The 2021 New Hope (PA) Auto Show was held during the weekend of August 14-15. This is one of the longest-running car shows in the Northeast, and this year’s arrangement split participants into two groups: the domestic cars on Saturday, and the import vehicles on Sunday. My Alfa was registered for the Sunday event, and, expecting a significant turnout of Alfas buoyed by support from both the NJ and Delaware Valley Club Chapters, I was not disappointed.
The weather cooperated; Sunday was one of the nicer days we’ve had during what’s been a hot and humid season. Registrants were asked to arrive by 8am; I was five minutes early and gained a coveted shady spot at the start of the row dedicated to Alfa Romeos. Within a few minutes, another dozen or so Alfas arrived; I later counted over 20 of the cars from Milano.
Of course, other marques were also amply represented: Porsches and BMWs from Germany; Jaguars and MGs from the UK; other Italian cars including Fiat, Lancia, and Ferrari; and Asian brands including Honda, Mazda, and Datsun/Nissan. It is worth mentioning that the Rolls Royce/Bentley Club had what was likely the largest turnout of vehicles of any particular make.
One change for 2021 was the lack of formal judging; the stated reason was that Covid concerns prevented the show organizers from gathering judges to perform their needed tasks. Instead, spectators were encouraged to vote for their favorites, and ribbons were presented around 2pm, after which the show cars were released from their spots.
This was the first time my Alfa had ventured out-of-state since I drove it to a NY diner during a Sunday breakfast run in April of 2019. While New Hope is barely 30 minutes from me, it still was a great feeling to venture that far from home in confidence after the significant brake and carburetor overhauls.
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.
Let’s get this bit of disappointing news out of the way: while this Alfista was in attendance, his ’67 Alfa GT Junior was not. Four days before the scheduled departure, the car’s right front brake caliper locked up, and although repair parts were obtained, there wasn’t enough time to effect a safe and sufficient repair. So the green stepnose stayed home. Every cloud, though, has its silver lining, and in this case, I drove a modern car with fully functioning climate control in the 99 degree weather. (The brake failure and its ongoing repairs will be the subject of future blog posts.)
I can assure you that the rest of this post will be short on words and long on photos. On Friday evening there was an AROC club dinner at the Pittsburgh Golf Club, with dozens of striking Alfa Romeos looking resplendent on the lawn in the setting sunlight. Saturday was the all-makes show, with literally thousands of domestic, Italian, German, Swedish, and Japanese vehicles on display. Saturday night was the AROC banquet dinner. And on Sunday, club members were treated to a reserved spot along the track to watch some spirited vintage racing. (We also saw race cars driven in anger on Saturday.)
The volume of photos means that I’ve divided this blog post into Parts 1 and 2: Part 1 features photos of Alfas from various vantages during the weekend, plus an assortment of racing car pictures. Part 2 will follow and will include photos of cars other than Alfas.
As always, click on the photos to enjoy full-screen resolutions of them.
ALFAS IN THE HOTEL PARKING LOT
ALFAS AT THE FRIDAY EVE PITTSBURGH GOLF CLUB DISPLAY
It was reported the other day that in New Jersey, there has been rain on at least one, if not both days of the weekend for the past ten weeks. The corollary to that is that the weather forecasters have been batting about .210 (if they were ball players, they would have been sent back to the minors by now).
So it should not have come as a surprise to awaken on Sunday June 10 to showers, even if 24 hours prior they had not been predicted. It was two months ago that the NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owner’s Club (AROC) selected this date for its spring driving tour through Hunterdon County. But Alfa drivers love to cruise so much that a little moisture wasn’t going to deter us. We met as planned at the Readington Diner on Route 22 in Whitehouse at 10am, and after a brief driver’s meeting, ten people in six Alfas were off.
1967 Alfa Giulia sedan
1967 Alfa (Giulia) GT Jr.
Alfa 164 (V6, FWD)
The half-dozen vehicles were neatly divided into two groups of three: in the ‘older’ group were two ’67 Giulias, a sedan and a coupe, along with a 164 four-door sedan. Alfa Romeo’s current model lineup was thoroughly represented by the 2nd group of three: a Giulia sedan, a Stelvio SUV, and a 4C Spider. The factory couldn’t have planned that better if it tried.
Alfa Giulia sedan
Alfa Stelvio SUV
Alfa 4C Spider
From the diner, we drove about 4 miles on Route 22 before turning south. From that point on, 100% of the driving was on two-lane secondary roads. We wound our way around Round Valley Reservoir, and meandered through the towns of Stanton, Barley Sheaf, Cherryville, Quakertown, and Pittstown before descending into Frenchtown, on the NJ/PA border. The rain at this point was nothing more than a nuisance, and made me long for intermittent wipers on my ’67.
Back on the road, we turned left and began to head east, passing through Sergeantsville, Ringoes (named after John Ringo), Unionville, and Reaville. We briefly entered Somerset County, driving through Cloverhill and Montgomery, before circling round, winding through Wertzville, and finally turning south toward our destination, the town of Hopewell in Mercer County. We covered just over 70 miles in slightly under 2.5 hours, including our break.
Lunch was at Antimo’s Italian Kitchen, and it was charming. Our wait staff catered to our every need, and the food was delizioso. Perhaps best of all, new friendships were formed, as several of today’s participants were on their maiden voyage with the Alfa club.
Both of these cars are Alfa Romeo Giulia sedans! Can you tell them apart?
The roads were lightly traveled; the scenery was verdant and historic; the overcast skies kept the temperatures reasonable; and no one broke down. What else but to conclude that our NJ AROC Hunterdon County tour was a roaring success?
On Saturday, November 11, 2017, the New Jersey chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owner’s Club (AROC) held its Fall Foliage Driving Tour, starting at Fullerton Alfa Romeo in Bridgewater, and ending at Duke Farms in Hillsborough.
The day dawned sunny but quite cold, with sunrise temps below freezing. The wind, which had been a factor the previous day, was all but nonexistent, which made the cold more tolerable. The thermometer moderated as the day progressed, and it turned out to be a beautiful day for a driving tour.
Enjoying some breakfast pre-drive
A Stelvio on the showroom floor
The dealer did a great job hosting us in the a.m., with plenty of coffee, bagels, and other breakfast treats available. Early arrivals were there before 9:30, and during the subsequent hour, 17 cars and close to 30 attendees streamed in. While there, we enjoyed alternating our gazes between the new Giulia sedans & Stelvio SUVs, and the classic Alfas parked outside.
A 1967 GT 1300 Jr, and a…
1967 Giulia 1300 Ti sedan
After a brief driver’s meeting, we were off and running. Our first leg had us heading north/northwest, through Oldwick and Long Valley. After an hour on the road, we arrived at our planned rest stop in Chester NJ. The intent was to give participants a chance to wander the streets of this quaint town, filled with antique shops, bakeries, and the like. But true to the Italian spirit, almost everyone stayed in the parking lot, hovered around our Milanese metal, and swapped stories (mostly lies about horsepower).
The view out our rear window
By 12:30, the second leg of the drive began, and we were on the road again, now headed back south. We briefly doubled back on Lamington Road (Route 523), then turned south/southeast, through Whitehouse Station and Readington. We arrived at Duke Farms exactly at 1:30, which was a good thing, as our catered luncheon was scheduled to start at that time. By complete coincidence, the second leg was also an hour’s length. Both drives were blessed with relatively light traffic, colorful autumnal leaves, lots of sunshine, and no breakdowns.
The café staff, led by Debbie, went overboard with our catered meal. We walked in to find a smorgasbord of sandwiches, wraps, salads, fruit, plus cookies and coffee. A section of the dining room was reserved for us, and we continued to catch up with old friends and/or make new ones, all while stuffing our faces.
We love to drive, we love to talk, we love to eat!
Our chapter president, Enrico, declared the event a success, and there was widespread agreement among the chapter members. Based on today’s turnout, we are all counting on AROC’s NJ Chapter to hold more such events in 2018.
We somehow managed to keep 17 cars (mostly) in a row
Arriving at the Chester rest stop, two new Giulias
A GTV-6 coupe
A ’67 GT 1300 Jr.
A Giulia 1300 Ti sedan
A ’66 Duetto
A police escort protected us from on-the-road citations
The 505-hp engine of the Giulia Quadrifoglio
Alfa 164
GTA-look
Another 164
Chatting in Chester (sorry)
Follow the leader
A rare shot of the driver driving (courtesy of my wife)
Duke Farms
Arriving at Duke Farms, we found plenty of parking
The cafe service was outstanding, with plenty of food and drink for all
Alfa men gather to argue the firing order of the Busso V6
(Special thanks to my wife Margaretanne for accompanying me, and taking all the on-the-road photos.)
The original name of the company we know today as “Alfa Romeo” was A.L.F.A., which is an acronym. In Italian, it stands for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, which translates as “Anonymous Lombardy (Region) Manufacturer (of) Automobiles”.
During World War I, an industrialist named Nicola Romeo took over control of A.L.F.A., which was then in liquidation. He immodestly changed the name of the company to Alfa Romeo, with “Alfa” no longer an acronym. A recession during the 1920’s forced Romeo out of the company, but the name change stayed.
None of this stops people from continuing to spell the car name as “Alpha” (as if the car were Greek!).
The early queue outside the dealership (no, not the pickups)
On Saturday October 21, 2017, members of the New Jersey Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC), along with other enthusiastic Alfa owners, joined forces for a caravan through northern New Jersey and into the New York counties of Rockland and Orange.
The group began its day at our host dealership, Ramsey Alfa Romeo. Dealer management generously provided bagels, coffee, and juices for those arriving early. At 10:30 a.m., a drivers’ meeting was convened, with an explanation of the day’s plans. The route would head north and into New York. We would enter Harriman State Park and use one of the park’s rest areas as a half-way pit stop. From there, we would continue north/northwest, with Brother Bruno’s restaurant in Washingtonville our luncheon destination. After lunch, participants would have the choice of visiting a local winery, heading back to the dealership, or finding their way home.
Drivers’ meeting! Pay attention!
Before departing, the author spent some time lustily staring at the various Giulia sedans and Stelvio SUVs on the showroom floor. Special note was made of the Alfa Romeo heritage signage, which gave the sales area a cultured touch. The brand “vibe” was strong; there was no doubt you were in a showroom full of Italian machinery.
Both outside
and inside
the brand image was strong
The rough count of participatory vehicles was 23. It was especially delightful to see the wide variety of models represented. The oldest car was a Giulietta spider. The numerous Giulia coupes and Duettos were hard to miss. The decades of the ‘70s and ‘80s were well-represented by Alfetta coupes and an Alfetta sedan. There was one example each of the Milano and the 164. Plentiful late-model Spiders took advantage of the top-down weather. There were perhaps four or five new Giulia sedans, and the dealer sent a Stelvio to be used as a photo/chase car.
Three generations of Alfa sedans: Giulia, Milano, & Alfetta (L to R)
We have been having an extended Indian summer in the metro NY/NJ area, and the day of this drive was no exception. The weather simply could not have been better. Leaving Ramsey Alfa Romeo at 11 a.m. on a Saturday morning, we battled weekend shoppers as we dove onto Route 17 south, made a U-turn, and headed north on 17. Through some Italian miracle, the group stayed together.
The exquisite view out my window
The rest stop along Seven Lakes Drive gave everyone a chance to catch up, chat, and take photos. Then we were off again, taking Route 6 west, getting back to Route 17 north, and exiting at Route 208 for the ride into Washingtonville.
Our rest stop within Harriman State Park
Brother Bruno’s was in a strip mall with ample parking; the club actually cordoned off a row of spots so the cars could park together, and remain distant from the non-Alfas in the lot. Lunch was Italian food (of course), and one person at our table commented that the day was being spent doing just what Italians like to do: drive, talk, and eat!
Inside Brother Bruno’s of Washingtonville NY
Alfa owners are not shy: we catch up with old friends while making new ones. I got a kick out of reuniting with Gennaro, whom I met at the NJ Region AACA Show in May, as well as Bob Sr. and Bob Jr. (with extended family in tow) whom I met at the AROC convention in Montreal in July.
Your author, having enjoyed the food, the cars, and most of all the company, bid arrivederchi and headed home. There’s nothing quite like piloting your own Alfa on a beautiful fall day with several dozen other Alfisti.
These cars arrived early; they were first in line
1973 GTV
1969 1750 Spider
1967 GT 1300 Jr (just like mine but in black)
Modified Duetto
New Giulia sedan
Another Duetto
One of several Alfetta GT coupes
Series 3 Spider
Series 4 Spider
Alfa 164, the last “mass produced” Alfa sold in the U.S. until the current Giulia
Another modified Duetto
Giulietta spider next to author’s GT 1300 Jr.
Author’s 67 coupe next to new Stelvio SUV
Everyone made it to the rest stop
Many Alfas are red; some aren’t
Beautiful but delicate Duetto nose
Family resemblance is strong on all Alfas
ONE non-Alfa Romeo vehicle was allowed to drive with the group. We were told that it was an Italian car, although definitive identification escaped us on this day. Sleuthing is continuing, and once we have positive I.D., we will update this site.
I recently had a business reason to peruse the 1968 Buick new car brochure (which can be seen online here). My research concerned the availability of disc brakes, which led me to this week’s fun fact:
If you purchased a new 1968 Buick Wildcat (hardtop, sedan, or convertible) and desired a manual transmission, you would simply stay with the standard 3-speed, which used a column-mounted shifter. (An automatic was optional, and no 4-speed was offered on the Wildcat.)
Further, if you did choose 3-speed, your braking system would consist of manual drum brakes front and rear. Power drums or power front discs, factory options on most Buicks, could not be had on the Wildcat with the 3-speed.
As a footnote to that fun fact, the Wildcat’s standard engine in 1968 was a 430 cubic-inch 4-barrel V8 which put out 360 horsepower and 475 lb. ft. of torque. Fun indeed!
The Alfa Romeo Owners’ Club (AROC) held its 2017 annual convention in Montreal, Quebec, in conjunction with the Alfa Romeo Club of Canada. Billed as “Alfa Expo17”, the choice of this city was not arbitrary. This convention celebrated the 50th anniversary of the showing of the Alfa Romeo concept car at Expo ’67 in Montreal. When the car went into production a few years later, it was named after its debut city. Alfa Expo17 promised a significant showing of Alfa Romeo Montreals, as well as some special events planned around this very special vehicle.
This was my first participation at an AROC event. My 1967 GT 1300 Junior turned 50 this year, so partly in honor of the car’s birthday, we drove the car there, the decision helped by Montreal’s relative proximity. My wife accompanied me, because she likes riding in the Alfa (claiming that it’s the most comfortable collector car I’ve owned) and because we’ve enjoyed our previous visits to our northern neighbor.
When the convention’s agenda was published in the club magazine, I was somewhat surprised to see that “activities” were scheduled to begin as early as the Monday before Sunday’s concorso. Taking that much time off was not practical for either of us, so we decided to arrive early on Friday July 14. To help with that plan, we departed from home on Thursday evening the 13th, and spent the night near Saratoga Springs NY, almost exactly half-way to our destination.
Friday’s convention agenda included lunch at the Orange Julep fast-food restaurant in downtown Montreal, followed by a gimmick rally for the afternoon. We decided to aim for lunch at the Orange Julep, and take a wait-and-see approach to the gimmick rally.
Our planned lunch arrival of 12 noon was missed by almost two hours, because the combination of rain, traffic, and road construction had us crawling at 10 mph for much of our time in the city. (Oh, and this driver, unable to read street signs in French, made a wrong turn and drove in circles through a residential area for 20 minutes.) As we finally pulled into the Orange Julep parking lot, the threatening skies opened up again.
There were perhaps four Alfas remaining in the lot. We ordered our food and said some quick hellos to a few Alfa owners. As soon as we had our food in hand, the rain picked up and the temperature dropped. The Orange Julep only had outdoor seating. My wife asked if we could eat in the car. THAT was not an option. I gave her my hooded jacket, we found seating in an outdoor shed, and wolfed down lunch as quickly as possible. The gimmick rally was not going to happen for us.
With the rains continuing, we dove back into the car, and began to plot our route to the hotel. Next issue: both of our phones lost internet coverage, so, no Google maps. The filling station across the street sold me a street map of Montreal, and we were back on the highway, again brought to a crawl by traffic and construction. What should have been a 20 minute ride took closer to an hour. We were happy to arrive and get into a warm and dry hotel room. It was not the best start to our holiday weekend.
Friday night’s dinner was on site, so there was no need to get back into the car. We sat down and met all the other couples sharing our table. For the first time but not the last, we were treated to the warmth and openness of our fellow Alfa owners. Everyone was gracious, humble, and willing to make us feel included. My wife, who is not a car person, managed to gain the sympathetic ear of several of the other ladies who understood that she was not at the dinner to discuss double overhead cams, oil viscosity, or Spica fuel injection.
At the conclusion of the meal, about five Montreal owners lined up their cars along the back entrance of the hotel, and Wes Ingram, Spica guru, gave a technical presentation. All the cars had their engines started, and it was an incredible sound to hear these V8 engines roaring.
Five Montreals line up on Friday night
Saturday’s schedule included a number of optional events. For those who wanted to test their driving skills, autocross-type drives were conducted at a nearby raceway. That’s not my thing, especially when the car in question is also my transportation home, so we opted instead for a bus tour of Old Montreal.
With the rain holding off, the bus departed the hotel at 9 a.m. sharp, and our driver/tour guide, a pleasant local chap, was knowledgeable if a bit difficult to understand through the accent. The bus meandered through town, then parked for a 2-hour lunch break, which put us out on our own. The gloomy weather was changing over to sunshine, and it was nice to walk around. Back on the bus, we finished the tour and we returned to the hotel by 3 p.m. I didn’t mind being a passenger for the day.
Flower display celebrates Expo ’67
…as well as 375th anniversary of the city of Montreal
By this time my wife was ready to relax in our hotel room. The sunny skies meant that this was my window to prep my car for Sunday’s big show. The hotel provided a wash station, complete with hose, soap, bucket, and wash mitts. Of course, about 50 other owners had the same idea, so there we all were, having turned the back lot of this Holiday Inn into a major preen and primp area.
Waiting my turn before using the wash station
But Alfa owners never miss the opportunity to engage fellow Alfisti in banter. I made about a dozen new friends in our mutual admiration society as we compared notes regarding the history and authenticity of each other’s cars. Modestly, my car garnered some significant attention because of its originality, with owners of similar Giulia coupes interested in knowing, for example, if my 3-spoke steering wheel is original (it is).
Saturday evening was another arranged dinner at the hotel, this time with speeches and awards. The winners of the gimmick rally and the time trials were presented their due. Cindy Banzer, the president of AROC, gave the keynote speech in English AND French, impressing us with her bilingual skills. Things wrapped up by 11 p.m., and good thing they did, as we would all be rising early Sunday morning.
The Sunday Concorso, arguably the highlight of the weekend, was not at the hotel, but rather in “Petite Italie”, French for Little Italy, in the city center. Planning an 8 a.m. arrival, but dreading the traffic, we departed the hotel by 7:30 a.m. Of course, we breezed right in. The weather was perfect.
Sunday’s Big Show
The show was held in conjunction with the Fiat Club of Montreal, and was billed as “Montreal’s Official Italian Automobile Festival”. In addition to the dozens of Alfas, there were Fiats, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and DeTomasos. All the cars were parked on Rue Dante, a main drag through Little Italy, and the locals came out in force to take in the sights and sounds. The neighborhood featured Italian restaurants, bakeries, and shops, so breakfast and lunch were closer to what you’d find in Rome rather than Paris. Given star billing at the head of the street were eight Alfa Romeo Montreals parked in a row, a sight that I never thought I’d see.
Amici at Sunday breakfast
Rue Alma was cleverly renamed for the day
AROC members had the option to choose “judge my car” or “don’t judge my car”. I chose the latter, if only because I didn’t want to spend Sunday morning on detail alert. My plan was to relax, take in the sights, and continue to chat up my fellow Alfa owners, which is exactly what I did. At 2 p.m., the AROC judges announced the winners. As an especially nice touch, cake and champagne were served at the awards ceremony.
With that, Alfa Expo ’17 was officially over. We had decided to stay in Montreal Sunday night, and take our time driving back on Monday. We left about 9 a.m. Monday, drove through some nasty but brief storms, and once on the other side of that weather, had bright hot sunshine for the rest of the trip. We arrived home by 6 p.m. Monday night, exhausted, but pleased with our active weekend.
These were my takeaways from my first AROC convention:
Unless the Alfa in question is a non-street-legal track car, almost every owner drives their Alfa to an Alfa convention.
Alfa Romeo owners, as a group, are the most friendly, knowledgeable, yet humble car folks I’ve ever met.
The AROC Organization, which has quite of few of these events under their collective belts, puts on a top-notch event.
The “pre-convention driving tours” (the reason for planned activities starting a week before) are a Big Deal to Alfisti, who love to drive their cars.
Alfa Romeo owners like ALL Italian cars.
Alfa owners love to drive their cars (did I say that already?).
My GT 1300 Junior continues to amaze me. We drove 880 miles round trip. The car started, cold or hot, on the first turn of the key. We comfortably cruised on the highway between 70 and 80 mph. There were no unwanted noises or behaviors. With a trunk full of spare parts including plugs, wires, a coil, and a fuel pump, none was needed. (My theory is that the quantity of spare parts on board is inversely proportional to their need.) The car used no oil, and never missed a beat.
The AROC has announced that the 2018 convention will be in Olympia WA. I’m already plotting my trip out there.
Two GTVs side by side
Alfetta sedan, rare sight even at an AROC event
Giulietta spider
GT 1300 Jr sits comfortably among its cousins
Series 3 and 4 spider tails
Montreals became an almost-common sight
Giulia Sprint Speciale
Gorgeous spider is also a 1300 Junior
This Montreal was the only one with non-black interior, which looked great in cream
Alfa 1900 eventually won Sunday’s Best In Show
After Saturday’s bath
Late ’90s spider not yet legal in U.S., but is in Canada
Series 1 and 4 spider tails
New Alfas, 4Cs and Giulias, make their way up Rue Dante for Sunday’s show
The final day of official events for the AROC (Alfa Romeo Owners Club) arrived. The Concorso was held in the Petite Italie (Little Italy) neighborhood in Montreal, populated with Italian restaurants, shops, and bakeries.
The AROC show was held in conjunction with the Fiat club of Montreal. Hence, many Fiats, Ferraris, and other Italian exotics joined.
The weather was perfect, and the crowds were large and enthusiastic.
A full event report covering all three days will follow.
This post really starts with Friday night. After dinner, five Montreals gathered for a tech session. It was a great photo op.
On Saturday, some cars went to the track. We hung out and detailed the cars in prep for the big Sunday concours. Perhaps the best part of the day is chatting it up with fellow Alfa owners.
richardscarblog 