NZ Alfa wins top prize

The Alfa Romeo G1 owned by New Zealander Neville Crichton.

The Alfa Romeo G1 owned by expat New Zealand businessman and car dealer Neville Crichton has won a top prize in the world's most glamorous classic car event, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

The G1 is the last surviving example of the first Alfa Romeo made. It spent much of its life propping up a barn roof and pumping water on an Australian farm before being shipped across the Tasman and restored in Christchurch.

The G1 came third in its class, beating more than 60 classic Alfa Romeos from around the world, including seven cars from Alfa Romeo's own museum.

"This is a remarkable result because normally cars lose points for a lack of original body work," says Crichton. "Our G1 went to Australia as a chassis, so although it looks identical to a car of its period, the body is not original.

"The judges gave it credit for the mechanical condition of the drivetrain, its historical significance, its performance on the drive test and its presence."

Members of the public were not the only people drawn to the G1. US talkshow host and car fanatic Jay Leno spent time examining it. Alfa Romeo chief executive Karl-Heinz Kalbfell described it as "awesome."

The inclusion of the G1 helped make this year's Pebble Beach event the most complete collection of Alfa Romeos ever seen.