5 ALFAHOLICS GTA-R

THE FIRST – AND ONLY – RESTOMOD in our Perfect 10. And, as with the omission of the F40, there are possibly a number of you expecting to see a Singer of some variety here instead. Sorry for any disappointment.

Meaden and Catchpole both made space for the delectable Alfa in their respective garages, the former placing an example fifth on his list, the latter elevating it to second place as a must-have in his Perfect 10. He’d be happy with any level of specification from the Bristol-based specialist, so energetic and thrilling are the results they are capable of extracting from this diminutive Italian classic, polished with modern mechanical magic. That’s the great appeal of such cars; they can be tailored and engineered to your needs and requirements, the closest you can get to having a car built just for you.

And there’s the rub. In today’s digital world, the market for bespoke classics built to exacting standards and your own unique specification using the latest modern technology has been growing at a rate that even those at the epicentre of the niche couldn’t have anticipated. And as manufacturers continue to chase unreachable levels of performance with technology that removes the layers of interaction between car and driver, the rise of the restomod is only set to continue heading in one direction.

Meaden’s decision to include the little Alfa was down to the fact that, like so many of us, he’s an Alfa tragic who loves the Italian marque despite its many low points – because the highs are so profound. In a GTA-R, those highs have never been more intoxicating, evocative and bursting with passion.