NJ-AROC

NJ-AROC Monthly Breakfast Meet, March 15, 2026

RichardReina Drives, Events ,

The calendar confirmed it: yesterday, March 15 put us only six days away from the first day of spring. Yet it was cloudy and brisk, with a strong wind, which did nothing to deter eight faithful Alfisti from attending the NJ-AROC monthly breakfast, held at the Spinning Wheel Diner in Lebanon, NJ. Even better, several brave souls drove their classic Alfas to the event. (The dry and salt-free roads certainly were a contributing factor.)

The tableside conversations were lively as always, and included talk about upcoming events, such as the Imports at Carlisle show in May, as well as the 2027 National AROC convention, which will be in the Maryland/Washington D.C. area, putting it within an easy day’s drive for most of us.

Everyone seemed pleased with their meals, helped by the excellent service by the Spinning Wheel wait staff (and one waitress’s skill with simultaneously handling three coffee carafes). As usual, our chitchat continued in the parking lot after we exited the building, with most of us finally departing by 11 a.m. Fingers are crossed that our April breakfast brings even better weather and a better turnout of our Italian beauties.

 

 

Entire blog post content copyright © 2026 Richard A. Reina. Text and photos may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.

 

 

NJ Alfa Club Breakfast Meet, Oct. 12, 2025

RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Drives, Events ,

Last month, between my trip to Hershey in early October and jetting off to Italy in mid October, there was an Alfa Romeo Club breakfast that fell through the cracks! However, better late than never, so here is the post about the NJ-AROC monthly breakfast from Sunday, October 12, 2025.

We met at one of our regular haunts, the Spinning Wheel Diner on Route 22 in Lebanon, NJ. I didn’t even get a table shot, which always helps me obtain an accurate head count, but from the photos I have, it looks like we had seven Alfisti plus one guest, my friend Doug from the NJ-AACA. He had been expressing interest in Alfa Spiders to me, so I invited him to join us for the morning, which he gladly did.

After breakfast, we did our usual hanging around in the parking lot. Jeff’s Spider was the only one there, so with Doug, that’s the car that got our attention. I sat in it and marveled at the seats, much more supportive with their more aggressive side bolsters than in an earlier car like mine. This group of Jersey guys are always great to spend time with, which makes me doubly glad that as a club, we have been able to keep to our monthly breakfast meets.

Tony’s Giulia TI
Richard’s GT 1300 Jr.
Paul’s Giulia
John’s Tonale
Steve’s Giulia
Bill’s Giulia

 

Jeff’s Spider got all the love that morning:

 

And Bill kept pointing his finger at people:

 

Entire blog post content copyright © 2025 Richard A. Reina. Text and photos may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.

NJ Alfa Club Breakfast Meet, Nov. 9, 2025

RichardReina Drives, Events ,

Members of the New Jersey Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club got together on Sunday November 9th, 2025, for our monthly breakfast meetup. The Americana Diner in Shrewsbury, NJ again played host for the thirteen intrepid Alfisti who braved changeable skies and the ever-present threat of rain. But the promise of fresh griddle cakes, hot coffee, and conversation about Italian cars will get us up and out of the house, no matter the time or temperature.

We had a particularly nice variety of Milanese macchine this time around, with Lee’s GTV6 (a model we seem to rarely see), Dave’s new-to-him ’71 GTV, Alex’s always-impressive Duetto (on which he bravely kept the top down through breakfast) and several moderns, including three Stelvios and a Guilia Quadrifoglio. The thirteen of us were crammed around a table for ten, but we made it work. Our waitress did an exemplary job keeping us plied with food and drink, and as is the custom, after breakfast we spilled out into the parking lot where we continued the conversations.

Yes, there’s 12 here; Frank stepped away.

We finally bid ciao around 11 a.m. and headed home. Our Chapter has, in my humble opinion, done an outstanding job keeping the monthly breakfast tradition alive, and rotating the location among several diners throughout the state also helps bring out members who might not otherwise be able to make a longer drive. With the holiday season approaching, I’m certain that we’ll still find the time (and the room in our bellies) for a December breakfast.

 

Lee’s GTV6:

Dave’s GTV:

And the rest:

 

 

 

Entire blog post content copyright © 2025 Richard A. Reina. Text and photos may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.

 

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

RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Car shows, Events , ,

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:

1st Place: Greg Shpungin, 2016 4C Spider

2nd Place: Steve Buchanan, 1985 Spider

3rd Place: Tim O’Riordan, 1967 Duetto

Closed Class:

1st Place: Maurice Arcangeli, 1989 Milano

2nd Place: Bill Conway, 1982 GTV-6

3rd Place: John Coyle, 1974 GTV

Somewhat new this year was the drive-by conducted for all 1st 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.

Entire blog post content copyright © 2025 Richard A. Reina. Text and photos may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.

 

NJ Alfa Romeo Club Monthly Breakfast Meet, July 20, 2025

RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Drives, Events, Uncategorized ,

The New Jersey Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (NJ-AROC) has consistently been scheduling monthly breakfast meets for the last several years. One factor in our success in doing so has been selecting a variety of eateries across the Garden State. On Sunday, July 20, we tried a new place: the All Seasons Diner in Eatontown, NJ. I left my house at 7:45 a.m. for the one-hour ride, and had a delightful early morning drive with relatively little traffic (at least by Jersey standards). Once there, I was joined by nine fellow Alfisti, and after a brief parking lot chat, we made our way inside.

Thanks to our V.P. Vic, who arranged the reservation, the diner personnel were ready for us. Coffee was poured, breakfast foods were served, and we chatted about our favorite subject: our cars. We lingered for as long as possible, and our waitress, who ably kept our coffee cups full, was in no rush to chase us out, despite the growing crowd in the lobby. She expertly took the obligatory table shot, and out we went, continuing the verbal back-and-forth near our cars. By 11 a.m., the group departed into the warm and humid July day. We had several Chapter members joining us at breakfast for the first time, which was delightful, and I hope that we are able to continue that trend.

 

Entire blog post content copyright © 2025 Richard A. Reina. Text and photos may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.

 

NJ Alfa Club Sunday Breakfast Picnic, June 8, 2025

RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Drives, Events ,

Please don’t let me hear anyone from the NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (NJ-AROC) complain that “the club doesn’t do a lot”; and yes, I still occasionally see such a comment crop up on some social media sites. For the second week in a row, after seeing each other at the Somerville, NJ, cruise night, our club conducted another highly successful gathering of Alfisti, this time in the form of an al fresco breakfast in Colonial Park in Somerset, NJ, billed as “Breakfast and Bocce.”

The turnout was great, and I was especially pleased to see many spouses join us. My wife accompanied me, and made some new friends among the ladies. Similar to last year, breakfast goodies included bagels, croissants, donuts, fresh fruit, and hot and cold beverages, courtesy of the club’s bank account. By my count, eleven Alfas were on hand, along with a delightful Lancia Fulvia Zagato (and a Porsche Cayman driven by a dedicated Alfista, so I’ll count it). Probably half the cars were Spiders, all with their tops down, as we caught a bit of a break with this crazy Jersey weekend weather.

Four Spiders sandwiched between a Lancia and a GT 1300 Junior

As we also did last year, we set up near the park’s bocce courts, but my wife and I departed just as the games were beginning. A huge thanks to Bill D., our Event Coordinator, who pulled all the details together to make our 2025 “Breakfast & Bocce” another ringing success.

Our club members enjoying the breakfast and each other’s company:

 

The Lancia Fulvia Zagato:

Lorenzo, the car’s owner, gave several of us a detailed walk-around which included some history of this car. As a Series I, it features an all-aluminum body, which we were told were manufactured in very limited numbers. The car was originally a medium blue, and someone prior to his ownership changed the color to yellow. Lorenzo delighted in pointing out numerous features which were lost on the Series II cars, including a separate door below the rear bumper for spare tire storage. He has started to strip some of the yellow paint, leaving the blue exposed and undamaged, as he would like to eventually return it to its original shade.

 

Entire blog post content copyright © 2025 Richard A. Reina. Text and photos may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.

 

 

NJ Alfa Club at the Somerville Cruise Night, May 30, 2025

RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Cruise nights, Events , ,

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)

Entire blog post content copyright © 2025 Richard A. Reina. Text and photos may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.

 

 

 

NJ-AROC Monthly Breakfast, Bordentown, NJ, May 18, 2025

RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Drives, Events ,

Beautiful Sunday morning weather on May 18, 2025, brought out fifteen Alfisti driving nine different Alfa Romeos to our monthly breakfast at Jimmy’s American Grill in Bordentown, NJ. Four classic Spiders, a Giulia coupe, and a Giulia sedan covered the pre-1994 segment, while a Giulia Quadrifoglio, a Stelvio, and a 4C represented the modern Alfas. I must hand it to the members of the NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (NJ-AROC): we own (and drive) a nice variety of Italian cars!

Jimmy’s doesn’t open until 9 a.m., so we hung out in the parking lot until about fifteen after the hour before entering. Once inside, we had plenty of choices from their brunch menu. The service was great, and as usual, we coerced our server into taking a few group shots of the table. After the bill was paid and we spilled back into the parking lot, conversations continued, as they tend to when car guys and gals are involved.

These monthly breakfasts are a great tradition that has been ongoing for well over a year, and personally, I would love to see greater participation from the club members. We purposely vary the diner location each month (we are presently rotating among four diners throughout the state) so no matter where a member might live, the opportunity to join us is there. It was also great to drive my ’67 GT 1300 Junior in nice weather. The car ran well, and I have at least three more events for this month alone, so I’m looking forward to more miles in that driver’s seat.

1967 GT 1300 Jr.

 

2018 4C

 

 

Series 2 Spider

 

Series 4 Spider

 

Stelvio

 

 

 

A nicely detailed engine bay

 

Entire blog post content copyright © 2025 Richard A. Reina. Text and photos may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.

 

 

 

NJ-AROC Breakfast Meet, April 26, 2025

RichardReina Drives, Events , ,

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.

 

Entire blog post content copyright © 2025 Richard A. Reina. Text and photos may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.