My story.....
A love for Italy and Italian cars is something you either have within you or you don't. Italian vehicles are a very specific group of machines with an unmistakable character. And it is precisely character that is missing in many of today's cars, as well as many older ones. Italians have always been able to infuse their automobiles with distinctive style and progressive, often timeless technical solutions, giving their owners something extra—even if it often comes at the price of certain compromises. It's something that sets them apart. I realize this every time I drive an Alfa Romeo and we flash our lights at each other as we pass. It's a gesture that says more than any words ever could...
My motoring story began very early on. Looking at a photograph from my second birthday, it's clear where it was all headed. It's no coincidence that I'm clutching a model of an Italian Ferrari Daytona, with a racing Ferrari 308 GTB4 Turbo lying nearby. The role that cars play in my life is best evidenced by the fact that both models have survived to this day.Things took on sharper contours in 1990 when, as a young boy I took my first bus trip with my parents to the Italian seaside. It was there that I first noticed all those cars that didn't exist on our roads back then. The streets were lined with Alfettas, Giuliettas, Fiat 131s, the new Alfa 75s, but also the legendary Giulia Supers, GT Juniors, and Lancia Fulvias nearing the end of their first lives. And, of course, the omnipresent Fiat 500s—often in Abarth racing trims with propped-open engine covers and twin Weber carburetors. Their sound stayed with me, just like the scent of burnt castor oil—a scent you have no chance of encountering anywhere today. A child's eyes and mind perceive things differently than an adult's, and all those cars remained tucked away deep in my memory for many years. It wasn't until 2009 that things truly began with the purchase and restoration of a Fiat 125 Special with its 100-horsepower twin- cam 1,6 engine. From there, it was just a small step to an Alfa Spider 2000 Veloce, and then everything began to move quickly. Over time, it wasn't just about the cars themselves; the search for literature, manuals, parts, and period-correct wheels became a passion of its own.
Even though my professional career has absolutely nothing to do with the automotive world (or perhaps precisely because of that...), I found something irreplaceable in my love for Italian cars and everything associated with them. The journey hasn't always been easy; it has often been accompanied by failures, great compromises, and disappointments, but perhaps because of those challenges, it eventually became my life's path. As it sometimes happens...
And just as some go for a run in the evening or play football, I go to sit in my garage and soak up the atmosphere of times that will never return. Every time I settle into an old Alfa, breathe in its specific scent, and grip the steering wheel, I wonder who all drove it before me, what kind of life it lived, what places it visited, and what it has been through. At the same time, I am aware of the unwavering transience of things—the fact that one day, I too will become merely one of those who spent their time with it...
These pages are my way of thanking Italian cars, also because they have helped me overcome difficult situations in my life many times.
Filip Hron
The pages you are browsing do not aim to compete with established professionals, bloggers, or journalists. Rather, they are a labor of love—an amateur effort to share the emotion and admiration for automotive engineering with like-minded people.
