Dustin Hoffman drove an Alfa Romeo for his iconic role in 1967's "The Graduate."

Although James Bond prefers Aston Martins, Roger Moore stole an Alfa Romeo for a brief chase scene during 1983's "Octopussy."

You can stay home Saturday morning and watch Alfa Romeos in movies on DVD. Or, you can head down to Pearson Field and see hundreds of the Italian cars for yourself.

The 2009 Alfa Romeo Owners Club's National Convention started Wednesday at the Red Lion Hotel on the River, 909 N. Hayden Island Drive, Portland.

The big event, at least for those who don't own one of these four-wheel gems, will be a public display from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at Pearson Field.

Ted Gathe, whose day job is as Vancouver city attorney, is the proud owner of two Alpha Romeos: a 1984 GTV6 and a 1989 Spider. He also co-owns a 1989 Milano that is being converted to a track car.

Gathe said both of his cars run great and will be on display Saturday at Pearson Field, two of as many as 300 Alfa Romeos expected for the event.

He keeps his prized possessions cozy inside his garage. His wife's car, a Subaru Outback, spends its nights parked on the street.

Gathe said Alfa Romeos appeal to him because they are "highly engineered race-bred cars" superior to many other vehicles, both American and European.

"For people who can't afford Ferraris or Maseratis or other exotic Italian automobiles, these fill a real niche," he said.

For more information on the Alfa Romeo convention and Saturday's event, go to www.velocenelverde.org and click on "Concorso."