The Project

Gigi's Tour of America is an evolving art project centered around my 1972 Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV—affectionately known as Gigi. By modern standards she is antiquated, slow, and objectively less safe than contemporary vehicles. That is precisely what makes her the perfect companion for this journey.

Beginning in 2027, Gigi and I will embark on a multi-month circumnavigation of the continental United States. The adventure will be documented and shared through social media, allowing followers to experience the journey in real time.

What makes this project unique is the perspective that Gigi provides.

The vehicle, the route, the landmarks, the communities encountered, and the conversations that emerge along the way create an opportunity to explore larger questions about creativity, culture, technology, progress, and personal expression. Through the lens of a fifty-year-old Alfa Romeo, we can examine where we have come from, where we are going, and what may be lost in the pursuit of constant advancement.

Today, I recognize that The Little Alfa That Could has become a cornerstone of my artistic journey.

— Earle Rock

 

Project Goals

A long-term social media strategy will support the project through YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Patreon, and other platforms. The goal is to build an engaged community before the journey begins and to create meaningful content throughout the adventure.

The trip will be documented using cameras mounted both inside and outside the vehicle, capturing the experience from multiple perspectives.

Imagine Gigi parked beneath the monuments and landscapes that define America:

• Key West

• The Grand Canyon

• Yosemite National Park

• The National Mall

• Crazy Horse Memorial

• Countless small towns, back roads, and forgotten places in between

 

The journey is not simply about reaching destinations. It is about exploring America through a vehicle that belongs to another era.

The goals of the project include:

• Exploring America's diverse landscapes and communities through the lens of a fifty-year-old automobile

• Examining how technology influences culture and human connection

• Meeting artists, makers, and creative individuals across the country

• Connecting with automotive enthusiasts and learning how they engage with their passion

• Discovering future opportunities for public art and creative collaboration

• Documenting contemporary car culture during a period of profound technological change

• Traveling America's back roads rather than its interstates whenever possible

• Sharing the journey with an expanding online community

• Generating content and relationships that inspire future creative projects

 

The Resurrection

The COVID-19 pandemic changed life for everyone. For many creative people, the forced pause also created opportunities to revisit projects that had long been neglected.

For me, that project was Gigi.

After sitting largely dormant for nearly five years, work on her mechanical resurrection began in earnest during the spring of 2020.

Specialists were brought in to rebuild the engine, transmission, and fuel injection system. At one point, nearly every mechanical system had been removed, inspected, repaired, restored, or replaced. The only major components left in the car were the wiring harness, glass, dashboard, seats, and front suspension.

The project was overseen by longtime friend and fellow enthusiast Larry, whose own restoration experience spans everything from pre-1960 Triumphs and Volkswagens to C2 Corvettes and Jaguar E-Types.

As with any major restoration, there was a period of adjustment and refinement. Bolts needed retightening, systems required tuning, and lessons had to be learned. Such is the nature of bringing a machine back from dormancy.

Today, Gigi is roadworthy and ready for the next chapter.

There is, however, one remaining challenge.

Rust.

Corrosion has developed in the rocker panel area behind the driver's front wheel. On a unibody car such as the Alfa Romeo GTV, rust is more than a cosmetic issue—it is structural. Before the journey begins, the affected metal will be removed and replaced with new steel to ensure the car is strong enough for the thousands of miles ahead.

 

The History

The summer of 1986 was significant for two reasons.

It was the year I graduated from high school.

It was also the year I purchased my first car: a 1972 Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV finished in Giallo Piper yellow.

The car represented everything uncommon about small-town Iowa. It was Italian, quirky, impractical, and unapologetically different. Open the door and you were greeted by one of the most beautiful wooden steering wheels ever fitted to an automobile.

Owning it, however, proved to be an education.

When I left for college near Chicago, I took Gigi with me. Shortly after arriving, the oil pressure sending unit failed catastrophically. In moments, the engine lost its oil and seized. Gigi was towed home and sat for the next two years while I saved money for a rebuild.

Within a month of the rebuilt engine being installed, another critical component failed: the Thermostatic Actuator of the mechanical fuel injection system.

Today that part can be found online. In the late 1980s, it might as well have been made from unobtainium.

The internet did not yet exist as a consumer tool, and locating parts was often a matter of luck. Once again, Gigi sat idle.

Eventually frustration won. In a moment of youthful impatience and financial weakness, I sold the car back to the gentleman from whom I had purchased it, with one condition:

If he ever decided to sell her, I would have the right of first refusal.

For years I would occasionally see Gigi around my hometown. More often than not, she was sitting outside, exposed to the elements and showing increasing signs of neglect.

Then, in the fall of 2007, the phone rang.

The owner asked if I still wanted the tired old Alfa.

After an inspection and valuation, a deal was struck and Gigi came home once again.

Because I lived several hours away and was not yet in a position to begin a restoration, she remained in my parents' garage. They graciously provided shelter while I waited for the right moment to begin the next chapter.

The resurrection that began in 2020 made that long-awaited chapter a reality.

The journey that follows will carry Gigi farther than either of us could have imagined in 1986.

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