At 3, he cried when his father sold his Alfa Romeo GTV6... at 23, he has just bought one and also owns the 75 he inherited from his father: «I was indoctrinated»

At just 23, some people still dream of their first car. He's already driving a vintage car Alfa Romeo... and not just any car. As an engineering student and enthusiast to the core, he now owns two iconic models: an Alfa Romeo GTV6 and a Alfa Romeo 75. A story told by Japanese magazine Engine, which begins long before the driving test, and is almost like a family heirloom.

A passion born in childhood

For him, cars weren't just a means of transport. They were part of the décor, part of his upbringing... almost part of his DNA. «When others were watching «Thomas the Little Train», I was watching car videos,» he says with a smile. A sentence that sums it all up.

His father, a true Alfa enthusiast, already drove transaxle models. The Alfa Romeo 75 he owns today comes directly from him. A family car, handed down like a witness.

But the most vivid memory dates back to when he was 3 years old. The day his father sold his GTV. A moment he's never forgotten. He cries. Without realizing it, that moment already sealed his future.

His first Alfa Romeo... even before the right one

When he got his driver's license, he didn't even think about it: it would be Alfa Romeo, nothing else. While waiting for the 75 family car to be overhauled, he buys a small Alfa Romeo 147 for a few thousand euros. A simple car, but one that allows him to immerse himself in the world of Alfa Romeo.

He soon learned something that all enthusiasts know: with an old car (the Alfa Romeo 75), things aren't always easy. Breakdowns, improvised repairs, stressful journeys... he experienced his first mechanical problems. Difficult starts, starter failures, electrical problems and fuel leaks on the way out. But far from discouraging him, it reinforces his passion. «Repairing is part of the fun,» he explains. A rare philosophy at his age, but a logical one for an automotive engineering student.

La 75: a living heiress

Once restored to its former glory, the Alfa Romeo 75 becomes its companion on the road. With its Twin Spark engine and transaxle architecture, it embodies an era when Alfa Romeo did things differently.

He uses it intensively. Road, long-distance and even circuit driving. The car has clocked up over 170,000 km, but remains surprisingly sound. On the track, he learns to master it. A demanding drive, where you have to provoke reactions to exploit the chassis. A life-size driving school.

The GTV6: a childhood dream finally realized

And then, one day, opportunity knocks. An Alfa Romeo GTV6 appears. Black, prepared, radical. For him, it's more than a car. It's a symbol. «It was my dream car. The one my father had when I was a kid.»

This GTV6 2.5 is not original. It has been extensively modified: optimized V6 engine, racing components, reworked gearbox, sharpened chassis. An old-fashioned circuit machine, brutal and lively. And above all, a car totally different from the 75.

Two Alfa, two philosophies

The two Alfa models are very different in terms of feel. The 75 needs to be driven with commitment. You have to seek it out, provoke its behavior to get the best out of it.

The GTV6, on the other hand, is more instinctive. More brutal too. The rear axle can stall more easily, the engine vibrates, the mechanics express themselves unfiltered. A «living» car, in the purest sense of the word. «It makes noise, it vibrates... but that's what I like about it. Even the choice to retain a near-original exhaust system is deliberate. He prefers to hear the mechanics, the harmonics of the engine, rather than a simple exhaust noise.

«I've been indoctrinated».»

Today, he has no regrets. He fully embraces his atypical career path, and sums it up with humor: «I was indoctrinated.»

It's a phrase that might make you smile, but above all it expresses a rare transmission. That of an authentic, raw automotive passion, far removed from modern standards. At 23, he doesn't dream of the latest SUV or electric car. He prefers vintage Alfa cars, imperfect, demanding... but deeply endearing. And above all, he's perpetuating a family history. That of a father, a car sold too soon... and a son who, 20 years later, has come full circle.