I have a dozen or more “dream cars” that I’ve always wanted. They come in various categories, based on style, purpose, age, and country of origin. The Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider Veloce has always been on the list as a dream car I’d actually drive (and could afford). It has that classic Italian sports car look with simple clean lines. They drive like a dream for a car of their vintage, and they are reasonably reliable. Plus they cost about a tenth of what a Ferrari would cost, while still being equipped with a dual overhead cam engine, 5-speed transmission, dual Weber carburators, etc. You get a lot of bang for the buck along with gorgeous Italian styling.

So I came across this Illustrated Alfa Romeo Buyer’s Guide and thought I’d check it out. First published in 1992, the feel of the book is a bit dated. But it’s great information for anybody looking for a pre-90’s Alfa. This car company had a dizzying number of models, names, and odd quirks to their inventory lineup. It’s hard to track the difference between a Giulietta and Giulia when they switched over (they used many of the same parts for a long time). The book helps with that, to an extent. It’s not a “how to” book nor does it get into details about parts, colors or options. But it’s still a good broad overview.

The book also rates the cars for collectibility. The rating system takes into account scarcity, uniqueness, value, and anticipated appreciation. It’s obviously all subjective, but since the book is almost 20-years old it’s easy to find out if the author was close to correct. He was, and that’s admirable. That kind of track record gives me more faith in the book.

Now if I could just convince a collector that the book is priceless. Maybe I could swap it for an Alfa.