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A tour of Italian Cars and Cannoli

Take a tour of Italian Cars and Cannoli in Staten Island. You'll see Ferraris and Lamborghinis, and get my take on the the Quadrifoglio.

Lamborghini Huracan
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They say everyone loves an Italian girl, and the same seems to hold true for cars. Let’s take a walk through Italian Cars and Cannoli, a local Tri-State club that features…well you guessed it.

Exotic exodus

It’s always nice to get behind the lens with some Ferraris. From a classic (to me) Testarossa, to the modern day machines inspired so clearly by Ferrari’s ties to F1.

Ferrari Testarossa
This is one of my favorites, and seeing one in person never disappoints.
Ferrari Testarossa
The car still looks modern, with just enough squared-off edges to bring in a classic feel.
Ferrari Testarossa
Yellow > Red, maybe?
Ferrrari 488 Pista
The F1 inspiration is clear, but modern Ferraris (and Lambos) all feel a bit derivative.
Ferraris parked
Front-ends for days.
Ferrari
This badge is a lot like Apple in many people’s eyes: it can do no wrong.

Alpha Alfas

Alfa’s back on US soil, so it’s nice to see the new generation bring out some of the old-timers.

Alfa Romeo 4C
The 4C is already discontinued, but I’d love to be able to drive one some day.
Alfa Spider
The 90s brings with it all sorts of cool imports, like this Spider.
Alfa Romeo
The badge is iconic.
Detomaso Pantera
Random Pantera! Always awesome to see this, it still looks so mean.

Lambo Lust

Italian Cars and Cannoli wouldn’t be complete without some Lambo love. As with Ferrari, the cars always look great but modern ones are a bit…Audi-ish? At least you know it’ll start in the morning.

Lamborghini Huracan
L O V E
Lamborghini Huracan
It’s always good to attend car shows, even as a pro. They force you to get the right composition because nothing can be moved around. Clear horizon, no clutter around the car…it’s a challenge.

Short take: The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio
The Quadrifoglio.

Lots of people ask “Hey, you’re an M3 guy, but have you tried a Quadrifoglio?”

No.

The main issue is its atrocious reliability. Italian cars are known to be quirky, and when you purchase a low-slung exotic sports car, you can live with it. But this Alfa is a four-door sedan, and thus very practical. It’s the kind of car you might drive every day, that is, if it starts for you.

As I’ve shown with the Stinger, what good is a car that doesn’t work? The bits are there – the engine derived from Ferrari, the steering feel. Very visceral. Does the new M3 do it better? Some say yes. Most journalists picked this over the F80 M3, but they don’t actually ever live with the car for very long. And when they do, it doesn’t work.

The remarks on the G80 nose are well known by now, but the Alfa has the same nose. In fact, the two cars look very similar, and I wonder if I removed the badging, would a passer-by even be able to tell which is which? I don’t know – but I’m puzzled when this Alfa is called “beautiful” and the M3 “ugly”.

Alfa Romeo
I hope the brand sticks in the US this time around.

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