by David Coleman

GOOD MEDICINE Ryan Pilla, the Car Doctor of Amagansett, NY, says his Alfa Romeo Spider is "a blast."

Ryan Pilla is a mechanic. The kind of mechanic, that is, that Danielle Steel might dream up.

In the summertime, Mr. Pilla oversees his auto repair shop, the Car Doctor, in Amagansett, N.Y., where he is chief medic to high-maintenance clients like Jerry Seinfeld, Paul Simon and Lorne Michaels and their high-maintenance cars. In his off time, he races—in rallies in the United States and Europe.

And not only does he work on and race in the coolest of vintage cars, he also owns his share of them, including a couple of Ferraris, two Audis (a roadster and a sedan) and a '57 Chevy. But when it comes to naming his favorite, Mr. Pilla picks the car he drives most often: his little Alfa Romeo convertible.

The Alfa Romeo is, more precisely, a 1986 Quadrifoglio Graduate Spider, in cherry red. Quadrifoglio refers to the car's four-cylinder, four-valve engine; Graduate, means it is a step up from the previous model; and Spider denotes a convertible. The year is also important, because 1986 is when the carburetor was replaced with fuel injection.

[Note from Mark: "By the way, 1969 was the year Alfa Romeo had fuel injection on their US spec cars."]

"It's the perfect summer car," he said. "Its looks are great—kind of like a Ferrari 250 GT—its a blast to drive around, and you can get one for a great price."

Mr. Pilla bought the car about 18 months ago for $2500—it came into the shop smashed up from an accident—and restored it himself, putting about $5000 into parts, he said. The result is, in vintage-car slang, "cherry"; that is, as close to new as one could hope for in a 16-year-old car.

And for a 36-year-old design, its looks are almost as au courant as the new Ford Thunderbird. "It's totally classic," Mr. Pilla said. "The look hasn't aged at all. That's because it's a Pininfarina."

The car was designed as the Duetto Spider by the famed Pininfarina design studio in 1966. Founded in 1930 by Battista Farina, nicknamed Pinin, the studio created some of history's sharpest sports car designs for carmakers like Ferrari, Lancia, Fiat and Alfa Romeo.

Mr. Pilla fell in love first with a 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta, a sporty two-seater he found in the early 1990's—would likely cost more than $30,000, Mr. Pilla said, and one would have to go to Italy to get it. (Alfa Romeo does not now have an American distributor.) Used Spiders can be found, though, and because the company was never built up as a brand in this country, they are relatively inexpensive. Depending on its condition, a 1986 model like Mr. Pilla's could go for between $2500 and $9500, which is about what they sell for on eBay Motors.

Mr. Pilla's little Alfa, as pristine as it is, appeals to him in part because of its modest status. "Sure, I love driving the Audi," he said, "but let's face it, one person opens his car door on it and your nice drive is over. With the Alfa, I don't have to worry."

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