to exclude the fitting of locking doors or even side-view mirrors. “Innovative”, “timeless”, and “mind-numbingly gorgeous” round off this list of grossly inadequate descriptives—like with all great pieces of art the emotions elicited are simply beyond the limitations of human language.

By Petrolicious Productions / 17 April 2013
24 Comments

Continuing last week’s approach-of-summer theme we present another pair of open-top sports cars for your consideration. Though one is British, it fits neither of our previous featured cars super-trad mold. Its roadster counterpart comes from Italy, and however similar in concept, goes about its business in a very distinct way. Are your priorities with the Lotus Elan or the Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider?

By Petrolicious Productions / 12 March 2013
8 Comments

Meet Joseph. A man of impeccable taste and few words, Joseph doesn’t like very much attention. We’re unsure of his motives for maintaining such a clandestine profile, but we've done some speculating. Is he trying to get away from his past? Is he on the lookout for someone? Is he dangerous? All we know is that we’re lucky to have caught up with him and his Alfa Romeo Giulia Super for a brief rendezvous in Downtown Los Angeles after midnight.

By Alan Franklin / 7 March 2013
2 Comments

Throughout Alfa's glory years of the '20s and '30s, there was little else for the company to focus on but building the fastest cars they could. These were the glory days of the carrozzeria, who penned beautiful, exotic and bespoke coachbuilt bodies for 6Cs and 8Cs of all variations, body configurations varying from stripped-back GP and Mille Miglia racers to luxurious, fully-enclosed coupes and sedans. But Alfa of the 1950s was a different company than pre-war Alfa.

By Petrolicious Productions / 5 March 2013
20 Comments

Manuel Leon Minassian often buys cars that have been neglected or are unwanted by the average buyer, and he is extremely picky as to how he'll bring them back to life. Although he prefers not to mention the exact number of cars he owns, there's one that he holds very close, a 1972 Alfa Romeo Berlina. Customized to his personal satisfaction, the work in this Berlina hints of his childhood as a rambunctious Alfa driver of only 13 years old.

By Afshin Behnia / 28 February 2013
3 Comments

I don’t know how Nuccio Bertone or Franco Scaglione would have reacted if someone had told them their creation would grace the streets of Downtown Los Angeles some 50 years later. I do know that Downtown LA is a perfect setting to explore the sensuous curves of the BAT-inspired Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale. On a Sunday evening, Downtown's rundown, industrial landscape, and desolate streets create a beautiful yet stark contrast to the soft sinuous sculptural masterpiece of Bertone.

By Afshin Behnia / 25 February 2013
21 Comments

I'm very lucky. Although my wife, Kika, does not drive (yes, you read that correctly!) and never thought twice about cars before she met me, she has taken an enormous liking to vintage cars and in some ways has become even more afflicted than I am.

What does your significant other think about your automotive passion? Does he or she understand it?

By Petrolicious Productions / 21 February 2013
3 Comments

Alfisti around the world have the same modern day hero. Most have corresponded with this person at some point or another during their Alfa Romeo ownership or prior to the acquisition of one. He is the gatekeeper of all that is true about Alfa Romeo history. As the head of Alfa Romeo's Centro Documentazione, Marco Fazio is the custodian of Alfa Romeo's archives and is the go-to person for the Alfa Romeo Museum.

By Petrolicious Productions / 20 February 2013
1 Comment

In addition to being one of the most comprehensive books dedicated to a single car model, two qualities truly make this book stand out. First, the rich set of color photographs, both archival and recent, that fill the pages render this book beautiful enough to be displayed proudly on a coffee table. Second, Dr. Taylor’s clear writing style combined with the practical diagrams and photos make the technical instructions of the book very easy to follow.

By Petrolicious Productions / 19 February 2013
4 Comments

Can you recognize the signs of addiction? Do you know how to help a loved one who is Always Looking For Another?  For 50 years, the AROSC has been providing support for those suffering from Alfaholism.

Watch how Track Therapy, a key part of their successful 12-step program, has helped members cope with this serious condition.

By Petrolicious Productions / 14 February 2013
21 Comments

If you're like us, cars in movies are often bigger than the actors or even the plot. You love to watch old movies and catch glimpses of your favorite vintage cars. We'd like to find out what is your favorite movie scene featuring a vintage car and why. Afshin Behnia, Petrolicious founder/CEO and incurable Alfista, answers the question, "What's your favorite vintage car movie scene?" Click through for his answer and to let us know yours. 

By Barmak Behdadnia / 14 February 2013
2 Comments

All the way through grade school, I daydreamed of Farrah Fawcett and the Lamborghini Countach. As I grew older, my tastes became only barely more realistic, I decided that my dream car was the Porsche Turbo Carrera 930. The sexy lines of the Turbo satisfied me until I realized I’d probably do just as well steering it as I would my own racing hormones. I realized I needed to fall in love, and fall I did, quickly and forever. Her name was Giulia.

By Afshin Behnia / 8 February 2013
13 Comments

This is a garage, which displays no traces of any car enthusiast’s character and serves only as a space to showcase a handful of automobiles, but what a stunning showcase it is! The space demands a certain caliber of machine to be worthy of being sheltered in this shrine. On the day I visited the garage, four very special Alfa Romeos proudly occupied the space: a Giulietta SZ, a Giulia TZ, a Duetto, and the extremely rare, lust-worthy Tipo 33 Stradale.

By Petrolicious Productions / 23 January 2013
22 Comments

After years of touting how great it is to own and drive a classic car, you’ve finally convinced your friend, nephew, neighbor, or other unsuspecting soul to make the plunge and buy their first vintage automobile. What would you recommend they get for under $7500? Afshin Behnia, Petrolicious founder/CEO and incurable Alfista, answers the question. Click through for his answer and then leave us a comment with your opinion.

By Afshin Behnia / 21 January 2013
10 Comments

When I first met my friend Manuel about four years ago and saw that in his Alfa Romeo collection he had more GTVs than I have toes, I thought to myself, “Why on earth would you want so many examples of the same exact model”? How foolish I was.

I recently became the proud owner of my second 1974 Alfa Romeo GTV. Both are the same year and model, yet they're completely different animals. Let’s just say that each one scratches a different itch.

By Afshin Behnia / 14 January 2013
8 Comments

If you read my Alfa Summer Affair Series series, you’re very familiar with the ochre yellow 1968 Alfa Romeo GT 1750 that I bought to fulfill my fantasies. In the end, we left Ludie at Mario's trusted restoration shop to undergo a complete and thorough no-expenses-spared restoration.  I recently visited Mario and Ludie to see how the restoration is going, and here I share with you the top 10 terrible problems that Ludie had, plus one very positive note on which to end. 

By Afshin Behnia / 11 January 2013
4 Comments

There are a just over a handful of capable shops left in Southern California that know vintage Italian mechanicals well, and Santo’s Italian Car Service is one of the best.  You go to Santo for his unmatched expertise but stay for the company.  In fact, the first time I visited Santo, the experience reminded me of a classic barber shop scene, where gentlemen use a shave or a haircut as an excuse to get together and pass an entire afternoon shooting the breeze.

By Petrolicious Productions / 28 December 2012
2 Comments

In this garage profile we bring you to one of Mr. Roberto Vesco's private garages in an undisclosed location outside of Brescia, Italy. Anyone who participates in the Mille Miglia every year with a pre-war classic (and has won it on occasion to boot) is an interesting person in our book. Inside Mr. Vesco's private garage, there were plenty of automotive treasures to kick-start any enthusiast's Attention Deficit Disorder.

By Petrolicious Productions / 19 December 2012
2 Comments

You’d be hard-pressed to find a truer Alfista than Giorgio Langella. Following his father’s footsteps, Giorgio went to work for Alfa Romeo at the young age of 14. Now retired, Giorgio takes great pleasure in sharing tales of his time at Alfa Romeo to a fellow Alfista. A charming and welcoming man, Giorgio’s voice and his words take on a mix of pride and nostalgia as he recounts his story.

By Petrolicious Productions / 3 December 2012
1 Comment

On November 4th, Hilton Head Island in South Carolina was host to one of America's finest Concours d'Elegance.  This was the 11th year of the Hilton Head Concours, and over 500 jewel-like specimens were on display.  Our photographer Frazer Spowart was on site to capture some of the day's highlights. Click through to see his coverage of the event.

By Petrolicious Productions / 29 November 2012
6 Comments

The Carabinieri are Italy's national military police force and have played an instrumental part in Italy's history, including helping bring down Mussolini during World War II.  What makes them even more badass is that not only do they get to wear chic uniforms and drive Alfa Romeos, but in the '60s and '70s they were the protagonists in many real-life car chases...

By Afshin Behnia / 22 November 2012
7 Comments

Some believe that a honeymoon is a concept borrowed from the elite of the Indian Subcontinent, or that it is a sardonic reference to the inevitable waning of love, like the phases of the moon. I didn’t know much about honeymoons, but I had a premonition that my honeymoon with Ludie would soon be over. While at the same time, I was sure that my honeymoon with Kika would have no end.

By Afshin Behnia / 19 November 2012
2 Comments

Perhaps our wedding somehow made everything look more vibrant (glimmering Tuscan yellows and warm terracottas), sound more melodious (a constant excitement buzzing in the air), or maybe it’s just that certain dreams are chronic. I couldn’t get my dream of driving through Tuscany with Ludie out of my mind. A honeymoon wouldn’t be complete without her.

By Afshin Behnia / 15 November 2012
1 Comment

I was having my doubts, second guessing myself. Maybe we were going too fast. Maybe it was time to re-evaluate our relationship. I mean, was I really capable of committing myself to Ludie–warts and all? Was this Alfa Romeo GTV right for me? Call me shallow, callous, unforgiving, or even mad.

By Afshin Behnia / 12 November 2012
1 Comment

We all have our baggage—bits and pieces of stuff we carry around with us, and Kika and I both had our fair share. We folded, rolled, and packed every bit of us into bags that lined the narrow Milanese curb outside the lock box belonging to Ludie, my newly-acquired 1968 Alfa romeo GTV, wondering how to convince her to carry the load.

By Petrolicious Productions / 8 November 2012

This past Sunday we attended Best of France and Italy, an annual car show held in Van Nuys, California, on the first Sunday of every November. We look forward to this show every year, and we love that it's a casual event and attracts all kinds of driver cars. The cars being shown aren't only the super pristine, expensive cars, but there's a nice range of affordable cars as well.

By Afshin Behnia / 8 November 2012

Three months had passed since my night with Ludovica Fiorini.  It was time for Kika, my soon-to-be wife, to meet her—to meet that punchy, yellow-ochre 1968 Alfa Romeo GTV I so lusted after. It was time for Kika to know about my private obsession. I had to introduce her to my impulse buy.

By Afshin Behnia / 5 November 2012

When I first saw Ludovica Fiorini, I knew I had to have her.  I can’t blame it on her classic silhouette, her impeccable style, or even her spiritedness—I knew she had her fair share of flaws.  Those flaws simply didn’t matter.  Not at that time.  Not in February, in Italy, when the weather was unusually beautiful but on the verge of turning sour.

By Petrolicious Productions / 1 November 2012
1 Comment

Next Monday, we'll begin a six-piece article series filled with tales of romance and intrigue. Follow the adventures of our Petrolicious protagonists as they navigate blind romance, love triangles, and Italian roads in a 1968 Alfa Romeo GTV.

By Petrolicious Productions / 31 October 2012

Whether he's beating last year's IRR at his hedge fund by day or waxing poetic over some single malt on the evening's theatrical performance, Aaron always has one thing on his mind: jumping into his Duetto to get out of Manhattan and reuniting with his surfboard in Montauk.

By Petrolicious Productions / 22 October 2012
6 Comments

It's hard to believe now, but there existed a simpler time when people smoked in restaurants and weren't immune to knocking back a cocktail in the office before lunch.  People were left to fend for themselves, think outside of the box, to dream big, and to create from those dreams. The coachbuilder was a saint amongst bishops in the automotive industry.

By Petrolicious Productions / 16 October 2012
8 Comments

With a screaming, 1300cc twin-overhead cam engine, a lightweight aluminum body sculpted by Zagato, and a production run limited to 170, this is the Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ. Watch our good friend, Alfa Romeo expert, and race car driver Anthony Rimicci wax poetically about this rare beauty.

By Afshin Behnia / 9 October 2012
2 Comments

I am the center of attention. All eyes and ears are on me. Men of all ages instantly turn their heads and fix their gazes upon me as soon as they feel my presence. Children gawk in awe and point in my direction as they grab the hem of their mothers’ skirts. Even prim ladies stare from the corners of their eyes as they pretend not to look. There is not a single neutral reaction to my presence.

By Petrolicious Productions / 2 October 2012
5 Comments

The Targa California is our favorite way to experience the beauty and back roads of Central California in a vintage car.  An homage to the original Targa Florio race in Sicily, the Targa California is a non-competitive 3-day vintage rally open to all cars 1973 or older.