It wasn’t my dream because I was at the beginning of my career, so I had no money.
I would have never thought about buying the Duetto.
I mean, it happened suddenly;
it’s one of the rare occasions when I can afford the object of my desire.
My name is Carlo Niero, I'm an engineer, and I drive
an Alfa Romeo 1300 Spider Junior.
The Duetto came about because I woke up one morning, and we went up the mountains;
as Fiat was launching the model 131,
they were hosting a competition to see who could cover the most mileage with a liter of gas.
So, I went, but I didn't think I would win.
But on the way to the garage, the Duetto was there, waiting for me.
I took part in this competition. I wasn't expecting to win it
and I didn't win it, but I was sure - because that's how I woke up that morning -
that I was going to win something, and indeed I won the Duetto.
Of course by paying for it.
It's been the family car for many years.
Our first vacation, when you were the only child, we did it in the Duetto.
I was working in Florence, so for a week, I would commute with the duetto with the Duetto,
and the week after... I was going back home with all sort of issues to the car.
The Duetto was working fine, so it was the family car,
so we decided to take it to Yugoslavia.
because it has a 2+2 configuration
and the two back seats (the "emergency seats"), was where Tiziano sat.
Then Ludo was born
so I was forced to abandon the Duetto as a family car,
but I still went to work in the Duetto.
We call it Duetto, but "Duetto" is a generic name for the first version,
and then Alfa quickly abandoned it.
The model is from 1971 and we got it in 1984.
It was red. I painted it twice. The color is called “Rosso Italia 914”,
not the “Rosso Alfa 501” that the Giulietta Spider had.
The odometer had maxed out, which at the time had five digits,
but when I bought it secondhand,
the first owner didn't drive it because he had changed the carburetors,
in an attempt to make it a little zippier,
but no, it needed its original ones.
The Duetto has a rather peculiar driving style,
meaning you're sitting in a sky seat,
made of artificial leather.
The right leg, which is the one that operates the accelerator, is folded back.
The Duetto isn't exactly comfortable.
The 1300 engine is a little small.
"Cuore sportivo" was so called because it was fitted with the old Alfa engine
so it had double overhead cams V configuration, and selenium exhaust valves.
It was an attempt to make the Spider attractive to the general public.
Although it was a popular car compared to the Alfa "Osso Di Seppia"
there weren't many, so after the 1300 they did 1750 and 2000 version,
which were more powerful engines.
It was not yet in the FIAT group, but it had the flaws of the FIAT cars,
so it was affected by rust, the design of the trunk was flawed,
so it was easy for the trunk to bend.
This one was the last model;
the penultimate one was this one and this one was the "Biscotìn", which is the "Osso Di Seppia",
and this was 1750 and 2000 version.
What do they have in common? Well, the body shape.
When I was a kid, they used to give me "macchinette" - little car models, as they were called then.
In '92-'93, I started collecting scale model kits again.
A kit made of resin and/or white metal,
which is basically a lead alloy,
is the unrefined model.
So, for example, for the Duetto, these four here
are mounted, and are made of resin, a resin kit.
So, the first step is to smooth the surface of the kit, the maquette,
use a file or sandpaper to smooth them down.
Then you put the primer, that is, the first layer, and then the color.
Between the kits and the assembled ones, I currently have about 700 models.
I've accumulated many kits over the years,
so many that to assemble them all I’d spend,
well maybe not my whole retirement, but almost.
The fact that I can't afford the full-size cars makes it possible
to have the miniature ones, the 1:43 scale models.
It's impossible to be mad at this car.
Even if it breaks down, and we come back from the mountains
when the Duetto was not perfect, on top of a tow truck
you were there too, maybe you don't remember –
but you forgive the Duetto for leaving you stranded.
What's important is that, in the future, it goes to someone who can appreciate it.
And I hope to leave them a car in the best possible condition
and so...