The Classics at Brantwyn
Alfisti, this note came in from Paul Merluzzi:
Hi,
I was the “foreigner” in the green Jaguar XK-150 at the Alfa Club tour on November 6.
I run a benefit car show for the Kennett Symphony Orchestra. It is an elegant affair with 30 invited cars and 300 invited guests. Here is a Fact Sheet and a Newsletter to check out.
The event is scheduled for October 7 this year (always the 1st Sunday in October). It’s the 5th anniversary of the event and we are trying to get participation by car clubs, like the Alfa Club, Ferrari Club, and Delaware Valley Jaguar Club. The 30 (approx.) show cars are displayed in the rear garden of the Brantwyn Mansion. In the front of the mansion there is a huge lawn area that we designate as “The Cool Car Corral”. That’s where we put the car clubs in clusters. We have a committee meeting next week where we will discuss pricing for the event and I hope to offer a discount to car clubs if participation exceeds a certain number of cars.
It is not like most car shows – it’s more like a wedding reception. The guests get a gourmet brunch and open bar catered by the DuPont Country Club with live entertainment. Mike Tate has attended the last three events and has written about it in his Roving Reporter column for the Jaguar Club monthly newsletter, the ‘Purr’ (See page 8).
I’d love to have the Alfa Club participate as a club event. Let me know if there is any interest.
Regards,
Paul
Club members:
Now, this seems like a lot of fun if we can get some steam behind it. If any club members are interested, let’s try to get some consensus going, so email me at mike@dvaroc.org and fit this in the club calendar.
Mike S.
DVAROC Winter Lunch and Learn at Otto’s Brauhaus
Alfisti:
Alfa spring is right around the corner. To get everyone ready for the upcoming driving season we’ve invited Tim McNair from GP Concours http://gpconcours.com/ to meet up with us and give us some pointers at our annual winter luncheon.
We’re very excited about this special opportunity! Tim has prepared some of the absolute top cars for events such as Pebble Beach, Amelia Island, and Radnor Hunt. If you don’t know of Tim yet, take a moment to look at his company web site or browse these links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqowYP5JTY0
http://vimeo.com/16317043
http://bit.ly/xAQncQ
Tim will do a short presentation on how to take care of your Alfa, answer questions, and join us for lunch and casual conversations!
The lunch will be on Saturday, February 18th at 1:00, the price is fixed at $25.
Otto’s Brauhaus (215.675.1864)
233 Easton Rd (Route 611), Horsham, PA, 19044
See Otto’s on the Google Maps
Please preselect your lunch choice of: Stuffed Chicken Breast, Roast Loin of Pork or Broiled Flounder and respond with number of attendees and meal selections to rsvp@dvaroc.org.
Delicious à la carte cocktails will be available from the bar.
Alfa Optional/Weather Permitting!
NOTE: an EARLY RSVP is requested. Please reply to rsvp@dvaroc.org ON OR BEFORE FEBRUARY 10TH to let us know you can make it!
Let me know if you have any questions.
Mike S.
President
mike@dvaroc.org
2011- Year of the Great Mid-Winter Tour (in November)
The “BIG QUESTION” is: Is it Global Warming or Global Cooling (maybe the start of another ice age)?
Who would ever have believed a mid-winter type snow storm, complete with treacherous roads, downed trees and tree limbs, and major power outages- all in October, would be sandwiched between two perfect Alfa Sundays; the first for our annual picnic, this year courtesy of DVAROC’s Alan Aptner, manager of one of Princeton University’s very exclusive eating clubs The Cloister Inn, and the other for our annual fall tour held, as usual, on the first Sunday in November- to take advantage of the normally cool, late fall- but still nice weather.
The freak (couldn’t find a better word to describe it), un-seasonable (to put it mildly) storm dumped more than a little snow (enough to cause much slipping, sliding, accidents and resulting in the dreaded S— word [salt], accompanied by the almost as hated cindering) on area roads. We (the planners) of this years’ tour were almost convinced our great, good luck of previous years had finally run out.
But, lo and behold, just when it appeared that the tour would be a wash-out, as planned,, the weather reversed itself and, as if Ma Nature realized that a horrible mistake had been made (or maybe she was just tired of the joke she had just pulled on us mere mortals) the sun re-appeared for the entire next week together with snow melting temperatures and the roads were almost entirely devoid of both snow and salt by tour time. The nice weather also gave both PA and NJ road crews time to clear all trees and debris from mostly all the roads we used on the tour. Life is good!
As a result, we were pretty much able to stick to the entire planned route of about seventy miles, with only one minor deviation , and were able to arrive with the group intact at the restaurant, at about the time we were expected. Not too bad- considering the scare of the week before.
Most of our Alfa events have had a couple of non-Alfa cars. This years tour was no exception, but with more than the normal number of “other” marques, some driven by Alfa owners and others by (as yet- un-enlightened) non-Alfa owners. This years’ roster of the “others” is as follows (not in any special order): BMW M-5, with driver Josh Aptner, and navigator Eric. (Josh had been driving Dad’s Alfa 164 S, yes there is a family connection here, which is presently recuperating from a broken timing belt.) Jaguar XK140 FHC, with driver/owner Paul Merluzzi, and wife/navigator Irena (Paul can correct the writer, but, for those of us un-familiar with Brit car lingo, FHC is short for “Fixed Head Coupe) M-B AMG, with driver Glen Lowe and navigator/owner Justin. (Special thanks to Glen, who runs a print shop, for running extra copies or tour directions)
Porsche 914, with driver (and past DVAROC Pres) Dave West, and wife/navigator Karen. (It’s always interesting to see what Dave will be driving at these events.)
Mazda Miata, with driver Dan Valanzola, and navigator Christian and a flag that, with intent, made it ‘Alafa-esque’.
The rest of the group were mounted on the normal assortment of Alfa coupes and spiders. If the cars were being judged, which of course they were not, the judges would have been very hard pressed to determine the best, most interesting cars. To mention just a few which would have been contenders would be the dark green (BRG?) Jag XK140 of Paul and Irena Merluzzi, Dave and Karen West’s beautiful Porsche 914; Jim Itin’s, always exquisite Guilia Spider, in its Alfa red paint; the green (as differentiated from his red) GTV of Dan Diefenderfer; the very nice, accurate 1750 Spider of Greg Shpungin; and the list could go on for the remainder of the cars but this article is probably already too long. Congratulations and thanks to all participants for showing their beautifully maintained cars. It is noteworthy, in passing, two very impressive cars which were, in fact, not Alfa Romeos. Both exemplified the current state-of-the-art of high tech automotive engineering and performance. This writer, having been allowed by its owner, DVAROC member, Alan Aptner, to sample its performance, can attest to the massive, overwhelming performance on tap in this car; if the driver is not prepared, the car can quickly overwhelm the driver. Kudos to Alan’s son, Josh, who handled it on the tour. It’s hard to believe the AMG Benz is any less capable. Let’s hope Alfa can come up with suitable competitors when (or maybe it’s “IF”) they come back to the U.S.
As for the tour itself, this year it started in Morrisville, PA, conveniently in front of a coffee and bagels shop (for the early arrivals), and proceeded north along the Delaware (River Road in PA), through Yardley, then across the bridge at Washington Crossing, into NJ. After the recent, pre-snow flooding, closely followed by the freakish snow fall of the previous week, the river was very high and close to the road in several spots.
After crossing into NJ, we continued north another few miles before turning east away from the river, and the low road, and up onto the high (and, hopefully dry) road. There was less exposure to wet or flooded areas, but more concern about unexpected detours due to downed electric wires and trees. These concerns proved to be, for the most part needless as the stat and local municipal road crews did an admirable job clearing away the significant amounts of debris which was still in evidence on the sides of many of the roads.
Thanks to the advance road recon by the Wests, who cut short their mid-tour break to survey the road conditions on the remainder of the tour, we were able to avoid a closed section and re-route with no problem and no wasted time or gas.
After approximately 70 miles and about 2-1/2 hours on the road, our hearty crew was ready for something more substantial than a cup of coffee at a rest stop. The “something” was set up by Alan Aptner at the quaint, historic Stockton Inn, along the Delaware, in- where else?- Stockton, NJ. Fortunately, although having had minor flooding and snow damage from the recent storms, the Inn was able to get cleaned up and back to the eating business in time for our visit. (Fortunately for a few of us, their rest rooms were in good working order also!!).
After re-stocking at the bar, good companionship, and leisurely conversation were enjoyed over excellent fare provided by the folks at the Inn. Not least appreciated were the parking spaces reserved for us in front of the Inn, along Rte 29, for all passers-by to enjoy.
Overall, a great day; hopefully everyone enjoyed it and got home safely. Best wishes to all for a nice holiday season, or if this article is received after the holidays, hope everyone had a great one.
PS: Let’s hope that the freak, early snow storm in October wasn’t a taste of what the coming winter has in store for us, and that we’ll have plenty of snow and salt free roads to drive our cars often.
PPS: How about some calls for a Spring tour folks? Any takers? Merry Xmas all, Happy Holidays, and best wishes for a healthy, happy, prosperous, and Alfa driven new year!
Jack
2012 FIAT FreezeOUT Invitation
Members:
The Delaware Valley Chapter of FIAT Lancia Unlimited, our dear sister car club has thoughtfully invited us to their winter shindig on Saturday, January 28th at 5PM!
FIAT of Maple Shade (NJ) is hosting the party. The address is:
587 West Route 38 Maple Shade, NJ 08052.
Along with great company, we’ve been promised food, beverages, and music!
The only catch is you need to RSVP. Send an email to Sherman Barton at shore208@comcast.net with the subject FIAT FreezeOUT and the number of attendees, or by phone at 609-923-7426.
It promises to be a lot of fun, so please don’t hesitate to RSVP today!
Mike S., DVAROC President
Quick Facebook club survey
Alfa Romeo Planning MX-5-Rivaling Brera Spider Revival
The Little Radiator Fan that Couldn’t
The Little Radiator Fan that Couldn’t:
Piecing Together a Broken Summer in Time for the DVAROC Autumn Tour
I went for a great drive last Sunday. And, if you’re reading this right now, you probably did as well. So I won’t bore you by telling you what you already know: that the route was wonderfully planned; that the cars were great; that the people were knowledgeable and friendly; that the weather was uncommonly brilliant. But I will tell you that I was exceedingly grateful for all the people, cars, and roads that made that drive possible. The DVAROC Autumn Tour, after all, didn’t just give me another great drive to tuck under my belt. Far more than that, it gave me and Bella, my ’88 Spider Quadrifoglio, a second chance at Summer.
BMW, a company that seems to spend more on advertising in a year than Alfa has in its entire century of existence, put out a brochure for the 1-Series convertible a couple years ago that had some great one-liners. My favorite? “Summer is not a season. It’s a state of mind.” And in case it seems like my train of thought is already derailing, I should mention that I bring up this line to make a single point: My Summer (and I capitalize that term out of sheer respect, referring both to the season and the state of mind) was abruptly and prematurely ended when an exploding plastic radiator fan decided to cut short a wonderful drive. But, just a few days ago, I got that Summer back.
On one of the final days of August, just after Irene had barreled through New Jersey leaving downed power lines and flooded basements in her wake, I backed Bella slowly out of our cramped and dirty two-car garage into the humid air of a Summer night. Accompanied by a ‘92 Miata and a ‘66 MGB driven by close friends, I drove through the thick, velvety darkness down familiar back roads littered with hurricane debris and scattered memories. Our three car chain illustrated the progression of sports car dishevelment through time, three souls lost at sea but hoping to find home again in the wake of a powerful storm and a tumultuous season. My friends and I piloted those cars, relics of Summer’s fallen grandeur sifting through a season lying in branch-strewn ruins on the ground, with our hearts more than with our hands. We twisted through the maze of back roads blanketing the Sourland Mountain just outside our small town of Hopewell, New Jersey.
That drive, though, ended in a panicked bout of sweating and swearing when an unfriendly sound under the hood prompted me to pull my car off the road and into a parking lot. A close inspection revealed a shattered radiator fan, a tattered fan shroud, and a radiator in the process of doing just what my nervous bladder wanted to do. A comforting voice from my MG-driving friend:
“Well, aren’t you glad you drove the car enough to break it?”
Bella had become a great friend, but she was still a machine, and a quite imperfect one at that. I had broken her, and, to be honest, she had come pretty close to breaking me. I needed to head back to the University of Delaware in just a couple days, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to fix the car before then. So I called AAA, and spoke with a pleasant gentleman (“don’t worry, I specified a flatbed as soon as you told me what kind of car it was”), and waited for the tow truck.
In a way, Bella’s timing was impeccable. It was already midnight by the time the fan packed in, and I had just swung off the tight back roads and onto the far more accessible Route 206 in Hillsborough. But, in other ways, the location of the breakdown was devastating. The 7-Eleven, at which I had intended to buy a refreshing cup of coffee to carry me the rest of the way through that night, was just a block away. Somehow, somewhere, omnipotent cosmic forces had ripped me off. Karma owed me the second half of a great drive. And a cheap cup of coffee.
When I found out that the start- and end-points of this year’s Autumn Tour were just twenty miles from my home, then, I knew my karmic upturn was on its way. I had been back at school for over two months—two long, Alfaless months—and my depressed doodles (one of a vomiting and wheelchair-bound Alfa serpent titled, simply, “Sickly Alfa”) reminded me that I had to act quickly to correct the balance of the universe and reestablish my chi. I was going to head home on Friday before the drive. I was going to fix my car. And, darn it, I was going to drink that cheap cup of coffee that had been withheld from me that night. In short, I was going to take back the Summer—and end it the way it was meant to end.
Well, I did make it back Friday, but there were a couple of small problems. First, I wasn’t able to get home until 10pm, thanks to an accounting exam written by either the devil or a BMW engineer. Or quite possibly both. Second, I had forgotten a few things: November is cold; November nights are colder; and I am the single least competent mechanic in the entire Northern Hemisphere. But, desperate to revive Bella and my fallen Summer, I was undeterred.
The surgery commenced shortly after my arrival home. I had ordered all the parts thanks to Vick’s Autosport and the Alfa Bulletin Board, and they were already to be moved into their new residence. On the same floor where I had spilled gear oil, motor oil, and brake fluid from that same Alfa, I added a Pangaea-sized stain of coolant. Apparently I had failed to properly locate the plastic drain pan. After spilling the contents of the car’s entire cooling system onto the garage floor, I managed to pull out the ruined parts. And, several hours and just as many bloodied knuckles later, I managed to fit most of the new parts into their proper places. (Who needs a fan shroud in winter, anyway?)
By just 3am—clearly, I was making great time—the car was ready to accept a new supply of coolant. I managed to only spill 20% of the fluid while pouring with my bleeding and cold-crippled hands. Then, for the first time in months, I started the car and allowed the engine to warm up. Everything was going great. The temperature gauge slowly rose. The needle arced up to the center of its travel. It crept just past center, the thermostat opened, the needle began to creep down, then—POP! Steam. Coolant. Fear. I shut off the car and jumped out, realizing with a relief that a hose had simply popped off the water pump. False alarm. I snugged up the hose, tightened down the clamp, and resumed my work.
The gauge crept back up, hit the center, then quickly started swinging right. I shut the car off and my stomach felt like emulating the “Sickly Alfa” portrait of yore. I knew the radiator was in good order, though, and I assumed that I had simply trapped an air bubble somewhere in the cooling system.
Evidently, I was right for once. After another half hour of starting the car, venting the radiator cap, topping off the fluid, and repeating the process, I was able to bleed any air out of the system and coax the car into holding a steady operating temperature right at the center of the temp gauge’s travel. I test drove Bella by strutting around the block a few times, and, once my confidence had been restored, I set out on a very important mission.
Guiding the Cross-and-Serpent across the serpentine roadways of Hopewell, I headed toward my favorite gas station, conveniently open 24 hours and situated on Route 206 near Hillsborough. I filled the near-empty tank and sauntered back into the nonexistent traffic of 4am Saturday. I had one more stop to make.
When I pulled into the 7-Eleven parking lot, I had crossed a cosmic finish line. Somewhere in the heavens far above, planets were moving into alignment and Orazio Satta was smiling softly. I had made it. Bella had made it. We had made it. I stepped out of the car, along with my brother who had been helping me through the long night. We walked into the store where I made myself the best cup of cut-rate coffee known to human kind. I drank it with the pride of knowing that I finally understood my place in life. Some Alfa owners can really drive. Others can work on their cars with surgical precision. Well, I can’t do either of those things with any more competence than a drunken ape. But I can love Alfas with the best of ‘em. So cheers to everyone who fixes, drives, and loves their Alfa. I might never be very good at those former two, but I hope my developing skills as an Alfa lover will earn me a place amongst you great folks for many years to come…
Which brings me to the real point of this story: The Autumn Tour. After spending Saturday recuperating from the previous night, I was ready to introduce Bella to a host of eager comrades. And I was quite pleasantly surprised when I discovered that this trip was not to traverse the foreign back roads of the Delaware River’s west bank in Pennsylvania, but would instead cover the familiar streets near that River’s eastern shore—some of which were the very back roads of Hopewell down which I had careened through the serenity of that fateful, late-Summer night.
I had a wonderful time at the Autumn Tour, and, from the smiling faces and enthusiastically driven cars, I suspect that everyone else did as well. Thank you so much to everyone involved with the organization of this great trip. Thank you for giving me the excuse to reintroduce Bella to that eternal state of mind, and for providing me with the opportunity to share that Summer and its endless back roads with a full house of nice folks and lovely cars. The Tour confirmed two of my long-standing suspicions. I now know, conclusively, that all Alfa owners are terrific. And, just as importantly, I now have proof that Alfa Romeos are built not with nuts and bolts and rivets and spot welds—but with magic. What else could have held my new radiator fan together for so long?
Philadelphia @DVAROC Fun – Algar Ferrari FF Unveiling
Folks, last night Algar Ferrari Maserati of Philadelphia celebrated the grand reopening of their new remodeled dealership and unveiled the Ferrari FF. What a great time! Thanks to the Algar folks for letting us attend!
The dealership remodel is fantastic. Pics will follow!
Here’s the link to our video on YouTube:
DVAROC checking out the new Ferrari FF
Enjoy!
DVAROC Merchandising In Progress
Hello club, exciting developments:
We’re doing some infrastructure work to give us a mechanism for handling card transactions. Two phases to this effort: point of sale and online. For the point of sale piece we’ve created an account at Square that allows us to securely accept credit transactions at club events or over the phone.
This way we can process t-shirt sales directly into the club account.
Next, we need to stand up an e-commerce site within the dvaroc domain space to handle online transactions. Club members- done this before or interested in working through this with us? It’ll be a great opportunity to help the club and learn a new skill in the process!
Do we have any members who have experience with On Demand Manufacturing as it applies to club-related products? Let me know at mike@dvaroc.org.