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Having first joined the Alfa Romeo Owners Club in 1961 for about a ten-year stretch, and then rejoined in 2000, the time seemed long over due for going to a Convention. And the one put on by the Tennessee chapter in Nashville from June 20 through 24 exceeded my expectations in every way. What a great show! The San Diego chapter has a real challenge to top this one next year.
Driving with fellow chapter member Frank Smith in his arrest-me-yellow GT Junior with a 2000 engine put me in the right mood for serious Alfa bonding from the start. On arriving at the Airport Marriott, the Tennessee chapter passed us ID packets on neat AROC lanyards. Each packet included a picture of the attendee's car below his or her name and town, and listed all of the events for which the attendee was registered. The packets served as admission tickets to dyno days, the rally, the saloon tour, the banquet, the awards lunch, the time trials, and the autocross, no doubt simplifying the administrative chores greatly. They sure beat using those silly " Hello " stickers or badges.
Having arrived early enough on Thursday to survey the parking lot filled with 120 Alfas and a few wannabes (on which more later), time remained for a visit to part of the first Dyno Day session at Nashville's Performance Garage. I watched several interesting cars respond to the ministrations of renowned Alfa tuning expert Wes Ingram.One, Hans Milo's GTV with a most sanitary installation of a 3.1-liter V6,gained about 30 rear-wheel horsepower just from Wes' tweaking. Stan Marks' beautiful Montreal went from belching black smoke from its left exhaust pipes to running smoothly and evenly with lots more power. Time and money well spent, I'd say. Show me another way to gain 30 horsepower for $100!
About that parking lot: Marriott's management had cordoned off a large parking area for the use of conventioneers,and it was wonderfully packed with every variety of post-WWII Alfa imaginable. Among the standouts were five Montreals, as well as Mike Besic's Bonneville LSR car and brother Darren's '57 Giulietta Spider hot rod. These two were among the cleanest and best engineered modified cars seen anyplace. In addition to the usual Alfas (does such a thing exist?), I salivated over a perfectly restored '53 Touring-bodied coupe, and a Vignale-bodied 2000from about 1960, all decked out in the Italian colors. Also in evidence were a Caterham 7 and an Elite, both wearing Alfa medallions in place of their original badges. A beautifully restored '42 Chevy pickup sporting an Alfa Romeo script across its grill displayed a sign in its windshield declaring that it was a restored '42 Alfa and bore a striking resemblance to a Chevy of the same year!
The Thursday evening welcoming party had to move indoors because of rain. With several cash bars set up, a buffet table with hot and cold comestibles, and a combo that included at least one Alfa owner (with lots of speculation among the attendees about which one he was), the setting proved to be everything that we could have wanted.Much renewing of old acquaintances and making of new ones took place amid the milling Alfa minions. For me, meeting the venerable Fred diMatteo (billed as the world's fastest 85-year-old) was a highlight, almost making up for the fact that his Alfa-powered autogyro wasn't present. Next year, Fred?
Friday saw more of Dyno Days for those not participating in the 2 ½-hour rally to the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg. Despite finishing far back in the pack, this rally navigator had a wonderful time. Touring the fabled distillery was quite an education too.
Friday evening forced me to make a choice of going on the Wildhorse Saloon and Second Avenue Tour or attending the 750/101 dinner. For me as a 101 Spider owner, the decision was easy. Our nominal co-hosts, Digest founders Peter Pleitner and Lew Rosenberger, put this event together, and about twenty 750/101 owners attended. Luminaries dining with us included Pat Garrett (whose store of 750/101 know-how ranks with the best), Richard Ballentine (who brought his beautiful and exotic Giulia TZ from Durango, Colorado), Lionel Velez of wiring harness fame,and several others whose writings I've enjoyed and benefited from for years but had never met. One of the diners (Carl Davis, of Bloomington, Illinois) distributed an indexed compilation of all of the wisdom contained in the 750/101Digest since its inception. This generosity of spirit was typical of what I encountered at the convention.
The time trials and autocross took place at the brand new, 1.4-mile Nashville Superspeedway, which was so fresh that it saw its first race cars only on Thursday, when IRL star Sara Fisher ran her car in testing. The road course includes a challenging blend of fast sweepers, low-speed hairpins, and tricky combinations.
The Capital Chapter's Frank Smith took first place in his class, driving the same yellow GT Jr he used to get to Nashville, while Frank Salemi finished fifth in class driving his Milano.In the autocross, Arch Scurlock finished fourth in class driving his Spider and Brad Mellor finished seventh in class driving his GTV6. Brad brought his son Austin to the convention, no doubt to instill in him greater Alfa fanaticism, not to mention father-son bonding. Gene Kessler bonded with his son Fred and wife Debbie. When will we see them on the high banking?
Since the autocross was held in the infield directly adjacent to the garages, and the garages faced the stands and banking on the other side, I could enjoy both events from a single vantage point. With the autocross and time trials going on concurrently, this led to a certain amount of schizoid behavior on my part, but it was worth it to see so many Alfas in action at once.
Following a full day of autocrossing and time trials, the boys from Tennessee put on a happy hour and banquet back at the Marriott, with more than 400 Alfisti attending. Speeches and awards flowed profusely, and a spirit of convivial Alfamania prevailed. Among chapter door prize winners were Megan Caverly (a Jack Daniels jacket)and Frank Salemi (an Alfa Romeo desk clock with a walnut base). Gene Kessler received a plaque commemorating his 25 years as an AROC member. Gene, along with Beth Bishop, also received a certificate for publishing and editing 12 consecutive issues of Alfantics. At the end of the banquet, the party moved outdoors to the Alfa parking lot for more conviviality, eased along by the presence of a cash bar and live music.
Another demonstration of Alfista generosity occurred when the host announced that chapter member Mike Conrey needed an eight-bolt donut for his GTV6 or he'd be stranded more than 700 miles from home. A Japanese couple just happened to have purchased this rare item (certainly unobtainable in Tennessee) and gave it to Mike, who proceeded to install it Sunday morning in the Marriott parking lot.
While Mike was sheltering from the sun under his GTV6, most of the rest of us visited Nashville's Two Rivers Mansion for the concours d'elegance. Seeing so many immaculate Alfas in one place was, for me, almost overwhelming. What to look at first? And how can I look at them all adequately? I might miss something if I linger too long at just one car. Mine looks so tired in comparison, but now I have a standard to shoot for in my restoration efforts.
After a mere two hours of drooling over the assembled concours entrants (far too short a time for me), it was time to sit down to the awards luncheon, held under a huge tent on the mansion grounds. While dining on a box lunch, we heard the results of not only the concours, but the autocross, time trials, and rally.
With the awards completed, another convention came to an end. And a great one it was.
If you'd like to see some of the Italian beauties parked and in action, the Tennessee chapter has posted several hundred photos at its web site:http://alfatenn.org/conv2001/results.htm. You can also access the complete results of all events.
Here is News from the Board of Directors Meeting, which lasted for 10 hours!
National Roster - Any member who wishes, may request from Shayna Geller, AROC Administrator, a copy of the National Roster. This will be provided for the cost of copying and mailing. You should provide your AROC Membership Number when ordering. The Roster will be current as of the copying, realizing that the National Roster changes monthly.
Dues - Membership dues will remain at $45.00 for the next year. You may pay your dues for a period of up to three (3) years, by check or credit card. There is no discount for multiple year memberships.
Alfa Owner - Doug Darling, publisher of the Alfa Owner, has fired the company that did the mailing for him and hired a new one. This should speed up you receipt of your monthly issue. Let me know how it is working out.
Regarding the Owner, one thing which will make it better is the submission of articles for publication. Doug is the Publisher, not the writer! The consensus among Board members is that if Doug had a backlog of articles available for printing that would also assist him in having the Owner to us in a more timely fashion. Those members who have an experience to write about should submit an article for publication. The articles may be about an event or of a technical nature. (We only have to look at our own Brewster Thackeray's article on purchasing an Alfa on the Internet). Doug does receive a copy of each of the Chapter Newsletters. You will see a request (plea - begging) in the Owner for articles to be published.
2002 Convention - The 2002 AROC Convention will be held in Costa Mesa, California, at the Hilton Hotel. It is to be hosted by the Southern California AROC and will be held over the 4th of July in 2002.
2003 Convention - The 2003 AROC Convention will be held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, at the Embassy Suites Hotel. It is sponsored by Southern Florida AROC. The exact date of this convention is being finalized. It will be the end of June or beginning of July 2003. It will probably not be over the 4th of July.
July's meeting was held at Vicino's in Silver Spring, Md. on the 9th. Those in attendance caught a great summary of the Annual Meeting from Gene Kessler, who attended as Club VP and National Board Member.
Gene has summarized the Board's actions in this issue, while Bob Kleinfeld shares his attendee's perspective. It's a good thing Bob was there to do this, since it sounds like Gene and our club's newest addition to the National Board, Beth Bishop, were trapped in meetings for much of the weekend.
Pat Graziosi filled us in on the LeBelle Macchine d'Italia event that he attended in Wilkes Barre, Pa. last month. He strongly recommends this event to those who've never been. Pat is seeking input from other AROC members as the organizers have expressed interest in inviting Alfa (via GM and Fiat) to launch its new models at this event in 2003 or 2004. Meeting attendees recognized it would be along shot, but shared Pat's enthusiasm for giving it a try.
The Fall calendar is filling up with lots of exciting activities!
The Annual Picnic is set for Saturday, September 8, 2001 at the home for Brad and Maggie Mellor in Vienna, Virginia. Expect festivities to begin around 4:00 pm and end when the food and drinks are gone or the last person leaves. Last year's picnic went well into the evening hours.
A week later, John Kay will be leading the club on a wine hunting expedition. Look forward to the Club's Treasurer sharing his tips for financially advantageous wine purchases. For those needing to get out more driving aggression, the Mid-Atlantic chapter is sponsoring track time that weekend at VIR--see Page 8.
Organizer Jack Rugh has sent in some information on the rescheduled Capital Chapter Prettyboy TSD Rally. Sunday, September 30, 2001 is the date, beginning 8:45a.m. at Oregon Ridge Park,just North of the Baltimore Beltway intersection with Interstate 83. Pre-registration is required. Detailed information is available on the Prettyboy Rally Web Page, which can be found at the following URL: http://www.ece.jhu.edu/~rugh/pbr/ information is also available by email request to rugh@jhu.edu, or by phone request to 410/467 4087 (evenings/weekends)... as well as in the September Alfantics.
In October, the newsletter editor and I are pulling together a backroads ramble that will visit the historic 1763 Inn in Upperville (at right). The tentative date is Sunday, Oct. 14. Details will follow at the August meeting and in the September Alfantics!
The Capital Chapter was one of twelve saluted at the Annual Convention with the Newsletter Award for publishing a full 12 issues of Alfantics in 2000. Kudos to last year's editors, Gene Kessler and Beth Bishop!
by Brewster Thackeray
Not long after purchasing my first Graduate, I caught the movie that inspired its badge. What other car could have so aptly captured young Ben's pre-Generation X soul-searching, his adolescent romantic yearnings, with the innocence and charisma of his little red Duetto? My wife says my Graduate was one of the first things about me that caught her eye; I'm just grateful no mother of a friend ever pursued me or my Alfa with equal determination.
Alfas appear in numerous other movies. Another classic and a newer flick are brought to our attention on the website of our Texas friends, the Lone Star Alfa Romeo Owner's Club. If you have other Alfa-centric flicks to recommend, please do share!
The Italian Job
The first Alfa appears 15 minutes into the film and they never stop. Filmed in Turin (1969), the movie actually credits Fiat for their support in the many chase seens. Two car delivery 12 wheelers loaded with new Fiats are used to ram a stockade with cars flying off.New Jaguar X cars are picked up by fork lifts and thrown over a cliff. But actually three Minis steal the show. Multiple Alfas crash and burn as they chase the Minis, but the best chase occurs when three Minis being chased by an Alfa drive up a huge construction ramp and drive the dome top of the Turin airport. The Alfa stalls, won't start and the Minis getaway. If this isn't enough, there's a fantastic final getaway scene.
The Talented Mr. Ripley
This recent film is set in the 1950s. Manhattan odd-jobs musician Tom Ripley borrows a Princeton jacket to play piano at a garden party. When the wealthy father of a recent Princeton grad chats Tom up, Tom pretends to know the son and is soon offered $1,000 to go to Italy to convince Dickie Greenleaf to return home. In Italy, Tom attaches himself to Dickie and to Marge, Dickie's cultured fiancée, pretending to love jazz while soaking in luxury and sexual ambiguity. Besides lying, Tom's talents include impressions and forgery, so when the handsome and confident Dickie tires of Tom, Tom goes to extreme lengths to make Greenleaf's privileges his own. The plot is riveting, the photography of Venice spectacular and the use of a stunning period Alfa Spider to dispose of a body is something you won't want to miss. The Alfa appears early in the film and again when Tom needs to take care of business. A Fiat is used in the book, but given the beautiful imagery in the film, the Alfa is better suited.
The weekend of September 15th and 16,2001, the Mid Atlantic Alfa Romeo Club (our neighbors to the South) will be conducting a Performance Driving School for all Alfa Enthusiasts on the South Course at Virginia International Raceway (VIR), near Danville, Va. The MAARC has invited any Capital Chapter members that wish to take part.
The school is an opportunity for Alfa owners to drive their Alfas at speed in a safe environment with experienced instructors, and provides both classroom and on-track driver education. On-track sessions will be carefully managed and controlled for safety.
This event is designed to accommodate all levels of driving experience from first time driving school participants to those more experienced in track events.
The Instruction and Driving Program
The primary emphasis is safe driving to ensure everyone's enjoyment. The instruction includes both classroom and in-car on-track driving instruction. Drivers will be organized into groups based on their experience, from novice to advanced. Classroom instruction will be geared to each group's experience. Experienced drivers will be on the track with other experienced drivers, and novices will be on the track with other novices. The objective is to allow you to enjoy the sensations of driving quickly, but well within your own limits, without feeling that you have to compete with anyone else.
A unique feature of this event will be a speed-limited touring group. In the touring group on-track sessions, Spiders and other open cars are not required to have roll bars. For all other track groups roll bars are required, as per SCCA safety and insurance requirements. Of course, any car can be used for the touring sessions. A pace car will limit the speed to 65 mph for drivers in this group. This speed will still allow for great cornering action and lots of learning about how our cars handle.
The 8 turn, 1.6 mile South Course at VIR has been almost exclusively reserved this Spring to commercial driving schools (Skip Barber and Bertil Roos Racing School). VIR is located 12 miles east of Danville, Va., closest to Milton, N.C. It is situated on 1200 acres of rolling hills cradled in a bend of the Dan River. It has recently had a well over $10M make-over and has a wonderfully smooth custom blended, polymer-based surface. It is one of the more scenic tracks in the region.
The Equipment and Requirements
All cars must go through a technical inspection before the event. Participants will receive a registration kit containing the necessary forms and instructions after sending in their entry fee. A list of automotive shops that provide technical inspections and helmet rental locations ($50) will be included in the kit. Helmets are required (Snell 90 M or SA). Standard three point safety belts (or five point racing harnesses) are required for all cars.
The early bird registration fee paid and postmarked by August 15, 2001 is $260. After August 16 until September 1, the registration fee is $280. After September 2, the registration fee is $300. Alfas get first places in the Touring Light Group. This group will open up to anyone after August 16th. Entry fee includes an event T-shirt and a Friday night social at the hotel. A confirmation package will be mailed after receipt of the entry form.
Register at the MAARC web page, http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/2380/ Call Charlie Weill, (919) 469-0736 or itsracer@mindspring.com; or Bob Breed, (919)-846-4098 or rbreed@mindspring.com.
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last updated: Aug 2001