Author: RichardReina

Acquisition of the 1967 Alfa Romeo – Part 2

RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr.

After seeing the Alfa during that initial visit to Pete’s home in 2005, we stayed in touch. Emails were exchanged, and we always made a point to get together at Hershey in October, an annual pilgrimage for both of us. Every time I (gently) asked about purchasing the Alfa, Pete would (gently) tell me that he was back to enjoying the car and it was not for sale.

My job had been keeping me quite busy, and a few years went by without a trip to visit him. In 2009, Pete asked me if I was available to do some work on one of his cars for him. I was only too happy to lend him a hand, and made plans to head out there (by myself this time) in September. Pete and his wife graciously offered to put me up in a spare bedroom.

Pete needed the heater control valve replaced on one of his older cars, a job I had done many times before, but had not done in years! He had the correct parts, and we got it done. While I glanced admiringly at the Alfa, I did not drive it this time.

New heater valve on its way into the Volvo.
New heater valve on its way into the car.

 

A few months later, in March 2010, Pete again invited me out, this time to work on the Alfa. Newly retired from Volvo corporate life, I had a bit more free time. Frankly, I also saw an opportunity to engage Pete in a more candid conversation about a sale. Like the previous job, it was the Alfa’s heating system which needed attention. Pete had plans to remove the heater core and replace some hoses. We did just that, and I got to drive it again. Doing that only reinforced how badly I wanted to own this very special vehicle.

Tearing into the Alfa's heating system. Look at that beautifully original interior!
Tearing into the Alfa’s heating system. Look at that beautifully original interior!

 

"Hi NAPA guy, I need some hoses for a '67 Alfa." We were in fact able to find what we needed at the local NAPA store.
“Hi NAPA guy, I need some hoses for a ’67 Alfa.” We were in fact able to find what we needed at the local NAPA store.

 

We did talk about a sale, and it was on this trip that Pete first used words like “perhaps” and “some day” and “when I sell”. My understanding from that conversation was that he was not ready to let go of it just yet, but when he was ready, I could have first shot at it. Elation!

In October of that year, Pete drove the car to the AACA Hershey meet and entered it in the HPOF (Historical Preservation of Original Features) class, where it had earlier won an award. It was great to see the Alfa. It would be a long and eventful two and a half years before I would get to see it again.

Pete Wyman's 1967 Alfa Romeo at Hershey in Oct. 2010. Note the HPOF award on the front.
Pete’s 1967 Alfa Romeo at Hershey in Oct. 2010. Note the HPOF award on the front.

 

All photographs copyright © 2015 Richard A. Reina. Photos may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.

Dad’s 1957 Volkswagen Beetle

RichardReina Family cars , ,

Difficult as it may be to believe, but there was a time when most American families had only one car. In the years immediately after World War II, as America became prosperous again, plenty of new cars were being manufactured and sold, and roadways were being built to drive these cars to and from the expanding suburbs. Yet the “traditional” family model remained: dad worked, mom stayed home to take care of house and children, and one automobile sufficed. This was reality for many baby boomers growing up in the ‘50s and ‘60s. It was no different for me.

In my family, by the late 1960s, all three children were in school, which was close enough for us to walk. Mom had started to work part-time in the evenings, and Dad was steadily employed in Manhattan, commuting via bus, ferry, and subway. While the Corvair did the job as the family carry-all, my father decided that he could afford a second vehicle. Did we need another set of wheels? Not really. Certainly because he always liked small cars, and possibly because he had been born in Germany, he got a Volkswagen, a 1957 Beetle sedan.

The 1957 VW. Note the antenna, hub caps, and whitewalls.
The 1957 VW. Note the antenna, hub caps, and whitewalls.

As the resident car nut, I loved the idea of another car. There was also the pride I felt in an ability to distinguish one year VW from the next. At a time when we were still used to sweeping styling changes every year from the American car makers, Volkswagen actually bragged that they did not subscribe to annual redesigns. So for most drivers, all these Beetles looked alike. Yet I knew my father’s car was older. The one-piece oval rear window and tiny tail lights were all dead giveaways, and no prompting was needed for me to point these things out to anyone within earshot.

It was a treat to go for rides. I enjoyed watching my dad work the shifter and clutch, although I had no interest in trying to understand the mechanics behind such maneuvers. The VW had no heater, so winter rides were always accompanied by the warning to “bring a blanket”. It didn’t stop me from wanting to go.

The '57 Beetle from the rear. Note the blue & gold NY plates. Both photos taken in our backyard on Staten Island.
The Beetle from the rear. Note the blue & gold NY plates. Both photos taken in our backyard on Staten Island.

Alas, after almost exactly a year, Dad sold the VW. He never said why. Perhaps his practical side woke up to the realization that we really did not need two cars, at least not yet. For years afterward, my father continued to brag about that Beetle, repeating the line that he “bought it for $275, and sold it for $275”.

Pretty good deal. Wish I had it today.

All photographs copyright © 2015 Richard A. Reina. Photos may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.

Acquisition of the 1967 Alfa Romeo – Part 1

RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr.

When Margaretanne and I married and bought our house in 2001, we enjoyed having family and friends visit. As happens in any relationship, I would meet and get to know her friends, and she would do the same with mine. One such friend of my wife’s was Pam. Margaretanne and Pam knew each other from work, and although they no longer worked together, they remained (and still remain) good friends.

One warm summer day, a year or two after moving in, Pam came by to visit. I happened to be out in the garage, tinkering with the 1957 BMW Isetta. Pam noticed me and the old car through the open garage door, and in a most casual tone said, “you should meet my father, he likes old cars too”. Pam had no idea what that one comment started.

A year later, while attending a party at Pam’s house, I finally did meet her dad. “Pete” was a very soft-spoken and gentle sort, in his late 70’s and long retired. Upon meeting, we both wanted to learn what we could from each other about our passion and our collections. By this time I had acquired the 1968 Ford Mustang California Special, so with a new toy in the garage, I proudly told Pete about my most recent efforts with this rather rare car.

During the first half of that decade, Pete and I saw each other frequently enough. We met several times in New Jersey, both at Pam’s house and at my place, where Pete saw my two collector cars. We would also meet to exchange pleasantries if we were both at Hershey. The more I got to know Pete, the more I enjoyed his company, and the more I learned about his incredible knowledge on many topics.

Pete had several times extended an invitation to visit him and his wife. During the summer of 2005, we took him up on his offer and made a day trip to their place. The original plan was to drive the Mustang (with an inoperative air conditioning system), however, the day was so hot and humid that we took our Volvo – we needed that A/C! Arriving at Pete’s house, the first car to catch my eye was his Alfa Romeo. The dark green Giulia coupe, a Bertone styling masterpiece, was a model I had coveted for decades. Pete’s car was in stunning shape, not perfect, but an obviously well cared-for automobile.

My first-ever view of Pete's 1967 Alfa Romeo, on his front lawn.
My first-ever view of Pete’s 1967 Alfa Romeo, on his front lawn.

We exchanged hellos in the yard. The next words to pass my lips were to be frequently repeated during the following eight years:

Richard: “Pete, sell me this car.”

Pete: “No, it’s not for sale. I’m getting it back on the road after a long slumber.”

It was then that I first heard the story of how he acquired the Alfa. The car had been purchased new in Germany by an American working for the U. S. State Department. That individual brought the car back to his home in the U.S. when it was a year old, and soon sold it to Pete. Pete drove the car regularly as his “fun” car throughout the late ‘60s and most of the 1970s. The car was then mothballed for about 20 years, to be resurrected again starting in the late 1990s. Brakes, fluids, battery, and tires were some of the more obvious items needing attention. But by 2001, Pete had begun driving the car again, first to local shows, then to Hershey, where it won its HPOF (Historical Preservation of Original Features) award. The Alfa I was admiring had never been painted, disassembled, or restored. It was truly an original car.

Pete: “C’mon, let’s go for a ride. You can drive the Alfa.”

He didn’t need to ask twice. While the ladies stayed home, Pete and I took a spin in the Alfa (officially a European spec “GT 1300 Junior”), and it was sublime. With 100 horsepower pulling 2,000 lbs., it wasn’t fast, but was not slow. Light on its feet, the steering, brakes, shifter, and suspension all felt directly connected to each other and to the driver. In some ways, it reminded me of my 1993 Mazda Miata. Although I didn’t ask again that day, I knew I would keep working at Pete to someday sell me this car.

Pete got a chance to drive my 2005 Volvo S60, and as a Volvo owner himself, marveled at how different it was (mostly in good ways) compared to his older Volvo.

My wife and I had a long ride home in front of us, and Pete said that I was welcome back at any time.

Not mine, not yet anyway.
Not mine, not yet anyway.

Made a mental note to myself: next time, bring checkbook.

 

All photographs copyright © 2015 Richard A. Reina. Photos may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.

Dad’s 1961 Corvair

RichardReina Family cars

The first new car that my mother and father purchased after their 1950 wedding was a 1953 Chevrolet 210 4-door sedan, 6 cylinder, 3-on-the-tree. Of course, I say “mother and father” to be polite. This was the early ’50’s. My mom neither worked outside the house nor drove. The ’53 was the car that brought me home from the hospital. (Although I would be lying if I claimed to remember it, I have no doubt that my mother sat in the front passenger seat and cradled me in her arms during that initial ride. Good thing that the hospital was less than a mile away.)

The author, age 2, with Dad's '53 Chevrolet. I had to touch the car.
The author, age 2, with Dad’s ’53 Chevrolet. I had to touch the car.

My dad, ever practical with the 4-door Chevy, nevertheless enjoyed the idea of small, quirky cars. He told me when I was a boy that he liked the Nash Metropolitan, and I know he liked VW Beetles (had one later, but that’s another story). So when GM announced the Corvair in the fall of 1959, Dad was smitten. He waited a year, and by doing so, was able to consider the new-for-1961 Corvair station wagon.

By this time, I was 6, and had been obsessed with automobiles for four years already. The excuse given for my mother’s lack of a driver’s license was that she could not handle a clutch. So as my parents considered the replacement car, it had to be an automatic.

The closest Chevrolet dealership to our home on Staten Island was King Chevrolet, at 181 Bay St. (Years later, King would move about a mile down the street. Another car dealership took over King’s original spot, but today, there are no car dealerships along that stretch of road.) We went as a family to the dealer, and at that time, it seemed to me that my parents were there for hours, talking to salespeople. Perhaps they were. My mind can still picture the 1961 Impala convertible on the showroom floor, red, top down, with two life-size mannequins perched on deck above the rear seat, as if in a parade.

Finally, it was delivery day. Dad probably traded in the ’53. A new car to call our own! My first! This car was white with a red interior. Dad stepped up and got the “700” model over the available “500”, which meant more trim both outside and inside. We all rode home together from the dealership, with me in the way-back, above the engine. Dad had his quirky new car, mom had her license, and we had new-found freedom. Since dad worked in Manhattan and took public transit every day, the Corvair was de facto mom’s car during the week.

A publicity postcard for the 1961 Chevrolet Corvair station wagon. From the author's collection.
A publicity postcard for the 1961 Chevrolet Corvair station wagon. From the author’s collection.

That Lakewood wagon was essentially the only family car for about seven years, from when I was 6 until about 13, so I have strong memories of it. And what do I remember? How dad loved to fool his friends by offering to show them “the engine”, then opening the front trunk to near-universal amazement. How my mom was invincible in the New York snow every winter. How that red light would appear on the dash, and dad would swear under his breath as he removed all those Philips screws to access the engine and reinstall the fan belt which came off with regularity. How we would complain about the odor of gasoline whenever the heater was on. How one year, my parents used the front trunk as the hiding place for that year’s Christmas presents. How the transmission shift lever was this rod the diameter of a ball-point pen, jutting from the right side of the instrument cluster. And how reliable the car seemed to be, year after year. I have no recollection of the Corvair ever being out of service.The family Corvair from the front.

The family Corvair from the front.

 

The Corvair from the rear. My father added the reflector stickers. Both these photos taken Nov. 1966 in our driveway at 95 Highview Ave. on Staten Island.
The Corvair from the rear. My father added the stick-on reflectors. Both these photos taken Nov. 1966 in our driveway at 95 Highview Ave. on Staten Island.

Then Dad started to talk about a replacement car. He said something about the engine getting “tired”. I was soon to find out that the car was running on 4 or 5 of its 6 cylinders, and it likely had 80,000-90,000 miles on it. Although frugal, my father was not going to spend big bucks on an engine overhaul. He asked me if I wanted to ride with him to Reedman, the mega-dealer in Langhorne PA, as he saw a listing for a 1966 Buick station wagon. He was staying with GM, and moving up from Chevrolet by buying used. Shrewd man, my father. We traded in the Corvair.

The Chevrolet Corvair was made and sold by General Motors from model years 1960 through 1969. The station wagon was manufactured for only two years, 1961 and 1962, and so is quite rare. I have come across a wagon at car shows now and again, but quite infrequently. Seeing one always brings back a flood of memories.

All photographs copyright © 2015 Richard A. Reina. Photos may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.

Welcome!

RichardReina Uncategorized

Hello Friends,

Welcome to my blog. As someone who has spent his entire adult life both working in the car business and enjoying the collector car hobby, I’ve long looked for a better way to share my experiences with friends and colleagues.

With this blog, I intend to accomplish the following:

  • Share stories and photos from automotive events I attend, whether they be shows, rallies, cruise nights, and the like;
  • Provide updates on my automotive projects (at present, that would be repair work on my 1967 Alfa Romeo);
  • Add original content in the way of stories and photos from my past;
  • Create an entertaining and informative platform for visitors who share my passion for all things automotive.

On this first day, it may be equally important to state what this blog will NOT be:

  • A compendium of links to existing websites;
  • A rehashing of information which has been covered elsewhere;
  • A place for naysayers, haters, and flamers;
  • A blog which will wander any distance from its chosen topic (automobiles, both old and new).

This will be a place where people can sign up for email updates when new content is added, and can contribute comments. The immediate goal is to add fresh material approximately once a week, more frequently if I’m attending a multi-day event (like the New England 1000 rally). It’s exciting to start this venture, and will be a rewarding challenge to keep it going!

Thanks for visiting,
Richard