Living here in the backwater affords few opportunities for encounters in the flesh, up close & personal, of even mildly exotic equipment like the new generation C-7.  I was photographing her Stingray during my morning walk when the jovial, grandmotherly Zola came upon me, introduced herself and proceeded to regale me with facts and figures and stories about her three-month-old machine.  So I learn that hers is one of the “lesser” variants, at a mere 455 horsepower and 460 foot-pounds of torque, that a design parameter for the rear luggage compartment was the capacity to hold exactly two golf bags, that it has five computerized driving modes from Wet to Track, that Track mode provides a stiff ride but greatly enhanced handling and responsiveness with five levels of further adjustment, that the interior glows in soft blue, and much more.  She says that she has not taken it over an indicated 140 mph.   And she did open the passenger door to point out the “oh-sh#t” grab rail.  The harsh midday sunlight made photographing a real challenge, but I did try to get a few images:

Having loved Alfas forever, I’d say, and with memories of my old Berlina kicking around in my head, I couldn’t help but to take notice of the new Giulia sedan.

And today, from Jalopnik, as just one example of what we are hearing.

[Oh, oh.  There were comments on that Jalopnik piece …]