In Memory of Al Lanza

May 31, 2026 RichardReina Uncategorized

Last week, I drove to Ottawa, Canada, with a college buddy of mine to see a jazz band we like. During the ride, we reminisced about our fifty-two-year friendship. That’s a long time, but I have high school friends I’ve known longer. I’m in regular touch with at least a half-dozen of my high-school classmates, some of whom I’ve known for fifty-eight years. Many other friends I met during my years with Volvo, where I started working forty years ago. I have been blessed to have such long-term friends.

I’ve also been privileged to have made new friends later in life. My friend Pete, from whom I bought my Alfa, didn’t enter my life until 2001 (still a while ago, I realize). Belonging to several car clubs as I do, I keep meeting new people, and given our common interests, a bond can quickly form.

The New Jersey Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owner’s Club (NJ-AROC) is full of some of the friendliest, most down-to-earth people that I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. I joined the club soon after buying my Alfa in 2013, and every breakfast meet, tour, and cruise night has been delightful. I heard a saying many years ago about automotive events: “You show up for the cars; you stay for the people.” It sounds hackneyed, but I have repeatedly experienced it. Without the owners and the enthusiasts, it’s just a bunch of automobiles. The people make the experience.

Our little Alfa club has seen a steady influx of new members, partly because Alfa Romeo is currently selling new models in our market again. Some folks have purchased new (or slightly used) Giulias, Stelvios, Tonales, and 4Cs, they catch wind of our club, and they join. One such person was Al Lanza, who bought a used Giulia sedan and signed up with AROC. Looking at my photos of previous events, it looks like Al came into our ranks early in 2025, and he immediately fit right in. He had both a Giulia and a Stelvio, and typical Alfista that he was, he showed more interest in talking about others’ cars than he did in talking about his own. When we first met, Al and I hit it off, and we often spoke about upcoming events that appealed to us.

Al Lanza with his Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan

The Carlisle, PA, Import Show was just two weeks ago, and Al drove out to join us. The NJ Chapter had six members in attendance, including spouses, and we all stayed in the same hotel, had breakfast and dinner together, and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company. I commemorated the trip with a group photo along with individual shots of the guys with their cars. Just before Al and I parted company for the weekend, we spoke about our mutual interest in an upcoming tour hosted by the Delaware Valley Chapter. I was looking forward to seeing him there.

Earlier this week, I got an email that stopped me cold. It said that Al had passed away. I had to read it several times because I didn’t believe it the first time I read it. I had just seen him. He was happy. One of his sons and several of his grandsons had visited him on the showfield at Carlisle. When the news finally sunk in, I was so saddened to lose a friend. Here was someone that I had known for a little more than a year, and now he was gone. Al had become widowed several years ago. He leaves behind four children and several grandchildren.

I keep learning life lessons, and one of them is, it doesn’t matter how recently someone becomes a friend; when they pass on, the sadness and emptiness are the same. Al, it was great to know you. I’m honored to be able to say that we were friends.

The Reason My Alfa Romeo Was Not At Import Carlisle

Now it can be told. I was supposed to be at last week’s Carlisle Import car show with my car. I had planned for this, and had looked forward to it for months. I had driven the car numerous times this season without issue. But it didn’t happen, and here is why.

Friday morning the 15^th of May, at 7 a.m., I ventured into the garage, got into the car, pulled out the choke and hand throttle as always when making a cold start, and the car immediately fired up. I inched it out of the garage and sat in the car for a few moments while the engine slowly warmed, playing with the hand throttle to find just the right idle. (My dual Weber-carburetor-equipped 1.3L engine has always had a slightly fluctuating idle. The late, great Alfa guru, Pat Braden, has written several technical books which I own. He always preached: “If the car runs fine, don’t mess with the carbs!” So I haven’t. My car runs very fine, it runs excellently in fact, so I’ve tolerated an idle that can vary between 800 and 1200 RPM.)

I prefer to see the water temp gauge move at least partway toward its middle mark before driving the car, so, with the engine idling a little higher than 1200, I applied the parking brake and went inside to check on my wife, who was still enjoying her first cup of tea for the day. I was in the house for about 15 minutes and decided to head back out. As I got near the car, I realized that the engine was not running; the car had stalled, and the ignition remained on. I tried not to panic, but knowing that it’s not the best thing to leave the ignition on when the engine is not running, I quickly jumped into the car, turned the key off, and tried to start it again. With a healthy battery providing plenty of cranking power, the engine turned over without an issue, but made no attempt to fire. Now it was time to panic.

I didn’t know what to check first. I grabbed a spare coil I had and without removing the installed coil, switched over all the wires. No difference. I removed the distributor (a one-minute job) and hastily replaced the points and condenser with a new set. No difference. My wife sat in the car and cranked while I held the number one spark plug wire close to the valve cover, checking for spark. Nothing. After 45 minutes of this, we pushed the Alfa back into the garage, climbed into the Volvo XC40, and drove to the diner where I was scheduled to meet with two other club members so that we could caravan to the show. To say that I was bummed is an understatement.

Thankfully, the camaraderie of my fellow AROC NJ members cheered me up. I enjoyed Friday’s show, and we headed to our hotel to check in and relax before dinner. But I couldn’t relax. I spent an hour on my phone researching automotive 12V ignition systems. Was it the coil? The points? The condenser? Any of these could have overheated with the ignition on. But I had tried replacement parts for all three, without success. Perhaps in my haste I did something incorrectly.

Saturday’s show was even better than Friday’s, and as I headed home, I felt confident that under less stressful conditions, I could figure this out. I was too bushed on Saturday to tackle anything, but on the following afternoon, I took my sweet time as I installed a known good used coil, and pulled the distributor once again. Talk about a rush job! The point gap from Friday’s “repair” was about four times as large as spec. I doubt that the two halves of the points were even touching! I fixed that, and for good measure, threw in a new set of plugs, which the car was due for anyway.

After about two hours of work, it was time to try again. Somewhat nervously, I climbed in, inserted the key, pumped the gas, turned the switch to “crank”… and the engine started right up. WHEW!

So what was it? I don’t exactly know, and that doesn’t worry me, as long as it’s fixed. Something overheated, and it’s a good guess that it was one of the three items I replaced. Lesson learned: don’t walk away from my Alfa at idle for more than a few moments.

TESTING AN IGNITION COIL

As a healthy side-effect of last week’s failure, I investigated how to test an ignition coil, something I’ve never done. During my entire automotive career, I have never seen a coil fail, although colleagues have told me that they have. An internet search quickly taught me that a DMM (digital multimeter) can test for resistance, both at the primary and secondary windings.

This is a brand new Bosch “blue” coil, a very popular installation for classic European cars. I bought mine from my usual supplier, Classic Alfa in the UK, for $72.

The top of the coil has three places for connections to be made. On the left and right are the primary wiring connectors, for 12 volts of power. The plus symbol on the right indicates the positive connection (also marked “15”), and the minus symbol on the left indicates the negative connection (also marked “1”). In the center, marked “4”, is the secondary wiring which will feed high voltage (20,000 to 30,000 volts) to the distributor and spark plugs.

This is my DMM, which can test for AC voltage, DC voltage, amps, resistance, continuity, and dwell. I want to test for ohms, or resistance, so I will be using the scale on the right. I’ve drawn a bright green circle around the infinity symbol, indicating resistance. My first check will be in a very low range, so I will be using the ‘200’ range, which has red circle around it. The two probes are connected to the DMM and are indicated by the blue arrows. The red probe, for positive, is connected where the infinity symbol is. The black probe, for negative, is connected at “COM”, for “common”.

To test the primary windings, the positive and negative probes are connected to the positive and negative connections on the coil. In this case, either probe can go to either connection. With the DMM’s scale set to 2oo, our result is 2.9 ohms. Spec for this coil, depending on which website I read, is between 3.0 and 3.4 ohms, so I’m not concerned about this reading, as my machine may be slightly inaccurate. An important point: this result indicates that there is an internal ballast resistor in the coil, so an external ballast resistor is not needed! A reading closer to 1.0 to 1.5 ohms would indicate lack of an internal resistor, requiring installation of an external one.

When testing the secondary windings, I am expecting a result closer to 7,000 to 8,000 ohms, so I have changed the scale to “20k’, indicating 20,000. One DMM probe is moved to the center, secondary, coil connection. The screen shows 6.41, which is read as 6,410 ohms. Again, this is a little lower than what I’ve found on the internet, and this could be attributed to my DMM.

Even if I never have the need to test a coil again, this was a useful exercise, and helped remind me to focus on the basics first when performing automotive repairs.

Carlisle Import & Performance Nationals, May, 2026

May 18, 2026 RichardReina Car shows, Events Alfa Romeo Owners Club, Carlisle Import and Performance Show

Carlisle Events held its annual Import & Performance Nationals show this year on Friday and Saturday, May 15 and 16. The weather cooperated, with Friday starting out quite cool (45 degrees F) and breezy, but warming up by mid-afternoon. Saturday was as perfect a spring weather day as we could have hoped for.

Although not as large a show as Spring or Fall Carlisle, much of the Fairgrounds was taken over with cars, a flea market, and a car corral. A Facebook post claimed that over 2,200 vehicles were in attendance, a record for this event. As I have observed from previous visits to this show, it’s the car clubs which help drive much of the participation, as you will see below when we cover some of the specific makes.

A small contingent of members of the NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) caravanned to Carlisle, departing early Friday morning and spending one overnight locally so that we could enjoy both days. This worked well for us, as Friday’s turnout was light, but Saturday brought out the crowds. I saw cars continue to stream into the Fairgrounds well past noon.

I last attended this Import show in 2008, when I trailered my Isetta there. (I was also there in 1990.) It has certainly grown in the ensuing years. My seat-of-the-pants guess is that the brand with the largest turnout of cars was Volvo. Other brands with large showings included BMW, Saab, and happily, Alfa Romeo. One of the biggest surprises was the number of Opel GTs there. Asian brands taken as a whole were well-represented, including Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, Honda, Acura, and Hyundai. My biggest disappointment was the poor showing from British marques: a scattering of MGs and Triumphs, a handful of Rolls Royces, one Morgan, and one Jaguar E-Type! Maybe there was a competing British car show nearby.

Another overall observation was the age of the cars. Many of the vehicles were newer and/or modified. There is nothing wrong with that; in fact, it was obvious that owners of newer cars are joining their makes’ clubs and participating in events, which is great for the hobby. Personally, I prefer seeing the older machines.

The photos below are segmented by make, with further commentary included.

VOLVO

There were a lot of Volvos, and a wide variety of models and generations as well. I saw a few each of 544s, 122s, 140s, and 240s. Many of the half-dozen or so P1800/1800E sports cars were modified. The numbers grew once we entered the decade of the ‘90s and beyond, with 850s, 900s, S/V/C 70s, and the P2 cars (S60, S80, V70, XC70). Even the newest generation of Volvos happily joined their older relatives. These Volvo owners are a loyal bunch, much of it driven by membership in the Volvo Club of America (VCOA).

BMW

The oldest BMWs that I saw were the 2002 models (sadly, no Isettas). The majority of the Bavarian Motor Works models were perhaps no more that ten years old. The BMW Car Club of America (BMWCCA) is very active and likely had a hand in bringing these German cars out.

ASIAN

There was no one outstanding Asian make at the show, although the Datsun 240Z stood out for its iconic styling and its place in history as a hugely successfully model for Nissan. I was surprised, but perhaps should not have been, to see quite a few Hyundai vehicles at the show.

OPEL GT

This model launched when I was a teen, just before obtaining my driver’s license, and with its “baby Corvette” looks and attractive sticker price, I thought it might be my first car (but alas, that did not happen). Fast forward to 2026, and I was shocked to see what looked like two dozen of these lined up at Carlisle. Frankly, I would have guessed that there weren’t two dozen Opel GTs still running in the entire country! Yet here they were, and it looked like they were drawing more than their fair share of crowds all weekend. Several nice Manta coupes were there as well.

MERCEDES-BENZ

While there were not a lot of Benzes here, the few that were on display were interesting examples of the marque.

Unique color on this Mercedes Benz 230SL (Hi Mike and Barry!)

BRITISH

I don’t know if this was an aberration, or if the owners don’t think that the Carlisle Import show is for them, but the turnout was light indeed.

FRENCH

It’s always a special treat to see these quirky French cars, whose owners are as passionate as anyone else.

ALFA ROMEO

My primary reason for attending was the promise that the total number of Alfa Romeos on display would top last year’s figure of fifty, and indeed, that occurred, as it was announced that over sixty Alfas were on the field. From viewing videos of previous shows, I was prepared for the reality that, similar to some other makes, the “modern” Alfas (Giulia, Stelvio, Tonale, and 4C) would dominate, and they did. Still, we had a good turnout of classic Spiders, and some other infrequently seen models. As has become tradition, the local dealer, Faulkner Alfa Romeo, hosted a free lunch on Saturday for all Alfisti.

The caravan from the hotel to the fairgrounds

Alfa Romeo 155, a model not sold in the U.S.

OTHER ITALIAN

Fiats dominated here, which was no surprise. There were a few Lancias, a deTomaso, but no Ferraris, Maseratis, or Lamborghinis.

NJ Alfa Romeo Club Breakfast Meet, May 9, 2026

May 11, 2026 RichardReina Uncategorized

Fourteen hungry members of the New Jersey Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) converged for our usual monthly breakfast on Saturday, May 9, 2026, but this time, our selected diner was new to us: the High Point Diner on Route 18 in East Brunswick was the lucky recipient of our company. Despite the potential precipitation, six of Milano’s finest made the trek. In addition to my trusty ’67 GT 1300 Junior were a 164 sedan and four modern Giulia sedans, two of them the highfalutin Quadrifoglio model.

The wait staff were expecting us, and set us up at a large table in the rear of the diner. We had loads of room, but the live acoustics made it necessary to raise our voices to be heard. The food and coffee were excellent, and as always, we found plenty of topics to chat about, mostly automotive related.

Under increasingly threatening skies, I beat it out of there at 11 a.m. pronto, and despite an hour’s ride home, arrived with nothing more than light sprinkles decorating my windshield. The car has been running very well, and good thing, because we are departing this Friday for an overnight trip to Carlisle, PA for the annual import show. Over fifty Alfa Romeos are preregistered, so it should be an exciting event. Stay tuned and you’ll be able to read all about it next week!

Giulia Quad #2 (note the different wheels)

Four red, white, and blue Giulias, almost in a row

The 2026 NJ Region AACA Spring Meet

May 4, 2026 RichardReina Car shows, Events, Uncategorized Annual Spring Meet, NJ Region AACA

The New Jersey Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America (NJ-AACA), which is celebrating its 75^th anniversary this year, has held its annual car show on the first Sunday in May for almost as long. The show’s location for an incredible fifty-three-year stretch was at the Automatic Switch Company in Florham Park, but when that business was shut down about ten years ago, other venues were sought. The club has had some difficulty finding a new “permanent” home for the show, but this year, we were able to use the grounds of a Vo-Tech school in Denville. Most everyone agreed that this location was possibly the best of the half-dozen we’ve tried since losing Automatic Switch. Let’s hope it sticks.

Another variable, and one completely out of our control, has been the weather. The annual Spring Meet has always been a rain-or-shine affair, but two of the last three years have been virtual washouts. This year, we had the desired sunshine, but it was accompanied by temperatures in the 40s and 50s, with wind gusts up to 30 MPH. Most of us were dressed for the occasion, and the show went on. I’m happy to report that I would estimate that we had close to 100 vehicles in the show, a very healthy number. (Also know that there were at least three other car shows being held at the same time within a thirty-minute ride from our show, so car owners had choices.)

The show’s variety was impressive. For those who think that the collection of, and interest in, pre-war cars is dead should attend an AACA show. There were many four-door sedans, a body style often considered “uncollectible,” and the sports car crowd would not have been disappointed in the number of domestic and import vehicles in that class. Unlike a National AACA show, the NJ Region opens its shows to both “Modern Classics,” cars 2002 and newer, and modified cars. This is done in order to encourage enthusiasts who would otherwise be shut out by AACA’s requirement that show cars be twenty-five years of age or older, and in stock condition.

I was on the judging team, paired up with another AACA member and assigned to judge the sports car class, which we enjoyed immensely. The MGA coupe took 1^st place in that category, with 2^nd place going to the Saab Sonnet. The awards ceremony started promptly at 2 p.m. and was finished in twenty minutes. With that, the 2026 edition of the NJ Region’s Spring Meet was a wrap.

PRE-WAR AND IMMEDIATE POST-WAR

FOUR-DOOR SEDANS

FULL SIZE CARS OF THE ’50s, ’60s, & ’70s

MUSTANGS

OTHER PONY CARS

SPORTS CARS

MODIFIED CARS

This year, in honor of the Region’s 75th anniversary, the show included an award for the “best 75-year-old car,” meaning, from the year 1951. But there was only one vehicle from that year at the show, and it was this heavily-modified Ford truck. So it got the award.

The newest AACA-eligible car was this 2001 Mercedes-Benz CLK convertible, owned by my friend Bob. He won an award in this class.

Just some of the AACA members who worked the show from start to finish

The Carlisle Auction, April 2026

April 26, 2026 RichardReina Auctions, Events Carlisle Auctions

Carlisle Productions held its 2026 Spring Auction across two days, Thursday April 23 and Friday April 24, at their Expo Center in Carlisle, PA. As always, the auction was conducted in parallel with Spring Carlisle at the Fairgrounds across the street. I long ago stopped wandering the Fairground aisles, but I drove out a day early in order to preview the auction cars, and I personally observed 270 cars cross the block.

Volunteer drivers await their assignment

Any auction is a hit-or-miss affair, and this year, there were fewer cars that garnered my interest compared to the past several years. As has happened at previous Carlisle Auctions, some cars did not show up until the day they were scheduled to run, which limited the time for prospective bidders to perform their due diligence. Speaking of, this year Carlisle saw it necessary to hand out “due diligence” sheets as well as hang signs with the same message. The bottom line: the complete burden for verifying the condition of any car lies with the bidder and not the auction house. They’re not wrong, but this year they went further to ensure that you got the message.

I’ve previously written about the improvements these fine folks have implemented to improve the overall experience for consignors, bidders, and spectators. (My blog posts covering Carlisle Auctions goes back eleven years, to 2015.) However, stuff still happens. Friday especially was fraught with mishaps, miscues, and some general mayhem that made the show feel like Amateur Hour. At least four if not five times, a car arrived on the block with a Lot Number that did not match the run sheet nor the info on the large screens. It does happen that a consignor substitutes a different car than the one he registered; however, in these cases, the auctioneer and others on the block were caught completely unaware of the substitution. One time the auctioneer intoned, “the reserve has been met!” only to quickly retract his claim after being corrected by the owner. Another time, the auctioneer declared the lot “sold, for $6,000!” only to realize that he had accepted $6,000 bids from two different bidders, necessitating a rewind. Silly things like these usually don’t happen at Mecum, much less RM/Sotheby’s.

As I mentioned, I recorded the results for 270 cars, 170 of which sold, and 100 which did not meet reserve. This resulted in a 63% sell-through rate, decent, but not great, and about average for Carlisle. Their after-sale desk looked busy for the entire two days I was there. As of this writing, Carlisle’s website is showing about 150 vehicles still for sale (and helpfully, the high bid is shown as well, giving you a starting point for negotiations).

The sold lots listed below are the cars which I found interesting. As always on Richard’s Car Blog, they are listed in “hammer price” order, so that you can gauge the relative value of these cars compared to one another.

Lot 472, 2001 Jaguar XK8 convertible, 88,694 miles, V8, automatic, brown paint, tan top and interior, factory alloy wheels.

SOLD for $2,250. I see many first generation XK8 convertibles at auction. From recent memory, most of them have around this mileage, and most of them sell in the $7,500 to $9,500 range. Why was this car so cheap? It looked terrible. The cloth convertible top was worn through in various spots, the interior was filthy, and the driver’s seat leather was shot, none of which gave any confidence in the car’s overall condition.

Lot 103, 1996 Volvo 850 sedan, five-speed manual, 184,234 miles, blue/green paint, brown velour interior.

SOLD for $3,250. Car showed poorly, looked like it had been used and abused. At this price, choices are to just drive it until something breaks, or part it out.

Lot 118, 1980 Toyota Celica coupe, five-digit odometer shows 63,310, brown metallic with beige cloth interior. Four cylinder, five-speed manual, factory A/C converted to R134a. Alloy wheels, blackwall tires.

SOLD for $7,250. This car looked completely unrestored, and was in amazing condition for a survivor. Paint and interior looked original, interior wear was commensurate with shown miles. Tires were 13 years old, and some interior plastics no longer fit well, but those were the only issues I spotted. I had a long talk with the owner, an elderly man who had recently acquired the car from a neighbor. He claimed that he had driven it two hours from his home with no issues. Despite all this, Carlisle is not an auction that draws much interest in imports. I expected a hammer price closer to $6,000, so seller did well.

Lot 249, 1960 Ford Taunus two-door station-wagon, two-tone coral and white paint, color scheme carried over to interior. Four cylinder engine, three-speed manual. Dog dish hubcaps on black wheels with whitewall tires.

SOLD for $7,500. Ironic, just weeks after posting an article about my father’s Taunus postcards, I see one in the metal for the first time in my life. This German-built Ford was sold in the U.S. in very limited numbers. There are no price comps, so this under-ten grand result seems reasonable for a car which appeared to be surprisingly complete and unmolested.

Lot 491, 1981 Alfa Romeo Spider, 95,416 miles, cream paint, black top, beige interior. Four-cylinder, five-speed manual, factory alloys, aftermarket wood steering wheel.

SOLD for $8,000. It’s around this mileage that I see many Spiders go up for sale. Various loose and broken interior bits didn’t give me confidence in the car, and frankly, I expected it to sell for less. Eight grand should buy you a nicer Spider.

Lot 187.1, 1928 Chrysler Series 62 two-door convertible, light beige body, brown fenders, tan top, brown interior, rumble seat. Wood spoke wheels with whitewall tires. Inline six, three-speed manual.

SOLD for $12,500. I believe that this was the oldest car to sell at this auction. I know very little about pre-war Chryslers except that, as a convertible with a six-cylinder engine (instead of a four) and a rumble seat, $25,000 would not have been a surprise. Then again, how limited is the audience for pre-war cars like this?

Lot 402, 1967 Plymouth Sport Fury two-door hardtop, bronze paint, matching interior with bucket seats and center console, alloy wheels, raised white letter tires, 383 V8, automatic.

SOLD for $13,000. This car rolled over the block relatively early on Friday morning, and I spotted it for the first time about thirty minutes prior, so this was another case of a car showing up almost literally at the last minute, leaving no time for an inspection. 1967 was a big year for Plymouth as this was an all-new body, and a real looker, especially in comparison to some of the ugly ducklings of just a few years prior. The Sport Fury package lived up to its name. This was a very good buy. I need a bigger garage (I’m referring to the length, as this thing would not fit).

Lot 503, 1979 VW Beetle convertible, white paint and top, taupe interior. I did not record mileage, but Carlisle’s website states 45,000. Factory alloys.

SOLD for $13,000. This was the final year for the famed Beetle drop-top. Sold for almost identical money compared to ’76 Beetle convertible below, so “last year of production” did not bring a price premium.

Lot 439, 1976 VW Beetle convertible, four-speed manual, 59,827 miles, white paint, top, and interior, aftermarket wheels.

SOLD for $13,750. Car appeared to be in well-maintained original condition. Lots of top-down fun, just don’t be in a hurry to get anywhere.

Lot 096, 1984 Porsche 928S, 168,987 miles, white with dark red interior. V8, five-speed manual. Factory alloy wheels.

SOLD for $17,000. This was the very first automotive lot of the auction, and it was a charity sale with proceeds going to a local firehouse. Car appeared OK, but, not sure if odometer still worked as trip odo was stuck at 000.0 (common 928 problem). These cars are robust enough that they can reach this mileage, but staying on top of maintenance is a necessity. Manual is a plus, as most U.S. 928s were automatics.

Lot 484, 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix, five-digit odometer shows 18,352. Bright blue metallic paint, white vinyl top, white interior with buckets, center console, floor shift. Factory alloys with whitewall tires.

SOLD for $21,500. This was the first year of the downsized “personal luxury” Grand Prix with the six-foot-long hood. This car was in decent shape, and price seemed fair for the condition.

Lot 421, 1962 Dodge Polara convertible, five-digit odometer shows 00396. Cream paint, white top, two-tone white and violet interior with power windows. 361 V8, push button automatic.

SOLD for $23,000. When I was a kid, I thought that the ’62 Dodges were ugly, and in the ensuing decades, that opinion has not changed much. However, this car’s outstanding condition made up somewhat for its unfortunate styling. Rare, and worth it for the diehard Mopar fan.

Lot 495, 1963 Mercury Marauder two-door hardtop, 390 V8, automatic, white with black vinyl top and black interior, factory wheel covers, whitewall tires. Five-digit odometer showed 70,349 miles.

SOLD for $23,500. I thought this was one of the nicest cars at the auction. May have been restored, or may have been a well-preserved original. Rare full-size performance car, sure to be a hit at any car show.

PARTING THOUGHTS

Old & new, big & small

How could they??

Original paint on a ’57 Ford

Kiddie-sized CyberTruck

NJ Alfa Romeo Club Breakfast Meet, April 19, 2026

April 20, 2026 RichardReina Events AROC NJ Chapter, B2Bistro

We can schedule the dates, but we can’t schedule the weather. The NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (NJ-AROC) has consistently arranged and held monthly breakfast meetings for the past several years. Although never a requirement, those of us who own cars from our favorite make will drive them to these diner meet-ups, giving us an excuse to hang out around the vehicles before and/or after we’ve enjoyed our meal. A major factor in deciding whether or not to take our classics is the weather.

April’s weather in NJ has been up and down, and as recently as late last week, we enjoyed several days of summer-like temperatures. On Saturday, although the air temp had cooled off, it was nice enough for me to take my ’67 Junior for a fifteen-mile maintenance run, during which the car performed flawlessly. Alas, I awoke Sunday morning to a heavily grey and overcast sky, with an early morning temperature in the low 40s, and a 90% chance of precipitation. The Alfa stayed in the garage as I departed my house for breakfast on Sunday morning.

Arriving at the B2Bistro in Bordentown, a regular joint on rotation for this crew, I quickly learned that I was not alone in my decision. The others in attendance who own older Alfas all uttered the same refrain: “I would have driven my car if the forecast had been better.” Nevertheless, the eight hardy souls who made the jaunt proceeded inside, where our waitress took our food orders and kept a pot on the table filled with our favorite hot caffeinated beverage. The tableside discussions were lively, as the topics bounced from driving skills to EVs, trips to Italy, cameras, winter car storage, and performance modifications.

Once the bill was paid, we made our way back outside to our cars to enjoy the remainder of our Sunday, and to hope for better weather ahead.

The 2026 AACA Southeastern Spring National, Charlotte, NC

April 15, 2026 RichardReina Car shows, Events AACA Southeastern Spring National, Charlotte Auto Fair

As I expressed in my previous post about my first-ever visit to Charlotte’s AutoFair, Thursday’s and Friday’s visits disappointed me. The Car Corral was a complete letdown, the Flea Market held nothing of interest, the Car Club area was sparsely populated, and not one person working at the show knew the first thing about the on-site auction.

Saturday mostly made up for all of these issues. As it is officially named, the AACA Southeastern Spring National took place as scheduled, with show cars streaming into Charlotte Motor Speedway starting at 7 a.m. But there was this inaccurate statement in the show handout: “AACA Nationals Field: The show field is inside the Speedway in the Xfinity Garage and it’s totally paved.” Am I the only one who interprets this to mean that the entire show will be in the Xfinity Garage? Because that was not the case. The garage was utilized to hold the pre-war and immediate post-war vehicles, of which there were about fifty. But the remainder (another 100-150 cars) were outside, which was fine; I just wish the show organizers had been more honest.

AACA judges give this Firebird the once over

Let’s put my quibbling aside and talk about the vehicles which were there. As expected, most cars were assigned a Class based on model year and/or make and model. There were also Driver Participation Class (DPC) and Original (formerly HPOF, Historical Preservation of Original Features) Class cars. Domestic vehicles from the 1960s and 1970s dominated, and I saw cars that are infrequently spotted in the Northeast. Examples included a Chrysler TC by Maserati, a 1960 Ford Country Squire wagon, not one but two Mustang IIs, a Willys station wagon, several Toronados, and several Eldorados. Import cars were limited to a late 1990s BMW 3-series, a Ferrari 308 GTS, and a Jaguar E-Type coupe.

The charmers were inside the garage. Two 1911 cars, an Oldsmobile and a Thomas Flyer, both had brass polished to an impossible shine. Several 1930s Cadillacs and a 1940 LaSalle looked great. And there were a number of ’40s and early ‘50s Fords, each one nicer than the next.

The day started with beautiful weather, and as it got warmer, the garage provided some respite from the heat. By 3 p.m., I had taken in all that I could, and my visit to the AutoFair was done. Saturday was an early night because I intended to drive home in one day. Departing the hotel at 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning, I arrived home eleven hours later. I allowed myself plenty of stops, and traffic wasn’t bad, but I was beat, and was glad to be home.

The 2026 Charlotte Auto Fair

April 13, 2026 RichardReina Car shows, Events Charlotte Auto Fair

Long before the Internet was a thing, I recall reading about the Charlotte Auto Fair in Hemmings Motor News. It sounded like the South’s version of Hershey, with a flea market, car corral, and car show all rolled into one. I’ve often thought about attending, so earlier this year, when my AACA magazine advertised that a National Judged Show would be part of this year’s Auto Fair, I decided to make the drive. I headed out on Wednesday morning, April 8, and overnighted in Roanoke, VA, to break up the trip. Early Thursday morning, I was back on the road, and arrived at Charlotte Motor Speedway at 10 a.m. Finding the place was easy, there was no wait to get in, and once I forked over my $10 for parking, I was inside the Speedway.

Although I’ve never been a racing fan, I’ve always understood that NASCAR is a really big deal in the south, and stepping onto the actual track at the Speedway was awe-inspiring. The place is huge. When infield seating and standing room accommodations are included, total audience capacity is 95,000. That’s big. The map I was handed as I walked in showed me that the track’s entire infield oval, plus several fields beyond the oval, were taken up by the show.

While the flea market fields were filled to capacity with vendors on Thursday, the same could not be said for the area set aside for car clubs. There were very few cars on Thursday, and just a few more on Friday. The car club area did not completely fill up until Saturday. I wandered through the car corral both Thursday and Friday, but it was less than half full both days, and many of the cars there were late model, heavily modified, or both. (The “Hershey rule” that only AACA-eligible cars are allowed in the car corral was not in force in Charlotte.) Many asking prices were astronomically beyond reasonableness.

My map showed one building marked “Auto Fair Auction,” but when I wandered over to it, there was nothing to see: no auction cars on preview, no signage, nada. I stopped at two different information booths run by AACA’s Hornet’s Nest Region, the club responsible for the entire show, and no one knew anything about an auction. Saturday morning, I gave it one more shot, and was extremely disappointed by my findings: two old project cars, plus a small smattering of garage “junk,” and that was the totality of the items for the auction. It was not advertised, it was not promoted, and it held zero interest for me, and probably for the majority of show-goers.

Saturday’s AACA judged National Show was worth it, as there were many fine cars on display. (The write-up and photos for that show will be covered in a separate blog post.) In retrospect, attending the Charlotte Auto Fair all three days was excessive. I could have seen everything I wanted to see on Saturday. But not all was lost. I got to spend time with two long-term friends, both of whom retired to North Carolina, and that made the extra days I spent there worthwhile. Would I attend the Auto Fair again? Probably not. We will file this in the “one and done” category.

FLEA MARKET

Old car parts the way we used to search for them

CAR CORRAL

1967 Volvo 122 wagon, asking $18,000. Weber carburetor, claimed original interior.

1963 Studebaker Avanti, asking $32,500. 289 V8, auto.

1963 Citroen Camionnette, two-cylinder air-cooled engine, four-speed, FWD, many new parts, needs brake work. Sign says MAKE ME AN OFFER!

1965 Buick Riviera, rebuilt nailhead engine, $9,500 OBO

1963 Pontiac Bonneville Safari, 389 tri-power, buckets/console. No asking price shown.

Sign: “1958 Studebaker Silver Hawk. All new Chevy crate engine. Mint condition. Rare. $63,000.”

CAR CLUBS

CORVAIR

MOPAR

FORD

Falcon Ranchero (wood was added by owner, not available from the factory that year

OLDSMOBILE

HOLDEN

Impressively, the Holden Club brought many cars. I didn’t know there were this many Holdens in North Carolina, much less America! There were Chevy SSs, Pontiac GTOs and G8s, and actual Holdens (or at least converted to Holdens).

AUDI

AUCTION

The 2026 New York Auto Show

April 4, 2026 RichardReina Car shows, Events New York Auto Show

The 2026 edition of the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) held its press days on Wednesday and Thursday April 1 and 2, with the show opening to the public on Friday April 3, and closing on Sunday April 12. I again was able to convince the show organizers to provide me a press pass, and I made my way to the Jacob Javits Center on Wednesday the first.

The main floor was almost completely full this year, with a mix of displays hosted by manufacturers and dealers. As has been the case in recent years, Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Subaru, Hyundai, and Kia were the dominant brands with factory support. Local dealers brought in vehicles representing BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Volvo. Wednesday’s event was well-attended, as there were press conferences running almost continuously throughout the day.

The lower level was again primarily converted to a large EV test track, where one could sign up for a test ride (not drive) in the EV brand of your choice. Given the recent industry upheavals regarding electric cars, one might presume that EVs would be ignored at a show like this. But such a presumption would be incorrect. There were so many EVs at the show that I’ve broken out coverage of them as a separate section in this blog report.

CHEVROLET

General Motor’s most affordable brand was also the only GM make in attendance at the show. Chevy displayed a complete lineup of cars, trucks, and SUV’s, including a significant number of EVs (covered separately). A highlight was coming across a genuine “concept car,” which for many years had been a frequent auto show feature and has all but disappeared in recent times.

The placard read: “Corvette distilled: Pure, sophisticated sculpture- electrified vision of future Corvette hypercar.”

A 1958 Impala provided a blast from the past. “There’s still no better way to see the USA.”

FORD

Like its crosstown rival Chevrolet, Ford brought “one of each” from its vehicle lineup, with a focus on the Mustang, Bronco, and pickup trucks. The Mach-E Mustang EV is covered separately below.

NISSAN

In addition to its wide range of crossovers, Nissan showed the Z Nismo, now available with a stick shift! I do wonder if that will enhance sales of this slow-selling sports car.

The sign made me wonder, how many people in attendance know how to shift for themselves?

TOYOTA

Prius (which is still a hybrid, not an EV)

This car impressed me. This is the Corolla hatchback in its mid-level FX trim. Standard equipment includes the white wheels, a rear sport wing, Apple CarPlay and AndroidAuto compatibility, automatic climate control, power driver’s seat, and heated front seats. Including an $1,195 delivery charge, this car’s bottom line price came to $29,229. I thought this was a lot of car for the money.

I found this under the hood of the RAV4. SAE 0W-8 oil? I need to look that up.

SUBARU

Again occupying a significant amount of floor space, Subaru was out to highlight its many new and restyled models. But in my opinion, these new designs have crossed the line from “different” to “unattractive.” I doubt that will hurt sales, though, because the people I know who drive Subarus swear by them.

STELLANTIS

Globally, no automakers carries more brands in its portfolio, even if most of them are not sold in the U.S. Still, the domestic Stellantis lineup includes Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat, and Alfa Romeo. Their display focused on a tie-in with our country’s 250^th anniversary, but of course, that only applies to the domestic makes.

A brag board about its investment in America

DODGE

The focus here was the Charger, available as a two-door, four-door, gas, or electric.

JEEP

The Jeep display highlighted the Wrangler and its many variations. The new Recon Moab EV is covered separately below.

RAM

Mega cabs and dualies serve to overemphasize the enormity of these trucks.

FIAT

Fiat sells one model in the U.S., the 500-e EV. But for some reason, they also decided to display an old 500, which looked like you could pick it up and place it in the bed of one of the Ram trucks.

ALFA ROMEO

While I was very happy to find my favorite brand included, I was equally disappointed at the paucity of the display. There was one Tonale, one Stelvio, and no Giulia. There also was no signage to explain features, options, or pricing, although to be fair, none of the Stellantis brands exhibited explanatory signage. For a brand that is seemingly on life support, the sales and marketing effort made by the company was a big disappointment. Who’s running the show? Are they trying to sell cars? Are Alfa’s dealers up in arms about this?

HYUNDAI

I was in attendance for their press conference, where Hyundai seemingly took the industry by surprise by announcing plans to build a body-on-frame truck (“built in the U.S., using U.S. steel”). The concept, named the Boulder (note the spelling) is planned for a 2030 debut. That is a long way off, and I am left pondering how much the world can (and undoubtedly will) change between now and then. Obviously going after Jeep and Ford, I think that those customers have traditionally stuck with domestic brands. Will the typical Wrangler or Bronco shopper stop in at the local Hyundai dealer?

CLASSIC CARS

It’s become tradition in NY to set aside a small area for several classics to be displayed from someone’s personal collection. This year, the theme was Automobiles of the Great Depression, and included a 1933 Pierce Arrow, a 1935 Auburn, and a 1937 Cord.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Have you heard these numbers? GM: $7.9 billion. Ford: $19.5 billion. Stellantis: $26.2 billion. No, these are not their net profits for 2025. These are the various write-down and restructuring charges (totaling over $53 billion) each of the Big Three lost during 2025, as they turned away from EV investments due to loss of tax credits and a public still reluctant to embrace a pivot toward EVs.

Yet: GM and Stellantis had a significant focus on new and upcoming EVs at the NY show (Ford, less so). Subaru, Hyundai, Kia, Lucid, Volvo, Nissan, and Polestar also had EVs on display. Recent news stories have indicated that Americans, facing rising gasoline prices, are again shopping for alternatives, including EVs, so for those in the market, the NYIAS had vehicles for their consideration. EV manufacturers who were absent included Tesla, Rivian, and VinFast.

The two major bugaboos for consumers, range anxiety and price parity, are slowly but certainly being tackled by the industry. More efficient batteries, continued investment in public charging stations, and lower priced EVs are here or coming soon. But in the short term, it remains to be seen if Americans can be weaned away from their internal combustion engine machines.

I took two test rides on the EV track downstairs. First was a ride in a Lucid Gravity, a large $80,000 SUV. I followed that with a ride in the new Chevy Bolt, a $30,000 compact SUV. Aside from faster acceleration in the Lucid, there was no other discernible difference from the passenger seat, an interesting tidbit for those who might be considering one of the more affordable EVs coming to market.

CHEVROLET

Chevy’s EV focus was mainly on the trucks: Silverado, Equinox, and Blazer. The new Bolt was there as well. The vehicles are good-looking, and pricing seems to be moving toward price-parity with the gas-engine equivalents. I’m just surprised that Chevrolet continues to style the EV versions to look different than their gas counterparts. They are holding onto the idea that an EV should not look like the gas engine vehicle of the same name.

Bolt interior (the higher trim level car)

FORD

With the demise of the F-150 Lightning, Ford’s current EV offerings come down to the Mach-E Mustang, of which there were several on display. There was absolutely no mention of the upcoming “affordable” EV pickup truck.

JEEP

The big EV news at Stellantis was the unveiling of the new Jeep Recon Moab, the “only fully electric vehicle to be Trail Rated.” The published range is 260 miles, so if you’re really going into the wilderness with this, make sure you have the juice to get back home. The starting MSRP is $65,000.

LUCID

The Lucid display was packed all day. They had the four-door Air, the Gravity SUV, and a model called the Sapphire. I had to ask a Lucid rep about the Sapphire. “Oh, that is not a separate model. That is the Air but with every single available option we could possibly add. The price on the Sapphire is $249,000, but of course, you can get an Air starting around $80,000.” This is the kind of vehicle that, right or wrong, causes Americans to think that EVs are out of their price range.

SUBARU

Subaru showed a refreshed Solterra, and a new EV called the Trailseeker. Subaru is going overboard with the black body cladding, painted and unpainted.

VW

The ID Buzz was on display, but the VW stand had nothing else regarding their EV lineup. I was hoping for a sneak preview of the Scout, but there was no mention of it.

HYUNDAI

Based on the vehicles I see on the road, Hyundai has been doing well with the Ioniq lineup of EVs. The Ioniq 9 was on display, as Hyundai smartly starts to offer the larger SUVs that Americans crave.

This styling quirk on the Ioniq 9 caught my eye. Is this a faux fender skirt??

VOLVO

This was my first look at the EX90. From twenty paces, many will mistake it for the XC90, which is the idea. I found the interior a bit too spartan, as is the case with many EVs from other manufacturers as well.

POLESTAR

I couldn’t tell if Polestar was represented by the manufacturer or by a local dealer, but looking at my photos of the display, I would guess the latter.