Club’s Annual Party - December 4 at President & Mrs. Kay’s

by SherryThackeray, Vice President
    The Capital Chapter’s Annual Holiday Party returns this year to the home of our President, John Kay, and his delightful wife Kathleen. The Kays have hosted many joyous gatherings for the Club in their home over the years.
        The Holiday Party is a potluck affair. The good news is that makes it free. The better news is it gives club members the chance to show off their culinary skills (or shopping skills if they prefer).
        Each year, several members bring door prizes to be awarded in a lottery. If you have some Alfa-related items that you think might be of interest to others, please consider donating them to this effort!
        The party begins at 7:00 p.m.at7309DelfieldStreet, Chevy Chase, Md. Directions are as follows: From Connecticut Avenue, turn east on Thornapple Street, come to Brookville Road, zigzag left and right, continue on Thornapple, pass Chestnut on right, turn left onto Delfield in front of mailbox. Kay house is third on right.
        From East-West Highway (Md. 410) turn south on Brookville Road. Continue on Brookville Road until you see a white rail fence at the top of a slope. Turn left on Thornapple in front of white fence.  Pass Chestnut on right. Turn left into Delfield in front of mailbox.

        Park where you can on Delfield or nearby streets. Phone number for anyone who gets lost is 301/652-6287.

OFFICER ELECTIONS

In addition to celebrating our cars and camaraderie, the Holiday Party is the Club’s annual business meeting, at which officers are elected. The elected officers of the Club are the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Other posts in the club are appointed.

        This year our esteemed and diligent Secretary, Bob Kleinfeld, is stepping down as he prepares to move to Denver, Colorado. Bob will be a hard act to follow but will be glad to help his successor ease into the job.

        Candidates who are interested in running for any office should contact one of the current officers to express their interest. Attendance at the meeting is not required to run. It’s a great opportunity to be more active in the Club and get to know more Alfisti!

Ferraris and Alfas Enjoyed Great Weather on Md. Tour

On Sunday, November 7, Mark, Jean and Ryan Blace welcomed members of the Ferrari and Alfa Clubs to their Huntingtown, Md. home, as they annually do, for a brilliant tour of the rural countryside. This year was an especially impressive effort for Mark, whose work has taken him to New Orleans for two years. He brought the warm southern weather up with him; the day cleared 70 and tops were doffed!

        The lineup was a little smaller than in recent years, but the quality was brilliant. The only non-Italian was a 1950s Gullwing Mercedes 300SL (who’s going to complain about that kind of company?) Every other vehicle was a Pininfarina design.

        On the Maranello front, there were three Ferrari Testarossas, two 308s, and one near-new Ferrari cabriolet.
        Representing Milan and Arese, the star of the day was Sam Smith’s race-ready Giulietta Spider. This was joined by Denny and Tricia Broud in their red ’91 Spider, Soren Snitker in his 164S, and Sherry and Brewster Thackeray in their 164L

      Driving one of the 308s, a beautiful green 1980 model, was none other than our former AROC chapter president George Hopkins! He and his wife enjoyed meeting some Alfisti who had joined since his tenure, and vice versa. Now we need to find them another nice Giulietta…

        As always, the roads that the Blaces selected were a great place to drive the cars with some gusto, but not to the point of excess. There were many waves and thumbs-up from people by the side of the road, some of whom may now recognize this as an annual event. There are few things more invigorating than seeing three Testarossa supercars, in red, black and white, blow by!

        When the pack spread out, the higher-horsepower cars’ drivers delighted in demonstrating their acceleration and handling.

        A delicious lunch, including crab chowder and filet with fried oysters, was served, as in previous years, at the Old Field Inn. This lovely historic home-turned-restaurant is a great getaway, but its grounds have been sadly diminished as office buildings are going up there. Fortunately the inn itself will be preserved.

        The Blaces have promised to keep this great fall driving tradition going! Don’t miss next year’s tour.

November Meeting Minutes

by Bob Kleinfeld, Secretary
November’s meeting at Chiapparelli’s in Baltimore represented all that’s good about Capital Chapter get togethers: Great weather, reserved “Alfa-only” parking at the restaurant’s entrance, great victuals, lots of bonamie and high spirits, and quickly completed business.
        President John Kay kicked off the business part of the meeting with a discussion of where we could hold this year’s Holiday Party, volunteering his own house for the celebration. Once again, the affair will be a potluck dinner, with Charlie Drake providing a lamb-based dish and Sherry Thackeray furnishing a turkey. Directions to the December 4th party can be found on Page 1. John reminded us of the gravest hazard of not attending the Christmas party – You could be elected as a chapter officer in absentia.
        Brewster Thackeray shared the good news that his plea for assistance with the newsletter had been answered by member Jim Hood, who has extensive publishing and editing experience and will come on board as co-editor in December.

        Brewster also spoke about the Blace family’s annual Fall Foliage Rally November 7 (article on page 1), including the joys of past rallies and the excitement of chasing Ferraris and a gullwing Mercedes through the glorious autumnal countryside of southern Maryland.
        Following the usual round of introductions and short bios, John noted that we will at last have a treasurer’s report at the Christmas party. For his part of the introductions, Russ Baer entertained us with several hilarious stories of his four-plus decades of life with Alfas (to which many of the attendees might have responded with, “Is there life without Alfas?”)
        Jack Rugh reported on the SCCA runoffs at Mid-Ohio four weeks earlier, noting sadly that few Alfas were in evidence there.
        Finally, Brewster described his experience showing Bella Teodora (the Thackerays’ 1961 Giulietta Spider) at the Rockville Car Show. On again, off again rain seemed to dampen his spirits only un poco, and he would definitely do it again and encourage other members too as well.
        With that, the meeting was deemed concluded, and the assembled Alfisti broke into bench racing groups or departed for their home bases.

DID WE ALFISTI WIN THE 2004 ELECTION?

by Brewster Thackeray, Editor

Top 10 reasons Bush II will serve us well:
10.     Smog controls will be lifted from our older cars. Heck, all cars!
  9.    Penurious diesels will be passé, excluding Hummers of course.
  8.    Colin Powell is a car guy. His favorite ride is a Volvo 122S Amazon.
  7.    Bush’s good relations with Silvio Berlusconi could bode well for Alfa’s return.
  6.    High octane fuel will soon flow out of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
  5.    Buy an expensive exotic car, get a tax break!
  4.    Buy a cheap exotic car, still get a tax break!
  3.    Texas vs. Massachusetts: Bush is less likely to rust out from too much salt.
  2.    Faith-based initiatives make airbags, rollbars, seatbelts and turn signals obsolete.
  1.    Ted Kennedy won’t be driving in the inaugural parade.

Top 10 reasons we might have been better off with Kerry:
10.     John Ashcroft wants to ban the Giulietta Sprint Speciale as “obscene art.”
  9.    Kerry looks French (says Tom DeLay). That’s close to Italian, right?
  8.    Theresa would have painted the Presidential Limo Ketchup Red.
  7.    The man drives a convertible. Granted, it’s a Dodge 600…
  6.    Improved relations with Europe could have led to Alfa and Peugeot imports.
  5.    Imagine Howard Dean as Secretary of Transportation. Yeeeaauwweeah!
  4.    Bruce Springsteen playing Thunder Road and Born to Run on the radio, 24/7.
  3.    Imagine having a President with no DUIs on his driving record!
  2.    Mary Matalin would have to let James Carville drive for four years.
  1.    The streets of the Capital would be safer with the Bush twins back in Texas.

Top 10 reasons Nader could have been our man:
  1.    Mmm, nope, sorry. Not gonna go there!
        RIP Beetle; adios, Corvair.

Swap & Sell

1995 164LS. Automatic. Green, tan interior, 12-disc CD, loaded. Has Sport and Ice settings. One of the last sold in this country, beautiful car! Runs and drives like new, new timing belt and valve job, ready to go! Asking $11,000 for the best 164 around. Can supply pictures. Car in Northern Va. Would consider partial trade of nice Milano automatic. Dave, 540/822-4162.

1991 164S. 70,800 miles. All red (recently painted), black interior, garage kept. Sport enhanced, timing belt, polished pistons/heads, at 58,960 miles. Great alfa engine sound. $6,000. call Barbara 301/656-8058 for more info.

1991 Spider Veloce.  Silver exterior w/ black canvas top; tan interior. 5-speed manual, 38k miles. Tan boot cover. The car has minor cosmetic damage on the front bumper and front left side. It has never been in an accident- damage is from bandit parallel parkers. VIN ZARBB32N1M6009201 The car runs extremely well. It is located in Washington, D.C. Must sell so price is negotiable for the minor fixes. Asking $10,500 obo. Call for inspection. Brooks Altshuler, 202/262-6578 or
brooksaltshuler@hotmail.com
1991 164S. Two-tone white/charcoal with black leather interior. Serviced by Doug Mitchell. 125k miles. Tensioner replaced at 108k. Borbet wheels. Jensen CD/cassette/radio. Receipts and owners manuals. I can provide you with plenty of photos. $4,900 OBO. Robert Lubran, Gaithersburg, Md, 301/523-9456 cell; kentlands115@hotmail.com

1986 GTV-6. Red with black Recaro interior.,sunroof, power windows, A/C. Some rust in trunk. 125K, mostly CA, miles. Engine runs good, new tires but needs muffler, brakes, uph and tach. $2,500 OBO. Vince Myers 410/838-1431 (9am-3pm); myersvt@comcast.net

1985 Spider Veloce. “Targa.”  Red/black, new stayfast top plus ultra rare, removable (3-piece) Targa top. Texas car; no rust; engine rebuilt with all aluminum polished, braided stainless and many chromed parts; headers and full stainless exhaust. New Springs, stereo, Pirellis much more. Needs nothing. Always garaged. $7,500 OBO. 434/591-0914 or ArchersLanding@Earthlink.net

1985 Spider Veloce. 73K miles. Red with black interior. Paint average, top excellent. Tight car, runs well, very good condition. $4,000. Call Bob at 703/524-1299 or email: bobfoss@bellatlantic.net

1985 GTV-6. Blue/blue. 150K miles. Needs head gasket and TLC, runs, usual rust at inner fenders (NOS included). $2,000. Pat Graziosi, 410/483-4455

1984 Spider Veloce. Red, 97K miles. Good engine and top but needs some TLC (Body, brakes, clutch, exhaust, A/C, tach). Garage kept in Sterling, Va., $1,200, includes cover.  703/819-4568, uuughph@aol.com

1984 GTV6 Maratona. Silver. All ground-effects and rear spoiler. Black leather interior. Sunroof, power windows, A/C. Excellent condition. Enclosed storage. 34K orig. miles. Must sell. $6400. Ross, 610/853-2090.

1983 GTV6. One owner since new. Never wrecked. Many years in NM, not driven in salt. Three rust holes easily fixed (behind front wheels and in roof). Needs bare metal paint job. 34,000 on 1987 milano engine with accessories and computer, donuts, drive train silky smooth. New radiator. Some interior work needed. call Roger at 703/567-9942. Asking $2,200 OBO.

1983 Spider Veloce. Sea Mist Green. 133K. Some rust at rear wheel arches.
Excellent mechanical condition. Garaged in Severna Park, MD $3300.
410/421-5021

1977 Spider Veloce. SPICA injected. Red with tan top and interior. AS IS. $1,000. Included in purchase FREE -- totalled 1979 Spider. Green/tan. Many parts. Ted, 410/757-4746, evenings.

1973 GTV. Dark blue/tan interior. In storage past decade. Ran when parked. Will need work to start, but not extensive restoration. Original paint. Some rust in rockers and around cowl. Complete history. Garaged near Dulles. $1,500 OBO. Ken Kavula. 703/874-1746; 703/237-6778; khalkingo139@yahoo.com

1971 GTV 1750. Good to excellent condition; $6,000 OBO, ideally to a Chapter member. Andrew Mefferd, Northern Virginia. 703/709-9700 x 1415, or 877/609-0951.

1971 Berlina. Maroon. Running but in need of engine work, paint so-so, interior decent. Four new tires. $1000. Call Ted Farrand 540/338-4285; e-mail - mourvedre@hotmail.com

PARTS FOR SALE

1976 Alfetta 2000: Will sell whole for $250 or part out. Vince Myers, Aberdeen MD, 410/838-1431 (9am-3pm); myersvt@comcast.net

Lights Etc. Right rear tail light for a 91-94 Spider, with white lens, and a set of front brake rotors for 91-94 spider, also have right rear tail light assembly for Milano— all red lenses. DennisBroud@aol.com.

Two Spider Steel Wheels. Round holes, 14-inch wheels. In good shape without damage, though they’d welcome a repaint. Have tires on them that hold air; would make fine spares. $25 each or any reasonable offer. Brewster, 703/807-0798; brewthack@aol.com

Alfa Spider Parts: Black dash $90, transmission $290 (with good synchros), complete engines for $250 each (multiple), driveline recently rebuilt with good flex disk for $70, red used carpet in very good condition $250, and flywheels for $40. Body parts free with purchase. Trim pieces also. dkunzman1@cox.net or 703/573-6640.

1985 GTV6. Parting out rusty but fairly complete car. Michael Conrey, Smithsburg, Md. 301/824-3588 conrey@erols.com

WANTED

Alfetta Sedan. No rust, good mechanicals, reliable. J. Michael Hemsley, mhemsley4@comcast.net or 703/318-8085.

67 GTV Driver’s side door handle/lock. Part numbers 105.02.55.491.00 (moving part) + 105.02.600.1100 (fixed part). Martin Dapot 703-435-8521; cardconsys@aol.com

1978 Spider Bumper. Longing for a decent-looking rear bumper for my ’78 Spider. jhood@oaktonpress.com.

Giuletta Sprint Zagato (round tail ) and Sprint Speciale, interested in the earliest examples. Will consider all from excellent to restorable. Contact Bill, 800/366-8074 x15

SERVICES

Alfa Romeo Buying & Selling assistance. Free advice. Low-commission sales. eBay auctions. A successful track record of helping Alfa owners secure win/win transactions! Call Brewster at the Alfa Base, 703/807-0798 or brewthack@aol.com.

<>Upcoming Events

<>Il Calendario

CHAPTER HOLIDAY PARTY
Saturday, December 4, 2004
John and Kathleen Kay’s House
7309 Delfield Street, Chevy Chase, Md.
If you are bringing a dish or raffle prizes, please contact Sherry at 703/807-0798 or TwoThacks@aol.com. Thanks!
Directions: From Connecticut Avenue, turn east on Thornapple Street, come to Brookville Road, zigzag left and right, continue on Thornapple, pass Chestnut on right, turn left onto Delfield in front of mailbox. Kay house is third on right. From East-West Highway (Md.410) turn south on Brookville Road. Continue on Brookville Road until you see a white rail fence at the top of a slope. Turn left on Thornapple in front of white fence.  Pass Chestnut on right. Turn left into Delfield in front of mailbox. Park where you can on Delfield or nearby streets. Phone number for anyone who gets lost is 301/652-6287.

JANUARY MEETING
Monday, January 10, in McLean, VA
Note the date, due to New Year’s!
Meeting is 8:00 p.m. but many arrive earlier.
Directions: Pulcinella’s, 6582 Old Dominion Blvd., McLean, VA;
703/893-7777
From the Capital Beltway (495) take exit 44 (formerly Exit 13) to Georgetown Pike East. At the light at the top of the hill, take a left and cross over the Beltway. Make an immediate right onto Rte. 696b, Balls Hill Rd. At the next light take a left onto Rte. 738, Old Dominion Blvd. Pulcinella’s will be on your left, shortly after going through the next traffic light.

Though a front-wheel-drive Alfa makes purists laugh heartily
If it snows, 164 owners won’t miss the party

CHAPTER WEBSITE:

www.alfaclubdc.com

maintained by Jack Chesley • jack@jchesley.com

CAPITAL CHAPTER

AROC OFFICERS

President: John Kay
7309 Delfield Street
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
301/652-6287
john.a.kay@verizon.net

Vice President: Sherry Thackeray
2117 North Dinwiddie St.
Arlington, VA 22207
703/807-0798
sherrylmcc@aol.com

Secretary: Bob Kleinfeld
1682 Cedar Hollow Way
Reston, VA 20194-1727
AlfaBob@comcast.net
703/437-0899

Treasurer: Eugene Kessler
Acting Treasurer: Dana Kern

Librarian: Jack Chesley
1707 Crestwood Drive
Alexandria, VA 22302
703/931-5090
jack@jchesley.com

Social Coordinator:
Denny Broud, DennisBroud@aol.com

Technical Assistance:
Les Smith, 540/347-1305

Newsletter Editor:Brewster Thackeray
2117 North Dinwiddie St.
Arlington, VA 22207
703/807-0798
brewthack@aol.com

Executive Editor:  Bob Kleinfeld

---

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 $60. (details at www.aroc-usa.org).