High Plains Drifters

The New Alfa Romeo Giulia Meets Its Predecessors in the Wild West
 

- Rory Jurnecka

At the break of dawn, our posse drives into Randsburg, California, a mining town just southeast of Death Valley that time has almost forgotten. The few locals who remain turn to stare as tumbleweeds rustle in the distance. Cruising the dusty main street, we spot the firehouse down the road from the White House Saloon and the old General Store. The city jail sits at the far corner, and though the sheriff is nowhere to be seen, causing trouble is probably a bad idea. It feels like we’ve created our own spaghetti western right here in Randsburg. Clint Eastwood’s poncho-clad Man With No Name is notably absent, but it feels like he should be squinting menacingly at us through the glare of the morning sun, teeth clenched on a cigar.

Our steeds are not horses but a trio of Alfa Romeos. Three gasoline-swigging, rubber-burning, rear-wheel-drive hooligans who each have shouldered some responsibility for keeping Alfa’s name alive in the United States. Among us are a 1967 Giulia Super, a 1988 Milano Verde, and a 2017 Giulia Quadrifoglio, each the most potent version of their respective model available in the U.S. The cars represent a half century of sport sedan development from an automaker you could argue invented the modern sport sedan by putting a powerful engine in a small, four-door car.