The Alfa Club at the Somerville Cruise Night

June 2, 2024 RichardReina Cruise nights, Events AROC NJ Chapter, Somerville NJ Cruise Night

The Friday night cruise night in my local town of Somerville NJ has been a neighborhood staple for decades. I posted blog stories about it as far back as 2004, when I put my Isetta on display there. I was also there, without a car to display, in 2015 and in 2022. In August of 2016, the NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) appeared en masse, and we’ve now repeated that effort in 2024.

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.

A third-series Spider (S3) from the late ’80s

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

THE JUNIOR Z:

NJ Alfa Club Breakfast Meet, May 19, 2024

May 19, 2024May 19, 2024 RichardReina Drives, Events AROC, AROC NJ Chapter, Bernards Cafe, The Stable

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

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 ALFA ROMEO 1900

CLUB MEMBERS AND THEIR CARS

Ed, who founded the NJ Chapter, with his ’78 Nuova Super

Gene with his ’76 Spider which he bought new

Two ’67s on the street in Peapack-Gladstone

AROC-NJ Breakfast Meet, April 21, 2024

April 21, 2024 RichardReina Drives, Events Americana Diner, AROC NJ Chapter

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 4^th 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!

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:

NJ Alfa Club Breakfast Meet, March 10, 2024

March 17, 2024 RichardReina Drives, Events AROC NJ Chapter, Spinning Wheel Diner

The NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) proved that it can make a plan and stick with it. Having decided late last year to begin a tradition of monthly breakfast meetings, the Chapter successfully held its 3^rd consecutive breakfast meeting on Sunday March 10, returning to the Spinning Wheel Diner in Lebanon NJ, the site of our January meet.

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.

NJ Alfa Club Breakfast Meet, Feb. 18, 2024

February 18, 2024 RichardReina Drives, Events Americana Diner, AROC NJ Chapter

The NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) held their 2^nd monthly breakfast meet-up of the year on Sunday February 18. The chosen locale was the Americana Diner in Shrewsbury, NJ. Nine Alfisti braved a.m. temps in the teens to make the trek. Our Chapter V.P. Vic had made the arrangements with the diner, which was all too obvious when I, the first one to arrive, walked in, whereupon the diner manager blurted “You with Vic? Just hang on a sec.”

The rest of the crowd poured in within minutes, and we were given a large table in the rear, where we could eat and chat in peace and comfort. With spring just over a month away, much of the conversation pivoted around plans for warm weather events, such as a visit to the Simeone Museum and participation in the New Hope car show. Alex, our Chapter Secretary, entertained us with the Show & Tell portion of the morning by passing around the gears and synchros from his Duetto transmission, which he is in the midst of rebuilding.

Breakfast was served and consumed, coffee was poured and drunk, and as car guys tend to do, we hung out and gabbed well past the time when plates were cleared. Before departing for the day, I made sure to capture photos of those who drove their modern Alfas. The classics are still stored, waiting for salt-free roads and milder temperatures.

The next breakfast outing for the Jersey Chapter is Sunday March 10, which means there will be just 10 days remaining before Ol’ Man Winter departs (we hope) for the season.

NJ Alfa Club Sunday Breakfast Meet, Jan. 21 2024

January 21, 2024 RichardReina Events AROC NJ Chapter, Spinning Wheel Diner

The reinvigoration of the NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) has been ongoing since the middle of 2023. While progress has been slow and steady, the Chapter agreed a while back to institute something we have observed done by other Chapters, which is a regularly scheduled monthly meet-up at a restaurant or diner. The intention is to have an informal gathering where members can simply get to know each other better. There is no pre-set agenda.

The club officers decided to schedule breakfast at a diner on a monthly basis, with the dates and locations already set through April. January’s gathering took place on the 21^st at the Spinning Wheel Diner in Lebanon NJ. Seven intrepid Alfisti braved the 20 degree F temperature to arrive at the diner at 8 a.m.

While spring and summer meets will likely see a significant quantity of Alfas old and new in the parking lot, those of us (including your author) with “classic” Alfas are not about to drive them on our heavily salted roads. Two current-generation cars, a Giulia and a Tonale, made the trek, with the rest of us in our non-Italian daily drivers. (Tony quipped that he drove his “Alfa Ridgeline”!) It was a special treat to have John, the 13-year-old son of Steve, join us, and I learned that this young man is a fanatico of all automobiles from the great country of Italy. (When he told me “well, I do like one French car, the Bugatti”, I was delighted to inform him that Ettore Bugatti was an Italian who just happened to move to France.)

The food and coffee were great, the service was better, and as seems to happen at every gathering of this type, we managed to linger and chat well past the time when our bellies were full and the plates were cleared. I didn’t think that 7 was a bad turnout for A) a bitter cold January morning and B) our first event of this type, so I have high hopes that attendance will improve for the next few breakfast meets.

Above, L to R: Richard, John, Steve, Bill, John, Fran, Tony

Above: Steve with son John with Steve’s 2018 Giulia

Above: John with his Tonale

Alfas and Espresso in Red Bank NJ, Nov. 12, 2023

November 12, 2023 RichardReina Car shows, Events AROC NJ Chapter, Auto Exotica, Red Bank NJ

On Sunday November 12, 2023, the NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) sponsored an “Alfas and Espresso” event at Auto Exotica in Red Bank NJ. The gathering was scheduled to run from 9am to 12 noon, and as I observed as I pulled into the lot at 9:05 in my ’67 GT 1300 Junior, much of the available parking was already spoken for. The folks at Auto Exotica had also invited members of the Italian Car Club of Staten Island, and they showed up in good numbers, driving mostly late-model Alfas and Ferraris. Auto Exotica is an independent used-car dealer, stocking newer high-end machinery from brands like BMW, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz.

It was great to see friends from our NJ Chapter again; there has been a rejuvenation of the club since the middle of the year, and hopes are high that this will continue into 2024. The day was partly sunny but brisk, with morning temps in the low 40s, so soon after parking, we headed inside where coffee, bagels, and (no surprise here) Italian cookies and cannolis awaited us.

I didn’t wait long to head back outside because I wanted to photograph as many of these beautiful Italian automobiles as I could. Standouts included a Giulietta Sprint Speciale, a large handful of 4Cs, including some in seldom-seen colors, modern Giulia sedans modified with exterior goodies, and arriving several hours late, a pair of Giulia GTAs which I was told were authentic, complete with twin-spark engines and plexiglass windows. (When they change hands, which is infrequent, real GTA transaction prices are in the 200 large range. Buyer beware, as many ‘tributes’ are built.)

Wanting to beat the crowd, I departed Auto Exotica around 11:30 am. The ride home, like the ride to the place, was uneventful, with mostly highway driving on Route 287 and the Garden State Parkway. This was my final event of this year, so once I got home, I topped up the fuel tank, added the requisite dose of Sta-Bil, and put the Alfa in the garage for the winter. It was a very good year for that car: By my records, I drove it 813 miles in 2023, close to my personal goal of 1,000 miles. The car ran flawlessly. It consumed no oil, never failed to start, and never failed to get me home. Of course I have a to-do list for the car, consisting mostly of maintenance items. Weather permitting, I’ll be working on it over the winter and updating the blog as progress ensues.

SPIDERS

CLASSICS

NON-U.S. SPEC CARS

GTAs

4Cs

MODERN GIULIAS & A TONALE

The 2023 New Hope Auto Show

August 14, 2023 RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Car shows, Events AROC, AROC NJ Chapter, New Hope Auto Show

The New Hope (PA) Auto Show has been a mainstay of eastern Pennsylvania for over 60 years. (I was somewhat shocked a while back, when perusing some old copies of Car & Driver magazine in my library, to stumble across a story about the show they published in the mid-1960s.) It is ironic to me that despite my decades-long attendance at other relatively nearby shows in Macungie, Carlisle, and Hershey, I had not ever heard of the New Hope show until I joined the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC). It was then that I learned that AROC members tended to turn out in support of it, and by 2015, I was invited to join the fray. The Alfa was there that year, and came back for more in 2021. My 2023 appearance makes it a triple play for my Milanese macchina.

According to our AROC NJ Chapter president, who also served as Chief Judge for our marque, there were 14 Alfa Romeos, which he felt was down in count compared to recent years. It was no surprise that Spiders comprised the most popular bodystyle there, which is almost always the case, given the model’s long production run. (Alfa made this final version of the US Spider from 1966 to 1994.) I counted eight Spiders, two Giulia coupes, one Milano sedan, two 164 sedans, a 4C, and a RHD British-spec Spider from the 1990s, a bodystyle never sold in the states. So my count is 15; it’s possible that the 4C was part of the “exotic car” class and was not counted among the Alfas.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the two-day New Hope show is two car shows in one, with domestic vehicles on Saturday and imports on Sunday. (This is how the Greenwich Concours used to be organized, which I preferred over what I experienced there this past June.) Alfa Romeos were far from the only brand on display, as my photos will attest. There was a wonderful assortment of British, Japanese, German, Swedish, and other Italian cars, liberally spread out in the paved parking lot and on the lawn of the school on Bridge St. which hosts the event.

For me, the best part of the show, any show really, is the willingness of spectators and other show car owners to engage me in conversation. I no longer try to count the number of people who point to my car and exclaim “I used to have one like it!”. Such comments are frequently laced with twinges of regret over having let go of their prized vehicle. I’m also asked for advice about parts, service, and vendors for the brand, which I’m always happy to discuss. But the most popular topic is the originality of my ’67 GT 1300 Junior, likely because it is so unusual to find a 56-year-old Italian car with 67,000 miles on it which has never rusted and has never been disassembled for restoration. The honor for this achievement goes to owner #2, my friend Pete, who was the car’s steward for 45 years. My 10 years of ownership have mainly focused on keeping the status quo.

The day was very warm but with low humidity and a surprising breeze. Still, sitting and standing in the sun non-stop from 8 a.m. was taking its toll. The Alfa judging team emerged around 2 p.m. to award ribbons. Unlike previous years when “closed cars” and “open cars” comprised separate classes, for 2023 all Alfas in attendance were judged as one class. First place went to a gorgeous violet 1971 GTV, 2^nd place went to a red 1991 Spider, and 3^rd place was given to my ’67, for which I was flattered and honored.

Once that part of the day was over, it was time to hit the road. New Hope is an easy 25-minute drive each way, and after baking in the sun all day, it was time to put both the car and me back into the shade for the remainder of the afternoon. I’ll make every effort to show the car at New Hope again next year.

SWEDISH

ITALIAN (NON-ALFA)

GERMAN

BRITISH

This 1935 MG P-Type was one of my favorite cars at the show. From my observation, pre-war MGs are rarely seen in the U.S.

JAPANESE

ALFA ROMEOS

Spiders

Giulia coupes

164 sedans

Milano sedan

4C coupe

A British-spec RHD Spider from the 1990s, never imported here:

NJ Alfa Club Visits Alfa Dealer in Englewood Cliffs NJ

July 9, 2023 RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Car shows, Events Alfa Romeo of Englewood Cliffs, AROC NJ Chapter

Members of the NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) were again invited to be guests at the Alfa Romeo of Englewood Cliffs NJ dealership, on Sunday July 9, 2023. The dealer opened their doors on a day when they are usually closed, provided breakfast food and coffee, and had several of the new Tonale SUVs on display.

Several Tonales were staged in front of the showroom

About 10 Chapter members showed up with their Alfas (and one Fiat Abarth); several other members drove to the event in modern iron. The number of vehicles was down slightly from our previous visit, and all the club vehicles were from the “classic” era. There was a nice assortment of Giulia coupes, Spiders, and one beautifully-modified Berlina sedan. We had a total of three 1300 Juniors: two coupes, including your author’s, and one Spider. Keep in mind the relative rarity of these Juniors, as it is a model which was never officially sold in the States.

Several dealer sales and service people gave us a walkaround of the Tonale, a PHEV with a 1.3L gas engine up front, and two electric motors, one front and one rear. The vehicle to my eye looks like a junior Stelvio, which is not a bad thing given that I consider the Stelvio to be one of the better-looking SUVs on the market today.

NJ-AROC members check out the new Tonale

The sky was grey all morning, and we were all aware of the pending thunderstorms in the forecast, which likely played a role in keeping the overall numbers down. The event was scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. I scooted at 10:45 to try to beat the rain. Aside from driving home in two very brief showers, I did make it back before the skies opened their taps.

I had missed the previous two NJ Chapter gatherings, only because of other commitments, so I was glad to attend this one, and it was good to see some Alfa friends again. On behalf of the NJ Chapter of AROC, I want to thank Alfa Romeo of Englewood Cliffs for their hospitality.

Dealer personnel and Chapter members at the Tonale presentation

Close to what you would have seen in an Alfa showroom in ’66-’67

Breakfast supplied by our gracious hosts

Alfa Romeo Club Dealer Visit & Tour, Oct. 30, 2022

November 13, 2022 RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Dealerships, Drives, Events Alfa Romeo of Englewood Cliffs, AROC NJ Chapter

The New Jersey Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) sponsored a combination dealer visit/drive event on Sunday October 30, 2022, which saw a significant turnout of older Alfas along with some newer vehicles. The dealership, Alfa Romeo of Englewood Cliffs (NJ), located on Route 9W, graciously opened its doors to us on a Sunday morning, providing coffee and breakfast treats while we owners took advantage of the opportunity to mingle under sunny and unusually warm late October skies.

The size of the group was impressive; aside from six Spiders, there were five Bertone Giulia Coupes, a Milano, a 4C, and modern Giulias and Stelvios. A Fiat 500 Abarth rounded out the Italian entries. As the owner of a GT 1300 Junior, it was most interesting to me that there were four 1300 Juniors present, 3 Coupes and a Spider, incredible given that the model was never officially imported to the U.S.

After our morning soiree, some of us joined our tour leader Scott Klion and followed him in his red Giulia on a scenic ride up the Palisades Parkway and around Storm King Highway in NY, ending with a lunch at the charming Painter’s Tavern in Cornwall-on-Hudson. I’ve always admired how Alfa owners love to drive their cars in a spirited fashion, even if I in my 90-HP Junior struggled to keep up! My wife and I had a long ride back home from the restaurant, but it was good to get out, put some miles on ‘Junior’, and see some of my old Alfa friends again.