Alfantics articles...
Alfantics articles...
Hear the roar of throaty engines tearing through the Maryland countryside?
It must be the annual Regional Italian Car Tour! This is 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 Ducati motorcycle -- as
well as a whole fleet of Alfas! Anyone who has not yet done this event owes
it to self and Alfa to join the fun.
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 have 24 cars from our Club like we did then. (Or perhaps
all 250+?) Cost is a reasonable $38, including a concours with catered lunch
at the Ceresville Mansion near Frederick, Md. (at left). It's $10 extra the
day of the event. Pick up "Poker Run" playing cards at rest stops
to win great prizes!
The event starts at Criswell Lamborghini in Gaithersburg, MD at 11 a.m.
on Sunday April 27. Most arrive well before then. The drive will end at the
mansion around 1 p.m. There will be People's Choice Awards within each
marque.
You can sign up by contacting Kevin Sims 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.
(and here is some late arriving extra info)
The event officially starts
at 11:00 a.m. at Criswell Lamborghini in Gaithersburg, MD. People begin arriving
and admiring cars at around 10 a.m. The tour will end at the Ceresville Mansion
near Frederick, MD. Concours and lunch at around 1 p.m. Event should wrap by
about 3 p.m.
Directions to Criswell: 503 Quince Orchard Road in Gaithersburg; 301/948-0880.
Going North on 270, take Exit 10 onto Clopper Road/117 West. Go right on Rte.
124, Quince Orchard Road, and it's right off there on the right. Heading South
on 270, take Exit 11B, onto Quince Orchard Rd/Rte 124and you'll see Criswell
on the left.
The weather on the morning of April 5 could not have been much more dismal
as a cadre of hearty Alfa drivers gathered at Sherry and Brewster Thackeray's
in Arlington. It looked to be a gloomy day of driving, and for the first hour
or so, it was. But the clouds broke by lunch at Horton Vineyards, and the rest
of the weekend couldn't have been better!
The weather turned shiny and bright, and so did the cars. It was an 80s
theme weekend, since the Alfas ranged from Bret Empie's 1981 Spider through
two 1991 Spiders and a 164L. There were two sharp looking GTV6s, an
'83 Spider Veloce, an '87 Spider Quadrifoglio, and two Milano Verdes--a rare
pair indeed with less than 900 of this model having been sold in the U.S. Rounding
out our crew was a lovely yellow 1979 Ferrari 308 owned by Ed and
Cathy Payne.
The rainy part of Saturday was the least scenic part of the trip anyway,
including stints on Routes 66 and 29 (it's hard to escape suburban Northern
Virginia!) After lunch the winding, twisting, and rolling roads got better and
better while the traffic all but disappeared. All the Spider drivers dropped
their tops as the temperature worked its way into the upper 60s.
For the second year in a row, we experienced outstanding hospitality
at the Spring Grove Farm Inn. Innkeepers Joe and Emily Sayers made those returning
and new friends all feel like family. We enjoyed a hearty meal and some good
wine, knowing there was no more driving to be done until morning. We retired
to charming rooms, most with wood burning fireplaces, to enjoy a peaceful night.
On Sunday morning, after a grand breakfast spread, the road warriors
headed into Appomattox to check out the little town where the Civil War ended
almost exactly 138 years before on April 9, 1865. The aura of that era was captured
by some Civil War reenactors, taking part in an annual salute to the last Confederate
soldiers to perish.
Others wandered around the local antique shops, visited Stonewall Vineyard,
or checked out Fred's Car Museum.
Next year's Spring Backroads Ramble to Spring Grove Farm is already being
planned, by popular demand of those who have already been and those who have
been unable to make the last two but hope to get there. The plans have been
enlarged, so we have reserved the entire inn for the full weekend of May 21-23!
Next year, the plan will be that Ramblers will leave the D.C. area on
their own and follow pre-written directions to get to Appomattox. We'll check
in and relax on Friday night, and meet up for breakfast Saturday morning, when
any stragglers will also pull in. We'll spend Saturday visiting a number of
fascinating historic and other sites in the area, enjoy a grand dinner that
night, and then on Sunday take a rambling and scenic route back through the
lush Virginia countryside.
Believe it or not, some club members have already put in their reservations
to secure the best rooms at the Inn! If you wish to do so, please contact the
Thackerays at 703/807-0798 or TwoThacks@aol.com. Full information on the inn
is at www.springgrovefarm.com and, while it's largely booked for the summer
months, it makes a great winter getaway too.
Stay tuned also for Fall Backroads Ramble plans, to be unveiled soon!
If the Italian Car Tour on April
27 leaves you reeling and needing oxygen, take a break from passion and think
about meticulous efficiency. That's right, German cars. Sunday, May 4 is the
German Marque Concours in Vienna's
Nottaway Park, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This sunny day-only event is free to observers
and a great chance to ogle shiny Porsches, Mercedes, and BMWs, some dating back
to the '30s. If you happen to own one of these marques, or know someone that
does, entry is $25-30 to show the car. More details are at http://pcapotomac.org/html/concours.html
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 British car
lovers, this will be a treat! They had 65 cars last year. The picnic on a farm
will include music and more; bring your own food & drink! Details are at
www.chesapeake.net/~oritt/
The Rallye runs from Upper Marlboro to Saint Leonard, Md., a 1.5 hour,
50-mile drive. Meet at the Giant Supermarket 1/10 of a mile south of Rte. 4
on Rte. 301 by 10 a.m. It's rain or shine (like it ever rains in Britain!)
Sunday, April 27.
See Page 1! Drive with Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and lots and lots of lovely Alfa Romeos. Enjoy good food while checking out the concours, then win some prizes with your cards from the "poker run."
Monday, May 5 Vicino's.
Guest speaker! Mr. Clark Todd will tell us about fuel cell vehicles. Meeting
is 8:00 p.m. but many arrive earlier.
Directions to Vicino's, 959 Sligo Ave. Silver Spring, Md.; 301/588-3372
>From the Capital Beltway, take exit 31 South, onto Georgia Avenue South.
>Sligo Avenue is the 6th street on the left, after Route 29 (Colesville Rd).
>There is a left hand turn lane and traffic light at Sligo Ave.
>Sligo Ave. is just before the underpass forthe Railroad/Metro Bridge.
>At the light, take a left onto Sligo Ave. Vicino's is on the left.
Monday, June 2 Pulcinella's, McLean, Va. Speaker about electric vehicles. DIY
Channel Alfa tape, as shown at April's Baltimore meeting, will be available
by popular request.
July 4 weekend in Florida. See inside this issue for full details.
www.aroc-usa.org
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.
Is that the endearing sound of
my Spica
Or has a rusty floorboard just eaten my sneaker?
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.
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Talk to jack
if you have comments
last updated: Apr 2003