Carlisle Import & Performance Nationals, May, 2026

May 18, 2026 RichardReina Car shows, Events Alfa Romeo Owners Club, Carlisle Import and Performance Show

Carlisle Events held its annual Import & Performance Nationals show this year on Friday and Saturday, May 15 and 16. The weather cooperated, with Friday starting out quite cool (45 degrees F) and breezy, but warming up by mid-afternoon. Saturday was as perfect a spring weather day as we could have hoped for.

Although not as large a show as Spring or Fall Carlisle, much of the Fairgrounds was taken over with cars, a flea market, and a car corral. A Facebook post claimed that over 2,200 vehicles were in attendance, a record for this event. As I have observed from previous visits to this show, it’s the car clubs which help drive much of the participation, as you will see below when we cover some of the specific makes.

A small contingent of members of the NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) caravanned to Carlisle, departing early Friday morning and spending one overnight locally so that we could enjoy both days. This worked well for us, as Friday’s turnout was light, but Saturday brought out the crowds. I saw cars continue to stream into the Fairgrounds well past noon.

I last attended this Import show in 2008, when I trailered my Isetta there. (I was also there in 1990.) It has certainly grown in the ensuing years. My seat-of-the-pants guess is that the brand with the largest turnout of cars was Volvo. Other brands with large showings included BMW, Saab, and happily, Alfa Romeo. One of the biggest surprises was the number of Opel GTs there. Asian brands taken as a whole were well-represented, including Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, Honda, Acura, and Hyundai. My biggest disappointment was the poor showing from British marques: a scattering of MGs and Triumphs, a handful of Rolls Royces, one Morgan, and one Jaguar E-Type! Maybe there was a competing British car show nearby.

Another overall observation was the age of the cars. Many of the vehicles were newer and/or modified. There is nothing wrong with that; in fact, it was obvious that owners of newer cars are joining their makes’ clubs and participating in events, which is great for the hobby. Personally, I prefer seeing the older machines.

The photos below are segmented by make, with further commentary included.

VOLVO

There were a lot of Volvos, and a wide variety of models and generations as well. I saw a few each of 544s, 122s, 140s, and 240s. Many of the half-dozen or so P1800/1800E sports cars were modified. The numbers grew once we entered the decade of the ‘90s and beyond, with 850s, 900s, S/V/C 70s, and the P2 cars (S60, S80, V70, XC70). Even the newest generation of Volvos happily joined their older relatives. These Volvo owners are a loyal bunch, much of it driven by membership in the Volvo Club of America (VCOA).

BMW

The oldest BMWs that I saw were the 2002 models (sadly, no Isettas). The majority of the Bavarian Motor Works models were perhaps no more that ten years old. The BMW Car Club of America (BMWCCA) is very active and likely had a hand in bringing these German cars out.

ASIAN

There was no one outstanding Asian make at the show, although the Datsun 240Z stood out for its iconic styling and its place in history as a hugely successfully model for Nissan. I was surprised, but perhaps should not have been, to see quite a few Hyundai vehicles at the show.

OPEL GT

This model launched when I was a teen, just before obtaining my driver’s license, and with its “baby Corvette” looks and attractive sticker price, I thought it might be my first car (but alas, that did not happen). Fast forward to 2026, and I was shocked to see what looked like two dozen of these lined up at Carlisle. Frankly, I would have guessed that there weren’t two dozen Opel GTs still running in the entire country! Yet here they were, and it looked like they were drawing more than their fair share of crowds all weekend. Several nice Manta coupes were there as well.

MERCEDES-BENZ

While there were not a lot of Benzes here, the few that were on display were interesting examples of the marque.

Unique color on this Mercedes Benz 230SL (Hi Mike and Barry!)

BRITISH

I don’t know if this was an aberration, or if the owners don’t think that the Carlisle Import show is for them, but the turnout was light indeed.

FRENCH

It’s always a special treat to see these quirky French cars, whose owners are as passionate as anyone else.

ALFA ROMEO

My primary reason for attending was the promise that the total number of Alfa Romeos on display would top last year’s figure of fifty, and indeed, that occurred, as it was announced that over sixty Alfas were on the field. From viewing videos of previous shows, I was prepared for the reality that, similar to some other makes, the “modern” Alfas (Giulia, Stelvio, Tonale, and 4C) would dominate, and they did. Still, we had a good turnout of classic Spiders, and some other infrequently seen models. As has become tradition, the local dealer, Faulkner Alfa Romeo, hosted a free lunch on Saturday for all Alfisti.

The caravan from the hotel to the fairgrounds

Alfa Romeo 155, a model not sold in the U.S.

OTHER ITALIAN

Fiats dominated here, which was no surprise. There were a few Lancias, a deTomaso, but no Ferraris, Maseratis, or Lamborghinis.

New Jersey and Delaware Valley Alfa Owners Turn Out in Force for New Hope Auto Show

August 14, 2025 RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Car shows, Events Alfa Romeo Owners Club, New Hope Auto Show, NJ-AROC

Although the New Jersey and Delaware Valley (PA) AROC Chapters are geographically adjacent, it’s rare that cars and owners from both chapters converge at the same event. One recent exception has been the New Hope Auto Show, an eastern Pennsylvania mainstay for collector car buffs since 1957. It is a two-day show, with American brands displayed on Saturday, and imports on Sunday. This year, the Sunday show fell on August 10, and among the BMWs, Benzes, Morgans, MGs, VWs, and Volvos were seventeen Alfa Romeos, one of the largest classes that day. New Hope, with few exceptions, strictly limits show cars to those twenty-five years and older, but Alfa is one of the exceptions. We requested, and were granted, allowance to include cars up to model year 2025. As a result, there were two 4Cs, a Stelvio, and a Tonale scattered among the classic Alfa coupes, Spiders, and Berlinas.

A team of four judges, led by NJ Chapter president Enrico Ciabattoni and including Mike Gomolinski, Paul Mitchell, and Richard Reina, took on the unenviable task of deciding which six cars (three in the Closed Class and three in the Open Class) were worthy of ribbons. After spending three hours in the blazing summer sun inspecting paint, upholstery, glass, wheels, and all the greasy bits, the team made its decisions:

Open Class:

1^st Place: Greg Shpungin, 2016 4C Spider

2^nd Place: Steve Buchanan, 1985 Spider

3^rd Place: Tim O’Riordan, 1967 Duetto

Closed Class:

1st Place: Maurice Arcangeli, 1989 Milano

2^nd Place: Bill Conway, 1982 GTV-6

3^rd Place: John Coyle, 1974 GTV

Somewhat new this year was the drive-by conducted for all 1^st place winners. Greg in his yellow 4C and Maurice in his black Milano made for a most attractive combination as they motored up to receive their ribbons.

Winning an award at the New Hope Auto Show is considered a great honor. All judging is held to a very high standard, and the show’s reputation is highly regarded among those in the hobby. Congratulations to the winners!

Special thanks to fellow NJ-AROC club member Bob Cooley for his kind permission to use many of his photos from the New Hope Car Show.

Moving Away from Strict Originality, Part Two

May 11, 2025 RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Events, Repair sessions Alfa Romeo Owners Club, Rust-Oleum Professional Spray Paint

There is a balance that’s required, when you own, as I do, a national award-winning car that has been so feted for its preservation. Much has been written in the last decade or more about the importance to the collector car hobby of the unrestored car, which has given birth to the cliché, “they’re only original once.” At the same time, cars which are driven (I have put over 14,000 miles on mine) will require, like any vehicle, routine service and repair. I wrote earlier about my decision, twelve years into the ownership of this wonderful Alfa Romeo, to move away from strict originality, not in a haphazard or indifferent way, but slowly and deliberately, and only to make improvements for the sake of appearance or functionality without unduly disturbing that which should be saved.

I thought about this again when in March, my wife and I hosted an AACA judging seminar at our home. My Alfa, standing in as a subject car for training purposes, was actually lauded for its “clean” engine bay. I know from attending numerous judging schools that AACA has high standards for engine compartments. Entering an AACA-eligible car in a national meet will ensure that several sets of trained eyes will focus on everything under your hood from firewall to radiator. While the average citizen defines “car detailing” as vacuuming the interior, waxing the paint, and cleaning the windows, AACA members know that in addition to those needs, the engine compartment must look like the day the car was driven off the new car dealer’s lot.

But I have accepted for too long that the Alfa’s engine and the bay within which it resides are “original, and therefore, not to be touched.” That has been changing, and most recently, my critical gaze fell up the quite unsightly air cleaner canister. It sits on the driver’s side of the car, over the exhaust manifold, and connects to the intake plenum via a rubber-and-cloth hose that passes over the valve cover. Mine is black, and it has been obvious to me since the day I took possession of the car that the canister had been repainted, possibly more than once, by a previous owner, most likely Pete, who owned the car from 1968 to 2013. To put it bluntly, the repaint was poor quality, with visible drips and runs. The black had also chipped off in several places. Frankly, it was one of the least attractive components under the hood. It was time to rectify that. Given that the canister had already been repainted at least once, I felt no qualms about stripping it down to the metal. There was nothing original to be saved.

Before I even removed the canister, I went to the national website of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC), where, as a member, I could access technical assistance. I emailed a Club volunteer who specializes in Alfas of the 1960s, and asked him what the air cleaner canister’s original finish looked like. He responded within twenty-four hours to say that the factory finished the canisters in semi-gloss black. (This was the first time I used this online technical service, and it’s a great perk of club membership.) Off to Lowe’s I went.

This was going to be a rattle-can job, which does not automatically mean “sub-standard.” I’ve had great success with the Professional line of Rust-Oleum spray paints, so I picked up a can of primer and a can of semi-gloss black. Out came the canister, which I doused with chemical stripper. Given the multiple coats of paint on the thing, this required several applications. Once I removed as much paint as possible with that method, I resorted to mechanical stripping with a 3M plastic abrasive wheel. The canister was down to bare metal, so I wiped everything with paint prep, and waited for a windless day to spray outside.

The primer went on smoothly and thoroughly, and it appeared that one coat would be enough. Next was the semi-gloss black, which had to be sprayed in stages as I rotated the canister for complete coverage. Two coats looked like plenty, and I saw no evidence of drips or runs. I gave the parts twenty-four hours to dry, and reinstalled the canister.

The improvement in the engine bay’s appearance was immediately obvious. If you look closely enough, you can probably tell that it was spray-painted, but to my eye, it looks sharp. My only concern, and it’s not a substantial one at the moment, is that exhaust manifold heat may cause the paint to flake. If it does, it will be the canister’s bottom, well out of sight of show-goers (and judges). If and when that happens, I’ll deal with it. In the meantime, a few hours of simple work, and $20 worth of hardware store paint, has yielded a nice upgrade to the Alfa’s engine compartment.

BEFORE

You can see the rough surface, runs, and paint chips throughout the component.

DURING

First, the chemical stripping.

The remainder of the paint was removed with the 3M plastic abrasive wheel.

The primer coat.

The top coat of semi-gloss black.

AFTER

Once reinstalled, the canister looks much improved. For the most part, only the top lid is visible.

NJ-AROC Breakfast Meet, April 26, 2025

April 28, 2025 RichardReina Drives, Events Alfa Romeo Owners Club, NJ-AROC, Spinning Wheel Diner

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.

AROC NJ Chapter Cars & Coffee, June 5 2021

June 6, 2021 RichardReina Car shows, Events Alfa Romeo Owners Club, AROC, AROC NJ Chapter, Cars & Coffee

The New Jersey Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) held its first official event of 2021, a Saturday morning Cars & Coffee on June 5. Our generous host for the day, club member Martin M., invited members to his home, where bagels, Danishes, and coffee were available on the rear deck. We served ourselves while enjoying the perfect morning weather: sunny and warm with low humidity.

Above: A Spider is cornered by 3 modern Giulias, while a newer Spider looks on

And do car people hang out on the deck near the breakfast spread? Of course not. Food and drink in hand, we wandered among the dozen or so Alfas driven to and parked in the yard, comprising a nice mix of older sedans and Spiders along with an assortment of new Giulias. We also got to enjoy eyeballing Martin’s eclectic collection, only some of which are of Italian origin.

Above: cars like this Renault 4CV are easily tucked away; you never know when you might need a spare engine for one!

Best of all, with COVID restrictions finally relaxing, this was the first chance in a long while for we Alfisti to get reacquainted with old friends while making new ones. I belong to a number of different clubs, and I was reminded again that Alfa owners really are the friendliest. I’m already looking forward to other events this year with AROC’s NJ Chapter.

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