Attending events with my ’67 Alfa Romeo has been a hit-or-miss affair lately. As I covered in an earlier post, I was unable to drive my car to the Carlisle Import Show(although I attended in a modern car). My NJ Alfa Romeo club gathered at the Somerville NJ cruise night the week before last, but I was out of town at a concert, so I missed that as well. We’ve had a spate of good weather recently, and I was itching to take the car somewhere, so last Friday I made a late-day decision to head off to Somerville, which is only six miles from my home.
The Somerville cruise night is held every Friday from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and the special interest and collector cars always manage to fill up almost all of the parking spaces along Main St. The local businesses love the crowds, and the evening takes on a party atmosphere, with teens, families, locals, and out-of-towners joining the fun. I snagged a good parking spot in front of an Italian restaurant, jokingly telling one of the waiters that I parked my Italian car there to bring them more business! Several passers-by stopped to admire and chat about my car, which is always nice. I was out of there by 7:30 and home by 8 p.m., and it was a great way to spend the evening.
The photos below tell the rest of the story. I’ve always enjoyed the variety of vehicles at this cruise night, and last Friday was no exception.
4 p.m. and happy to have gotten a good parking spot in the shade.A beautifully restored pre-war Plymouth.Another view of the Plymouth.1963 Chevy ImpalaSomething I rarely see at shows: a Model T Ford.1963 Ford ThunderbirdOrange Mustang with orange umbrellasThe ’49-’51 shoebox Fords were revolutionaryOld school hot rodHonda S2000In front of Cafe PicassoDodge ChargerLate ’60s – early ’70s Mercedes Benz. Note the German license plate.The ubiquitous 1957 ChevroletBoat tail Riviera1965 Pontiac BonnevilleThis photo could have been taken in the 1960sPlymouth Barracuda1990s Toyota SupraBuick Wildcat1957 Chevy pickup truckLunch, or gelato, or both?1965 Pontiac GTOMercury MontegoMain St. was packed with pedestrians all evening long
I’ve known about the Thursday cruise nights for a while, but did not get a chance to attend until this week, so there we were, my trusty Alfa companion and myself, on August 7, 2025. I arrived promptly at 5 p.m., the official starting time, to find very few parking spots remaining. I parked next to my friend John’s beautiful teal blue “retro-Bird,” and as cars continued to file in, they were directed to park on the grass behind the paved lot. More than one attendee was overheard to say that this was possibly the biggest crowd of the season at the Spinning Wheel, no doubt helped by the tremendous weather, with temps in the low 80s and low humidity.
Glancing around, I quickly surmised that my Italian mistress was the only furrin car there. In actuality, most of the cars were either ‘50s and ‘60s muscle cars, or street rods of one kind or another. I felt out of my element until a few other imports showed up. John and I walked the lot together, taking in the variety of vehicles on display, which included not one but two 1940 Fords, an assortment of Thunderbirds, a Triumph, an MG, a Miata, and Corvettes of various vintages. I’m sorry, but if you’re driving a C8 Corvette (and there were several) to a “collector car cruise night,” you’re just showing off. I get the appeal, but a C8 parked next to a C2 makes it blatantly obvious which I’d rather have in my garage.
My wife arrived to join me for dinner in the diner (and for which I had a 10% off coupon as a show participant), and after the meal, I was ready to head home. At about 7:30 p.m., I hopped into my car, started it up, and saw that the representative from Cars & Coffee of Central Jersey, who was hosting the event, ran up to my open window to present me with a trophy! I’m not sure what I won or how my car was selected, but it was a nice gesture nevertheless. The diner is only a thirty-minute ride to my house, so I was back by eight, which made for an easy night. All in all, it was a fun way to spend a Thursday evening.
1957 ChevyShelby MustangC2 Corvette1st gen Miata1963 Ford Galaxie’57 Chevy Nomad on L, ’55 Chevy wagon on RMy ’67 Alfa Romeo1st gen Mustang (which also won a trophy)1970 Olds CutlassMaserati coupe, the only other Italian thereMGBC2 CorvettePontiac GTODodge panel truck1964 Triumph TR41965 Mercury Comet1964 PlymouthIt’s nice to be recognized
When I first spotted the signs taped to every parking meter which read, “SOMERVILLE CRUISE NIGHT, 35 YEARS,” I was shocked. Was it really thirty-five years ago when the town of Somerville, NJ began hosting Friday night cruise nights? That brings us back to 1990, eleven years before I moved back into the area and first became aware of the event. As I’ve posted about before, at first, the local businesses were aghast at the idea of their quiet little town overrun by hot-rodders. However, when they saw revenue jump, and further realized that these undesirables in fact consisted of well-mannered individuals and families, they embraced the concept, with many restaurants and stores extending their open-for-business hours in order to accommodate the thickening crowds.
Aside from visits with my local Alfa Romeo club, it had been a while since I brought the Alfa to this cruise night. This past Friday, July 11, turned out to be a beautiful evening: warm, not too humid, sunny, and with no threat of rain. Although the official hours are from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., I knew from experience that car owners arrive much earlier. Indeed, I hit Main St. just a few minutes before 4 p.m. and it appeared that over half of the available parking spots were already occupied by show cars. Nevertheless, I managed to quickly find a spot without doubling back, and once parked, I was free to grab my camera and stroll.
It would almost fit in the back of that Suburban
Compared to an AACA event, where 100% of the vehicles are showroom stock, and compared to an Alfa event, where all the cars are from a single marque, the Somerville cruise night offered true variety. Let’s start with the modified cars. Are the typical modded cars of the ‘30s, ’40s, and ‘50s gone? Not the case here. It was fun to see these old-school rods, reminiscent of what I saw as a boy, still out and about. The next surprise was the number of pre-war vehicles. There are many who think that these cars are no longer collectible and have disappeared, yet, owners brought them to Somerville. And finally, there were the imports. A small number of interesting European and Asian collectibles were in attendance. Overall, to call this cruise night “eclectic” would be quite accurate.
My friends Larry and Art drove down from Bergen County to meet me. We grabbed a bite at a new brewery on Main St., then took in the show. They both observed that it was nice to see a different selection of cars than what they would normally come across at a cruise night in their area, and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves, as did I. They split around 7:30 p.m. and I hung out by my car for another hour, chatting it up with a few passers-by who stopped to admire the only Alfa Romeo on display on this particular evening. All in all, it was a great night, and given Somerville’s proximity (six miles from my house), I need to make the effort to attend a little more frequently.
PRE-WAR
CLASSIC HOT RODS
MUSTANGS
Mr. Mustang gazes at my Alfa
IMPORTS
My Alfa looked good in the late day sun
BMW M3
Datsun 280Z. From this angle, its resemblance to a Jag E-Type is strong
This Triumph TR-4 was sharp inside and out
I was completely smitten with this Fiat 500 “Abarth” (probably a recreation). It was parked in front of an Italian restaurant that also offered curbside gelato.
Morris Minor woodie
AND THE REST
1966 Pontiac GTO
Willys station wagon
“69 Camaro
’70 Plymouth Road Runner. I spoke with the owner, who has owned the car since the late ’80s. He did the entire restoration himself.
’57 Thunderbird. I liked the look with the wide whites, steelies, and no caps, giving it a “hey, it’s just a driver” appearance
C1 Corvette
And another C1 Corvette. The late sun really warmed up the white paint
Cadillac XLR
1970 Chevy wagon (aka “long roof”), appropriately parked in front of a travel agency
Another ’57 Thunderbird, stunning in the unusual gray
The town of Metuchen, NJ, has been sponsoring a midweek cruise night for at least the past twenty years. How can I be so sure, you ask? Because in August of 2006, I trailered my BMW Isetta there, and it was a lot of fun. But I haven’t been back since, and when my friend and fellow Alfa owner Tony suggested that we check it out, I took him up on his offer. It’s a once-a-month arrangement for Metuchen, and always on a Wednesday, so Tony and I were there this most recent Wednesday, July 2, 2025.
We both decided to drive modern cars for this run, and after meeting Tony at his house, I hopped into his brand-new Ford F-150 Lightning, which is 100% EV. It was quiet and comfortable, and frankly, if you didn’t know better, you’d easily mistake it for a gasoline-powered truck. Perhaps the biggest giveaway while riding in it is the complete lack of noise within the cabin. We got to Main St. in Metuchen about thirty minutes before the official 5:30 p.m. start, so we headed into an Irish pub for a quick meal. By the time we alighted, most of the parking spots along two blocks of Main St. were taken with classic cars.
Compared to the Somerville Cruise Night, I would give Metuchen higher marks for its slightly classier Main St., and also for covering the parking meters with “cruise night car parking only” signs. On the flip side, Metuchen’s set-up is much smaller, as they devote only two blocks to cruise night cars. At least on the evening we attended, there were a few empty parking spots. In Somerville, you practically need to arrive two hours early to get street parking for your classic. There was a nice variety of domestic fare, several of which I’ve not seen in many years. There were also almost no import cars, but Tony and I may hatch a plan to get our local Alfa club to caravan to Metuchen for a future cruise night. All in all, it was a pleasant evening of car gazing, and my attendance brought back great memories of my 2006 visit.
Sign on this Mustang claimed that it had 194,000 miles on itI spoke with this owner, who has had the car all of three weeks. It’s a 1966 Buick SPECIAL, not a Skylark. Not sure I’ve ever seen a Special convertible from this year.
A very nice chrome-bumper C3 Corvette, before they got ugly.
I spoke with the Riviera owner, who has owned this car for 35 years, since he was 19. It’s a ’63, first year for the model, and he’s done some mechanical work, including an engine refresh and some brake (Wilwood) and suspension mods. The red leather interior is original to the car. Paint may have been as well.
My favorite car at the cruise night, if only because I don’t know when I last saw one. It’s a 1968 Pontiac Grand Prix, the final model year on the full-size platform, before the complete (and highly successful) redesign for 1969. My photos do not do justice to the visual impact of this automobile.
The month of May was cruel to us in the collector car hobby, as cool, wet weather caused postponements and cancellations of various events. In some cases, events proceeded regardless, with disappointing results. A few months back, the NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (NJ-AROC) reached out to the folks who put on the Somerville, NJ Friday night cruise nights. The organizers will reserve parking in one section for car clubs, and our Alfa club did this last year. Because the date is chosen in advance, it becomes a “rain or shine” event, and the weather forecast for May 30, our assigned date, was iffy. I actually didn’t make the decision to attend until several hours prior to the 5 p.m. start time.
Several club members were already there when I arrived a few minutes past five, and we immediately noticed that there were no “Reserved for Alfa Club” signs in place, as there were last year. As parking spots opened up, we placed a folding chair to hold the spot for the next Alfa to arrive. That was working well until a Somerville cop stopped and told us “you can’t hold parking spots!” I was about to exchange a few friendly words with the officer when a Cruise Night representative approached the black-and-white Ford Explorer and explained that he was late in posting the Reserved Parking signs, which seemed to smooth things over for the patrol officer.
Despite the threatening weather (which held off for the entire evening), we had a nice turnout of about a dozen Alfas, dominated by Spiders, and also cars from the modern Giulia, Stelvio, and Tonale lineup. The camaraderie in our group is strong, and we enjoyed the evening chatting among ourselves as well as the passers-by who took note of our Italian macchine. (One woman walked up to my Junior and asked me, “is that a Volvo?”) Bill ordered pizza from Alfonso’s, generously paid for by the Chapter, and by 7:30 p.m., with darkening skies overhead, several of us (including me) headed home. It was wonderful to hang with fellow Alfisti, and we already have a date in August to return to Somerville.
Who ordered the pizza?
Our club enjoyed the pizza (with Girl Scout cookies for dessert)
For the second time this year, the NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) gathered at the Somerville NJ Friday night Cruise-In. A total of eight Alfas (a nice mix of old and new) showed up and parked in the area which can be reserved for clubs. (A big thanks to Bill D. for making these arrangements for us!) As was the case during our previous visit to Somerville in May, the weather was near-perfect, with none of the high heat and humidity which we’ve been forced to endure for much of the summer.
A new club feature, first seen at the recent New Hope show, made a repeat appearance: Paul’s flagpole, hoisted high above his Giulia and flying the Alfa Romeo flag. It certainly helped draw attention to our display, in case there was any doubt about the brand of vehicles in the lineup. We also treated ourselves again to an al fresco dinner courtesy of the local Italian restaurant, including pizza, calamari, and spicy wings.
With Labor Day approaching, the collector car hobby will scramble to fit in as many activities as possible during the next two months, before the driving season ends for our older cars. AROC’s NJ Chapter will continue to host monthly breakfasts, so I’m hoping to get my Alfa out to one or two of those before it goes into hibernation for the winter.
ADDENDA
Last Saturday we were on our way to the Jersey shore and stopped for a break at a Wawa somewhere along Route 539. In pulled this 1960 Chevy bubble top right behind our Volvo XC40. The contrast between the two cars, 64 years apart, is incredible. And I can’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, the Impala’s trunk holds more than the Volvo’s (with the 2nd row seats up).
This past Friday, May 31, nine vehicles belonging to NJ-AROC members lined up on Main St. in front of the Somerville Courthouse, where parking spots were reserved for us. It was a night of gorgeous weather, which brought out the gearheads, both as attendees and as spectators. Our club was ably represented by a nice mix of classic (pre-1995) Alfas and modern (2017-present) Giulia and Tonale models.
For me, the Alfisti at the cruise night were a pleasant mix of old friends and new faces. It was a delight to meet some new club members, two of whom drove in their Giulia Quadrifoglios. (A friend recently asked how is it that the Alfa club seems to so easily accept owners of both older and newer machines. I responded that there is no sense of competition or superiority among the brand’s fans, all of whom embrace the full history of the cars from Milano.)
It was so much fun to hang with my fellow club members that I didn’t even get a chance to walk the rest of the show, which consumes about 5 or 6 blocks of Main St. The evening was topped off by the arrival of several pizzas from a well-regarded local restaurant, paid for by the club.
If I had to pick a favorite from Friday’s event, it would be the Junior Z, a rare limited production car which shares most of its mechanicals with Alfas produced around the same time (1970). The one at the show was equipped with the same 1300 engine as in my Junior. The greatest difference, of course, is the sleek and compact Zagato body. According to my copy of The Illustrated Alfa Romeo Buyer’s Guide, only 1,108 Junior Zs with the 1300 engine were built. (In 1972 the engine was upgraded to the 1600 version, but only 402 of those were churned out.) It was a thrill to see it up close and personal!
The Alfa Club plans to return to the Somerville Cruise Night in late August.
Giulia Quadrifoglio
The author’s GT 1300 Junior
New Tonale hybrid
1967 Duetto
One-owner 1976 Spider
A third-series Spider (S3) from the late ’80s
1991 Spider
We can’t stop talking Alfas. Note the parking sign.
The modern Giulias share their grille design with all Alfas
The Ferrari-derived V6 as used in the Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio models
Word went out last week via the NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) about an event which was new to me: a Sunday morning Cars & Coffee in the parking lot of a Dunkin’ Donuts on Route 22 in Bridgewater NJ. This was all of 6 miles from my house, and was scheduled to run from 9am to 11am, so it was an attractive choice, especially if a few other members of the Alfa club were to show up.
I arrived 15 minutes early to find several dozen cars already lined up, most of them late-model Corvettes and Mustangs. I’ve been to, and have heard about, other Cars & Coffee events in NJ like this, and perusing row after row of newer high-horsepower machines driven by millennial hipsters looking for bragging rights isn’t my thing. It was with great relief that I spotted a current generation Alfa Giulia sedan and parked next to it. The owner, Neil, was a younger chap who, with his traveling buddy Caleb, took an immediate interest in my ’67, and we spent a few minutes chatting about the Alfa Romeo brand in general. They both were friendly and delightful, and showed themselves to be interested in all kinds of automotive machinery.
Soon after I arrived, 3 members of AROC’s NJ Chapter showed up, all driving Spiders. Tony had his blue Series 1, Mike arrived in his red Series 3, and Bob parked his immaculate red Series 4, with all of us adjacent to each other. It was a great opportunity to show Neil and Caleb the distinctions among the different generation Spiders.
I broke away from the camaraderie several times to take in the other vehicles. Frankly, a long row of C6, C7, and C8 Corvettes more closely resembles a used-car lot than a car show to me, but I get it. Scattered among the 21st century iron were a few gems. Standouts included a 1970 AMX, a 1970 240Z, a 928, and an early ‘70s Firebird.
The day was warm and sunny with low humidity, but as the temp started to climb, I decided on a slightly early departure of 10:30, which had me home by 11am. Would I attend again? There was no denying that the shortish drive was a convenience. If I knew I could count on seeing friendly faces, I would certainly pay another visit to this particular Cars & Coffee.
June has been a busy month for car shows, with Greenwich, Quaker Bridge, and now Flemington in 3 consecutive weeks. I had intended to drive the Alfa to Flemington Saturday night, as it’s all of 10 minutes away, but a later-than-expected departure from a relative’s house during the afternoon left me little time, so I darted over in a modern car and managed to take in the show just as some cars were leaving.
C2 Corvette behind C7 Corvette
The town of Flemington NJ has hosted a bi-weekly cruise night for several years. Held on alternating Saturdays, they announce “featured makes and models”, but from my observation, that doesn’t seem to have much influence on which vehicles arrive. Cars can park along Main St., but there also is a small parking lot which is where I tend to see the best cars. Not one but two live bands were cranking out the tunes, and show-goers were invited to vote for a “People’s Choice” best in show. Local restaurants stayed open, with a few of them offering outside seating. The weather, as it has been for much of the month, was near perfect.
Two nice FoMoCo products: 1st gen Mustang & Mercury Comet
The cruise-in started at 5 p.m. and I didn’t get there until a little after 7, so I don’t know what I missed. There were perhaps a few dozen vehicles scattered around, mostly domestic product. I photographed the cars which held the greatest interest for me, which meant ignoring the heavily modified stuff. I’m hoping to get back here at some point later in the season and put one of my own cars on display, and maybe invite a few of my local car club friends to join me.
VW Beetle convertible, a true “driver”
1967 Camaro
One of the few pre-war cars in attendance
Mid-70s Olds Cutlass
’64 T-Bird with ’68 Firebird across the street
(Above and below): This 1957 Cadillac was in the parking lot, hood up, windows down, with its owner nowhere to be seen. I lingered for a few minutes hoping he/she would show up, because I really wanted to speak with them. I go to a lot of car shows an see a lot of cars; this Caddy was truly a #1 condition car, and the truth is, there are very few #1 cars. It was so perfect that I found it hard to believe it was driven here. One question for the sharp-eyed and knowledgeable readers out there: look at the photo of the engine compartment. To the left of the brake master cylinder is a vertical cylinder with a removable cap. What is this??
A couple of Chevy pickup trucks
Above: I managed to chat up the owner of this ’49 Ford just as he was leaving. He was an old codger, and told me that he’s owned the car for about 20 years. He thinks it’s the original flattie V8 under the hood. The car looked and sounded great as he started it up and drove away. It had that look of an honest, old, fun car to me.
On Sunday, October 23, 2022, we once again took advantage of a spacious parking lot adjacent to a Dunkin’ Donuts facility to host our own Cars & Coffee event. No driving was included in the plans, and we had a small but enthusiastic group of eight people (plus two VCNA retirees who were surprise guests) willing to mill about on what turned out to be a beautiful autumn morning.
The Dunkin’ Donuts on MacArthur Blvd. in Mahwah did its usual fine job in serving us bagels and coffee, and plenty of Sunday morning visitors were distracted enough by our vehicular lineup to break their routines and come over for a chat.
Cars in attendance included two Corvettes, a Chevy Nova, two Porsche 911s, a Mercedes-Benz turbodiesel, a well-preserved and rarely-seen Volvo S70, and your author’s Alfa Romeo. Interestingly, the imports outnumbered the domestic entries (3 Chevys versus 3 Germans, 1 Swedish, and 1 Italian), something we normally don’t see at our gatherings.
We may try to squeeze in one more driving event before the weather turns inhospitable for the winter. If not, we shall see what 2023 will bring!
1961 Corvette (C1)
1967 Corvette (C2)
1967 Alfa Romeo
1972 Nova
’80s Mercedes-Benz 300D
’80s Porsche 911
21st century 911
Volvo S70 sedan
Nothing but nothing looks like the back end of a C2 coupe
