OMG! Could It Be True? Alfa Romeo is coming back to the US?

I just got the most recent issue of Auto Week (11/26/07) featuring the new cover model - Alfa Romeo 8C. I've been waiting years for Alfa to return. I've been teased to no end by reading about all of Alfa's models on sale across the pond. I'm almost afraid to get my hopes up about their pending return.

I'm 35 so my first exposure to Alfa was as a scrawny 10th grader in high school - a friend of a friend had a 1987 Alfa Graduate in Alabama of all places. Yes, an Italian car in Alabama. I was just as surprised -but there was a lot of old money in my hometown. Several years later - after high school, college, some good and bad experiences I bought my own Alfa Romeo Spider. I bought a 1992 Spider in 1997 - it barely had 20K miles on it. Some guy got hitched and had a baby on the way so the Spider wasn't practical. I was 20 something and needed a car after I moved from Chicago to Greensboro, NC. I was looking at Miata's and stumbled across the Alfa. Got it for a steal. Lucked out b/c the Chrysler dealer wasn't familiar with the brand. So for my first car that I bought on my 25th b'day it wasn't a bad find.

I've been hearing the rumors for years and waiting patiently for the Italian company to come back to US shores. But every time I hear a date it ends up getting pushed back. Teased with pictures of every generation of Alfa since they left the states in 1994. Then I suffered through the GM, Fiat debacle. I've also purchased 3 other cars since I owned the Spider. In 2002 I bought an Acura RSX Type S because I needed a backseat. Had both the Alfa and the Acura for awhile. But the Alfa took a backseat to the new car giddiness. B/c I wasn't driving it like it should have been driven I sold the Alfa. And I'm still missing it all these years later. In 2006 I bought the Lexus IS 250 - rear wheel drive and manual tranny - b/c I long for the handling of a rear wheel drive machine. The Lexus was cursed - hit several times by absent minded drivers and even wrecked by the dealer (other accidents weren't my fault and I have the police reports to prove it). So I bought a 2007 Civic SI Coupe. I love the SI but I can't wait for Alfa's return. I'm leasing the SI so maybe that will give Alfa Romeo/Fiat sufficient time to get things in order before their return.

More to come...