I had never seen a car so wanton, so rakish, almost obscene. It was like a streetwalker in 8-in high heels. What amazed me then was that it had a Chevy V8 as an engine, iron block, pushrod. Detroit crudity in an exotic. I forgot poetry and instantly became a car guy.

A couple years later I was writing car ads in Detroit and a boss mentioned an obscure Italian car was down at a Corvette shop; I might want to take a look at it.

It was a Bizzarrini Targa.

Now, in 2022, I’d say it’s worth what — 2  to  3 million? Give or take.