The NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club is on a roll! September marks nine consecutive months of monthly breakfast meets. For this month’s meet-up, we skipped the Jersey diner experience and ate alfresco, combining our bagels and coffee with several games of bocce (for the uninitiated, it’s the Italian version of lawn bowls. You can read Wikipedia’s page on bocce here).
We had an excellent turnout, with 13 Alfas, one other Italian car of some other brand, and close to 20 participants. Colonial Park in Somerset County hosted us, and NJ AROC member Bill DiPrima, our Event Coordinator, did an outstanding job of organizing the entire festa. Beautiful first-day-of-autumn weather kept us outside until noon when we finally packed it in, but not before a group photo was taken (thanks to me finally remembering to bring a tripod). I was particularly pleased with the turnout, given that the changing weather will likely make next month the last chance for the classic Alfas to make an appearance at a Chapter event.
In addition to the photos below, you can watch our expert bocce players in action on these two videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNaetr2mVY4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNcbjCa33Do
THE CARS
THE PEOPLE
ADDENDA
A day trip on Friday to the town of Jim Thorpe, PA yielded this find: a 1949 Packard for sale, only $4,995! A cursory glance revealed a car that looked mostly original, save for a very bad black repaint likely done decades ago. The front seat was hidden by a seat cover, with original upholstery (matching the back) underneath. Sign claimed it ran well, but didn’t say if it would continue to do so for 5 blocks or 5 hours.
Entire blog post content copyright © 2024 Richard A. Reina. Text and photos may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.
richardscarblog 
Real EyeTalians would have been a little more competitive on the mini-golf course and having a battle on the pond in the paddle ducks.
At least that’s my family used to do: we never finished a game and attempted to drown each other. Ha.
LikeLike
Hi Bob, and thanks for the comment! I’m used to seeing my elder relatives play bocce while balancing a glass of vino rosso in the other hand! Best, Richard
LikeLike
Does it ever happen in Bergen county?
Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS
LikeLike
Hi Glenn, the breakfast eateries are recommended and then chosen by NJ AROC members during our monthly virtual Google meets. Are you a member of the NJ Chapter of the Alfa Club? If so, we welcome you to join our meetings (you should be getting an email invite) and make a suggestion. If you are not a member of our club, then please join! Alfa Romeo ownership is not required. Thanks for reading the blog and for posting your comment. Best, Richard
LikeLike
Good morning, Rich I haven’t read this week’s blog yet – only scanned through the always-enjoyable pics. For me though, the era of that Packard at the end is probably my least favorite in auto history. It seems just shy of art deco (which I generally love) and maybe a reflection of the mood of the Country, still recovering from an awful period. It just looks so sad.
But this came to me with an email from FCP Euro and I thought you’d enjoy this little photo collection.Â
Obsessed With Details – W111 Mercedes-Benz 220S Fintail
| | | | | |
|
| | | | Obsessed With Details – W111 Mercedes-Benz 220S Fintail
The reason this 1962 Mercedes-Benz 220S is attracting the attention of many Mercedes enthusiasts and collectors … |
|
|
The roaring 20’s was much better than the dreary 40’s. Keep smiling, Rick
LikeLike
Hi Rick, sorry for my delay in responding. In general, I agree with you about the Packard styling, and for me personally, the span of time from about 1945 through 1955 produced some of the least-attractive cars ever (with some exceptions of course). Hey, that could make for a good blog post story! Thanks, Richard
LikeLike
I have to say, that Ferrari 308 is uninspired design, kind of an original M1 knock-off, though I don’t know which came firsy. I did like the M1
LikeLike
Hey Rick, the 308GT4 is not an inspired design, but two points: one, it was trying to latch onto the “folded origami paper” design that was starting to penetrate the industry, and two, that car was designed by Bertone, when almost all previous Ferraris were designed by Pininfarina. The only good news is that the 308GT4 remains one of the most affordable Ferraris. Best, Richard
LikeLike
[…] to see many spouses join us. My wife accompanied me, and made some new friends among the ladies. Similar to last year, breakfast goodies included bagels, croissants, donuts, fresh fruit, and hot and cold beverages, […]
LikeLike