Ex David Wright - Alfa RLS - in its new home ....what an abomination !!

[Mark Baigent]

The Launceston Museum and Art Gallery is refurbishing both it's campuses. Its museum items have gone to the Inveresk campus and its art collection is going to the centrally located Queen Victoria building campus, which is yet to be opened. Now that the Inveresk campus has finished it's overhaul the RLS has been "housed" within easy reach of any wandering hands and with minimal supervision from a severely understaffed and underfunded museum (stealing the Alfa stamped fuel cap for example would be a sinch for anyone so inclined). Presented on a plinth with jacks under the axles which set the tyres 5 mm above the surface the car is unquestionably "looking good" but is now doomed to rarely, if ever, being driven again.

After receiving continued complaints from myself and the National Automobile Museum of Tasmania that an Alfa of this calibre should be a living, breathing, treasure that should be started and used for what it was designed, the Launceston City Council owned museum responded in its best antiquated and uninformed fashion by bringing in the "experts" from the Canberra military museum who loaded up the sump, gearbox and diff oil with "chemical conditioners" which in their opinion validates it not having to being started or driven.

Yes this rare and exceptional car, which was delivered to Tasmania new and was the first car to break 100mph in Tasmania, is an inextricable part of our history and undoubtedly should be here, but sadly in the hands of the museum, it is more appropriately likened to an imprisoned Nelson Mandella.