Spettacolo Sportivo - Assen, Netherlands - Saturday May 6th 2012

After what I thought was a disappointing turnout for Saturday was actually due to the Dutch Liberation day in remembrance of the end of WWII.  This and the predicted wet weather kept Saturday attendance lower then normal.  

Sunday, normally the busier of the two days promised to be much better attended; and it was.  It was also much more windy and that added to the bone chilling cold that swept through the paddock. Fortunately some of the amazing cars on display temporarily made us forget about the chill as we ogled vehicles we'd only seen in photos.  

A small group of from Italy drove up for the event in vintage Alfa police cars from the 70s. These decommissioned Giulia Supers are quite rare in good condition as they were driven quite hard in pursuit of the crazed bank robbers and kidnappers that were all the rage in the police thriller films of the day.  Dressed in period correct police uniforms and packing original weapons of the day these alfisti took a great risk traveling armed as it's quite a violation to do so throughout Europe.

One of the best represented vintage Alfa model was the GTV (or Bertone as they say in Holland). Nearly every style and color was on display.  Also of interest to non European alfisti where the collection of Alfasuds. This amazing car produced by Alfa Romeo from the mid 70s - 80s was never sold in the USA and is virtually unknown. Even though over a million were sold in Europe they are had to find due to poor quality metal leading to rust.  Some fantastic examples of the sud were on display including both the standard and sprint versions.

As this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Giulia sedan, it was the featured marque of the event and they  filled the paddock area. From perfect original stock to highly modified - the Giulia collection was quite amazing.

With dark clouds adding to the chill it was time leave this Alfsiti paradise and hope next years event will be held more toward the summer. If you are a fan of the marque you should make an effort to attend this incredible show.