“The Bertone is a fun car”

My passion for classic cars came about by chance, thanks to a friend who got me involved in organising a rally in 2006. It was a bank holiday, I had nothing planned, so I thought, why not? I discovered the world of classic rallies, and seeing all those beautiful cars, I promised myself that one day I would have one too.

Born in 1973, I’m a little older than my car, a 1975 Alfa Romeo Bertone 1300. I hesitated for a long time before taking the plunge. I really liked old Porsches, but they were out of my price range. Then I fell in love with Alfa Romeos, and more specifically with the Bertone model. It’s a car with an avant-garde design, pleasant to drive, relatively modern for its time, and fairly easy to handle.

Yes, it has a great history. I was looking for a Bertone with the double headlight grille. A collector friend of mine offered me his one day. He wanted to downsize his collection to buy another car. It was in exceptional condition: well looked after, quiet, flawless. He hesitated for a long time before selling it to me, but in the end he agreed, happy to entrust it to someone who was passionate about it. It comes from Lake Como in Italy. That’s where he found it, thanks to a hairdresser who was passionate about classic cars and told him about a local doctor who was willing to sell it. He went to see it, bought it, then brought it back to Luxembourg with a friend. He kept it for a while before I took it off his hands.

Almost. The paintwork has been redone, as has the interior, because Alfa Romeo didn’t offer leatherette at the time. The colour is quite rare: an aubergine plum, called “prugna” in Italian. You can actually see a plaque under the bonnet with the original colour codes. Many people ask me what colour it is, because they expect to see bright red. The funny thing is that many people think it’s a two-litre version because of the twin headlights. But in fact, at the end of 1975, Alfa Romeo began to streamline its production by using common parts for different engine sizes. So some of the visual elements can be confusing. But if you look at the smaller rear lights, you can see that it’s definitely a 1300.

Yes, that’s what makes this model particularly interesting. It was a sporty car, but also suitable for family use. During the last ACL Classic Tour, I drove over 200 kilometres with a friend. Neither of us are the lightest of drivers, but the car handled very well, even on the hills of the Oesling. You just have to make sure you keep the engine revving, because if you shift down to third gear in the middle of a hill, you immediately feel the lack of power. But apart from that, I have no trouble keeping up with more modern cars, even those from the 1990s.

The owners, like me, are generally collectors. We don’t use them on a daily basis anymore, but as soon as the good weather arrives and a trip is organised, they hit the road again. I usually take part in three to five rallies a year. Sometimes I take it to work in the summer or for an after-work outing. But in everyday traffic, it’s a bit complicated.

Actually, it all started because I couldn’t afford a classic Porsche, especially a 911 from the 1990s. I looked for a long time, but the prices were too high for me at the time. So I started looking at other models from the brand. There was the 928, originally designed to replace the 911, with a front engine. Then I turned my attention to the 944, which took me a while to find in good condition because many of them had been driven a lot. Finally, I came across the 968, and now I own two of them. It’s a car with a three-litre engine developing 240 horsepower. It’s often underestimated because it doesn’t fit the traditional image of a Porsche with an air-cooled rear engine. It doesn’t have the characteristic flat-six sound either, but it more than makes up for it with its balance. Thanks to its transaxle configuration – engine at the front, gearbox at the rear – it offers excellent weight distribution and great agility in corners. It’s a sporty, accessible, reliable car that lets you drive a Porsche without breaking the bank. In fact, even at Porsche, some people recognise that these models saved the brand during a difficult period. OK, I might make a few enemies among the purists, but I love them.

For me, Porsche remains one of the best car brands. In fact, some say that without the front-engined models, the brand might not have survived the 1970s. At that time, the 911s had become too expensive, and customers were turning to more affordable alternatives. This led to the creation of the front-engined Porsches, originally a joint project with Volkswagen. Personally, I find these models very versatile, reliable, easy to maintain and enjoyable to drive. Sure, they don’t have the legendary flat-six sound of the 911s, but they have other qualities. Today, there is a real community around these models. When I joined the Porsche Classic Club, I was one of the few who owned one. Today, around 20% of members also have a front-engined Porsche. They are affordable cars with a discreet look that can go anywhere. And I really appreciate them. I’ve never been disappointed. Last year, I went on a road trip to Italy with friends in my 968: 2,700 kilometres in four days, without a single problem. Motorways, mountains, small villages… it was at home everywhere. And what’s more, I had room for all my suitcases! It really is a fantastic car.

I can’t choose between the two. The Bertone is a pleasure car, ideal for sunny days. But I wouldn’t risk driving 3,000 kilometres across Italy in it, even though it’s Italian! With the Porsche, on the other hand, I can set off with peace of mind. Both have a special place in my heart. Being born in 1973, it was mainly cars from the 80s and 90s that made an impression on me as a teenager. I didn’t know about the Bertone at the time, I discovered it later, and I think it’s magnificent. But it’s still an old car: even this morning, I was a little stressed about whether it would start. Yesterday, it lost a little oil… You have to take care of it, drive it gently, and be careful not to overheat it, especially in heavy traffic. And other drivers aren’t always patient if you don’t start right away. With the Porsche, I drive like everyone else. The Bertone is from another era: at night, the headlights are dim and the dashboard is hard to read… but that’s also part of its charm.