I want to thank Steve Harter and Mike Casale for a great tour of the David Markel collection last Sunday.  It was made even more special when the collection owner, David Markel himself, joined us for the last collection. Thanks!!

Teaser photo of Fangio’s personal Alfa

Our next event is our Summer Picnic and Rally. I hope you can join us.
July 25th – Summer Picnic and Rally – Ridley Creek State Park, PA
Join us for our annual summer picnic and rally at Ridley Creek State Park.   We’ll start at Ridley Creek State Park, Picnic Area #8 (our usual place, but no pavilion this time) at 10:30 am.  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 enjoy some good food and friends.  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.  Once everyone is safely back to the park, we’ll enjoy some lunch together.  Picnic lunches – hoagies, salads and drinks will be provided.  The club will pick up the costs for members.  For non-members, we’d like a $10 donation to defray the costs.  If you want to attend, please RSVP Bob by Friday, July 23rd so we can plan food and hand-outs, accordingly. 

Below is an update of our upcoming events.  I hope to see you at one, or more.

July 11th – David Markel Car Collection Tour and Lunch – Skippack, PA If you haven’t visited one of David Markel’s many garages, you need to attend this event.  We’ll meet at the Wawa (Corner of Hwy 113 and Skippack Pike) at 10 AM. We’ll tour 5 different Museums (that are different from last year). Cost will be $25.00 per person (cash please / pay at the door).  If you are interested, lunch is also available for another $20. Attendance is limited to about 30 people, so sign up now!  To register, send an email to Steve

July 25th – Summer Picnic and Rally – Ridley Creek State Park, PA Join us for our annual summer picnic and rally at Ridley Creek State Park.   We’ll start at Ridley Creek State Park, Picnic Area #8 (our usual place, but no pavilion this time) at 10:30 am.  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 enjoy some good food and friends.  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 to complete.  Once everyone is safely back to the park, we’ll enjoy some lunch together.  Picnic lunches – hoagies, salads and drinks will be provided.  The club will pick up the costs for members.  For non-members, we’d like a $10 donation to defray the costs.  If you want to attend, please RSVP to Bob by Friday, July 23rd so we can plan food and hand-outs, accordingly.

August 15th – New Hope Auto Show – New Hope, PA The wonderful New Hope Auto Show is on!  This is one of the only shows I know of that has a dedicated Alfa Romeo class.  For more information and registration, go to: New Hope Auto Show

September 9-12th – Alfas at the Glen – Watkins Glen, NY Celebrate 111 years of Alfa Romeo racing at the spectacular US Vintage Grand Prix weekend at Watkins Glen.  In addition to the vintage races at the track, there are a number of events throughout the extended weekend, as part of the celebration.  These events include: tours, shows, winery visits, and race reenactments.  In addition, the Buffalo AROC chapter, Alfabuff, will be joining with Alfabuff for special Alfa focused events and displays throughout the weekend.  For more information, check out the website: AlfasattheGlen

DVAROC Spring Winery Tour – Chester County – Sunday, May 30th

We’ll take a lovely Sunday drive through picturesque Chester County, looking for a variety of animals along the way.  We’ll visit a couple of wineries, and enjoy a picnic in the vineyard.

The club will meet at Wegmans in Downingtown, PA –  before 10:15am.  There, you’ll be able to tank up on gas and coffee.  We’ll leave promptly at 10:30 and drive to our first stop, Kreutz Creek Vineyards where we’ll sample their wines and enjoy a few club provided cheeses and snacks.  Cost for wine tasting there is $10.  

From there, we’ll hit the back roads and for a 45 minute, or so, drive where we’ll stop at Northbrook Marketplace to pick up our picnic goodies. The final leg willbe a short drive to Stargazers Vineyard where we’ll taste some more wine, and spread out among the vines for a Sunday picnic – close your eyes and picture yourself in Tuscany.  Cost for wine tasting at Stargazers is $10.

Each leg of the tour is about 30 miles and should take 50 minutes, or so.  With stops, tours and tastings expect to picnic just before 2pm. 

There is no cost to participate in the tour.  The club will provide some cheese and other snacks to go with the wine tastings.  Participants are responsible for the costs of tastings and lunches.  Please pack chairs and/or blankets, as seating is limited.

If you want to order a lunch from Northbrook, please call it in to them on Friday, May 28th, for pick up on Sunday.  Here is a link to their catering menu (a copy is attached – we recommend ordering a boxed lunch).  You can call them at: 610-793-1210 or email them at: christine@northbrookmarketplace.com  Of course, you’re welcome to bring your own food, as well – just remember, no outside alcohol is permitted.

This weekend is looking great, and the fun keeps coming!
Saturday, May 15th – Ragtops and Roadsters Spring Open House
Ragtops and Roadsters will have their 31st Spring Open House on Saturday from 10am – 4pm. While R&R is focused on British iron, they have been known to cut into some Italian alloy from time to time – Just ask Jack Stoll! For more information, go to: Ragtops and Roadsters

Sunday, May 16th – Spring Road Rally – Skippack, PA
Sunday’s road rally is looking to be a wonderful drive – and meal afterwards.  Please join organizer Steve Harter, the DVAROC, and other local car clubs at Parc Bistro in Skippack on Sunday, for a beautiful drive through some fabulous countryside.  The first car leaves at noon, so please arrive earlier to register and get in line.  Though pre-registration is not required, it would help planning if you can let Steve know in advance. 

Sunday, May 23rd – Cars and Coffee for European Sports Cars
Barry Cross has organized a Cars and Coffee event at the Reading Country Club. Our Alfas have been invited to join up with Ferraris and other clubs. Event benefits Cool Cars for Kids. For more information, please email: Barry Cross

Sunday, May 23rd – Monte Carlo Formula One Breakfast
Once again, Bill Conway has made arrangements with La Locanda to watch the Monte Carlo Grand Prix and enjoy some breakfast among Italian cars and like-minded F1 fans. For more information, see the attached flyer.

Sunday, May 30th – DVAROC Spring Tour – Chester County Wineries
This year, our spring tour will take us to some wineries in Chester County. At our final stop, we’ll enjoy a picnic lunch among the vines. Details are still being finalized, including lunch options, but mark your calendars now!

Oh, one more thing. Bob Schlichting sent some photos of the recent Cars and Coffee at Peddlers Village. Here’s a taste of one

I hope you’re getting a chance to enjoy the spring weather.

Cars & Coffee – Sunday May 2nd – Peddler’s Village
There is a Cars & Coffee at Peddler’s Village this Sunday, May 2nd.  For more info, go here: https://mailchi.mp/newhopeautoshow/cars-coffee-at-peddlers-village-sunday-may-2nd?e=a7181aef39

Skippack Rally – May 16th
I hope that postponing the Skippack Rally to May 16th hasn’t caused much inconvenience.  Some have asked me if you need both a driver and navigator.  The rally will have fairly tricky directions with questions for prizes.  But, don’t worry.  If you’re going to fly solo, you can drive the route and still enjoy the views and great company.  Just let Steve know that you don’t have a navigator when you check in and they should be able to make accommodations.  

Car Show at Marshall Steam Museum
The organizers of a car show at the very cool (hot?), Marshall Steam Museum in Yorklyn, DE want the Alfa Club to participate. I’m a bit swamped with my day job and other adventures, at the moment.  So, if you’d like to help organize this for the club, please reach out to me and I’ll put you in touch with the right people. 

Giulias Across America
I received this wacky email from these guys in Texas who are caravanning their Giulias across America.  They will be stopping near us soon.  If you’re interested in meeting up with them or just tracking their progress, go to: https://giuliaacrossamerica2021.now.site/home

Italian American Heritage Festival 2021 – Postponed
We’ve been informed us that the Italian American Heritage Festival, normally held at Rose Valley park, is postponed until 2022.  I really hope this one gets back on track as it was a good one.

Petersen Collection Video
I received a note from one of our members, the other day, that the entire Petersen Car Collection is now available on video.  To see it, go here:  https://youtu.be/DujeiUh9tuw

Okay, that’s all for now.  I need to get going on the May 30th tour…. stay tuned for more information.

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/