The NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (NJ-AROC) returned to the Spinning Wheel Diner in Lebanon, NJ on Saturday, April 26 for its monthly breakfast. A total of ten Alfisti happily gathered for chow, coffee, and conversation. The weather could have been better (we could say that about the entire month of April), but two brave souls still drove their classic Alfas, while several modern Milanese macchine rounded out the collection in the parking lot. (Yr hmbl svt failed to photograph any vehicles, mea culpa.)
Better weather is on tap as we head into May. Bill reminded the audience that Somerville has responded in the affirmative to our request for special parking for the May 30 cruise night. We will have additional opportunities to exercise our steeds throughout the spring and summer. Meanwhile, these monthly breakfasts continue to provide a wonderful way for a group of enthusiasts with a common interest to enjoy each other’s company.
Thirteen degrees Fahrenheit! That was the temperature in my driveway at 8 a.m. this morning as my wife and I headed to our car, about to drive to Jimmy’s American Grill in Bordentown, NJ. The occasion? The monthly breakfast get-together for the New Jersey Alfa club. We arrived at the restaurant just before 9 a.m. to find most of the crowd mulling about in the parking lot (and why not? The temperature had risen to a tolerable 25 F). We shared our quick “good mornings” and briskly strolled to the entrance. They were ready for all twelve of us, as the waitress efficiently passed around their extensive breakfast menu.
Food, coffee, and service were all great, and the table talk bounced from our Alfas, to holiday plans, to travel stories, and back to (what else) our Italian macchine. A personal highlight for me was meeting Pedro, his wife, and daughter, who arrived in their Alfa Romeo 155, a model never sold in this country. Pedro informed me that he imported the car from Japan, and that all the instrumentation was labeled in Japanese. His sedan is FWD, with a transversely-mounted Twin Spark 2.0L four-cylinder engine. I thought it was sharp. Those of us with “classic” Alfas left our steeds at home, so the only other Alfas in the parking lot were the modern Giulias.
Pedro’s Alfa Romeo 155A little less distinctive from the rear, but note the spoiler, lower valence, and exhaust tips
A congratulations of sorts is due to the NJ-AROC. In late 2023, we decided to “try” to hold monthly breakfast gatherings, with the first one in cold mid-January. After that, we also decided to vary the eatery location, so that we might increase the likelihood of additional members joining us. We did just that, and month after month, throughout the year, NJ Chapter members showed up. With this December 14 event, we have successfully held a breakfast meet every month for the year. I hope that we continue this into 2025, and I feel certain that we will. Thanks to all who have made the effort!
For the 11th month in a row, the New Jersey Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owner’s Club (AROC-NJ) held its monthly breakfast meet, returning to a favorite eatery, the Americana Diner in Shrewsbury, NJ. Our autumnal weather continues to grace us with sunshine and warm temperatures, and this past Sunday the 17th of November was no exception.
We made our way into the diner a little bit after 9 a.m., but we were far short of the expected headcount. That was soon remedied when the remainder of those who had registered for breakfast arrived to fill out our reserved table. The food and drink were greatly enjoyed, and although the diner was getting crowded, the wait staff didn’t act as though they were in any hurry to shoo us out the door. One waitress, obliging my request, was only too happy to take my camera and snap the obligatory group photo.
The fun continued after we exited the building. We hung around our Alfas, old and new, and continued our conversations. Vic delighted us by showing his new-to-him 1966 Giulia Super sedan, an amazingly original car. The cloth interior was nicely preserved, and the engine compartment looked like it had not been tampered with, down to the fuses which Vic claimed were original. At some time in its past, the car had been repainted, and top coat did not adhere well, perhaps due to poor prep work. We debated the pros and cons of a repaint, with the consensus agreeing that the car probably should be brought back down to bare metal and treated to a quality respray.
Parked next to Alex’s red Duetto was a very rare Alfa Romeo prototype. A club member who prefers to remain anonymous said that he was given the chance to drive Alfa’s new electric SUV. In order to disguise the beautiful Italian styling, the engineers hung sheets of flat steel roofing they bought at Home Depot over the entire car. Their intent was to use the camouflage to create “the ugliest car on the road” as a way to deceive the public. We unanimously agreed that they had succeeded.
The Americana parking lot is small, and cars kept pouring into the lot looking for spots, of which there were none. We finally decided that we needed to get out of the way, so our chit-chat was over for the day. The NJ Chapter meets next month in December, which will make it 12 consecutive monthly breakfast meets.
The New Jersey Alfa Romeo Club (AROC-NJ) might be setting a record this month, with three events on the calendar. Last week was our monthly breakfast, and Sunday October 20 was a fall foliage driving tour, arranged by our event coordinator Bill D. Starting in the Wegman’s parking lot in Bridgewater, NJ, a group of 12 Alfa Romeos wound its way through Flemington, Frenchtown, Stockton, and Lambertville NJ before crossing the bridge at Lambertville and into PA. From there, we headed north on Route 32, drove through 3 covered bridges, stopped for a scenic overlook at High Rocks Vista, and concluded our 70-mile, 2+ hour drive with brunch at The Narrows Restaurant in Upper Black Eddy, PA.
The weather again cooperated, and the scenery was wonderful (even if the traffic through some of the NJ towns wasn’t, but it was a beautiful Sunday morning and everyone wanted to be outside). My only regret is that I was not able to capture more photos. The meal at The Narrows was wonderful, and the kindly waitress agreed to photograph all the smiling Alfa owners and passengers.
This coming weekend, the Alfa Club is visiting the Simeone Museum in Philly. I won’t be there as I will be out of the country. Watch this space for updates about that trip!
Our AROC-NJ monthly breakfast tradition continues! On Sunday October 13, several NJ Chapter members met at the Bernards Café in Bernardsville, NJ for a delightful morning meal. As is typical for our group, a mix of older and newer vehicles were in attendance, including ‘60s and ‘70s era Spiders, along with modern Giulias and Stelvios.
The wait staff at the Café did their usual exemplary job in satisfying our appetites, and at the end of the meal, a few members broke off and caravanned to a local farm stand for autumnal goodies. I will conclude by stating that I have been overwhelmingly pleased by the way the NJ Chapter has been able to consistently maintain what is certainly now a Club tradition.
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:
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.
Make that seven in a row! The New Jersey Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC-NJ) held its 7th consecutive breakfast meet on Sunday, July 21, 2024, returning to the charming Bernards Café in charming downtown Bernardsville, NJ. Eleven Chapter members made it to breakfast, arriving in a nice mix of older and newer Alfas. In addition to the two modern Giulias were a 164 sedan, your author’s GT Junior, and 5 Spiders.
We were at the Bernards Café for our Chapter breakfast in May, and we thought highly enough of the food and service to make a return visit. Street parking can be tight, so we parked in the NJ Transit parking lot, a 3-minute stroll. The lot is empty on Sundays, allowing us lots of room to park our Alfas, while also giving us a place to hang out and gab, both before and after the meal.
Chapter member Bill DiPrima, who’s been doing much of the event organizing for us this year, made arrangements for a country drive immediately after breakfast. About 5 drivers took him up on his offer. I needed to head home so I missed the tour this time. If there’s another opportunity later this year, I’ll do my best to join the caravan.
ADDENDA
From Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary:
addendumn, pl-da [L] : something added, esp a supplement to a book
This word, taken directly from the Latin (note the [L]), is neutral (neither masculine nor feminine) with its singular form ending in in -um and plural form ending in -a. I’m using the plural form to name this new blog feature because I intend it to be a recurring item.
Our oldest granddaughter was at our house last month when we decided to visit the local pizzeria. And what did we spot as we left but this gorgeous Triumph TR-3. My granddaughter, who has not expressed any interest at all in Pop’s old cars, jumped out to take a closer look, and I snapped these pics to memorialize the event. Look at that smile!
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
What a turnout! With 10 Alfa Romeos of various vintages parked outside, 19 Alfisti parked inside, and an infinite amount of camaraderie, the NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC-NJ) held its 4th consecutive breakfast meet on Sunday April 21, 2024, at the Americana Diner in Shrewsbury NJ.
Old and new Alfas complement each other nicely
My GT 1300 Jr was a no-show as it is still suffering from braking woes (breaking woes?), but with 2 new remanufactured rear brake calipers in place, I’m hoping for an end to this latest saga soon. Instead, I drove to fellow Chapter member Tony’s house and hopped into the navigator’s seat of his 1967 Guilia TI. Tony ably piloted us along Route 287 and the Garden State Parkway, easily keeping up with Sunday morning traffic. (His car was born with a 1300 and now has a 2.0L transplant for extra con brio.) We arrived a few minutes before 9 a.m., and I was happily surprised to see a respectable turnout in the diner’s parking lot.
Of the 10 cars, 4 were classics: in addition to Tony’s blue TI was a white Giulia TI, and two Spiders, one red and one white. The 6 other Alfas were modern: 2 4C’s, one red and one white; 3 Giulias, in grey, bright red, and dark red; and one Stelvio in blue. Together, it was an impressive display of incredibly fine Italian styling and engineering.
The staff at the Americana welcomed us warmly and had our table ready for us. Eggs, pancakes, home fries, and plenty of coffee to wash it all down were on the menu, as was the usual chit-chat about the states of our hobby cars. While the late April weather was cloudy and cool, the climate did nothing to deter us from continuing our conversations outside amongst our Alfas. Tony and I were motoring out of there sometime after 11 a.m. and his Giulia got us home without incident.
Pay no attention to the man in the mirror
With 4 successful breakfast meetings completed, I’d say that we have a strong tradition underway. The May breakfast date and location are yet to be chosen, but there is a Chapter meeting during this upcoming week when those facts will be decided. My Alfa better be ready by then!
Vic and his 4C
Lee and his Spider
Paul and his Giulia
Tony & Richard with Tony’s Giulia TI
Johan with his Spider
Al with his Giulia TI
John with his Giulia
John with his 4C
Frank with his Stelvio
Suzanne, JP, and Steve with their Giulia
Two cars (the white Giulia TI and the white Spider) feature significantly reworked engines with Twin-Spark heads:
The participant count was a little light at 6, and since we need to generate an excuse, we’ll blame that morning’s switch to Daylight Savings Time which caused all of us to lose an hour’s sleep. Winter was still very much in the air, so no classic Alfas made an appearance at breakfast. Instead, we were again treated to John’s new Tonale and Steve’s current-generation Giulia sedan.
One of the great benefits of these breakfast meetings is the chance to chat with each other about our cars. Tony and I shared the news about getting his Giulia TI going again thanks to the spark plug replacement; I mentioned that I got to drive John’s modern Giulia sedan, which was quite possibly the best performance sedan I’ve ever piloted; and poor Gene “entertained” us with his sad tale of spinning 180 degrees after the rear axle locked up on his ’76 Spider. Thankfully there was no body damage. His car is at the shop awaiting diagnosis and repair.
With food and drink done, we headed out early enough to enjoy the remainder of a brisk late winter day. But we also got to enjoy an extra hour of sunshine! The April breakfast meet will find us back at the Americana Diner in Shrewsbury, and fingers crossed, I plan to drive my GT Junior there.
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