Our Spring Rally has been moved to Sunday, May 16th due to rain forecasted this Sunday.  It will start at the Parc Bistro, in Skippack.  First car will leave at noon.  Subsequent cars will be released at one minute intervals.
The rally route is about 40 miles and should take about 90 minutes to complete.  Here are some particulars: 

• Format is a rally and treasure hunt (same as last year – different route)
• Meeting point – Parc Bistro parking lot (same as last year)
• First car departure at 12:00 pm / one minute intervals thereafter
• Venue – Music, a la cart food and beverage, cigars (tbd)
• Awards presented at 5 PM. 
• Preregistration is NOT necessary – you can register when you arrive
• Cost – $25.00 (Cash is preferred, all proceeds go to cost of running the event)
• You’ll have to fill out a release form when you register

This event was a lot of fun, last year, and I hope you can make it. 

(Note that the flyer below shows the old date. The new date is May 16th)

It’s cold outside…. brrrr and now we’ve got some white stuff too.  Those are not exactly perfect conditions to exercise your Alfa, but should you be so inclined, here’s some inspiration:

Winter Diversions

Being cooped up inside on a cold day can be a perfect time to snuggle up to a good book, or these days, maybe a warm iPad or laptop.  If so, then you might be inclined to burn some time looking for your next Alfa, or at least fantasizing about one. 

There are plenty of places to find some enticing targets: Bring-A-Trailer,  AlfaBB,  Hemmings,  Ebay and of course, Craigslist.  

If you really want some inspiration, check out the video of this 6C 2500 coming back to life.  https://velocetoday.com/paul-wilsons-6c-2500-completed-revealed/

Congratulations! Jim Zawick Celebrates 50 Years of DVAROC Membership
I couldn’t believe it, but when I reviewed our membership roster the other day, I saw that Jim Zawick will celebrate 50 years of DVAROC membership on February 6th.  Please join me in congratulating Jim on this amazing milestone. 

2021 Events Calendar
And that brings us to our events for 2021…We’re still in the planning stages, but we’re working to put together a diverse roster of events which will have something for everyone to enjoy.  Our goal is to have at least one event per month, starting in April.  We’re expecting indoor restrictions to continue for a while, so we’ll focus on outdoor events and hope we can start doing some indoor ones (tech sessions, museum tours, etc.) in the fall.  To see what we have in mind, go to our Events page.

Spring will be upon us soon, so get ready!!

This year’s Fall Tour will be up along the Delaware River. 

We’ll start, as always, at Washington Crossing in PA, then head into Bucks County, PA and Hunterdon County, NJ as we drive through six covered bridges and over a bunch more historically significant bridges.  About a third of the way through, we’ll make a stop at Prallsville Mills in Stockton, New Jersey for short break.   After that, it’s back to hunting down the rest of our covered bridge targets in Pennsylvania.  We’ll make another stop in Milford, New Jersey to pick up picnic goodies.  Then, it will be a short drive to Tinicum Park in Pennsylvania, where we’ll stop for lunch.  If you drove the spring tour, Tinicum Park is where we made a brief stop – just along the Delaware River.  Many of the roads will be new and there will be plenty of places to exercise your Alfa.  Expect the total length to be about 70 miles and the drive to take about three hours (including stops).

The tour will leave at 9:30am, from the parking lot at Washington Crossing Park, in Pennsylvania.  

Like we did in the spring, the picnic will be BYO. You will be able to pick up food and drinks in Milford when we stop.  The Milford Market has a great selection of sandwiches and salads.  In addition, Pipolo’s Pizza is also there if you prefer something more Italian. Also, if you plan to picnic, try to bring a blanket and/or chairs.

If you want to attend, please RSVP to Bob Brady as soon as you can (so we can better plan) but no later than Friday, October 23^rd

Hope you can make it!!  But, if you can’t, there will be another opportunity to drive on November 14th, when we head west into Lancaster and will finish at Bill Coleman’s Elizabeth Farm for lunch.

Ciao, 

bob

We had a wonderful turnout at our unconventional fall picnic at Ridley Creek on September 27th.

We had about forty attendees and about twenty cars – ranging from Giuliettas to 4Cs and modern Giulias.  Our “show” attracted a bit of attention from park goers who were impressed by the beautiful cars on display.  We met some new members and saw some faces we haven’t seen in a while.  I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

As is tradition, we held our annual elections at the picnic.  The results are as follows:
President – Bob Brady
Vice President – Greg Shpungin
Treasurer – Bill Conway
Secretary – Ellen Torpey
Congratulations (or condolences) to our officers.

For all of you who made it out to our picnic on Sunday – Grazie Mille! 

Thanks to Steve and Debbie Harter (and Mike Casale), the Fire and Rain Road Rally last Sunday was a smashing (figuratively speaking) success.

About sixty cars came out on the absolutely gorgeous Sunday afternoon in Skippack to spend a few hours exploring the best roads and sights of Montgomery county. Beautiful automobiles were everywhere. In addition to the Alfa squadra, there were Lancias, Ferraris, Benzes, Fords, Packards, Jags, a gaggle of Morgans, and many many others.

The rally was not at all like our typical DVAROC tours. This one required a competent navigator and demanded attention from both driver and passenger to answer the cryptic questions in the directions, as well as keep track of streams and firehouses. Unquestionably, more than a few couples required counseling afterwards as tempers flied and fingers pointed along the way.

Despite participants often driving past one another, in opposite directions, everyone seemed to make it back to Parc Bistro at the end. And the winner? Who knows? Who cares? The good food, drinks, music, and company were the real reward for a sometimes stressful, but always entertaining afternoon.

For more photos, go to: https://www.flickr.com/photos/190355150@N08/with/50365412092/

As summer officially comes to a close, it’s time to look forward to perhaps the best season for Alfa events, Autumn!

September 20 –  Rally and Cars and Cigars – Skippack, PA – RSVP by 9/16 Steve Harter has put together another great event for us.  This time, it will involve driving, not just ogling.  The rally begins and ends at the Parc Bistro in Skippack, PA.  Plan to be there by 12:30 as the rally starts promptly at 1pm.  When you’re done, enjoy some cars & cigars (and maybe a bite to eat).  See the flyer below for more information.  Make sure you RSVP to Steve by 9/16.  

September 27 – Fall Picnic – Ridley Creek Park, PA – RSVP by 9/25
We finally settled on a venue for this year’s picnic – Ridley Creek.  We’ll be at a different, larger site (#17), than our summer picnic/rally, so we’ll have plenty of room to spread out and enjoy the cars.  We’re arranging for box lunches and we’ll still have the usual door prizes.  Mark your calendar now and start looking for some interesting door prizes to donate.  Look for another announcement soon with more details.  Cost will be $10 to defray the pavilion rental, food, and gifts.

Hope you get out this weekend for a drive and hope to see you at an event soon.

The Delaware Valley Alfa Romeo Owners Club will hold our Summer Picnic and Rally at Ridley Creek State Park on Sunday July 19^th.  The event will include a fun rally, which should take less than an hour to complete, followed by a picnic in the park.  You’ll have a chance to show off your car, demonstrate your navigation skills, and safely enjoy some good food and friends.

We’ll gather at Ridley Creek State Park at 10:30.  Refer to the map below.

After everyone arrives, we’ll go over the rally instructions and then have a Le Mans style start.  The rally will take participants through some very pretty Chester County horse country. The course is designed to make for fun competition that won’t reward use of GPS or following another car. 

The rally course will take less than an hour (more like 30 minutes) to complete.  Once everyone is safely back to the park, we’ll enjoy some lunch together at the pavillion.

Instead of a lunch buffet, we’ll do separate orders, this year, from a couple local places: The Country Deli and La Porta Restaurante.  When you arrive at the park, we’ll call in orders.  When you return from your drive, we’ll have food waiting for you.

If you want to attend, please RSVP to Bob Brady at robertanthonybrady@gmail.com  by Friday, July 17^th so we can plan food and hand-outs, accordingly.

Hope to see you there!!

For the 40-50 of you that joined us yesterday, Thank You!

It was a fabulous tour on a fabulous day. Nearly everyone made it all the way to the picnic at the end – which itself is an amazing feat given that there were a couple of lefts in the directions that should have been rights. (whoops)

I hope everyone got their fill of pretty barns, interesting bridges, and guidare con brio.

Look for an update on our summer picnic/rally soon. We’re going to postpone it… just a bit.

ciao!

With the extension of the stay at home orders for Pennsylvania and New Jersey, we’re moving the date of our Spring Tour from May 24th to June 14th.

Hope to see you there!!

We were fortunate to sneak in the David Markel car collection tours in February. For those of you who made it to one of those events, I’m sure you’ll agree it was a great experience.

Not surprisingly, we’ve had to postpone our Tech Sessions. Hopefully, we’ll get them rescheduled after the world opens back up.

We’re still planning to hold the Spring Tour on May 24th. We’ll be making some changes to that event to make it compliant with rules and precautions. We understand if you choose not to attend, but wanted to give the club an opportunity to get out and drive, if even at a distance.

We’re still planning out the route, but it will likely start from Washington Crossing, as usual, and tour up along the Delaware, and points east and west. The theme we’re working with, this year, is Barns, Barns, and More Barns. In lieu of a sit down lunch, we’re planning on boxed lunches (or bring your own picnic) to be enjoyed at a park, field, or along a scenic byway. See the image below for inspiration!

Take care, stay safe, stay sane, and stay tuned…