By Hooniverse
Nestled between the kebab shops and knockoff purse stands across from Rome’s Termini station is a rather unassuming auto parts store. It seems like an oddball place for car parts: tourists getting their first glimpse of the Eternal City are looking for currency exchangers and shady Internet cafes rather than woodgrain Nardi three-spoke steering wheels for a ’68 Duetto. But if you’re one of the slightly deranged individuals that is, then proprietor Renato Straffi of Autoricambi d’Epoca Giolitti is your man.
Need a shift knob for your Fiat 124 Spyder? How about a rear trunklid badge for your Giulietta Sprint Speciale? Or a genuine set of NOS Carrello driving lights for your Simca Abarth 1300 GT? Or a poster depicting every Bianchina ever built? It’s a far cry from the racks of universal self-adhesive hood scoops of Pep Boys. The dusty cardboard boxes filled with Delta Integrale axle boots can attest to that. Classic Italian iron is well-preserved here, like the Roman ruins stretched out across the rest of the city, with an air of organized chaos and an affinity for the almost forgotten.
While paying for a poster of Lancia rally cars I met Ricardo, who was replacing the differential to a Fiat Topolino. The diminutive “little mouse” was just one car from his stable which also included a Lancia Fulvia, Land Rover Defender, and Porsche 356A coupe—his newest acquisition, which he purchased from California. With broken but adequate English he helped me pay and explained to Straffi that I was a legitimate motoring journalist, thereby granting the privilege to take pictures. Don’t let the red pants fool you: here was a man with fine taste in cars.
Incidentally, Ricardo runs an automobile restoration company, Scuderia Automobile, which explains his fine collection—lesser men would shy away from such expensive machinery, but here was someone who routinely stared Italian repair bills in the face and laughed. And if you somehow find yourself in Rome, chasing down an Alfasud Sprint Quadrifoglio Verde (hey, it could happen) purchased in secret from a guy who knows a guy who worked at the Pomigliano d’Arco plant during the strike of ’79, then Giolitti is worth the visit, even for an Alfa Romeo keychain.
Christian "Mental" Ward 
Antti Kautonen 
Jeff Glucker
Aren't red pants the norm over there anyway?
Italians are the fashionistas of the world, and who are we to question them?
I don't really remember that much about the clothes I saw when I was last in Italy, so I image that they were more normal and less red-pantsey. I do remember that wearing T-shirts in France immediately marked you as a tourist though, so I didn't blend in at all in my collection of band shirts and horrifying attempts French (usually abandoned rather quickly in preference for English/Strine).
Abarth valve covers and Alfa grills, oh my
Many has been the time I've wished for an Italian parts mecca such as this in my home town. It gets very tiring, paying $10 for a two dollar part from one of the mail order houses, only to be slapped with an additional $8 shipping fee.
/Goes home to look in the mailbox for his $26 speedometer cable.
That's not too bad. Living in a country without any decent record stores – I once imported an $8 7", only to pay $10 shipping, then get slugged with a $40 import duty (since it was insured for $100 for some reason). I stopped importing vinyl after that.
working for me
This place doesn't like me. First Hoonibbles stole my post in the toy car thread, now I get no pics:
https://hooniverse.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/201…
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Sorry, but you are looking for something that isn't here.
I've also experienced the disappearing post phenomenon. I just figured said posts didn't meet Hoon's editorial standards.
Awesome. I sometimes with I had an old-timey horn like on that photo to the top left. I would honk at all the chicks. And they would love it.
Taking pictures of random old cars is a great thing to do on holiday. Until you get home and are showing your piccies to folk who aren't into cars, and trying to explain to them what/why these cars are and are special.
I swear I can smell that place. Garlic and old axle grease.
Looks much like the old VW speedshops from the 70s, but not a CIBIE or Weber to be found.
Verry nice blog and useful! I think i will come back one day! SportDay