I just got back from a 6-day visit to Colorado. I first visited this wonderful state in 1977, and have made numerous business and personal trips to it since then. I’ve always been struck by the state’s natural beauty, and as a car enthusiast, I’ve been further struck by how its arid and sunny climate helps ensure the longevity of automotive sheetmetal, perhaps even more than what one finds in California.
A lot of our time was spent behind the wheel of a modern rental, so many old car spottings were not able to be caught on camera. However, the ones I did snap (using my phone, as I left the DSLR at home for this trip) are included here. If you come across a collector car which claims to be from Colorado, you can almost be certain that the tin worm has not inflicted much damage.
These two station wagons were parked on the perimeter of a ranch outside of Canon City, in the southern part of the state. The vivid “NO TRESPASSING” sign kept me from getting as close as I would have liked. The Ford had this odd camper-like projection on its back. At first I thought that the car’s roof had been cut, but that does not appear to be the case. The Rambler wagon was hooked to a camper as well, but with a trailer hitch.
We were visiting an aunt who lives in Florence, a small town south of Canon City, and these next 4 photos were all taken while on a stroll through her neighborhood.
The VW bus, which does show some rust, had been parked on the street the previous day, so I presume that it’s a driver. The Olds 442 (1969?) looks like a project car.This 1957 Ford Ranchero, first year for the body style, was parked in a fenced-in yard, and may not have moved under its own power for some time.This 1967 Mustang looks like it’s getting some regular exercise.With the wheelbarrow in front and the tractor behind, this Chevrolet pickup truck nicely completes the “vehicle as yard art” scene.
The city of Denver had multiple modern Subarus on every block, and as many Teslas as I see in NJ. Still, a few old cars continue to be pushed into daily driver duty.
A blacked-out Chevrolet El CaminoA sharp 1966 Mustang
Finally, the only Alfa Romeo I spotted after almost a week in the state:
This Stelvio was parked in Morrison, outside of Red Rocks Park.
The NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (NJ-AROC) held its monthly breakfast meet on Sunday May 19, 2024, and we finally caught a break with the weather! As anyone who lives in the metro NY/NJ area knows, it’s been a damp and cool spring; many of the wettest days have occurred on weekends, which has been especially disappointing for those who work Mondays through Fridays. Although it was cool and partly cloudy when I departed my house at 8:15 a.m., by the time I reached Bernardsville, about a 30-minute ride, the sun appeared and had warmed things up nicely.
Our host restaurant was a new choice for this group: The Bernards Café, on Route 202 in lovely downtown Bernardsville. While the café is not as spacious as most diners, it comfortably accommodated the 12 of us, helped by a phone call placed the day before by our café contact Gene. I’m especially pleased to report that this was the first NJ-AROC breakfast where I was able to drive my ’67 GT Junior. We had a nice mix of classic and modern Alfas in attendance, as the photos show.
Four classics and a Stelvio; despite the age differences, the styling link is obvious
The size difference can be a shock when seen side by side
My ’67 in the morning shade
The food, in my opinion, was a step up from your typical diner fare. I have nothing against diners, as their extensive menus and consistent quality mean you will almost always find something to please the palate. However, the Bernards Café was a step above, with a great choice of specialty egg dishes, pancakes, and the like. We were arranged in two tables of 6, and were done with our meal by about 10:30. Rather than hang out near the cars to continue the chit-chat, club member Bill D. had arranged a special visit for us, so we caravanned from Bernardsville to Peapack-Gladstone and paid a visit to the classic car dealership known as The Stable.
Tom, the proprietor, was ready for us. He parked a very rare 1954 Alfa Romeo 1900 outside for us, and opened his showroom, workshop, and lower storage area to our wandering eyes. He even had some coffee and donuts on hand, and of course, a few of us had to dip into the second breakfast of the day. Tom explained a bit of the business’s history: The Stable opened inside an old stable (hence the name) in 1973. At that time, there was a Chevrolet dealership in town just down the street. A few years later, the Chevy dealer closed up (or moved), and The Stable moved into the building which the dealer had vacated, but kept its name.
It appeared that every car on the premises was for sale; most had asking prices posted to the glass. The stock is eclectic: the small showroom held a 2012 Bentley Continental GT and two Jaguar XKs; the workshop was a smattering of mostly British and Italian classics, with a few pre-war domestic cars mixed in; and downstairs held mostly Mercedes-Benzes of various models and model years, as well as a C2 Corvette, a ’54 Buick Roadmaster, a Datsun 1600 roadster, and a few BMWs. As one club member whispered to me, “Many of these cars are not really in saleable condition”, a remark made based on the observation that it looked like these downstairs cars may not have moved under their own power in years. Nevertheless, we appreciated the hospitality, and it’s good to remember that The Stable is probably the closest classic car store to my house. We bid our farewells to each other, I climbed back into my ’67, and 30 minutes later I was home. It was a great day, and I can’t wait to do it again!
THE EARLYBIRDS HANG OUT BEFORE BREAKFAST
INSIDE THE BERNARDS CAFE
THE STABLE
Tom opened up for us on a Sunday, which was special
This Jaguar XK-150 Coupe was in the showroom
The workshop, on the main level, behind the showroom
A ’63 Lancia Flaminia Sport Zagato, asking price $265,000
This MG was hidden in the back and looks like it’s been there for a while
All the cars were tightly packed. This ’54 Buick Roadmaster would take some effort to move
The service/parts counter
THE ALFA ROMEO 1900
Asking price is $225,000
CLUB MEMBERS AND THEIR CARS
Ed, who founded the NJ Chapter, with his ’78 Nuova Super
About 2 miles from my house is a public park with a paved circular track. I head up there several times a week to walk or jog. It’s deserted on weekdays, while on weekends, one or all 4 of the soccer fields are active (oh, and the pickleball courts are always packed). Last weekend, while returning to my car after a jog, I was taken aback by the sight of a collection of British roadsters. They were tucked into a corner of the crowded parking lot, and were obviously a pre-arranged group. Despite the cloudy and cool conditions, most of them had their tops down.
There was no choice but to wander over and find out their raison d’etre. I inquired of the first owner who would speak with me and he quickly filled me in. They (“they” being members of several local car clubs) were about to embark on a road rally, and had just been handed their route instructions. He pointed to the first car which was being flagged out, an Austin-Healey 3000. One young lady was more than happy to show me her father’s immaculate green-over-tan MGA, and was very quick to give her dad full credit for the restoration. “But do me a favor”, she implored, pointing to her father, “and ask him to turn up his hearing aids”. Oh boy, I said to myself, I’m staying out of this one.
As I turned around, I spotted an intruder. Was the guy in the silver Alfa invited to join these UK-built cars, or was he crashing the party? I wandered over to find out. When I told him that I owned a GT Junior Coupe, he said, “Oh, the green one? I know you and that car. You were with us on that Hudson Valley run a while back”. It’s a small world when you own an Alfa Romeo. (He cared not a lick that his was the only non-British entry.)
My wife and I were going to be headed to our grandson’s baseball game in a short while, so my time to gaze and chat was limited, but I did manage to fire off several shots with my always-available phone camera. It was great to see old sports cars on the road, being used as their makers intended them to be!
To quote Mark Twain, “In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” And he didn’t live in New Jersey! A few days ago, we hit a daytime high of 89 degrees F; on Sunday May 5, the day of our one and only judged car show (The Spring Meet), it was 50 degrees F and windy, with intermittent showers. The inclement weather resulted in a less-than-ideal turnout of show cars, yet the good members of the NJ Region were there in significant numbers. For the first time ever, it appeared that we had more judges than we had cars to judge!
We were expecting most of these spots to be filled.
I had pre-registered my ’67 Alfa Romeo, and spent most of the week detailing it, so I was determined to make the 40-mile drive to East Hanover no matter what the forecast. As was done last year, the dealer on Route 10, Nielsen Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram, hosted the show for us, and shuffled their considerable inventory to make room. Upon my arrival, I was directed to park in the class I had registered for, HPOF (Historical Preservation of Original Features), which by the rules of the NJ Region is a “Do Not Judge” class. But it quickly became apparent that of the 17 or so classes, many would remain vacant, while the other classes had only one or two cars in attendance. Within a few minutes, the Chief Judge asked me if I would be willing to move my car to Class 7, where my Alfa would be the only judged car. I agreed with the request; there was another car in that Class (coincidentally belonging to the Chief Judge) but it was labeled as a “Do Not Judge” car.
Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, and … Cadillac?
Given the small number of vehicles and the large number of judges, many judging a show for the first time, it was decided that ALL of the judges would move from car to car together and judge via consensus, with final point values resting with the Chief Judge. This turned out to be a fun exercise, very similar to the two Judging Schools that the Region conducted earlier this year.
Class judging, meaning, the whole class judges together!
An eye-opener for me occurred when several vehicles which were alone in their class were awarded a “Second Place” trophy. The rationale given was that the point deduction totals were large enough that at a National level, the car would not have attained a First Place award. (Without diving too deeply into it, at AACA National events, cars are not judged against each other; rather, cars must meet a certain point threshold to earn a First or Second place showing. This also allows more than one car per class to earn a First or Second.)
Judging started about an hour earlier than scheduled and moved along at a rapid clip. Tallies were completed by 12 noon, announcements were made, trophies were awarded, and the official closing curtain dropped on the 2024 NJ Region Spring Meet by 1 p.m. The Alfa won two (uncontested) awards: first in its Class, and an NJ Region Membership trophy for “Best Unrestored Car” in its class. Despite the lack of competition, I was honored and humbled to be so recognized. Only at the end of the show did the pace of precipitation pick up, and the ride home on Interstate 287 was less than fun (but not lacking in thrills). Yet I made the 40-mile trek in just under an hour and was able to safely tuck the Alfa away until next time.
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