Ride of the Week is BUZ ALEXANDER and his ITALIAN TWINS

Ride of the Week is BUZ ALEXANDER and his ITALIAN TWINS

One of the best things about doing this Ride of the Week column is where I actually get to go in this wee town. 

Tiny corners of car heaven tucked away in the nooks and crannies of Paradise. Case and point: an undisclosed, phenomenal beach where the two Alfa Romeo Spyders of Buz Alexander live.

Shhh! You didn’t hear it from me!

Being a filmmaker dablbing in real estate, Buz Alexander’s life bounces from surf to land deals to Vampire Zombies. And in between all that, he loves to drive his 1974 and 1986 Alfa Spyders: the Veloce and Graduate. 

The ‘74 has a 1750 cc twin cam matched to a five-speed manual, and the ‘86 is a 2000 cc twin. Mostly stock Italians, but even so, they’re fun to drive – as all Alfas are.

Buz has had the ‘74 for 20 years. He snagged it from a university friend near USC, and the ‘86 came from a South African yachtsman here in the ‘Bu.

“Alfa Romeo has such a great racing history and tradition,” Buz said. “And beautiful Italian design by Pininfarina.” 

The best part of the car?

“The high-compression twin cam aluminum engine and racing gearbox,” Buz said. “The canvas convertible top is very nice, too.” 

And although he only uses these cars for pleasure driving here in Malibu, they’re functional surf cars and used to take his 14-year old daughter to Malibu Middle School.

The Alfas have a special place in his heart as he actually brought her home as a newborn from the hospital filled with “It’s a Girl” balloons. That officially puts that car in a “I’ll never get rid of it” category. 

I always say that if you really want to keep a car, take your kids for rides and the smiles that come will lock that puppy into place.

And what is there to love about driving in Malibu according to Mr. Alexander? 

“Everything,” he said. “Seeing the ocean on one side and trees on the other. Putting the Alfa through its paces on winding canyon roads.” 

Can it get better than that? Not even.

Veloce means “Fast” in Italian. But, that can mean fast in the canyons, fast to school and fast just standing still. Nothing like an open air cockpit to absorb all the beauty that we have here to offer. 

If you haven’t driven in a convertible in a while, I suggest that this summer you either rent one, steal one or get Buz to give you a spin. But be sure to brush the bugs out of your hair afterwards.

Oh, and by the way, check out Buz’s latest film on Amazon, “Nocturna.”

I wasn’t kidding about the vampires and zombies part – they’re real!