Carlo Durante

Carlo Durante may not be known through the entire Ferrari universe but I bet he is known through a vast majority of it.

Carlo along with his brother Lino run a little shop called Alfa of Tacoma in, you guessed it Tacoma, WA just south of Seattle. Since Alfa stopped importing cars the "dealership" transformed itself into a service shops that has worked on some of the most prominent cars in the northwest and beyond.

Carlo started working for a mechanic when he was 10 years old in Mirabella Italy. He moved to the Seattle area in 1961 and soon opened a mechanic shop.

In 1975 Carlo and Lino opened Alfa of Tacoma as a dealership for the Italian marque. When Alfa Romeo stopped importing cars they focused on service of all Italian brands and the rest, as they say is history.

The shop is constantly packed with a variety of cars that would make any collector jealous. Everything from Alfa to Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati end up here for various repair jobs from simple oil changes to complete restorations.

Carlo does most of the mechanical work himself and has literally probably forgotten nearly as much information about Ferraris than most of us on this sight know. Well maybe not literally because he actually remembers it all it seems!

A tech session or visit to their shop is a feast for all the senses with the variety of cars and parts on display or work in progress. There is always something different to see whether it's an old Ferrari F1 crank sitting on the bench as a souvenir or the latest project motor sitting in the test bench ready to fire up.

At least in the Northwest area Carlo is much more than a living legend, he is a master mechanic that can be, and routinely is, trusted with some great Italian machinery!! Oh, and if you really need a part but can't find it anywhere, Lino will track it down like a bloodhound on the scent of an escaped con!

Hats off to an invaluable resource and couple great guys too boot!!


A few links just for posterity's sake.......

http://www.alfaoftacoma.com/

http://o.seattlepi.com/business/alfa18.shtml

http://www.nwrfca.org/album/2006alfatacoma/index.htm

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDuqB5uZzBQ[/ame]

 

I had the honor of meeting Carlo over the weekend. To say it was an honor is really an understatement. My wife and I recently moved to Tacoma and were walking around downtown when I saw some beautiful cars in Carlo's shop window. The garage door to the shop was up but being a Saturday I didn't want to bother anyone. I wanted to take a picture of a Testerossa from the street but I wanted whoever was at the shop to know I was there because a lot of people are funny about stuff like that, especially if you're not buying anything. I just wanted to ask if it was ok to take a picture of the cars in the window. Carlo welcomed me into his shop, stopped everything he was doing and showed me all of the cars. I felt that I was intruding terribly and politely thanked him for his offer, Carlo said that I wasn't a bother at all. They just don't make gentlemen like him anymore, nor men that have his expertise on these Italian vehicles. He has been doing this for more than 50 years! I personally don't own an Italian vehicle but if I did and I lived in the United States (anywhere in the US) this is where I would send my vehicle. Not only is he a gentleman but I don't think there is anyone in US that has been doing this as long as Carlo. I'm sure he was a little accommodating to me because I showed a keen interest and although I don't own an Italian vehicle I knew enough to have a wonderful conversation with him. Again, this is definitely who you would want to service your vehicle. What a gentleman! Carlo if you read this I would like to thank you so much for your hospitality and time!!!

 

I had the honor of meeting Carlo over the weekend. To say it was an honor is really an understatement. My wife and I recently moved to Tacoma and were walking around downtown when I saw some beautiful cars in Carlo's shop window. The garage door to the shop was up but being a Saturday I didn't want to bother anyone. I wanted to take a picture of a Testerossa from the street but I wanted whoever was at the shop to know I was there because a lot of people are funny about stuff like that, especially if you're not buying anything. I just wanted to ask if it was ok to take a picture of the cars in the window. Carlo welcomed me into his shop, stopped everything he was doing and showed me all of the cars. I felt that I was intruding terribly and politely thanked him for his offer, Carlo said that I wasn't a bother at all. They just don't make gentlemen like him anymore, nor men that have his expertise on these Italian vehicles. He has been doing this for more than 50 years! I personally don't own an Italian vehicle but if I did and I lived in the United States (anywhere in the US) this is where I would send my vehicle. Not only is he a gentleman but I don't think there is anyone in US that has been doing this as long as Carlo. I'm sure he was a little accommodating to me because I showed a keen interest and although I don't own an Italian vehicle I knew enough to have a wonderful conversation with him. Again, this is definitely who you would want to service your vehicle. What a gentleman! Carlo if you read this I would like to thank you so much for your hospitality and time!!!