Alfantics articles...
Alfantics articles...
Two Alfa Club Drives Scheduled, April 5 & 27
The first weekend in April, take a drive to Appomattox, Va., on some
lovely country roads. Sherry and Brewster Thackeray have organized a Backroads
Ramble that is sure to make your Alfa sing! We will meet at 2117 North Dinwiddie
St. in Arlington starting at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 5, and hit the road
by 9:45. Anticipate a good 5 hours of driving, with a lunch break. You'll be
able to get home from Appomattox by 8 or so, or if you call the tour organizers
in advance (703/807-0798 or TwoThacks@aol.com) they'll help you find lodging
in Appomattox. (There may be a room left at Spring Grove B&B as of press
time!)
Jump ahead to the last weekend in April: It's the annual Regional Italian
Car Tour! This is always one of the highlights in our club's year, a great chance
to drive on good roads with Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Fiats, Lancias,
DeTomasos, and perhaps the occasional Ducatti motorcycle. Pick up "Poker
Run" playing cards at rest stops to win great prizes!
Seasoned event director Kevin Sims of the Lamborghini Club has worked hard to
make it another event on a par with last year's, when Alfa truly dominated the
field. We hope to again have over 20 cars from our Club this year. Cost is a
reasonable $38, including a catered lunch at the Ceresville Mansion near Frederick,
Md. But it's $10 extra the day of the event.
Kevin will address our April dinner meeting in Baltimore. You can sign
up there or by contacting him at 703/393-9535 or lamboeast@aol.com. Mail checks
payable to Kevin Sims to P.O. Box 741, Manassas Park, VA 20113.
With your check, please include a note saying what car you'll drive, your phone
number, and that you're with the AROC Capital Chapter.
In last month's Alfantics, Gavin
Corn reviewed an outstanding series on the "Do It Yourself" network
about automobile restoration. To his and others' delight, one of the first cars
featured was a 1969 Alfa Romeo Duetto.
We have obtained a copy of two 24-minute episodes of this show, and they will
be played at the April 7 dinner meeting in Baltimore.
Following a brief and accurate history of how the Duetto came to be, the restoration team digs in on a "barn-found" red Spider, restoring body, interior, and engine to a high level. However, their goal is not a show car, but one that can actually be driven.
by Brewster Thackeray, Edifice
North American fans of the Alfa Romeo marque have finally gotten the
news we have long awaited: our beloved cross-and-serpent badge will be found
on brand new vehicles sold in the U.S. beginning in early 2004.
The vehicles themselves will be a dramatic departure for Alfa, which earned
its enduring fame with small, sporty cars. When Alfas go on sale next Spring
through Cadillac dealers, their initial offering will be a hefty
sport-utility vehicle. "Porsche really changed the playing field with its
new Cayenne," explained Alfa Romeo Marketing V.P. Ollie O. DiOlivo. "That
and successful offerings from BMW and Mercedes made clear Alfa needed to sell
what Americans want: large, inefficient hauling vessels."
Photos of a "design mule" vehicle led some in the automotive
press to suggest the new Alfa is in fact a rebadged Cadillac Escalade. Alfa
says it's about more than the badge. "Besides, Porsche shares its SUV platform
with VW, and Cadillac is a far more prestigious ally," they noted. "Elvis
never drove a Beetle."
Asked how Alfa could go in this direction, DiOlivo responded, "It's
GM, stupido." Future offerings from Alfa Romeo North America may include
a revived Amphicar. Elsewhere in the news, Hummer announced the launch of a
solar powered truck, while Hyundai plans a rival to the Lincoln Town Car. (April
Fool!)
One More Wintery Nip before It's Top-Down Season
by Bob Kleinfeld, Secretary
With 15 snowfalls behind us this year and the teaser of a couple of mild
days just before, the temperatures fell back to the twenties for our March 3
chapter meeting at Ristorante Pulcinella in McLean. Although Pulcinella's parking
lot had a nice assortment of Alfas when I arrived, none displayed open cockpits.
Perhaps the April meeting will offer a better set of conditions or at least
a hardier breed of Alfisti.
With about 20 in attendance, President John Kay started with a round
of introductions, followed by a request for nominees to the AROC board. After
John's run-down of board member duties, and noting that Beth Bishop's
term expires in July, 2003 while Gene Kessler's expires after the 2004 National
Convention, Bob Lubran nominated Brewster Thackeray. Since Brewster has applied
to be publisher of the Alfa Owner, he felt it would be bad timing to run for
a director position, and so declined. With one Board member from our Chapter,
it was decided that securing a nominee was not a priority.
John passed on the good news that future meetings will feature guest
speakers, with three lined up already. One speaker will tell us about the latest
in fuel cell technology, another will enlighten us about tires for our automotive
love objects, and a third will fill us in about electric cars. (Given Alfa's
reputation for electrical gremlins, do we really want to know anything about
a possible electric Alfa? Not I.) Brewster mentioned that he would provide a
video feature for the April meeting at Squire's from the Do It Yourself network,
about restoring a Duetto (as reviewed by Gavin
Corn in our March issue). John noted that the May meeting would be at Vicino's.
With the spring Backroads Ramble coming up on April 5, Ramble Maestros
Sherry and Brewster Thackeray spoke in glowing terms of the joys of the 1840s
farmhouse that will be the B&B of choice for the optional overnight stay.
Although some may opt to treat the Ramble as just a day trip, Brewster told
us that would omit a most worthwhile experience. Not only is the B&B charming,
the prices are reasonable (starting at $110 per room) and the owners show real
affection for the Alfa club and its members.
There's a great dinner (with wine) for a prix fixe of $25 and the room
rate includes an excellent breakfast. Despite its unprepossessing name, the
nearby Fred's Car Museum is almost worth the stay on its own. For further details
on the Ramble, see the article in this issue of Alfantics and check out last
month's too.
On the subject of choosing future meeting sites more central to the majority
of chapter members, John reported that he had checked out the Olive Garden restaurant
in Laurel, and reminded us that July's meeting will be at Mon Ami Gabi in Bethesda.
Because of the national convention, July's meeting will fall on July 14 (Bastille
Day) and a French bistro seems most appropriate. (The writer wishes to note
that he just erased a 1000-word screed deploring recent French diplomacy.)
Since John had the floor, he related some of the early planning he's
done for the September or October wine country tour. With considerable pride
and pleasure, he noted that he's found a route to Deer Meadow winery that
doesn't go right through the middle of Winchester.
Kevin Sims, of the Lamborghini Owners Club, is again running the Italian
car tour, this year on April 27. If you want to run with lots of Ferraris and
Lamborghinis, this one is for you. See the article on page 1 for more details.
Kevin needs volunteers for the event and prizes for the winners of the poker
run -- do you have anything to donate?
In his closing remarks, John expressed his pleasure with the content
and appearance of Alfantics, and then entertainingly reminisced about the 1977
national convention in Aspen, Colo. Suffice it to say that it involved a failed
Alfa head gasket, a night-time run to Salt Lake City to benefit from the cooler
night air, and the discovery that no rooms were to be had in SLC because of
a square dance convention there. Few others could get such humor from a head
gasket failure.
Finally, Treasurer Gene Kessler gave a brief financial report. Our balance
remains stable and all advertising invoices have been sent out. Gene plans to
visit our advertisers in the near future, leaving behind posters to entice nonmember
Alfa owners to join AROC.
I expect that part of the report on the Capital Chapter's visit to the
AROC Convention in Aspen, Colo. in 1977 will appear soon in Alfantics. As the
25th anniversary of that event has come and gone, it is perhaps interesting
to record some of the incidents that are still vividly in mind. We were two
adults and a child plus camping gear in a 1963 Giulia
Sprint. First, John Justus, now national President, had recently left Washington
for Kansas City. He had said that if the group stopped by his house on the way
through town, we could sleep on his floor. George Hopkins, then President, felt
that it would be better to sleep in a campsite at Lawrence, Kansas, to the west
of Kansas City. So we did not exactly meet up, except by telephone.
The next day we easterners learned about the size of the mid-west
When we asked how to get onto Interstate 70, we were told, "You go down
here a ways and you'll see a sign on the right." Quite accurate, except
that "a ways" was 60 miles!
When we reached the outskirts of Denver, we camped in a Corps of Engineers
site. Of course, Denver is at 5,200 feet and George Hopkins' family camping
tent (which was a brute to erect) was as cold as could be. Revolt of the
families. Dash into Denver for warmer ground sheets and non-camping blankets.
On the way to Aspen we went over the Loveland Pass (although the Eisenhower
Tunnel did already exist). It was July 1, but there was enough
snow on top for everybody to get out and throw snowballs.
After the event we went from Aspen to Grand Canyon, and on the way discovered
we had a blown head gasket. The outside temperature at Cameron, a village near
the Canyon, was 103 deg. F. Inquiry revealed that the nearest
repair place for Alfas was in Salt Lake City nearly 400 miles away. As we were
holding a pillow in front of our faces (not the driver's, alas) to divert the
heat from the air vents, we decided to drive at night and at 55 mph.
This tactic brought us to Provo, outside Salt Lake, at 4:00 a.m. No hotels
in Provo, and in Salt Lake there was a square dance convention. We found a campsite
in the suburbs just as the sun was rising. We did not sleep long. The site was
noisily placed between the airport, the railway and the interstate; but it did
have washing facilities. On the way to the Alfa dealer, a seam on the top of
the radiator burst and we arrived in a cloud of steam. (Now begins the part
that makes one believe in kindness.) We are talking about Friday and we were
invited in Saint Paul, Minnesota for July 4 (Tuesday), 1500 miles away.
The boss says: "We close midday Saturday." The mechanic says:
"Where are you staying?" We explain. "You'll stay with me then."
He takes us to his apartment, explains that he has lost his wife and child because
he is a model railway nut (indeed, the whole place is taken up with model railway),
and that tonight is model railway club night. "Come and see me at the back
door of the agency at 5.30 p.m." So we do; he bundles us and the burst
radiator into a clapped out station wagon. We visit a radiator establishment
in the bottom of the town, which is devoted to motor vehicle repair. "I'll
come for this radiator about midnight. These are visitors who have to leave
town tomorrow," says our mechanic.
He takes us to his home, and leaves saying: "Don't worry. I'll come
back about 1 a.m. a bit tiddly. But my mate will fetch me at 8:00 o'clock. You
come to the agency at noon, and your car will be ready." Everything turned
out as he had said. He came home tiddly. His friend came at 8:00 a.m. and at
noon the car was ready. At half the price we would have paid on the east coast.
We made one overnight stop near Casper, Wyoming, and another further
east, and had one of the best July 4ths ever with our friends in St. Paul, Minnesota.
(Afterwards, unintentionally, we drove from there to Washington non-stop with
only minor excitements).
Michael and Mary Ovitt of the Austin Healey Club have invited our AROC
members to come to and join a bunch of "little British cars" in the
Great Patuxent Valley Rallye & Picnic on Sunday June 1. For those British
car lovers, this will be a treat! Details will follow in May, and are at www.chesapeake.net/~oritt/
Feeling more German? Sunday, May 4 is the German Marque Concours in Vienna's
Nottaway Park, 9-3. Free to observers and a great chance to ogle shiny Porsches,
Mercedes, and BMWs, some dating back to the '30s.
By Brewster and Sherry Thackeray
[Continued from last month...]
After winning our beloved black 1991 164L back on a January e-Bay auction
18 months after she left our driveway, all we had to do was pay her current
owner and put her on a truck from Los Angeles. But that would be too easy, and
would mean missing a great opportunity to drive an Alfa across the United States!
The bargain $99 airfare JetBlue was offering to Long Beach sealed the deal.
The Alfa was just as current owner Mark Milburn described her. She had
only been driven 3,000 miles since we sold her, for a total of 75,000. Her paint
shone, her interior was clean, she looked terrific. Mark had added a bra and
a Momo shift knob, and had put on new brakes and performance springs that noticeably
lowered the car. After taking a spin around the block and judging her ready
for the road, we officially re-assumed ownership of this car that we first bought
from her original owners in Ohio in 1999.
We quickly realized those new springs made for not only better cornering
but also a harsher ride. Apparently their early '90s marketing partner Chrysler
advised Alfa to use softer springs for the U.S. market, not bad advice for most
American driving. Marlie now bottoms out on decent-sized potholes. Also, the
rear springs developed a squeaking habit that lasted for much of the journey
(since diagnosed as bent frame rails from when the car was shipped to California).
We planned nine days for our cross-country adventure, allowing time for
sightseeing and side trips. Leaving Los Angeles on Sunday, we watched the sun
sink behind us as we drove toward Las Vegas. There wasn't much to see in the
desert other than headlights; that is until Route 15 gave way to the oasis of
gambling and glitter. Marlie looked just as sharp as the new Benzes and Jaguars
parked along the Vegas strip, and seemed thoroughly cosmopolitan in the garage
of the Paris hotel.
Leaving Vegas with slightly more cash in our pockets (but not the keys
to a Mercedes SL that Sherry was one notch on a slot machine from winning),
we headed south to tour and cross the FDR-era engineering marvel
known as Hoover Dam. After a few more hours of driving small side roads in the
desert Southwest, we came upon one of the most striking natural regions we have
ever seen, Sedona, Arizona. If you dig geology, it is not to be
missed.
After a few days of sightseeing and late starts, we needed to get some
serious miles between the West coast and us. The next several days were hard,
fast driving on Route 40, through Arizona, New Mexico, and on into Texas, trying
to stay ahead of a storm front that would eventually become the Blizzard of
'03.
Sherry got the trip's only speeding ticket in Texas (82 in a 65 for those
keeping track). Texas is one of those States where a day (75 mph) and night
(65 mph) speed limit system tries to coexist; we were in dusk, which the cop
defined as night. He was all business, but did acknowledge he had never ticketed
an Alfa before. We learned not to mess with Texas to the tune of $125, but we
were lucky. Earlier we had been going a good 25 mph faster.
A 164 is so smooth and eager to run, its speed really creeps up!
Stopping for the night in Oklahoma gave us a chance to visit the state's
whimsical Route 66 Museum, where we paused to think about how much longer and
harder a journey like ours would have been just a generation or two ago.
By the time we reached the charming Rosemont Bed and Breakfast in Little
Rock, Arkansas, it had started to rain. We were sorry that weather conditions
prevented us from seeing more of the city where Bill Clinton began his political
rise. There was a lovely downtown river walk area, but the rain made it miserable.
We decided to boogie on to Memphis, where we visited the kitsch museum
of Graceland on Valentine's Day in the middle of a downpour. For car lovers,
Elvis's collection of pink and purple Cadillacs and early '70s Stutz cars (think
Zimmer, but more tasteless) are a hoot, to say nothing of the '65 Lincoln Continental
with custom snakeskin roof. Strangely out of place was Priscilla Presley's
unmodified '68 Mercedes 280 SL.
That night we dropped down to Hernando, Mississippi, where we found the
Dockery Bed and Breakfast, a charming Victorian home with an outstanding wallpaper
collection and a jungle-themed apartment above its carriage house where we stayed.
Our hosts graciously let us park Marlie in the carriage house, which she seemed
to appreciate as the rain poured on.
That rain briefly subsided to a drizzle by the morning. We spent several
hours getting a good education about the turbulent history of American race
relations and civil rights at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. Part
of the museum incorporates the Lorraine Motel, where Doctor Martin Luther King
Jr. was assassinated in 1968, and the boarding house across the way whence the
shots were allegedly fired.
Leaving Memphis, we encountered our only noteworthy problem with the
car: the driver's seatbelt jammed. This was not the first time we had this problem.
Previously a couple of good sharp tugs freed the belt, but not now.
Considering the poor weather conditions and driving speed, this was not a welcome
development.
Our final stop was in Nashville, where Sherry's aunt and uncle live.
Uncle Mike is a hardcore car nut, always tinkering on a series of phenomenal
project cars. He currently has two customized early '50s Chevy pickups, a
1965 Corvette Stingray convertible, and a 1956 Thunderbird with original salmon
red paint, factory white hardtop, and just 45,000 miles. Elvis, eat your heart
out.
We hoped to make it home Sunday the 16th. Typically, driving from Nashville
to the D.C. area would take 10 hours (plus a one hour time change), but traffic
was slowed by weather conditions and rumors of a massive landslide on I-81.
At the 10-hour point when we were scheduled to be home, we were only around
Blacksburg, Va.
Our car's thermometer measured a drop in the outside air to below freezing.
Headed down a hill on Route 81 going 50 mph, we watched the cars in front of
us lose control on a sheet of sudden ice. It was quite terrifying, as three
cars and SUVs were already off the road, and five more were out of control in
front of us. The Alfa's excellent ABS sent a reassuring pulse, and we slowed
in a perfect straight line.
Traffic was barely moving, occasionally reaching 40 mph for brief periods.
The rain changed to snow that quickly covered the unplowed freeway. The 164's
much-lauded front-wheel drive worked wonderfully, but a very real
fear of being hit by someone else emerged. After 12 hours of driving, we deemed
Roanoke a wise place to stop.
The next day dawned brighter, but with more and more snow on the road
as we headed north. Nothing Marlie could not handle, but the roads remained
hairy. Hearing of backups on 81, we detoured on scenic Route 211,
which was all but deserted.
Most traffic accidents happen within a few miles of home. We almost became
part of this statistic when, after 3,015 accident-free miles and about 10 miles
from our destination, a blue minivan barreled past us in a slushy lane of I-66.
Half a mile later we were watching him spin in circles in front of us. Again,
the combination of front-wheel drive and ABS helped us avoid what could have
been a nasty multi-vehicle accident, though a fellow in a BMW 525 nearly parked
in our trunk.
Our own neighborhood was almost too buried to access, but we got the
car home, its California license plate pushing through the drifts, and dug it
a space of honor.
After 3,025 miles, Marlena deserved a good long rest, but that was not
to be. A snowed-in Spider blocked the other car in the garage, so our only front-driver
was pressed into daily service for the next week.
While on a particularly infuriating sump pump hunting mission at the
local Home Depot, Sherry released a little anger on the resistant seat belt
and it commenced to work again.
The 164 is a fine cross-country touring car, with ample power and excellent
responsiveness, comfortable, supportive seats, and standard niceties like power
windows, cruise control, and a stereo to make the miles roll by. Even at speed,
we averaged 28 miles per gallon and miraculously added NO engine oil.
However, we recognize our good fortune to make this journey in a familiar
car for which we knew most maintenance history. We would caution anyone to have
any car checked thoroughly by a reputable Alfa mechanic
before setting out on a long journey, because you would not want someone who
has never seen a 164 before performing emergency surgery.
While Alfa stands for "Always Looking For Another," sometimes
it's one that got away. It's good having Marlie back. She won't be leaving us
again any time soon.
Saturday, April 5-Sunday, April 6
Day or overnight road trip to Appomattox, VA. See details, Page 1.
Monday, April 7
Squire's Restaurant, Baltimore
Directions: Northbound from D.C.:
Take I-95 North through the Ft. McHenry Tunnel. Take exit 58 after exiting
tunnel; at the third light, take a left onto Holabird Ave. Squire's
Restaurant is 1/2 a block up on the right, at 6723 Holabird Ave., Baltimore.
410/288-0081.
Southbound on I-95: Take exit 59, Eastern Ave. Take a right onto Eastern
Ave. Immediately turn left onto Kane St. Take a left onto Dundalk Ave. At
the third light take a left onto Holabird Ave. Squire's is 1/2 a block on
the right.
Sunday, April 27.
See Page 1! Drive with Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and lots and lots of lovely
Alfa Romeos.
Monday, May 5 (Vicino's). Mr. Todd will speak to us about fuel cell
vehicles.
Monday, June 2 (Pulcinella's) A speaker about electric vehicles.
July 4 weekend in Florida. See www.aroc-usa.org for info.
Monday, July 14 at Mon Ami Gabi
Monday, August 4 (Olive Garden, Laurel, Md.)
September, Date TBD
September 15, Radnor PA. Alfa Romeo joins Ford and Corvette as the featured
marques!
Monday, October 6 (Vicino's) Speaker: A representative from the National
Tire Marketing Group.
If you really think Alfa's building an SUV
Then you're this year's April Fool, tee hee!
Alfantics is the official publication of the Capital Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC). Local membership and a subscription to this newsletter is included in the annual AROC membership fee of $45.
Permission is granted to other AROC Chapter Newsletters to reproduce any original material herein, provided full credit is given to the author and the Capital Chapter. Pictures may be available from the editor in digital format.
Articles, letters and photos should be submitted to the editor, Brewster Thackeray; brewthack@aol.com; 100 Battle St. SE, Vienna, VA 22180.
Authors should be aware that acceptance for publication in Alfantics implicitly grants republication rights to other AROC Chapter newsletters. Alfantics reserves the right to edit or reject any submitted items. Classified ads for Alfa-related items are free to members of $5 for non-members. Commercial rates are available from the Treasurer.
The deadline for classified ads and contributions to the newsletter is the 15th of each month prior to publication. Articles may be sent to the editor by e-mail or on a diskette in a common format.
DISCLAIMER: While it is a service of the Capital Chapter of AROC to disseminate technical information, any techniques or modifications published in Alfantics should be weighed against the conventional or generally accepted practice. The mentioned product, service, or procedure in this newsletter does not constitute an endorsement by this Chapter, its Officers, Alfantics, AROC, or Alfa Romeo, Inc. Alfantics, its editor or contributors assume no liability for the accuracy of any technical information appearing herein.
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Talk to jack
if you have comments
last updated: Apr 2003