Alfa Romeo Cars and Owners in Abundance at Lime Rock’s Historic Festival 44!

September 7, 2026 RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Car shows, Events, Uncategorized Historic Festival 44, Lime Rock Park, Revs Institute, Sunday in the Park

“Overwhelmed” was the word that came to my mind all weekend as I participated in the 44th annual Labor Day Historic Festival at Lime Rock Park in Salisbury, CT. This year, the featured marque was Alfa Romeo, and the turnout of cars and Alfisti (their enthusiastic owners) was indeed overwhelming.

Some brief background: as a member of the New Jersey chapter of AROC (the Alfa Romeo Owners Club), I was one of many fellow AROC members invited to participate in several Zoom calls with Lime Rock officials. They requested our assistance in promoting this event to our chapter members, and we obliged, to the point where several Concours classes and weekend events were sold out, disappointing a number of AROC members.

Thanks to the resourcefulness of fellow NJ chapter members Denise and Tony Patullo, ten of us shared an Air B&B for three nights. With the minor exception of a steep gravel driveway, this worked out very well for all of us. The house had four bedrooms, a well-equipped kitchen, and was a five-minute drive from Lime Rock Park’s front gate. We arrived late on Friday afternoon, but did not attend any events that day. Saturday was one of the race days, and the weather mostly cooperated, allowing us time to relax and watch the cars, including many Alfas, fly around the track. During the lunch break, several of us drove parade laps around the 1.6 mile track. The “Sunday in the Park” car show included six Alfa-specific Concours classes, special collector displays, and the Gathering of the Marques. By my count, there were 45 Alfas in the Concours classes, 40 racing Alfas, 25 special display Alfas, and close to 100 in the Gathering of the Marques, totaling 210 Alfa Romeo vehicles! The weekend was so overwhelming (there’s that word again) that I will break things out into separate blog entries, starting with Sunday’s Concours.

The six Alfa Romeo classes were Class 2, Spiders (convertibles); Class 7, Modified; Class 8, Fuoriserie (customs or limited production); Class 9, Berline (sedans); Class 10, Sport and Competition; and Class 11, Berlinette (coupes). My 1967 GT 1300 Junior was in Class 11, as was the 1967 Giulia Sprint GT belonging to Vic and Gail Cerami, who were sharing the Air B&B with us. All the display cars were gorgeous, and each had a unique history behind it. Judging started early, and a team of two were at my car before 9 a.m. After inquiring about the history of my car, they performed a brief mechanical evaluation, asking me to start the engine and demonstrate the exterior lighting.

I was relieved that the judging was completed early, as that freed me to wander the track and see the rest of the field. About two hours later, fellow NJ AROC member Bob Cooley saw me and said, “there’s a ribbon on your windshield!” I hurried back to find both a red ribbon and a small box on the driver’s seat. The red ribbon meant that I was one of two cars awarded the “Star of the Rock” trophy, roughly equivalent to Honorable Mention. The box contained a small plexiglass trophy. (A blue ribbon indicates “Best in Class” which I believe went to a Giulietta Sprint.) Frankly I was shocked, because as I told the judges, my car usually does not do well against restored cars; my car is unrestored and the paint shows it, so I was especially pleased that they recognized it nevertheless. Vic and Gail Cerami’s car, parked next to mine, won a more prestigious award: Best Restored Car. It was fun to have two award winners within the NJ-AROC, and we celebrated with drinks and food at a local Mexican restaurant.

I’ve been attending the Sunday in the Park show long enough to know that the various classes are extensive and varied. I did my best to cover much of the Concours field, but one downside to having my own car in the show is that it limited the amount of time I had to take in everything else. I think that next year, I’ll return to being “just” a spectator.

ALFA ROMEO COUPES (BERLINETTE)

Three 1967 Giulia coupes in a row: My green Junior flanked by white and red Giulia Sprints

ALFA ROMEO SEDANS

OTHER ALFA ROMEO CONCOURS CARS

The Alfa Romeo T33 Stradale is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful, Alfa ever produced.

OTHER CONCOURS VEHICLES

There was a special display of Abarth vehicles

This Buick Riviera is the only American car I photographed all weekend

Ferrari 330 GTC, my all-time favorite Ferrari

A SAMPLING OF CARS FROM THE REVS INSTITUTE

Alfa Romeo Club Monthly Breakfast, August 16, 2026

August 29, 2026August 29, 2026 RichardReina Drives, Events AROC NJ Chapter, Town and Country Diner Bordentown NJ

The NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) continued its streak of monthly breakfast meetups when a group of members convened at the Town and Country Diner in Bordentown, NJ, on Sunday August 16, 2026. This was a new restaurant choice for us, and as I pulled into the parking lot, the large number of cars and trucks caused an initial concern about getting a table. My worry was unfounded, though, as the diner itself is huge.

My photos might cause you to think that we only invited red Alfa Romeos for this particular session (my green Junior was home as I drove up from the Jersey shore in modern iron, making Lee’s black 164 the sole exception). Still, we had an interesting variety of red cars: modern Giulias, both 2.0L and V6 Quadrifoglios; late ‘60s Spiders; and a 4C. The photo opportunities were ample.

Once inside, we had a roomy table, and the food and coffee was to our expected standards. Much of the morning conversation centered around the upcoming Lime Rock Park Historic Festival, to be held over Labor Day weekend. This year, the featured marque is Alfa Romeo, and the turnout is expected to be huge, helped in large part by the push provided by the various AROC Chapters.

As is our practice, the conversations continued in the lot post breakfast, until we finally bid a presto to one another by noon. A presto indeed, with Lime Rock just a few short weeks away.

ABOVE: Two Quads and a 2.0L. The Quads are identified by their cloverleaf badging and additional hood and fender scoops.

ABOVE: Paul’s Giulia, which is RWD

A New Hope “Star Car”: The Volvo 142E

August 24, 2026 RichardReina Car shows, Events New Hope Auto Show, Volvo 142E

The third and final “star car” of the 2026 New Hope Auto Show is this 1971 Volvo 142E. I first spotted the car from the rear as I circled the show and headed back to the Alfa Romeo class. A man, presumably the owner, was standing at the Volvo’s open trunk. I approached him and asked, “is this a ’71 142E?” When he replied in the affirmative, my next question was, “would you like to sell it to me?” He quickly countered with a “no,” but my question began a conversation about his ownership. He told me that he bought the car, perhaps ten years ago, after finding it advertised for sale on Long Island. He turned and handed me a copy of the VSA (Volvo Sports America) club magazine, for which he is the President. His name is Tony D’Agostino, and we had a pleasant chat about this car and Volvos in general.

Most people who desire a Volvo sports car gravitate to the 1800, produced as a two-door coupe and three-door hatchback from 1961 through 1973. They are attractive cars, and certainly look the part of “the sporty Swede.” However, the driver’s fit is tight, the steering can feel heavy, and outward visibility is limited. None of these deter the Volvo faithful from collecting them. I speak from some experience as I’ve driven plenty of them through the years. I’ve also driven the 1971 142E, which was a very special car. At that time, in addition to the 1800, Volvo produced the 140 series in three body styles: two-door sedan, four-door sedan, and station wagon. The 140 was Volvo’s bread and butter car, with a four-cylinder carbureted engine, a choice of manual or automatic, cloth seats, and a limited option list. For those who wanted more, the 164 four-door sedan included a six-cylinder engine, along with leather upholstery and metallic paint. By 1971, the 164 and 1800 had switched to fuel injection, while all the 140s stayed with carburetors. Well, almost all. The limited-edition 142E was the first 140 to offer Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection, along with leather seats and metallic paint. The high-compression engine produced 130 HP, impressive for its time. Compared to the other 140s, the “E” was quicker, and also roomier than the 1800. I consider it to be one of the lost gems among old-school Volvos.

The 142E model rarely comes up for sale. I’ve been casually following the market, and most that do appear are in dire need of some restoration. While Tony didn’t reveal what he paid for the car, I vaguely remember an ad for one on Long Island several years back, with an asking price in the $20,000 range. Sounds expensive for a 140, but compared to what some 1800s fetch, for the right car, that price might be considered fair. The rarity alone. along with its outstanding condition, made Tony’s 1971 142E an easy pick for a star car at this show.

A New Hope “Star Car”: the 1965 Iso Rivolta

August 14, 2026 RichardReina Car shows, Events Iso Rivolta, New Hope Car Show

As it drove onto the show field, still fifty yards from me, it was difficult to pinpoint its make and model. Resplendent in silver-blue metallic, it could have been a Maserati, or a Lancia, or an unusual Fiat. Whichever, it was unmistakably Italian. Greg, the owner of the Alfa Romeo Spider next to my Junior, said, “look at that Ferrari.” And although he was incorrect, it was high praise indeed. As it drew closer, I thought I knew it, but they are so rarely seen, I still wasn’t sure. I could barely make out the Bertone badge on the front fender, which was a big clue. My guess turned out to be correct, and only confirmed when I was mere inches from the car. I was standing in front of an Iso Rivolta at the 2026 New Hope Auto Show.

I will always have a soft spot for the brand, because in a way, I owned one. Well, I owned a model originally designed by Iso but manufactured by BMW, and that was my Isetta (Isetta is Italian for “little Iso”). That story is too long to get into here, but suffice to say that the financially fruitful sale of the Isetta’s manufacturing rights to BMW provided the Iso firm with the funds to create what company chairman Renzo Rivolta wanted next: a high-performance 2+2 touring car, with Italian style and American power. The Rivolta was the first in a series of such vehicles, featuring styling courtesy of Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone, and motivated by a Chevrolet 327 V8 under the hood. A total of 964 units were produced between 1962 and 1970. List price was $8,595, undercutting the Ferrari 250 GT ($12,600) by several thousand dollars.

I spent more than a few minutes with the owner, John Gailey, who told me that he oversaw the car’s complete nut-and-bolt restoration. When he obtained the car, it was painted in grey primer with a red vinyl roof (?!), and the interior was a wreck. He stated that the biggest advantage to this purchase was that the car was essentially complete. Restoration work was handled by Prueitt Restoration in Glen Rock, PA. According to the placard alongside the car, the job took over four years, with the body and interior colors selected as a tribute to John’s father, who owned a Rivolta in these colors when John was young.

While I didn’t look at every car at the New Hope show this past Sunday, of the ones I did see, this Rivolta was near or at the top of all the vehicles on display. It had it all: style and performance combined with an outstanding restoration. John also indicated that he owns an Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale, so I hope to run into him again at future events.

A New Hope “Star Car”: the 1997 Alfa Romeo 916 Spider

August 13, 2026 RichardReina Car shows, Events Alfa Romeo 916 Spider

Among the twenty-eight Alfa Romeos on the ground at the 2026 New Hope, PA, auto show this year was a 1997 916-series Spider. Its unique design stood out among all the other Alfas as it is a model that was never officially imported into North America. Before we get to the story about this particular vehicle, here’s a little background on this model.

The Type 916 (internal name) was conceived as both a 2+2 coupe and a 2-seat convertible. The coupe would reestablish a sports car in the Alfa Romeo lineup after the discontinuation of the Alfetta/GTV-6 in 1987, and the convertible would be the replacement for the long-lived Spider, the first version of which was introduced as the Duetto in 1966 and lived through four generations, ending in 1994. Indeed, in keeping with naming traditions, the coupe was called the GTV while the drop-top continued the name of Spider. Both cars were front wheel drive, with four-cylinder Twin Spark and V6 “Busso” engines available. The first model year for the 916 was 1995, with production ending in 2004.

A few 916 models have been privately imported into the States, thanks to the U.S. Government’s twenty-five year rule, which allows importation of cars that reach that age. There are a number of them in Canada as well, which has a less stringent fifteen-year rule for cars that do not meet Canadian safety and emissions standards. The Spider at New Hope displayed a sign stating that a previous owner had privately imported this left-hand-drive one from Switzerland.

Since fellow AROC NJ chapter member Paul and I were judging all the Spiders, this one was also our responsibility. The Spiders were in three rows. We finished row one, and turned our attention to row two, starting with this car. The car’s owners, Dave and Linda, were there to greet us, and before we could point out that the car’s hood needed to be open for judging, they let us know of a little, tiny, insignificant issue … they were not able to get the hood open, and had been trying for several minutes, to the point where Dave said his fingers were starting to burn from handling the car’s very hot hood.

We chatted a bit about this conundrum, with Linda informing us that they had only owned this car for a few months and were still learning its peculiarities. Paul and I presented our options to Linda and Dave: we could either not judge their car at all, or we could judge it without assessing the engine compartment, which would lower their point total considerably. Eventually, they wandered away to let us judges do our thing. I actually sent them over to look at my ’67 across the way from their car, at which point Paul and I went to work.

Paul fishes for the secondary release while Richard keeps tension on the release cable. Photo courtesy of Bob Cooley.

I opened the driver’s door and found the hood release, centered under the steering column, while Paul remained at the front of the car. Paul suggested that he completely close the hood again (it was on its first release point), and I agreed. With the hood closed, I pulled the release lever to verify that the hood was popping up. While I continued to pull on the cable, Paul ran his hand along the underside of the hood. Finally, he found the secondary release, on the passenger side, not far from the right headlight. We had the hood open! Once Linda and Dave saw that, they came running back to thank us. Paul joked that our “Sunday repair rates” were quite high, and after a few chuckles, they were sincerely appreciative. Paul and I then finished the judging, including the engine compartment. While their car did not place, we deemed it a very nice car nevertheless.

Linda and Dave admire their first -ever glance at their Spider’s engine 😉

Linda, Dave, Richard, and Paul congratulate each other on a job well done. Photo courtesy of Bob Millinghausen.

Their Spider, in a very attractive dark grey over tan leather, features a five-speed manual transmission. The instrumentation is thorough, and the well-bolstered seats appear to provide plenty of legroom. The soft top, when retracted, is hidden under a body panel, making for a sleek look when topless. I found the overall package quite attractive, and it’s a shame that Alfa Romeo was out of the U.S. market during this car’s production run, as I think it would have sold well here. Linda and Dave are members of the Delaware Valley chapter of AROC, and I hope to run into them and their delightful 916 Spider again!

Alfa Romeo Dominates the 2026 New Hope Auto Show

August 10, 2026August 10, 2026 RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Car shows, Events, Uncategorized New Hope Auto Show

The New Hope Auto Show, which began in 1957, lays claim to being the second oldest collector car show in the country, after Pebble Beach, CA. Given its modest location, in a high school parking lot in the quaint and charming town of New Hope, it has much to live up to. One aspect of the show that the organizers brag about is its judging system. First, vehicles gain entry to the event (Saturday for domestic product, and Sunday for imports) only by application. Cars are then placed in classes based on make and model. Volunteer judges attend a judging meeting to review the rules: all cars are evaluated based on a 100-point scale, divided among exterior, interior, engine compartment, and chassis. Judges are looking at originality and condition, and they must decide on a first, second, and third place winner. Ties are not allowed. The judges are experienced men and women who have judged for the AACA and/or have judged at New Hope for years. The New Hope show organizers expect that the winning cars will be representative of the hobby’s finest.

This year’s show was held on August 8 and 9. My ’67 Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr. was in attendance for the sixth time. There was an excellent turnout from both the Delaware Valley and New Jersey Chapters of the Alfa Romeo Owner’s Club (AROC), and it was announced during the morning’s judges’ meeting that Alfa Romeo, with twenty-eight registered cars, was the largest class on the show field! The challenge for our chief judge, NJ Chapter President Enrico Ciabattoni, was completing the task in a timely fashion. He again had a team of four for judging, including your author, fellow NJ Chapter member Paul Mitchell, and DelVal Chapter member John Palumbo. As we have done in the past, we divided the field in two: open cars and closed cars. There were eighteen convertibles and ten coupes and sedans. Paul and I tackled the convertibles (Spiders in Alfa-speak), while Enrico and John took on the closed cars. (I should note that even though Paul, John, and I had cars on the show field, we voluntarily labeled our cars “do not judge” to avoid any appearance of impropriety.)

Just a portion of the Alfa Romeo show field

The judging went smoothly for us, and we were slowed down a little only by judging rules that require owners to be present and that require tops to be raised for inspection. In reality, Paul and I had fewer than eighteen cars, because at least four owners had marked their cars “do not judge.” After filling out our evaluation sheets, we sat down to tally the totals, and we were happy to see that we had no ties. (During the judges’ meeting, it was mentioned that during Saturday’s show, a tie score in one class was decided solely based on the cleanliness of the driver’s floor mat.)

First place, open cars: 1963 Giulia Spider, owned by Bill Beccone

Second place, open cars: 1991 Spider, owned by Bob Cooley

Third place, open cars: 1987 Spider Quadrifoglio, owned by Jeff Brown

Among the open cars, the 1963 Giulia Spider, looking like it had recently emerged from a restoration shop, was our clear first place winner. Second place went to a nicely preserved ’91 Spider, and third place to an almost-as-nice ’87 Spider. Among the tin tops, first place went to a beautiful black 1991 164 sedan, second place to a lovely blue ’72 Giulia Junior, and third place to a brilliant black 1989 Milano sedan. Interestingly, among the six winners, three were from the NJ Chapter and three from the DelVal Chapter.

First place, closed cars: 1991 164 sedan, owned by Bill DiPrima

Second place, closed cars: 1972 GT Junior, owned by Quinn deMenna

Third place, closed cars: 1989 Milano Verde sedan, owned by Maurice Arcangeli

I’ll say it again: Alfa Romeo owners are among the friendliest, most down-to-earth hobby people I know. The entire day was spent hanging with old friends and making new ones. Even though participants were competing with each other, there was no animosity displayed. The variety of cars was impressive, helped by the fact that for Alfa Romeo, unlike most other classes, all years are accepted up to 2026. We had a nice selection of Euro-spec cars, including my Junior, Quinn deMenna’s Junior, and a 916-series Spider. Overall, every car was in nice condition. I saw no corrosion on any car during my chassis inspections, which speaks to the care that these cars get. The entire day felt like a party, which is how it should be. Being part of this club is supposed to be fun, and it was!

ALFA ROMEO OPEN CARS

Classic Spiders (1966-1994)

916-Series Spider

CLOSED CARS

Classic Giulia coupes

Alfetta/GTV-6 Coupe

Modern Giulia sedans

The three NJ winners: Bill DiPrima, Bob Cooley, and Jeff Brown

A Mid-Week Breakfast “Sandwich”

August 4, 2026 RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Drives, Events

My good friend Mike and I know each other from working together at Onyx, the company that operated the CARiD website. We each had our ups and downs at work, but that is water under the bridge. We have remained friends since first meeting in 2011, and as part of that friendship, we meet once a month for breakfast, almost without exception. Our go-to place for a number of years now has been Orlando’s on Route 31 in Hopewell, NJ. I can’t recommend it enough.

We had breakfast there today. Last night, during a quick phone call, we agreed to drive our classics to the restaurant, me in my Alfa, and Mike in his ’66 Corvette roadster. Unusually for a weekday morning, Orlando’s parking lot was filled almost to capacity, and we had to park our rides way off to one side, sandwiching them close together because there was little room to put them anywhere else.

Breakfast was incredible as always: we each had two eggs, home fries, whole wheat toast, and unlimited coffee, and the check with tax but before the tip came to $12. That’s not each, that’s for both of us. Like I said, I can’t recommend it enough. Another great thing about Orlando’s: they never rush us out. Even after our plates are cleared away, our waitress lets us sit there all morning, continuing to refresh our cups.

Finally, it was time to leave, and as we approached our cars, we were struck by how great they looked aside each other, so similar yet so different. Mike’s is a ’66 with a V8, 4-speed, and a drop-top, which he fully restored himself. Mine is one year newer, with a four-banger, 5-speed, and a rear seat. Both are carbureted and are equipped with four-wheel disc brakes. But each car in its own way spoke to the true sports car enthusiast of that decade.

We both were happy to give our cars some exercise. It was a great day all around.

I was on my way to the Post Office…

July 30, 2026 RichardReina Cars on the street C1 Corvette

… in the sleepy little town of Three Bridges, NJ, just a few miles from my house, when this popped into my peripheral vision. While it’s impossible to be certain, the overall impression is that, A, the car has been sitting there for a while, and, B, the wind has loosened the tarp which heretofore had been completely covering the car. The hidden fossils are still out there waiting to be discovered!

I’m no Corvette C1 expert, but the quad lights make it no older than a ’58, and the red-painted cove makes it no newer than a ’61. Any Corvette experts out there care to chime in?

The Alfa Gets Four New Koni Shock Absorbers

July 28, 2026 RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Events, Repair sessions Crutchfield, Koni shocks

When I rebuilt the front suspension of my Alfa Romeo over the winter of 2014-2015, the rebuild included replacement of the front shocks. The removed shocks appeared original to the car, which would have made them forty-eight years old! I also went “cheap,” purchasing a lower-priced pair from Classic Alfa, my usual supplier, instead of brand-name ones like Koni or Bilstein.

Jump to the spring of 2026, and not only are the replaced front shocks eleven years old, I haven’t touched the rear shocks. I decided it was time to replace all four with the ones most recommended on the Alfa Romeo bulletin board (the AlfaBB), which were the Koni “red” shocks. (The “yellow” shocks are stiffer, and the online consensus was that they were more appropriate for those who track or race their cars, which I don’t.)

I ordered the shocks and as is typical for Classic Alfa, they arrived in a matter of days. (Their shipping costs from the UK have always been reasonable, but now I’m also paying tariffs and “administrative fees” to DHL.) The front shock replacement was easy, as it’s a straightforward removal of nuts and washers at both top and bottom. The Alfa front suspension is upper and lower control arms, so there is no need to compress the springs.

It’s similar in the rear, except access is a little trickier. According to my service books, replacement of the rear shocks is made easier if the rear seat is removed. The implication in that statement is that it’s not required to do so. I saw that the issue is that the shocks’ top mounts are so far forward in the trunk that they are almost impossible to reach from outside the trunk. So, with some trepidation, I removed the rear seat bottom and backrest, concerned that it might be difficult, or that I might find deteriorated material. My concerns were for naught: not only did the seat cushions come out rather easily, but I was pleasantly surprised to take note of the fine condition of the undersides of the cushions.

For the seat bottom, it was simply lift and remove.

For the seat back, there were bolts hidden under the upholstery at the bottom, and clips at top.

The undersides of both seats showed no signs of deterioration at all.

With the seat out, I still couldn’t see the shock mounts, so I removed the package shelf, which took a little more effort. Pete, the previous owner, had installed an aftermarket 6×9 speaker in the shelf, and that needed to be removed first. As soon as I touched the speaker’s paper cone, it disintegrated, so a new speaker was ordered from Crutchfield. But removing the shelf turned out to be unnecessary. It was the trunk’s rubber matting, which covers both the trunk floor and the forward wall, that was blocking my access. Once I folded the mat out of the way, the shock mounts were exposed, and it was revealed to me that I could have done the job with the parcel shelf in place. Oh well, this just gave me an excuse to install a new speaker.

Here you can see the trunk mat up against the forward wall. Note how light the paint coverage is.

This Jensen speaker was probably from the early 1970s.

The shock’s top nut has been removed, but the black cap, held in place by three small bolts, also needed to be removed to extract the shock.

The rear shocks were 59 years old, and I was shocked that they had any resistance at all. The new Koni shocks went in without a hitch. Koni’s shocks are adjustable, and the installation instructions state that they leave the factory set to the softest setting. The consensus on the Alfa Bulletin Board is that most Giulia owners prefer to leave them at that setting, which is what I did. With all four Konis in place, I took the car for a drive. Ride comfort, which was always good, did not change at all. Road handling felt just slightly more “buttoned down,” meaning, the car’s steering responses and road grip were ever so slightly improved. Mainly, I was happy that the ride did not become harsh. The Koni red shocks were reasonably priced, easy to install, and provided a small but noticeable improvement in overall drivability. I would recommend them to anyone looking for shocks for their classic sports car.

This closeup shows some markings: “POST” is short for “POSTERIOR,” meaning “rear”. “ALTO” is “top”.

Side by side are the old front shock and the new Koni red shock.

NJ Alfa Romeo Club Sunday Breakfast, July 19, 2026

July 19, 2026 RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Drives, Events NJ-AROC

After wet and windy weather walloped the metro NY/NJ area on Saturday July 18, Sunday morning the 19th dawned with the promise of a drier day, making it ideal for members of the NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club to enjoy their monthly breakfast meet. This month’s host was again the Americana Diner in Shrewsbury, NJ, and a dozen of us made the trek.

The diner’s parking lot was enlivened by our cars

While the number of Alfas in the parking lot was small, the selection of models was spectacular: two 4C convertibles, two Duettos, and one Giulia coupe. The lineup was impressive enough to draw the attention of other diner guests, who looked on with envy at our beautiful Italian performance machines.

As always, the food, coffee, and service at the Americana were exemplary. We pressed our waiter into also acting as our group photographer, and the poor young lad took so much time with my SLR camera that the boss came up behind him, causing me to worry that he would be scolded (or worse)! But common sense prevailed, the requisite photo was captured, and the young man kept his job.

As is our style, departure from the building did not equate to departure from the parking lot. The group managed to dally for at least another thirty minutes (there’s always something automotive-related to discuss among us). I hit the road at 11:30, leaving at least a half-dozen of my fellow Alfisti to continue to squander their Sunday. My trip home took an hour, and I’m happy to report that not only is the car running very well, but during today’s drive, the odometer reached 70,000 miles. In March of 2013, when I took possession of the car, there were 54,000 miles on the clock, so 16,000 miles in thirteen years counts for a goodly amount of driving! Every mile has been a blast.