May 2014 - Northwest Alfa Romeo Club
Transcription
May 2014 - Northwest Alfa Romeo Club
Iniezione The newsletter of the Northwest Alfa Romeo Club New Humor on the 33rd Annual Tulip Rallye By Fred Russell Any of you who have done the Tulip Rallye knows that humor is a key element as you drive the scenic roads of Skagit Valley answering goofy questions with equally goofy answers. It helps to have a goofy sense of humor with these events. When the question asks “What color is the truck at 31746?”, you know to watch for addresses and when it’s a fire station you can put in the answer of RED. The challenge becomes tougher when the humor factors in with questions like ‘Not likely to find kryptonite here.” with the answer being a street named Lois Lane. This year the MG Car Club NWC had both a new event master, plus a new volunteer (Bert Cripe) who made the route and humorous route guide. The event leader returned to an orderly numerical start after last year’s jumbled beginning that allowed everyone to start whenever. The route guides were handed out with directions sending some going one way and others the reverse path. They record the start time and mileage then note your car number on your windshield. At 9:34 AM on April 19, we headed out. Within the first 300 feet, we realized we already missed the first two answers. After a quick turn around, we got goofy looks from other drivers until they too realized they missed the first two answers. Back on track, we headed north Photo by Kris Warren through Burlington, then wandered backroads with short stints on Hwy 20 and Hwy 9. The meandering route took us west under I-5 before dropping us down near Bow and past my favorite restaurant—The Rhododendron Café; but we had no time to stop… so cruel. Since we wound back over I-5 towards Sedro Woolley again, we crossed paths with other Rallye cars, often going opposite directions. I loved this since it created doubt in my mind as well as theirs. Are we on the right road? The goofy questions kept coming, and the route guide seemed error free! After 3 hours, it returns us to the Skagit Valley Mall, where we started, to cross the finish line and record our time and mileage and hand in the answer sheets. NWARC had nine teams competing this year. At the start, Wes Ingram met us to visit and see us off. Thanks Wes! Our club representation included Harry & Elsie Reed in their silver Spider Quad; Thomas and Arlene Jermann driving their matching Alfa Spider; Bill & Mary Banta who left their GTV at Park Place and competed anyway; Miguel Salguero who drove his red Milano, and Barry & Kathy Constant drove their 65 Giulia Spider. Our California member, Steve Schaeffer, brought his friend Shelly to keep him out of trouble and Kristy and Paul Affolter drove their comfy BMW. Last year’s winners, Taylor and Madi Russell arrived in their Honda with plans to beat their dad once again. Hoping not to get beaten again, I was there with Cindy Akana and drove her Alfa 164. One other Alfa owner and hopefully a future club member was Kelly and her partner drove a red Spider Graduate that Kelly just received for her birthday! At the end, the scoring committee counted up the correct answers and applied final scores. In the afternoon, they started announcing raffle winners, thanking people for donating money to the OSO families and food to the local food bank. Then they announced the drive winners. As I waited to shoot a photo, they announced Fred Russell and Cindy Akana as 1st place winners and I suddenly needed help to shoot the picture! Its nice to win, even if my daughters missed a couple on purpose to help me out, but especially when I realized that our club has numerous scores with just 1 or 2 points off from mine! Yikes...I barely won! Thanks to all who came to this fun event and to those who put it all together. I liked the new humor! Inside this May 2014 issue… * * * * * Tulip Rallye ……………….. pg President’s Column …... pg Club Meeting ………........ pg NWARC Garden Tour ..... pg 600 Miles in an Alfa ...... pg 1 2 3 4 5 * * * * * All Italian Show …….. pgs 6,7 Book Review ….……….... pg 8 Alfa Future ………..…...... pg 9 Membership ………...….. pg 10 Classifieds / BBQ ….…. pg 11 * Calendar …………...….… pg 12 Next events… * Club Meeting …………….. May 10 * Garden Tour ……….….….. May 31 * Club Meeting ………....…. June 11 President’s Column By Bill Gehring Besides being the editor/publisher of “Vintage Drift”, the SOVREN magazine, he is the author of two well-received books on the history of racing in the northwest. The first volume, Long Straights and Hairpin Turns covers 19501961 and is now hard to find. I did find some used copies, starting at $195, and new ones from $528. I am more interested in the second, Weekends of Glory, which covers when I first got interested in sports car racing. I did find one for a reasonable price, and I am enjoying it. As a matter of fact, there is even a photograph in there of the 1964 Rose Cup, which if it had been panoramic, would have included me as a “Crowd Control” official! Of course I was just a teenager then. Seriously. I often came up to SIR for races, but I also have great memories of Delta Park, now Portland International RaceAs I write this, still no plans from Alfa/Fiat as promised way. At that particular Rose Cup race, I had recently for April. Maybe no news is good news, as evidenced by bought a used TR3 from Monte Shelton, so he was my what has recently happened to Chevrolet. At least we did hero. Being able to hang out at his used car lot probably not have a pace car catch on fire, a giant sinkhole in our was instrumental in my becoming interested in sports museum (although the Alfa one remains closed to the cars. They were certainly different than the car I had public, except for Fred Russell) or a cover up/recall for a traded in, a 1951 Oldsmobile coupe with thirteen coats of million faulty ignition switches. So, I can’t talk about new Titian Red lacquer, black and white rolls and pleats, Alfa plans, but I can mention topics such as a nice meetchrome wheels, etc. I used to show up with that car to ing at Group 2, the demise of an Alfa-friendly shop in the informal drag races that were most Wednesdays at Bellevue, visiting with Martin Rudow, some history of a the back of Delta Park. Just like “American Grafitti” days. racetrack, and finally being legal with one license plate. I have to be like Fred and throw in a little interesting hisWe had a great meeting at the new digs for Group 2 Motory here. Probably many of you have been to Portland torsports. For the 175 of you that weren’t there, it is a International Raceway, but did you know it was once a very nice facility and still getting better. They needed city? It was called Vanport and during WW II had up to more space (especially on the outside) and contrary to 40,000 inhabitants. It even had its own college, which Google Maps, moved just a couple of blocks away. They later became Portland State University. In 1948, when still have an appealing showroom of accessories, continue the population was still around 18,500, the Columbia to be a Tire Rack installer and feature products from comRiver rose and a dike broke, engulfing the entire city. panies such as Centerline and Vredestein. They have Fifteen people were killed, everyone else got out, and that eight bays and a lot more room for cars on the floor as was the end of the city. In my formative years, we could well as offering storage of cars for $220 per month. They still go over and drive around the streets, and driveways still offer the same services, for vintage, special interest, and foundations still existed. As I mentioned, one of rally cars and especially Alfa Romeos, led by our competithose back streets was the “drag strip”. I think all traces tion co-chair, Chris Benny and Ben Shinmori. As a matter of Vanport are gone now, and it is a pretty nice racing of fact, while we were there, Ben was spending most of facility. his time on Ron Calkins 164, which was on one of the racks. Ben was muttering something about Ron suddenly I mentioned license plates last month and am doing it for a different reason here. If anyone is interested, I found a coming into a bunch of money and having anything he source of old plates and tags, so if anyone wants to go wanted done on his cars. (Sorry, Ron, but you have to endure Club Treasurer jokes just like Thomas did) A new with a license plate on their “collector vehicle” of the year of manufacture, I can put you in touch with this particular guy, Arno Guerin, is at the desk, as Allison absconded back to Italy with her husband, who was offered a profes- collector. He is reasonable, too, providing me an authentic-looking “1984” tag for just $5. sorship at an Italian university. Such an excuse. Group 2 is even more important to us now, as we have lost an Alfa facility in Bellevue, a mainstay of many of our members. The rumor was out there, but I talked to Frank Spicer, the owner of Autologic, and he confirmed that they no longer work on Alfa Romeos. They may service the cars of some old customers, but that will be it, as both of their Alfa techs have left. So, I think it is time for us to share some good Alfa mechanics and facilities. There is still Ralli Round, but who else is out there to work on our cars? Let me know, and I will include them in the next column. I enjoyed speaking with Martin Rudow at our meeting. Finally, this month’s “Thank You” goes to Ken and Louisa Case for providing pizza, soft drinks, salads, cookies and everything to enjoy them with at the Group 2 meeting. It was certainly above and beyond the call of duty, and I am sure it kept people around longer to talk with each other. Thanks, Ken and Louisa! See you at Vintage Customs May 10 and also at the Garden Tour May 31. Bill Gehring NWARC President NWARC May 2014 newsletter page 2 May Club Meeting Saturday, May 10th Board Members President Bill Gehring (425) 822 4231 [email protected] The club's May meeting will be held on a Saturday at Vintage Customs in Tacoma. This shop, run by Daron Walker, specializes in restoring older cars of interest. Most of the projects being worked on are Italian cars with a concentration on ALFAs. Daron and his crew will show us their current projects. Afterwards, a light lunch will be served with plenty of time for socializing. This is a great chance for our members in the South Sound area to take a short drive to an event. Vice President Ken Case (425) 702 9298 [email protected] Secretary Gordy Hyde (425) 241 9307 [email protected] Treasurer Ron Calkins (206) 403 3445 [email protected] Committee Directors Vintage Customs is located at: 5614 South Washington Street, Tacoma. May 10th, 11:00—’til you go home. See you there. Activities Paul Affolter (206) 523 8534 [email protected] Competition Co-Directors Mirko Freguia (206) 795 0861 Chris Benny (206) 283 9065 Membership Paul & Kristy Affolter (206) 523 8534 [email protected] [email protected] Iniezione Editor Fred Russell [email protected] Webmaster Earl Krygier [email protected] Pacific NW Historic Car Corral The Pacific NW Historics (July 4-6) hosted by SOVREN, are getting closer. The best parking at the event is in the Car Corral on Saturday and Sunday. Corral tickets also allow you to participate in parade laps during the lunch break. There are no formal car corral activities on Friday but the area is open to those purchasing car corral passes for the weekend. Tickets for the car corral (admits car and driver) are $30 for one day or $50 for the weekend. Passengers are $25 for one day, or weekend tickets at $40. Children 7 to 16 are $5 per day. Once again, the net proceeds from the event go to the Uncompensated Care Fund at Seattle Children’s Hospital. To order your tickets and reserve your spot, contact Bill Gehring at 425 -822-4231 or [email protected] , and then mail him a check ASAP (payable to NWARC) to 129 19th Ave Kirkland WA 98033-4929. We’ll batch our NWARC orders! Deadline is June 4 but don’t wait! http://nwalfaclub.com www.aroc-usa.org www.alfabb.com Facebook: NWARC Club Liaisons SOVREN (Society of Vintage Racing Enthusiasts) TBD AROO Just the Facts... (Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon) The Iniezione is the monthly newsletter of the Northwest Alfa Romeo Club, a non-profit organization of Alfa Romeo enthusiasts. NWARC is a regional chapter of the national Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC). Chapter meetings are typically held the second Wednesday of most months except December. Membership dues are $63 per year, which includes subscriptions to either the digital and/or print versions of the Iniezione and the monthly national publication, Alfa Owner. For information about joining the club, contact the membership director listed in the right hand column. Opinions expressed in the Iniezione are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the club. (The author may simply be nuts!) Publication of articles describing technical procedures does not constitute an endorsement by the club, its officers, or AROC. It is the responsibility of the person performing any procedure to accept all consequences of his or her actions. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone would take personal responsibility? Commercial advertisements in the newsletter are a win! During this tight economy, give your business added exposure while supporting the NWARC. Ad rates are: 5”x8” $85/Qrtly $200/Annu 4”x5” $65/Qtrly $170/Annu 2”x3.5” $50/Qtrly $120/Annu E-mail a color tif, or pdf file (300 DPI) to [email protected] To subscribe to the digital newsletter: Send an e-mail to [email protected] automated tool sends you an e-mail message, simply reply to the msg and you’re on the list. Technical Editor Wes Ingram 15613 “C” Peterson Road Burlington, WA 98233 (360) 707 5701 [email protected] ...then when the NWARC May 2014 newsletter page 3 Ed Slavin 503 789 3282 [email protected] FEN (Fiat Enthusiasts NW) Gordy Hyde 425 241 9307 MGCCNWC (MG) Ken Bottini 425 883 9615 2014 NWARC Garden Tour RSVP!!!! The 2014 NWARC Garden Tour will start at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens this year. Next we will drive through the scenic eastside to the award winning Maltby Café in Snohomish County for lunch then onto Flower World to see more display gardens and for a bit of inspired shopping. When: 9:30 am, Saturday, May 31, 2014. Where: The Bellevue Botanical Garden (BBG) Due to construction we will park at the Wilburton Hill Park and walk into BBG. Wilburton Hill Park is located at the intersection of Main St. and 124th Ave. NE. The best route is NE 8th St. to 124th Ave. NE and head south. This will take you directly to the park entrance. 12400 Main St, Bellevue WA 98005 The Bellevue Botanical Garden’s temporary entrance will be through the back gate in Yao Garden. It is 1/3 mi. from the parking lot to the entrance. A docent will meet us in the parking lot at 10:00 am to begin our tour of the Perennial Boarder garden. After the tour we will be free to visit other parts of the garden. www.bellevuebotanical.org Then… We will leave the BBG at Noon and drive to the Maltby Café just outside Snohomish for lunch at 12:30. The Maltby Café has won several awards for the Best Breakfast and they promise a great lunch for us too. www.maltbycafe.com 8809 Maltby Rd, Snohomish, WA 98296 425-483-3123 Then… After lunch we will take a short drive to Flower World. Flower World has 15 acres of display areas and retail shopping. Flower World grows all of its own plants locally and offers plants specially grown for the northwest. www.flowerworldusa.com 9322 196th St. SE 98296, Snohomish, WA 98296 425-481-7565 Please RSVP to [email protected] by May 28. Member Recommendation! Have a parts or service provider you have found to be highly satisfactory? Share your wisdom at [email protected] . With your help, we can all be better automotive consumers. Burien Upholstery, Burien - Upholstery, carpets Classic Interior Restorations, Seattle - Headliners Mark 2 Collision Center, Lynnwood - Collision repair North Kitsap Auto Rebuilt, Poulsbo - Collision repair Selling Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and Lancia Parts Since 1971 Professional Glass Company, Seattle - Windshield Replacement Security Safe & Lock, Inc., Bellevue - Lock rebuilding Speedometer Service, Portland - Speedometer and tachometer repair and calibration Tire Rack Internet - Tires, wheels and parts FREE CATALOG 1-800-788-4435 www.international-auto.com Vancity Plating, Burnaby BC - Chrome plating and polishing All the providers listed were recommended by one or more club members as being highly satisfactory but are not specifically endorsed by NWARC. NWARC May 2014 newsletter page 4 600 Miles in a 49-year-old Alfa By Keith Martin Every spring the Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon (AROO) hold the “Old Spider Tour” to celebrate and commemorate the occasion of club founder Bob McGill buying his 1958 Alfa Spider from Rambo Motors. This year there were six old spiders (three Giuliettas and three Giulias) plus another 16 or so cars, ranging from GTVs and Duettos to a lone GTV-6. We started at Steamboat Landing Park, just past marker 16 on WA 14 eastbound, ran along picturesque Highway 14, and ended up in Condon, OR, where we stopped for lunch. The afternoon run went from Condon to John Day. Aside from a few raindrops and some afternoon hail, the weather was perfect. I was in my 1965 Giulia Spider Veloce, and it ran brilliantly. I had the top up for the chilly morning, which gave me the chance to appreciate just how effective the diminutive Alfa heaters are. In the afternoon, it was "top down" all the way. As I motored along at 80 mph with the other old Spiders – they always lead the tour – I thought about how much better prepared our cars are today than they were 20 years ago. There’s no such thing now as a $2,500 Giulietta that’s been sitting at the curb for a few years and could be brought back to life with a set of plugs and a minor tuneup. Such an Alfa would then break down with depressing regularity, as worn-out parts gave up the ghost — and every part on the car would be worn out. Every Giulia, Giulietta and Duetto on the tour had been extensively restored, and the results were obvious. Effortless cruising at high speeds was the name of the game, with no smoke on the downshifts. The next day started with snow on our cars, but the sun came out as we cruised toward Maupin at 100-plus mph. Then it was time to head back to Portland. I decided to take a shortcut over Mount Hood instead of coming back down the Columbia Gorge on I-84. That created some interesting moments, as my little Spider found itself in a winter blizzard with six inches of snow on the ground and modern cars littering the landscape as they spun off and crashed. Modulating the throttle and keeping a safe following distance got me over the summit safely, and by 5 p.m. I was back home. It was an extraordinary weekend — 600 miles in old cars, fully alive in their natural habitat of winding two-lane roads. These kinds of experiences reinforce my belief that we find the true value in these cars through use, and that all the valuations and investment analyses in the world don’t mean a thing when you're hitting 6,000 rpm in third and fourth, on your way towards a 5,000-rpm fifth-gear cruising speed of 100 mph — in a 49-year-old car with a 97 -cubic-inch engine. (Reprinted courtesy of Keith Martin and Sports Car Market.) Keith’s Monday Blog can be found at www.sportscarmarket.com/blogs/keith-martin NWARC May 2014 newsletter page 5 All Italian Car Gathering Photos by Fred Russell unless otherwise noted. Each year, as Fiat Enthusiasts Northwest (FEN) hosts their wonderful car show at the Triple X Drive In. The early date brings the fun of the first Italian car show, the risks of NW Spring weather, and the conflicts with Easter plans. This year the risks may have held back participation a bit, but the show was fun for those in attendance. The risk of rain didn’t materialize into any real raindrops, but the event did share the April 20 date with Easter. As the day started, a nice Ferrari Testarossa was the first car to arrive, followed by 55 more Italian cars as the morning progressed. From Alfa Romeos, to Maserati, most Italian marques seemed to have representation. The crowd of spectators wasn’t that large but those who showed had a nice treat. At one point, an attendee named Justin Kwong gifted his nice white 1969 Fiat 500 to his girlfriend; then as he was showing her the details on her new car, he opened the front hood where she could see he’d spelled out “Marry Me” in rose petals. She said “yes.” A proposal and a yes in the midst of the car show added a fun atmosphere for all the attendees. The spectators entered their votes for best car for each marque, which was easy with only one Maserati and one Lamborghini. Only slightly tougher were the two Lancia and two DeTomaso. The tallies were done and, by early afternoon, they announced the results. Justin Kwong, and his new fiancée won best Fiat with their 1969 500. I wonder if the marriage proposal helped Photo by Phil Lampman NWARC May 2014 newsletter page 6 All Italian Car Gathering voting just a little? Maybe not as their car was an excellent car even though cluttered with rose petals. The 1972 DeTomaso Pantera of Bill Birdleboush won along with David Lang’s 1970 Lamborghini Espada with the small block Chevy engine. For Ferrari, the award went to Keith Wintraub for his 1969 Dino 246GT. The new Maserati Ghibli driven by Mark Glenwood won as well. The “other” category went to Tom & Paula Brown for their rare old Autobianchi Bianchina Panoramica… with its unusual open top. Photo by Phil Lampman NWARC was well represented by nice Alfas, with the award going to former member and possible future member, Tom Callahan, and his euro trimmed 1977 Alfetta GT (which may be for sale for those paying attention). Our Photo by Al Glenewinkel member, Shannon Low won the award for best Lancia with his 1977 Scorpion. Congrats to all winners and thanks to those who represented NWARC so well at the event. Thanks also to the many people in FEN who put out great efforts hosting a well-run and enjoyable show. Words by Fred Russell Photo by Phil Lampman Photo by Phil Lampman NWARC May 2014 newsletter page 7 Photo by Phil Lampman Book Review I have picked up three Alfa Romeo related books recently that I wanted to share with you. One has NW flavor as well as a NW author. First: USRRC, A record of the United States Road Racing Championship 1963-1968. At 4.5 pounds, it’s a noteworthy resource filled with interesting reading and 500+ pictures on 348 pages about the USRRC. It’s written by a Seattle author, Mike Martin, with a strong connection to racing after watching his first professional race in 1966 at Pacific Raceways. The United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC) was a series supporting amateur and professional race teams from 1963 to 1968. The races included tracks all over the USA and came each year to our Pacific Raceways. The book details each season and each race with amazing depth and data. The photos and words take you to each trackside with better info than if you had actually been there. Sure, you’re not going to smell or hear the cars, but you’ll get great photos accompanied by race breakdowns and the play-by-play of the days events. The obvious big names are part of the story of USRRC—George Follmer, Jim Hall, Mark Donohue, Skip Barber, Peter Revson, Jerry Titus, and Jerry Grant. The Alfa content can be easily found with Chuck Stoddard racing his Alfa TZ in the under 2 Ltr class. Great fun to read; but be warned, once you start reading the first race, you’ll keep going through the whole season, then through the next, etc. It is well worth the time and money. Go to grimeheel.blogspot.com to order your copy. Second book: Travel Route 66, A Guide to the History, Sights, and Destinations Along the Main Street of America. Written by Jim Hinckley and published by Voyageur Press, this is one of the great books awaiting you after you tour the special Route 66 display at LeMay, America’s Car Museum. The display highlights the route origin, special towns, new motel concepts, and gimmick stops along the way. The book provides great specifics on each of the “famous and not-so-famous” sights and destinations along the route heading west for 2500 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica. I love the Don’t Miss sections for each area and the info on portions that are closed to cars and must be reached on foot. You may ask, “Where is the Alfa Content?” But the answer is easy, I plan to drive it within the next couple weeks, and I promise to wear my Alfa shirts the whole time! If you can’t come along, head to the LeMay, ACM and see the Route 66 display instead then read the book and you’ll wish you had joined me on the drive. Third book: 722. The XXII Mille Miglia, Sterling Moss, Denis Jenkinson, And Their Winning Mercedes-Benz 300SLR. Written by Denis Jenkinson and autographed by Sir Sterling Moss, this special book is finished in the silver arrow color of the race car. The book starts by giving the history of the Mille Miglia and then the development of the M-B 300SLR. The photos are incredible and show odd details such as, inboard front disk brakes, engine and intake details, along with suspension images that are rarely found anywhere else. Next the book gives great insight into both Moss and Jenkinson as well as their incredible efforts to prep for the grueling thousand-mile race. It covers the actual record setting run of 1000 miles in 10 hours and 7 minutes to win the fastest Mille Miglia ever. This is a great read and a treat for the eyes if you enjoy engineering, race strategy, and the personalities of these over achievers. I’m still looking for the Alfa content but I’m sure it’s there somewhere. Fred R NWARC May 2014 newsletter page 8 Alfa Romeo’s Unknown Future The May 2nd issue of MMR Community Newsletter announced, “...that Fiat would be removing Alfa from under Fiat's Ferrari-Maserati umbrella and making it a stand-alone company. Glorious as its past unquestionably is, today there is no room for Alfa Romeo in the Fiat garage. This has fueled speculation that Alfa Romeo is being positioned for sale.” The MMR words came a few days after our club member Gary Patitz shared some idle speculation with me. Gary: When you look at the FIAT big picture, Sergio Marchionne has played his hand brilliantly. First, in buying Chrysler on the cheap; combining it with FIAT; incorporating the new entity in Switzerland; moving Maserati down market to compete with BMW (the new Ghibli starts at 65K); restructuring the FIAT product line to subcompacts; dribbling out limited edition prestige runs (4C/8C) to heighten Alfa’s value while stalling on any new production models; and finally selling the marque to VW/Audi at an inflated value. Speculating even further, the FIAT/Mazda venture will still produce a new spider with variants for FIAT, Mazda, and Abarth. You have to take your hat off to this man. I am sure he would have done the same thing with Lancia had not his predecessors destroyed that marque’s goodwill over the years. On the up side, FIAT Chrysler will emerge a strong global competitor. As for Alfa, it will be combined with Lamborghini into a separate group under VW/ Audi and act as their second tier Italian sports car. Under such a scenario, it would not be difficult to believe VW/AUDI would pump an enormous amount of capital into their new acquisition in a short amount of time and attempt to get a range of production vehicles on showroom floors as soon as possible. Fred: Do you think VW/Audi will focus their efforts on FWD or RWD Alfa models? Gary: My guess is, based on the obsession Germans have for Alfa Romeo, VW/ Audi will go with RWD and AWD and position the range just below Lamborghini (in a similar fashion as Maserati to Ferrari). They would capitalize on the marque’s tradition returning Alfa to that market segment and away from entry level production cars. A coupe, sedan, then spider would be introduced in close order. I can see this scenario playing out next year after the hoopla for the 4C just starts to dissipate. From what Dave Mericle tells me, VW/AUDI is still courting Marchionne with silly money so its just a question of driving up the price. As for FIAT, it is no longer an Italian company. It now has build capacity throughout North America via Chrysler and is currently cutting a deal with the Chinese. Those pesky Italian labor unions are becoming less of a problem. On April 28, Jalopnik reported: “Sources for Automotive News Europe say that Marchionne announces Alfa's latest revival plan May 6 in Auburn Hills, a plan to have the longtime Fiat subsidiary as a separate entity within Fiat Chrysler. Making Alfa into a standalone entity… could this be the move that allows them to cast Alfa Romeo off if this revival plan fails? Along with this news, expect next week's announcement to confirm persistent rumors that Alfa will switch to a rear-wheel drive lineup beginning in 2016, abandoning the current front-wheel drive hatchbacks. Auto News says they will all be built in Italian plants, so that Italian-badged 2016 Miata is really unlikely to be called an Alfa Spider now. Gary: [This article] only confirms what I and a lot of others are thinking. It is important to note, in Alfa’s post World War II history, the company has never made a profit. As you recall the government stepped in as part of a WPA effort. When Giovanni Agnelli/FIAT bought the company back in 1986, they paid only $1. In the excellent book, “Agnelli, Seat of Power,” there is a chapter on the deal explaining how Agnelli engineered the purchase aided by the bank of Italy after Ford thought they had already bought the company. When asked about the purchase by the Italian press, Agnelli was quoted as saying, “….we have annexed a poor province.” To get to the point though, Alfa has not made money in its post-war history and has been hemorrhaging for years. For Marchionne to imply he is going to make Alfa a profit center is hard for me to believe unless the true motive is to sell it. In which case, it will be the first time in years someone actually made a profit off of Alfa Romeo. Your thoughts? Send your opinions on Alfa futures to: [email protected] NWARC May 2014 newsletter page 9 NEW LOCATION 2600 West Commodore Way Suite #3 Seattle, WA 98119 206 378 0900 www.group2inc.com Membership David & Judy Bennitt Woodinville 1972 GTV & 1974 Spider Grant Harmsen Tacoma 1976 Veloce Mercer Island 1974 Spider Model/Series Member Name 164 / GTV-6 Dan Jardine GTV Dave Emerson Spiders, GTV Fred Wright Spiders (101/105) George Gibbs 80’s Spiders Harry Reed Almost Anything! Fred Russell Contact [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Name: _____________________________________________________________________ Spouse: ____________________________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip: ______________________________________________________________ Home Phone: _______________________________________________________________ Alt. Phone: _________________________________________________________________ E-mail Address: _____________________________________________________________ Do you wish to be affiliated with the local Alfa Club? Yes…. NWARC Please indicate your interests: Technical______ Tours______ Social_______ Rally_______ Vintage Cars_______ Cost: $63 annual AROC dues includes $3 NWARC affiliation fee Make check payable to: ALFA ROMEO OWNERS CLUB Or… Online registration http://www.aroc-usa.org/ NWARC May 2014 newsletter page 10 Mail to: NWARC / AROC Membership Application Michael Malanga The following members provide Alfa Mentoring!!! Don’t hesitate to contact any of these members for good Alfa info! ALFA ROMEO OWNERS CLUB P.O. BOX 12340 KANSAS CITY, MO 64116-0340 The NWARC would like to extend a warm welcome to our four new members. We hope to see each of you at upcoming events. Please don’t hesitate to introduce yourselves to others within the club. Classified Ads Cars & Parts For Sale! Parts For Sale: Complete 3.0 Ltr V6 Motor w/Auto Trans, from ‘91 164 L sedan Engine still at repair shop. Reduced Price $900 Also a set of 4 wheels for $200. Call June at 425-244-1098 For Sale: 1985 GTV6 $650.00. In Seattle and needs to be rescued. Please call Pat Hester at 206-595-1522 For Sale: 1984 Alfa Romeo Spider The car has always been stored in a heated garage (the body is rust free), and 2 years ago was sent down to Alfa of Tacoma to bring it up to good running condition. The car now runs and drives exceedingly well. Top and tires are in very good, almost new condition. Interior and body are basically in original condition with minor detailing required. The car has been well maintained since I bought it in 1989, and I have all the service records. The odometer shows 128,000 miles. Asking price: $6,000. Contact Priscilla at 206-282-6152 For Sale: 1983 GTV6, Charcoal Grey. Had a heater core or valve issue and roof clearcoat coming off; otherwise, pretty nice, engine runs well (but does have over 100,000 miles on it), driveshaft is in good condition, Team Dynamics wheels, Recaro (factory) black seats. Spare engine (2.5). Car comes with a car cover as well. Contact Randy via email [email protected] or at 206-660-7358 FOR SALE: 1979 Alfetta Sport Sedan, 126,000 miles, Beautiful body, $500.00. Also For Sale: 1750 Engine, no miles on rebuild, $400.00. Tilt-bed trailer, flat bed, channel iron frame, 6 x 12 bed, $600.00. Contact George Bradshaw 425-210-5119 or 425-778-7210 NWARC May 2014 newsletter page 11 2014 Calendar of Events May 10 NWARC Club Meeting on a Saturday at Vintage Customs May 31 NWARC Garden Tour June 7, 8 Spokane Festival of Speed June 11 NWARC Club Meeting June 13, 14 Mecum Auction Seattle June 15 French & Italian Car Show July 4-6 NWARC Car Corral PNW Historics July 4 NWARC BBQ July 12 Concours d’Elegance at The Wood July 19-27 AROC Nat’l Convention Jr. Detroit, MI Aug 2 NWARC Viva Italia Car Show Aug 9 NWARC Summer Drive Aug 16 NWARC Track Day at The Ridge Motorsports Track Aug 16 Concorso Italiano Aug 30, 31 Columbia River Classic Sept 7 PNW Concours d”Elegance Sept 13-15 NWARC Half Fast Lap of Washington Sept 27, 28 Festa Italiana Oct 4-5 Maryhill Hillclimb Nov TBD NWARC Performance Driving School Dec TBD Bellevue, Maltby, and more Spokane, WA (See page 3) (See page 4) SOVREN Wes Ingram Tech Session Century Link Field Location TBD www.mecum.com Vancouver, BC Patitz Home Auburn, WA (See page 3) Auburn (See page 11) Lynnwood, WA Woodinville, WA Shelton, WA Monterey, CA Portland International Raceway Portland, OR Tacoma LeMay-Americas Car Museum San Juan Island Tour Seattle Center Goldendale, WA NWARC Holiday Party Event ideas? Contact Paul Affolter at (206) 523 8534 or phaffolter @ gmail.com Make sure you reserve your spot on the May 31 Garden Tour 2014! Details on page 4. NWARC May 2014 newsletter page 12
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