On a recent business trip to Hong Kong, I was thumbing through the Southern China Morning Post (the automotive section, of course) and came across an article entitled "Alfisti Ton Up in Tsing Yi". It went on to say that more than 100 Alfa Romeos convened for the city’s first-ever Alfa Day. The huge turnout means that the gathering may become an annual event, according to Varren Lee of Alfistizone Hong Kong, the event organizer.

"Alfisti and their families were so excited seeing such a large number of Alfas at the venue," Lee says. "It was the first time that they experienced such a stunning scene and atmosphere."

The most popular cars at the event, according to Lee, were the Giulietta Sprint Zagato and the Montreal, noting that both are the only ones in Hong Kong. Other notable models present included a GT 1300 Junior, a 1750 GTV, a 2000 GTV, an Alfasud Sprint, a GTV6, 75, 155, 146, the odd Spider Duetto, and even a 164QV, according to the article. Topping off the festivities, local Alfa dealer Auto Sportiva provided a 159 2.2 Selespeed and a Fiat 500 for test drives by Alfisti. It is claimed that there are approximately 700 Alfas in Hong Kong, ranging from classics to the latest models, with over 170 new Alfas sold in the city of 7 million during the past year.

Although there are not very many miles of roadway in Hong Kong and speed limits are very strictly enforced, many people here are car-crazy. Hong Kong is a city with many wealthy residents (eleventh wealthiest country in the world), and the car of choice is Mercedes Benz, with lots of S Class and AMGs clogging the narrow streets. But it is also common to see Ferraris and Lamborghinis sitting in the congested city traffic along with Rolls Royces, Bentleys, and Aston Martins. Most cars are new, as the tax laws discourage keeping old cars.

There are two Alfa clubs in Hong Kong and you can check out their websites at www.alfistizone.com and www.hkalfaclub.net.

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