Ride of the Week Welcomes Anna McKinley and Here Alfa 4C!

Ride of the Week is ANNA McKINLEY and here ALFA 4C!

There’s lots of guys in Malibu who have cool cars, but every now and then there’s a woman out there that has no problem putting them to shame – with her car, I mean. So this week’s Ride of the Week just happens to be one of those ladies — Malibu’s Anna McKinley.

As an executive assistant, Anna’s job is to smooth out the wrinkles, control the potential pitfalls and organize a plethora of messy potentials. Her love is in helping to keep people like her boss on track, focused and straight on the apex. Which is why when it came time to grab a cool ride on Dec. 14, she and her husband chose Alfa Romeo’s 2015 4C launch edition. It’s actually the very first Alfa in Malibu and No. 42 out of only 500.

“It showed up Dec. 14,” said Anna. “So about a month now. It was shipped out from the Alfa Romeo dealer in Laredo, Texas. There are only 80-some dealers, and a handful have delivered cars to customers.” 

The specs as a stock pocket rocket? Factory fresh at 237-horsepower and 258ftlbs, weighing in at only 2,465 pounds. That results in a liquid fast 0-60 in 4.1 seconds. 

But why this car, Anna? “My husband and I have had a few Italian cars. A couple old Alfas and an Abarth which is my daily driver. Italian sports cars are in my blood. We were lucky enough to drive a 4C press car in Monterey last August and I fell in love instantly. I knew I had to have one. I’ve never been so excited and it’s really a special car.”

Special for sure, as the red on this car makes you want to either nuzzle up against it with some Merlot or lick it like a Telly Pop.

The car is mainly used for fun — like, would it be used for anything else? I think not. Can you see her boss saying that something needs to be picked up? Like a cartoon character, there would be nothing left of Anna but a puff of smoke.

“It only has 600 miles on it and the furthest I’ve been in it is to Ojai so far…” continued Anna. “But I guess the best story is how it arrived. My husband had the transporter deliver it to my office. He called me and said, come outside then handed me a key and pointed to a shiny red Alfa with a silver bow on it.” Whoa. Silver bow on a red car equals some big smooches. (That will be another article. 

But what about Malibu? 

“We live at the top of one of the canyons, so as car lovers there’s no better place. Everyday is a fun driving experience. The only downside is how fast I go through tires, but that’s a good problem to have. For us, Malibu is a perfect combination of country living and beach community, yet if we need a dose of big city life, it’s only minutes away.” So true and something we can all relate to equally.

As usual, I asked my two main questions as well, to which Anna responded with vigor and elegance. 

Your favorite movie car? “Can I have two?” she said. “Sean Connery’s 1964 Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger — elegance, speed and gadgety. And ‘The Bandit,’ 1976 Pontiac Trans Am because it’s the exact opposite of the DB5 and my mom had one when I was a little girl.” 

Sounds like Mom was a badass. And finally, Anna’s favorite chocolate is one of dark. 

“It’s supposed to be healthy for you, right?”  

Well, regardless if it’s healthy or not, dark chocolate and a new Alfa 4C is a perfect combination for the abundant lifestyle. And the trunk is just big enough to hold it, although I think her husband is going to have to get in line with the rest of us. 

Do you want to be featured as Fireball’s Ride of the Week? Let him know what you’ve got! [email protected] Be sure to get on of Fireball’s cool Automotive Books on Amazon!