A Recent Trip to Maryland

A few weeks ago I spent a weekend visiting Stephanie, a good friend from college. Now, it goes without saying that I was more than excited to see her as, thanks to the distance, our visits to each other's home states are few and far between. Not only was I looking forward to spending time at my destination, I was also looking forward to the trip itself... because I was driving. A small side note here but something that you should know. I love driving. No matter what the distance, what the weather, or what the purpose, driving is one of my favorite activities. Now, I would like to say that I am a defensive driver- someone who picks a lane and sits in it for an entire trip and whose foot is about as a heavy as a marshmallow. But truth be told, I'm nothing like that.  When I pick a lane it's usually the fast one and my driving foot weighs a smidge less than a wrecking ball.  No, sir, driving is an activity. In my mind, there's nothing passive about it. You are meant to be engaged with the road and the other drivers around you. To be honest, at times it feels like a team sport. But I digress. Back to my trip.

Besides loving the drive itself, I knew that my trip would be about 10 hours or so round trip meaning that I would have ample opportunity to scour the sun-baked asphalt to glimpse some exotic rides.  I did have my doubts that I would see anything impressive because, well, most of my trip would be through New Jersey and we all know about Jersey. But for the first time ever (and perhaps the last) I am able to say that the "Garden State" delivered!

I managed to catch sight of most major exotic/semi-exotic brands: A Yellow Lamborghini Spyder (2010 Gallardo shown below),

 a Ferrari red Ferrari Spyder (Ferrari F430 Scuderia below),

one or two Lotuses (Loti?) ( Elise and Evora, respectively),

the inevitable Porsches (no pictures needed),
the odd Bentley Continental GT (and in some respects they really are quite odd),

and, if memory serves, a Maserati GranTurismo was thrown in there too. Unfortunately not a single Aston Martin was spotted, which is not unusual, but since it is one of my favorite brands I'm always on the lookout.

Now I have seen all of these V-8/V-10/ V-12 beasts at one point or another during my commute to work, in fact I see some of these quite frequently. But, there was one god-like automobile that I had never seen in person, on the move or otherwise.

 Much like a scene in a film, it rose over the crest of a hill, glistening in the rays of the noonday sun. Its red hide set it apart from the rest of the generic, neutral-toned sedans that shared its road. (I'm not sure whether it was real or just my mind playing tricks on me, but I think I heard angelic music over the whizzes and whirs of my surroundings.)  A true unicorn in these parts: An Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione.

Now, I cannot tell a lie, I have spent many a-moment on the Alfa Romeo website, trying to decide how I feel about the Mito, Giulietta and the Brera, but I have never had any doubt about the 8c (or for that matter the new 4C concept they revealed this year). These are beautiful cars. There is no doubt it.  Alfas, at least on this side of the pond, are almost mythical and any Top Gear incarnation that matters (I'm referring to the original UK version, of course) preaches the truth to its viewers when it says that you will never be a true gear head until you've owned one.

I was so excited by the dramatic appearance of this 8c that I almost felt the need to pull over and let my tremendous stroke of luck wash over me and sink in. But, I trudged on through the unpleasant petrochemical odor of Jersey hoping against hope (and reason) that I could find something that could even remotely compare to the Alfa.  (Almost needless to say, the rest of the trip was rather tame, and comparatively uneventful.)

So the moral of this story is: Even if you're in New Jersey keep your eye out for a diamond in the rough.

My thanks to Stephanie for the great weekend and the reason for the rewarding trip. My thanks to Car and Driver for providing easy access for the illustrations for this post.

Eyes open,

Claire