Found this article I wrote on an old Windows 98SE computer of mine I am downloading files off of recently. I bought this car 11 years ago and I guess I sold it 7 years ago as I did not have sufficient garage space at the time to keep it indoors.
Risoldi’s Believe it or not
By Steve Patchin FFCAROC
I’m telling you -- this story was a hard one for me to believe, too. However, this is a tale of truth, so help me Alfa.
First, little background story to lead into the rest of the story of my amazing Italian Alfa Romeo find. I hope that it will also show that this is proof positive there is magic in the air that makes Italian cars dance and sing.
We were on Spring Break 99 and traveling north of Richmond, Virginia on old US-1 on Easter Sunday when my peripheral vision picks up a red Italian sitting in front of a junk yard dog’s front door. After dropping the wife and kids off at nearby Mickey’s Ds, I backtrack the mile to look see. No, it was not the Alfa of this story, but it was a salvage sale 84 Pininfarin (Fiat) Spider, complete and non-vandalized but hit in left rear wheel and wheel well. I recorded VIN and found the original owner’s registration lying on passenger seat. Now to shorten this led in story. That very evening, I called both the original owner in Alexandria and my friend Don Robinson in Richmond to set up logistics to move and store car. I called junkyard on Monday morning before we went sightseeing in DC. I bought the car with my Visa card and had it trucked to Richmond.
Now for the rest of the story: That same evening of the day I bought the ‘Fiat’ (April 5) after we got back from sightseeing, I decided to read my email on our laptop and check in with the office. There was the up flag “You’ve got mail”. It was from Mat Risoldi’s widow Shirley in Florida. Her email basically said this: She had Mat’s pristine 1981 Alfa Romeo Spider with only 19,500 original miles for sale and would I help her find a fitting new home for his baby. I replied that I would after I got back to Florida the following week. As I said, I just bought the 84 Pininfarin Spider that morning and I must confess I love that body style and have owned more Fiats than most have owned cars. I was looking forward to planning its restoration. After all, it was a one owner with only 63,000 and had A/C.
I really thought I would just use my network of friends to find a new home for the Alfa. I sent out email to friends and talked it up at our chapter’s dinner meeting in April. Since my family and I also had a planned weekend to Disney World April 23-24 to meet my daughter and husband. I had been in contact with Shirley by both email and phone by this time and was planning to appraise the Spider for her that weekend. Silver Springs and Ocala are on the way to Disney when you take “the road less traveled’ and that can make all the difference in the world. We set up a meeting at Holiday Inn near Silver Springs that Friday after work. We got there and were in Denny’s waiting on Shirley. Mary, my wife, who knows me far better than I know myself, was asked by our daughter Sara what we were doing here, replied, “Your dad is going to buy the car you are going to drive to high school.” Sara is now 8. I hadn’t even seen the car yet but I sensed she was right. Shirley had me real interested from her description of the Spider over the phone.
Digress here a moment, years ago at East Coast Lancia convention in Front Royal, Virginia we toured White Post Restorations and the owner Billy Thompson gave us the tour. It started by going past a line of cars waiting in his Que. Some were really gonna cost a bunch to restore. Billy made a profound statement something to this effect, ‘I recommend you buy the car after somebody else has spent the money to restore it.’ I looked at Mat’s Spider and saw an Alfa that was a 100-point car as is. This car is straight out of the showroom time capsule. Mat Risoldi had bought this car new in Pittsburgh in 1982. It was still like new. He had not restored it he had preserved it. The 15,000-mile service coupon out of the warranty book was completed at 16,003 miles in 1993 at Mastro Alfa in Tampa.
Shirley told me about Mat and all the cars that they had owned. They had been through the MG and Austin Healy lines but this was the car he stayed with. Mat retired from US Airways. He was in the Aircraft Maintenance business at their Pittsburgh hub. They both held private pilot’s licenses and owned vintage aircraft. She said the Alfa was never driven in the winter and hardly ever in the rain. They used it mainly to drive to Ohio where they hangared their planes. His Alfa has been maintained just like the airlines maintain aircraft. I myself have been in US Naval Aviation Maintenance for 40 years and can see the maintenance plan he followed. Not trying to talk too technical, but he sealed all the screw heads on the exterior chrome with clear silicone sealant to prevent “water intrusion.” He water proofed the under carriage and drive train with what looks like aircraft grade translucent sealant similar to what aircraft manufacturers use. Everything including aluminum gearbox and rear end is sprayed.
Moving on with the story: I decided to make Shirley an offer. I had money in my brokerage account since Dave Thomas had done such a good job talking up Wendys. I had recently sold my small position when it was up 10 points. I offered and she counter offered. We closed the deal but I needed more money than Dave had left me with the broker. I feel blessed that she accepted my final offer and I had the difference in my checking account. Once the deal was shook on, we agreed to transfer ownership on Sunday morning.
After seeing Mickey Mouse and my daughter on Saturday we returned to Holiday Inn in Silver Springs Saturday night. Shirley and I sat down at her dining room table early Sunday morning and went over the paperwork. I had to ask her the burning question of how did she happen to write me that email Easter weekend? Thank Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) for web site and chapter links. Her son looked up Florida Chapters on National web site and they called the point of contacts listed. I just happened to be one of those whose email addresses Bernie had posted. I know Bob Miller of Orlando Chapter got a phone call. I also know that Klaron down at Stephen’s Alfa in Pompano Beach somehow knew of the car.
Mat kept the car with the steering wheel club locked in his own garage. It is pretty brown metallic, tan interior, medium brown rugs, original coco mats, power windows, mirrors, tan canvas top and top ‘boot’ cover. The spare has never been on axle. The owner’s manual, warranty book and tool kit are intact. There is Spica manual all colored coded and labeled by Mat, and the IAP shop manual plus all copies of dealer service invoices from 1982 to 1998 were included.
Here is what I found out is not original on the car. The battery, tires, filters, fluids, and rear mufflers and tan canvas top have been replaced. New top was installed by European Sports Car in Longwood, Florida March 98. If you know Florida Alfa dealers you know this one. Some service work was also done at Mastro Subaru Alfa in Tampa and the rest was done at Auto Palace, Inc. of Pittsburgh. All OEM parts have been used except maybe the top. It is a perfect tan canvas top, both inside and out, but not black inner like original. He had the fuel filters and Spica pump oil filter changed annually along with engine oil changes. Mat knew the importance of flying safely even on the ground. If you have ever pencil drained a fuel sample from an aircraft wing and found water you know the importance of planned maintenance.
I want to thank Shirley and her son for looking me up. I now have the new sports car I never knew existed in 1981. I was still into Detroit iron until 1983 when I bought a used 76 Fiat 131 coupe. I have been an Italian car owner ever since.
Since I left Silver Springs that Sunday and drove up through Ocala National Forest back to JAX, I have put 1000 miles on the Alfa. I took it to John Hagadorn’s surprise birthday party that very afternoon. He was chapter president of local Alfa Owners Club before me. I had to be careful not to steal his wife’s show with the car. But once the party was underway even the ladies checked out the new Italian Miss with the golden brown tan. We have named her JENNA II after our daughter Sara’s Jenna. She is a beautiful ‘red’ pedigree dachshund with shiny brown coat like the Alfa and she loves to ride in it.
I have taken a few road tours with JENNA II. Last one was 100 miler. First we staged at AROC member Tom Turner’s First Floor Sports Car Store in downtown JAX and he led us off to his father in law Otto Bowden’s hobby garage. Let me tell you Otto and his lifelong bud Gene both in 80’s going on 40 have a setup I would do something for. They own the whole block and rent the front building to a Florida History Museum. Their shop is in the back. No Alfas, but three Ferrari’s, a Bugatti, an Allard, two Morgan 3-wheelers, a Model T and a London taxicab. They even have HO train setup. This garage scene has the making of a future story with real history and I will let our chapter VP Dan Scanlon have first shot at it.
We ended up down state about 50 miles at Kings Head British Pub for lunch and JENNA II lead the dash to the pub. She is one road worthy Alfa. Her road manners are impeccable and she being an 81 will only do ‘85’. She works the curves well with stock 81 suspension. After lunch a couple of us went on south to San Sebastin’s Winery in St. Augustine. While at the tasting bar we where interrupted by the manager who wanted to know how to shut the lights off on an Alfa Romeo. Sure wish she had auto light shut off like my 91 164 has and all my Fiats had.
In closing let me say this. This is one of my stories and I am sticking to it. Believe this it or not, at days end we stopped for a pit stop upon returning to JAX at place known as Bayard City Hall. It is Harley Davidson riders’ watering hole, and parked safely in the parking area marked ‘Harley’s Only all others will be crushed’ and survived. The bar keep named Joe owned and drove a 67 Spider while living in Italy. And like he said, when I talked about Italian cars, Hogs and Miatas, ‘Most Asian stuff is great……..but you drive Alfas, Fiats and Harleys to put a ‘Smile on you Face’. Oh by the way I’m working a deal to add a GTV6 to my Italian collection once owned by a guy who sold it for a Miata to get a warranty. So help me Alfa that is what he told me while I was tracing the history of the car.
Ciao
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