Update

The Alfa has been giving me the "full experience."

While we were getting the car ready (to start), coolant started to leak everywhere. It looked like I had a head gasket, or worse, problem.

My first concern was the head and / or block was warped. But the machine shop invoice revealed these to be in tolerance, and the builder stated the same.

I ordered another Victor Reinz gasket which also leaked badly. We found there was manufacturing differences; the first one being slightly thicker (0.2mm) than the second. So I wasn't keen to try a 3rd sample.

With a little Google work and some searches on eBay, I found a copper gasket (labelled as a Centerline) that looked very good. It had an embossed edge around the coolant and oil passages and a sealing film on both sides.

NOTE: We followed the directions and used Permatex Ultra Grey at the rear of the gasket.

So, the third time was a charm. The copper gasket worked and everything is tight and ready to go!