Alfisti, 

Our Summer Picnic and Rally at Ridley Creek State Park in July was a lot of fun.  Dan Shimberg won the coveted DVAROC Driver of the Year award with his skillful mastering of the challenging rally course.  Congratulations, Dan!

It was great to see a number of new faces.  I had a chance to learn a bit about Land Rovers as well as get some insider tips on Scotland.  I want to thank Bill Conway, Ellen Torpey and the Bossongs for all their help in supplying food, drinks and set-up.  Much appreciated!!!

​And now, for some upcoming events:

Sunday, August 10 – New Hope Auto Show – New Hope High School, New Hope PA

This Bucks County institution continues again this year.  It’s a two day event, but Sunday is Alfa Romeo day.  It’s the only car show I know of that features a specific class for Alfa Romeos.  Shine you Alfa, spend the day, bring home a trophy!  For more information and to register, go to: New Hope Auto Show

Skippack Cars and Cigars – August 17, September 21 – Parc Bistro, Skippack PA

Cars and Cigars at Skippack is back up and running.  It’s a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon among some interesting vehicles.  

Lime Rock Historic Festival #43 – August 28 – September 1 – Lime Rock Park, Lakeville CT

It might be a bit of a drive, but this is one fabulous event to attend.  Some of the finest vintage race cars will attend and there will be great racing on Saturday and Monday.  On Sunday, the track goes quiet but will be filled up with 1.5 miles of cars of every marque on display.  For more information, go to: Historic Festival #43  Hint – If you can’t make it this year, you really should put it on your calendar for next year when Alfa Romeo will be featured!

Radnor Concours – September 5-7 – Radnor PA

The Radnor Concours has been going on for 28 years now and is one of the east coast’s premier car shows.  The three day event culminates with the awards on Sunday.  For more information, go to: Radnor Concours

AROC National Convention – September 17-21 – Chicago IL

The national AROC convention is being held in Chicago this year.  For more information, go to: AROC Convention

Alfas at the Glen – September 19-21 – Watkins Glen NY

Alfa Romeos, and other vintage race cars, will descend on Watkins Glen to test their mettle and make some beautiful noise.  In addition to racing at the track, there will be car corral for non-racing Alfas and a dinner.  Note that this event is different from the annual Vintage Grand Prix at the Glen, which happens September 4-7.  If you want to come, you need to get on the guest list – admission is free.  Contact me if you want to attend.  For more information, go to: Alfas at the Glen

One last thing – I haven’t heard anything about the Coatesville Vintage Grand Prix and their website seems to be static.  So, I assume no event this year.  Hopefully it will return next.

For more information about upcoming events, go here: DVAROC Events Calendar

Ciao!

bob

Alfisti, 

I want to thank everyone who made it out to our recent events.  The David Markel collection was, as always, a treat.  Thanks Steve for organizing!  Our Winter Lunch was a warm way to kick off those winter blues.  Thanks to all who braved the salty roads and brought out their Alfas.  And special thanks to Ellen Torpey and Bill Conway for organizing and hosting.  It really was a special event.

Looking forward, you’ve got the next few weeks to give your Alfa some love.  It’s a great time to clean it up and do some maintenance in anticipation of the driving season.  But come mid-April, there are plenty of events to keep you busy.  Here they are:

Alfa Romeo of Willow Grove Cars & Coffee

Chris Bertelo (DVAROC) and Mark Lenny (Faulkner) have put together a really special event at the Alfa Romeo dealer in Willow Grove.  This looks like a good one, so make sure to get it on your calendar.

Treasured Motor Cars Open House

Treasured Motor Cars has been maintaining and restoring cars for over 40 years.  They’ve invited us to their open house in April.  I hope you can stop by

Wheels of Wayne Car Show

Start your car show season with the Wheels of Wayne car show.  It takes place in downtown Wayne where you can show your car and stroll the town.

And now, a few notes:

You might notice a DVAROC tradition missing from this year’s events calendar.  Well, Vince and Ruth have decided to retire after many, many years of service to the local Alfa Romeo community.  We wish them a long, well-deserved retirement and thank them for all the great hospitality and help they’ve given to us!

It is with sadness that I note the passing of long time DVAROC member, Dan Diefenderfer.  Dan was a smart, entertaining Alfa (and Porsche) owner who joined us for many events over the years.  We’ll miss him.

Be on the lookout for updates in the future.  May will be a very busy month and before you know it, it will be top-down summer cruising weather!
Ciao, 
bob

Come join us as the DVAROC visits the world-famous Simeone Foundation Car Museum in Philadelphia. Our own Jim Hanna will lead the tour and will provide interesting and entertaining background about each fabulous car on display. Plan to be there when it opens, at 10am. We’ll meet at the first car on display and will get started shortly after 10. See you there!

As a follow up to my last update, our events schedule for 2025 continues to develop.  Our next scheduled event is Simeone Museum Tour on February 8th.  It will be led by a, fellow club member and Alfa owner.  He’s given us the tour before and always does a wonderful job bringing color commentary to each car on display.  I hope you can join us for it.

In addition, another club member is working to organize another visit to the fabulous, and ever expanding, David Markel Collection.  Look for updates in the future for more details, once we lock that down.

As if that wasn’t enough, Faulkner Alfa Romeo of Willow Grove wants to host an event for us.  Tentatively, it’s scheduled for April 12th.  I could really use a club member to serve as contact person for this event.  So, if you have interest, please, please reach out to me.  

And speaking of help, I’m looking for someone in the club to begin taking over our website from me.  It’s not a lot of work, but I need to start the transition this year. 

And speaking of websites, our classifieds section has been updated with a beautiful ’92 Spider that’s been put up for sale.  It’s not too early to think of spring!

Finally, while not an Alfa exhibition, the Academy Art Museum in Easton Maryland has a very special Bugatti Exhibition that runs until April 13th.  So, if you’re looking for an excuse to take a road trip, here you go.

Oh, and one more thing.  If you think winter and Alfas don’t mix, you might want to reconsider.  The International Concours d’ Elegance at St. Moritz is not your typical Concurs.  Check out the 2023 version here: 2023 St. Moritz ICE (the 2024 version was cancelled due to too much snow!  If you want to go to this year’s version, there’s still time: 2025 St. Moritz ICE

We’re in the planning stages for a great 2025. Our first scheduled event is a tour of the Simeone museum on February 8th and should be a warm way to start thinking about the spring driving season.

In addition, we’ve put together a draft calendar for the year, that will continue to develop over the following weeks. To see it, go to our events page here: Events

As usual, the fall months were the busiest of the year for the DVAROC. With abundant car shows and events, our annual picnic and tours to the east and west, there was something for everyone. The weather is still great, so go out and give your Alfa some exercise before winter sets in.

We’ll start planning events soon, so if you have any ideas or want to organize one, just reach out.

Best, bob

Somehow the summer heat took a break for us as we enjoyed the cool breeze and shade at our annual Summer Picnic and Rally at Ridley Creek State Park. We had an exceptional turnout with 30+ members and more than 15 Alfas, ranging from Dan Iannelli’s and the Millinghousen’s 70’s Spiders to a bunch of modern Giulias, including several Quadrafoglios.

Pete Wanko and Susan McIntire brought their beautiful black Alfa Spider and were awarded the unofficial Alfa Spirit Award for their matching Alfa Romeo shirts – nicely done!

The rally started, as usual, with a LeMans style start. Drivers and their navigators raced, or walked (?) to their cars, directions in hand. There was no GPS or car following cheating going on, as there were five different routes to keep everyone confused.

About a half hour later, the teams started to roll back in. Once again, they ran (or walked) to get their elapsed times recorded. After everyone made it back, the differences in elapsed times were masterfully calculated against the target times. When the dust settled, we had a new DVAROC Driver of the Year!

Congratulations to John Palumbo who came an amazing 27 seconds away from his target time!

Steve and Debbie Harter along with Jon Kligerman led us on a wonderful spring tour through Bucks County in Pennsylvania and Hunterdon County in New Jersey. We gathered early Sunday morning in Peddler’s Village and enjoyed some cookies made by Debbie as well as coffee and conversation. The turnout continued to grow as our destination time approached. Among the Alfas we had several round tail spiders, a couple GTVs, Quinn deMenna’a lovely blue GT Junior, a Sports Sedan, a Giulia, a 4C and of course, a clutter of Spiders. With the driver’s meeting complete, tops down and directions handed out, we left remarkably on time and headed east, across the Delaware to Stockton.

From Stockton we headed north and then deep into Hunterdon county, enjoying the twisty roads and green canopy of shade. Those who might have though of New Jersey as flat were surprised to see the rises and falls we traversed on our way to our first stop for fuel and rest. This gave our tourists another chance to admire the Italian alloy in the parking lot and forget to turn off their lights (no worry, one unnamed driver made the rounds turning them off).

Back on the road, we continued north through some cute towns and were greeted by some vintage Land Rovers. Then, we headed west, along the Delaware and crossed back over into Pennsylvania into Riegelsville.

Our final leg had us heading south along the river and eventually diving back into the rocky hills of Upper Bucks County until we arrived at Van Sant airport.

If you’ve never visited (I hadn’t), Van Sant airport is a jewel. It’s runways are grass. It’s hangers and fields are full of biplanes and gliders. And, it has a quaint snack bar. This day, it was hosting a “Wings and Wheels” event and even though we arrived towards the end, it was still full of interesting cars and even more interesting airplanes. Strolling around the machinery on display, you could watch the planes take off and land in very close proximity. Rides were even available though I’m not sure anyone partook – my wife gave me a terse “no” when I suggested she go up in a Stearman.

It was a great destination and a perfect ending to a lovely Sunday drive with the Alfas. In a break with tradition, there were no mistakes in the directions and we didn’t lose a single Alfa, though one of those “reliable” German cars had to drop out due to a mechanical problem – go figure?

Many thanks to Steve, Debbie and Jon who made it all happen. Also thanks to Jack Stoll who helped develop the route.

For some photos you can go to: https://www.alfabb.com/threads/dvaroc-spring-tour-may-26-2024.733912/?post_id=8894120#post-8894120 or here: https://www.facebook.com/rockingchairmotors/posts/867003568794968?ref=embed_post

First, I want to express my great appreciation to Vince and Ruth for hosting our annual Tech Session at their shop.  It was a fantastic turnout with everything from an Alfa 155, Ferrari Testarossa, Fiat Multipla, Spiders galore, and everything in between.  Thanks to Bill and Ellen, we all had some yummy treats to keep us going as we reconnected with folks we haven’t seen in a while and swapped all stories Alfa.  Inside the shop, we got to see Pat Boova’s RHD GTV race car up on the lift awaiting its new powerplant.  Outside, Vince and Ruth’s Twinspark GTV racecar was on view, displaying its many nifty bits.  Time flew and before we knew it, it was afternoon and time to return home to awaiting chores.  The smiles on everyone’s faces showed what a great success it was.  Thanks again, to our hosts, organizers and everyone who made it a wonderful event.  Some photos can be accessed here: Tech Session Photos  Tom Potts also posted some additional photos here: Rocking Chair Motors

After some confusion (on my part) Steve Harter made sure everyone knew the inaugural 2024 Cars & Cigars event was taking place on Sunday, April 21st.  Although I didn’t make it, the photos Steve sent along show what a great success it was.  If you haven’t been to a Cars & Cigars before, you should consider it.  It’s a great way to finish off the weekend, hanging out among beautiful cars, enthusiastic participants and in a town full of great food and drink options.  

And now, for some event updates (* denotes DVAROC sponsored event):

Sunday, May 5th – Mainline Cars and Coffee – Not a DVAROC event, but a great way to show off your Alfa among an enthusiastic crowd.  For more information, see: Mainline Cars and Coffee

Friday/Saturday, May 10th/11th – Carlisle Import & Performance Nationals – The Central PA chapter is sponsoring this event.  Bring your Alfa out and enjoy the scene.  They have almost 40 Alfas pre-registered! Even if you haven’t pre-registered, you may arrive, pay at the gate, and join them. The more,the merrier! Bring chairs, food, and libations if you wish. Faulkner Alfa Romeo is sponsoring a 4pm Friday barbecue.  For more information, see: www.carlisleevents.com/events

Saturday, May 11th – Ragtops and Roadsters Open House – It’s that time of the year again, when one of our premium classic and vintage car shops opens their facility up to everyone.  For more information, go to: Ragtops and Roadsters Open House

Sunday, May 19th – Skippack Cars & Cigars – Looking for some chill time on a Sunday afternoon? Cars & Cigars is the perfect event.  Plant to roll in around 3pm.  See: www.skippackvillage.com

* Sunday, May 26th – DVAROC Spring Tour – Mark your calendars now for this annual drive in Bucks county and vicinity.  The tour route is being prepared now, so get ready!

You can see the entire year’s calendar here: https://dvaroc.org/events/

Get out and Drive!

Ciao, 

bob

Spring has certainly sprung!  Hopefully our April showers are behind us and Spider owners can get some sun. We have a number of upcoming events that should give you a reason to come out and play.  Events marked with * are DVAROC sponsored events. Here they are:

* Saturday, April 20th – DVAROC Tech Session at Nick Falcone Enterprises – Once again, Vince and Ruth are opening their doors to invite us in to their shop to talk everything Alfa.  We’ll meet there around 10am and enjoy some coffee, donuts and other snacks.  There’s no agenda, but if you have something specific you’d like to cover, let me know.  Otherwise, just come with your questions.  No need to RSVP, just show up.  They are located at 161 Rock Hill Road, in Bala Cynwyd.  Their phone number is: 610.664.0944.

Sunday, April 21st – Skippack Cars & Cigars – Looking for some chill time on a Sunday afternoon? Cars & Cigars is the perfect event.  Plant to roll in around 3pm.  See: www.skippackvillage.com

Sunday, April 28th– Wheels of Wayne Car Show – Come show off your Alfa in downtown Wayne.  For more information, go to: Wheels of Wayne

Friday/Saturday, May 10th/11th – Carlisle Import & Performance Nationals – The Central PA chapter is sponsoring this event.  Bring your Alfa out and enjoy the scene.  They have almost 40 Alfas pre-registered! Even if you haven’t pre-registered, you may arrive, pay at the gate, and join them. The more,the merrier! Bring chairs, food, and libations if you wish. Faulkner Alfa Romeo is sponsoring a 4pm Friday barbecue.  For more information, see: www.carlisleevents.com/events

* Sunday, May 26th – DVAROC Spring Tour – Mark your calendars now for this annual drive in Bucks county and vicinity.  The tour route is being prepared now, so get ready!

You can see the entire year’s calendar here: https://dvaroc.org/events/

Other News:

AROC Convention Here? There is some grass-roots interest in having the DVAROC and CPAROC jointly host the 2026 AROC Convention. It’s in the early planning stages, but in order to pull this off, we need a bunch of Alfisti to chip in and help with it. If you have any interest and time you can give, please reach out to Jose Joga at atcjoga@gmail.com He’s done a lot of early stage planning and his enthusiasm is contagious. If you have any interest or just want to learn more, we can talk about it at the tech session.

Alfa Romeo Museum Video Tour –  Bob Feltoon passed on this fascinating 48 minute video tour of the Alfa museum including sections not open to the general public.  It’s worth the view, trust me: Alfa Museum Tour

Hope to see you at an event soon.

Ciao!