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| I Bought a Car From Northern Italy as the Pandemic Took Hold | I Bought a Car From Northern Italy as the Pandemic Took Hold |
| (3 days later) | |
| Imagine what it would have been like to unwittingly arrange to buy an oxcart in Pompeii on or about the 23rd of August, 79 A.D. — I’m the 21st-century version of that guy. | Imagine what it would have been like to unwittingly arrange to buy an oxcart in Pompeii on or about the 23rd of August, 79 A.D. — I’m the 21st-century version of that guy. |
| I bought a classic car from just outside Lombardy, days before northern Italy became the grimmest hot spot in the global coronavirus outbreak. In hindsight, it looks incredibly foolhardy, but on the day I wired the funds, the area wasn’t on any epidemiological map, and people were still moving freely about the globe. Within days, however, this affluent, cosmopolitan region of Italy, with its conspicuously large elderly population, was locked down. | I bought a classic car from just outside Lombardy, days before northern Italy became the grimmest hot spot in the global coronavirus outbreak. In hindsight, it looks incredibly foolhardy, but on the day I wired the funds, the area wasn’t on any epidemiological map, and people were still moving freely about the globe. Within days, however, this affluent, cosmopolitan region of Italy, with its conspicuously large elderly population, was locked down. |
| In the context of what was to transpire in Italy over the next several months, the little blue sports car has little to no significance. It was after all, just a car, not even a particularly valuable, historic or rare one. But the sheer strangeness and improbability of the events that overtook it showed that ordinary things continued to play out, even under the worst of circumstances, albeit not necessarily in an entirely predictable fashion. | In the context of what was to transpire in Italy over the next several months, the little blue sports car has little to no significance. It was after all, just a car, not even a particularly valuable, historic or rare one. But the sheer strangeness and improbability of the events that overtook it showed that ordinary things continued to play out, even under the worst of circumstances, albeit not necessarily in an entirely predictable fashion. |
| Frankly, the only predictable element that runs through any of this is my affinity for odd old cars. With its tiny 1.3-liter alloy V-4 engine mounted at an angle, ahead of the front axles, the Lancia Fulvia Coupe is most certainly a strange car. Strange and wonderful, as well as very pretty and impeccably engineered, all traits that I find irresistible. | Frankly, the only predictable element that runs through any of this is my affinity for odd old cars. With its tiny 1.3-liter alloy V-4 engine mounted at an angle, ahead of the front axles, the Lancia Fulvia Coupe is most certainly a strange car. Strange and wonderful, as well as very pretty and impeccably engineered, all traits that I find irresistible. |
| Road & Track referred to it as “a precision automobile” in its 1966 test. Since it was introduced in 1965, the Fulvia Coupe was a holdover model that predated Lancia’s 1970 absorption by Fiat. Its virtues remained intact until it was discontinued in 1976. Since the Fulvia’s U.S. price was close to that of a much more powerful Chevrolet Corvette, hardly any were sold in the United States before Lancia took a scarcely noticed, almost 10-year hiatus from selling cars here. Lancia’s 1975 return to the States was brief, ending in 1982, and the Fulvia wasn’t part of this halfhearted comeback. | Road & Track referred to it as “a precision automobile” in its 1966 test. Since it was introduced in 1965, the Fulvia Coupe was a holdover model that predated Lancia’s 1970 absorption by Fiat. Its virtues remained intact until it was discontinued in 1976. Since the Fulvia’s U.S. price was close to that of a much more powerful Chevrolet Corvette, hardly any were sold in the United States before Lancia took a scarcely noticed, almost 10-year hiatus from selling cars here. Lancia’s 1975 return to the States was brief, ending in 1982, and the Fulvia wasn’t part of this halfhearted comeback. |
| Today, Lancia is a moribund part of the Fiat Chrysler portfolio — it hasn’t sold cars outside Italy since 2017 — essentially a dead brand walking. Because of Lancia’s lack of consistent presence in the U.S. market, Fulvias are almost nonexistent here. | Today, Lancia is a moribund part of the Fiat Chrysler portfolio — it hasn’t sold cars outside Italy since 2017 — essentially a dead brand walking. Because of Lancia’s lack of consistent presence in the U.S. market, Fulvias are almost nonexistent here. |
| At best, they have a tiny cult following, mainly among automotive journalists who love them for their looks, handling and exotic but serviceable mechanicals, and the fact that good examples are still less than $20,000. In its native Italy, however, the Lancia Fulvia Coupe isn’t terribly uncommon, a fact that would lend a bizarre twist to this story. | At best, they have a tiny cult following, mainly among automotive journalists who love them for their looks, handling and exotic but serviceable mechanicals, and the fact that good examples are still less than $20,000. In its native Italy, however, the Lancia Fulvia Coupe isn’t terribly uncommon, a fact that would lend a bizarre twist to this story. |
| My close friend and enabler Art Mason knew I was hunting for a Fulvia and was, conveniently, going to be in northern Italy in February. Mr. Mason is an airline pilot and a gearhead. Because their lives and the lives of their passengers depend on the condition of machinery, pilots are exactly the sort of people you want to look over a car for you. | My close friend and enabler Art Mason knew I was hunting for a Fulvia and was, conveniently, going to be in northern Italy in February. Mr. Mason is an airline pilot and a gearhead. Because their lives and the lives of their passengers depend on the condition of machinery, pilots are exactly the sort of people you want to look over a car for you. |
| Mr. Mason had an unusual multiday layover in Milan, and happily volunteered. | Mr. Mason had an unusual multiday layover in Milan, and happily volunteered. |
| “Where exactly is it?” he asked. A fair question. “Looks like it’s near someplace called Piacenza, about 40 miles from Milan,” I answered. Neither of us had heard of Piacenza before, but its proximity to Milan, in the heart of Lombardy, made it easily doable by train. Mr. Mason arranged for the seller to pick him up at the train station in Piacenza. | “Where exactly is it?” he asked. A fair question. “Looks like it’s near someplace called Piacenza, about 40 miles from Milan,” I answered. Neither of us had heard of Piacenza before, but its proximity to Milan, in the heart of Lombardy, made it easily doable by train. Mr. Mason arranged for the seller to pick him up at the train station in Piacenza. |
| The seller, David Graham, is a Welsh expat living with his Italian girlfriend and their young daughter. He had set up a cozy shop, DG Classic Cars, in Quarto, the next village over from Piacenza, buying and selling interesting older Italian cars, as well as vintage Land Rovers, mainly to Americans, for whom his genial nature and English are a big plus. | The seller, David Graham, is a Welsh expat living with his Italian girlfriend and their young daughter. He had set up a cozy shop, DG Classic Cars, in Quarto, the next village over from Piacenza, buying and selling interesting older Italian cars, as well as vintage Land Rovers, mainly to Americans, for whom his genial nature and English are a big plus. |
| Mr. Graham had three Fulvias in stock, and in a call to me from Quarto, Mr. Mason went over the pluses and minuses of each. Purely on color, I chose the medium-blue one with a tan interior. I wired the money to Mr. Graham a few days later. | Mr. Graham had three Fulvias in stock, and in a call to me from Quarto, Mr. Mason went over the pluses and minuses of each. Purely on color, I chose the medium-blue one with a tan interior. I wired the money to Mr. Graham a few days later. |
| Shortly after my funds hit his account, people in the area started to get sick. Very sick, and in large numbers. In a few days, Lombardy became the second major coronavirus hot spot (and the first in Europe). | Shortly after my funds hit his account, people in the area started to get sick. Very sick, and in large numbers. In a few days, Lombardy became the second major coronavirus hot spot (and the first in Europe). |
| Mr. Graham sensed the direction in which things were headed before I did. I got a message from him with a photo of the car on a transporter, along with two other cars that he had sold for export. He had gotten the car on one of the last trucks bound for the Port of Genoa before the area was locked down. | Mr. Graham sensed the direction in which things were headed before I did. I got a message from him with a photo of the car on a transporter, along with two other cars that he had sold for export. He had gotten the car on one of the last trucks bound for the Port of Genoa before the area was locked down. |
| Things went dark for a week or so until, out of the blue, I got an email from Alessandro Villa — who was handling the export of the Lancia — letting me know that the car was safe inside a warehouse in Genoa. There it would have to stay until Mr. Graham received the cancellation of the car’s registration from the Italian motor vehicle agency. I didn’t inquire for weeks. People were dying, and this was just a car, adequately insured at that. Now wasn’t the time to get antsy about small things. | Things went dark for a week or so until, out of the blue, I got an email from Alessandro Villa — who was handling the export of the Lancia — letting me know that the car was safe inside a warehouse in Genoa. There it would have to stay until Mr. Graham received the cancellation of the car’s registration from the Italian motor vehicle agency. I didn’t inquire for weeks. People were dying, and this was just a car, adequately insured at that. Now wasn’t the time to get antsy about small things. |
| Updated June 12, 2020 | |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| On April 17, I got another message from Mr. Graham showing a DHL package and some official-looking Italian documents. He explained that this was the long-awaited registration cancellation, and that he just had to mail the papers to the port. | On April 17, I got another message from Mr. Graham showing a DHL package and some official-looking Italian documents. He explained that this was the long-awaited registration cancellation, and that he just had to mail the papers to the port. |
| The next Monday, I got a phone call from him: “There’s been a rather bizarre twist in the situation with your car.” | The next Monday, I got a phone call from him: “There’s been a rather bizarre twist in the situation with your car.” |
| “How much more bizarre can it get?” I replied. “Good bizarre, or bad bizarre?” | “How much more bizarre can it get?” I replied. “Good bizarre, or bad bizarre?” |
| “No, mate, it’s good,” he said. “Your car is at the port in New York.” | “No, mate, it’s good,” he said. “Your car is at the port in New York.” |
| At first this didn’t really compute. Mentally, I still placed the car in a dusty warehouse in Genoa. My Fulvia wasn’t supposed to go anywhere until all of the export paperwork was in order, and that had just arrived late the previous week. | At first this didn’t really compute. Mentally, I still placed the car in a dusty warehouse in Genoa. My Fulvia wasn’t supposed to go anywhere until all of the export paperwork was in order, and that had just arrived late the previous week. |
| As it turned out, the warehouse contained another blue Fulvia awaiting shipment to the United States. Its papers were in order. And in the confusion that must reign in the Port of Genoa, my car was mistaken for the one that had already been cleared for shipment. It must have resembled the Al Franken-Tom Davis one gorilla/two gorilla joke from the old movie “Trading Places.” | As it turned out, the warehouse contained another blue Fulvia awaiting shipment to the United States. Its papers were in order. And in the confusion that must reign in the Port of Genoa, my car was mistaken for the one that had already been cleared for shipment. It must have resembled the Al Franken-Tom Davis one gorilla/two gorilla joke from the old movie “Trading Places.” |
| Import paperwork is relatively simple for cars older than 25 years. A customs broker handled all of the necessary clearances and the payment of 2.5 percent in duty to the federal government. Two days later, the car showed up at my suburban Baltimore home on the back of a flatbed. I swabbed every surface down with alcohol, charged the battery, started the car, polished it and parked it in the garage, where I unhooked the battery again. | Import paperwork is relatively simple for cars older than 25 years. A customs broker handled all of the necessary clearances and the payment of 2.5 percent in duty to the federal government. Two days later, the car showed up at my suburban Baltimore home on the back of a flatbed. I swabbed every surface down with alcohol, charged the battery, started the car, polished it and parked it in the garage, where I unhooked the battery again. |
| For now, the car still feels too connected with its point of origin. Getting out and enjoying it will have to await better times, both here and in Italy. | For now, the car still feels too connected with its point of origin. Getting out and enjoying it will have to await better times, both here and in Italy. |