From Alfa to Omega

"But from the mid-1970s until 1995, when the company withdrew from the United States, the cars’ sporting nature was often compromised by American smog and safety regulations. With tacked-on bumpers and cobbled-together emission controls, both styling and reliability suffered.
"Why then does Alfa still inspire such a following?
"'Alfa Romeos are distinctive both for their often striking and notably Italian design, and for their engineering, which makes them a joy to drive,' said Brewster Thackeray, president of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club-U.S.A. 'Alfa owners have always been somewhat eccentric; we put up with the cars being demanding and sometimes temperamental in exchange for the joy they deliver.'"

Keith Martin in The New York Times marks the one-hundredth anniversary of Alfa Romeo.