Iniezioneiniezione the Newsletter of the Northwest Alfa Romeo Club

IniezioneIniezione The newsletter of the Northwest Alfa Romeo Club

Summer in the NW Words by Fred Russell

It’s hard to imagine how an act of animal cruelty can lead to a number of wonderful things, but that is exactly what we discovered on our 2014 NWARC Annual Summer Drive. After our driver / navigator talk in a large sunny parking lot in Woodin- ville, our leaders, Ken & Louisa Case, handed out the route guides and gimmick questions, and we headed out. Just under 20 cars joined in for the run as we wandered east toward Duvall long wooded roads with a little construction going on. We then turned north along the scenic West Snoqualmie Valley Road with the valley floor, farms, and the placid river on our right side. Eventually, we turned right over the river to follow Tualco Road past flower farms, the former Wash State Penitentiary Photos by Gordy Hyde Honor farm, and a rural tractor show. Another couple turns and we were on Ben Howard Road as it twists its way along the south side of the Skykomish River to the town of Sultan. As we left Sultan, we again found back roads but this time we wound our way to a gate at Pasado’s Safe Haven. Our guide met us at the gate as we entered. Our walking tour commenced and we stopped at the first enclosure. Two huge pigs greeted us as our host petted them and told of their story. Across from the pigs, a couple donkeys enjoyed a field with shade, sun, water, and a nice shed. All of these animals had come from either abusive or neglect situations. We even met a number of pigs that had been rescued from the Cle Ellum forest fires. Our guide introduced us to the on-staff Vet who shared a little about how they care for animals then the guide gave us the history of Pasado’s Safe Haven. Sitting on 85 acres of rural donated land and using funds raised from numerous people and business’ in the NW, this has become a safe place for domesticated and farm type animals in need of rehab or just a place to live. Named in honor of the friendly donkey named Pasado who greeted families and friends at Kelsey Creek Farm & Park in Bellevue for many years who was cruelly killed by three punk kids back in 1992. Though the kill- ing of Pasado was an isolated incident, the trial and subsequent efforts to create tough laws against animal cruelty ex- posed larger problems. The farming industry had evolved into factory practices that would be deemed cruelty by most people. (Dragging a cow when they can no longer walk. Tossing a live pig into boiling water to kill it so it is blemish free for a luau. ) Over a year later, the Pasado Law was passed after satisfying farmer by excluding farming practices. Perhaps we should take the time to consider our choices when we buy our food. Perhaps find where it comes from, who grows it, what chemicals are used and what is not used. Though we cannot see it while standing in the store, we should simply consider the ethical process of animal treatment. If we cannot afford free range, organic meats, then perhaps we shouldn’t eat them and not support the factory chicken farms, or industry cattle ranches. More info about the great work Pasado’s Safe Haven does and how you can help, can be found at http://www.pasadosafehaven.org After our tour of the dedicated spaces for dogs, cats, horses, pigs, goats, and much more, we headed out onto more back roads. The route wound up and down past farms, streams, and rural homes as we enjoyed Florence Acres Road, Old Owen Road, before passing through Monroe and back towards the Maltby area and into Woodinville. Ending at the Round Table Pizza, many of us gathered to eat and talk about the drive, and turn in our Answers to the Gimmick Questions from along the route. They were too tough for me, but three others turned them in with Gordy Hyde getting the most correct answers! Nice. Thanks goes to all the great folks who brought out a nice variety of cars, the kind people at Pasado’s for the tour, and especially to Ken & Louisa Case for putting this all together. Another excellent day in the lives of NW Alfisti.

Inside this September 2014 issue…

* Summer Drive …….…….. pg 1 * Viva Italia …………….….. pg 5 * Calendar …………...….… pg 12 * President’s Column …... pg 2 * Concorso Italiano ….. pgs 6,7 Next club events… * Half Lap Reservations ... pg 3 * Monterey Auctions …..... pg 8 * Club Meeting ………..….. Sept 10 * Alfa News ...... pg 3 * Alfa 4C Test Drive … pgs 9,10 * Half-Fast Lap …….... Sept 13-15 * Club Meeting / Event ….. pg 4 * Classifieds ………….…. pg 11 * Club Meeting …………..…… Oct 8

President’s Column By Bill Gehring as the median was $99,000, but still a little rich for my blood. It is an average increase of 28% more per car than last year, so I guess the market is still pretty strong. Speaking of local collectors, a couple of them are going to be honored at America’s Car Museum, popu- larly known as the LeMay, in Tacoma. Some of you may remember a movie night meeting we had at Club Auto Kirkland, which also included Peter Hageman’s collection being open next door. Peter wasn’t able to host us, as he was out of town, but his friend, Al McE- wan, did. Al opened Peter’s site for us, and enter- tained us with some good stories at our meeting. Al “NWARC Member Makes History, “Modern” Car and Peter both have some great cars in their collec- Wins Pebble Beach Concours” tions, and, perhaps partly because they are founders Even though we don’t see him often, Jon Shirley is of the Kirkland Concours, are going to have some of one of our members, and we all appreciate his Alfa them featured in Americas Car Museum, starting Sep- Romeos and awards. He owns a few Alfas, but the tember 6. It will be fun to see what is there, as mu- most important are the #12 P3 that Nuvolari drove to seum entrance is included in the price of the ticket to the famous win at the German Grand Prix in 1935 the Pacific Northwest Concours d’Elegance, on Sunday and the 8C2900 that won Best of Show at Pebble September 7. Beach in 2008, the trifecta at Ville d’Este and numer- We’ll go to the Concours, but I certainly have mixed ous other big time awards. This time Jon made his- feelings. It doesn’t seem the same as its predeces- tory with one of his Ferraris, the 1954 Scaglietti sor, the Kirkland Concours d’Elegance. In Kirkland coupe that Roberto Rossellini had built for Ingrid through 2011, we used to have entrants from some Bergman. Many of us have seen it in his collection in of the top collectors, such as Bruce Meyer, Sam Bellevue. After he Mann, The Peterson Museum, John Mozart, David bought it in 1995 and Gooding, The Blackhawk Museum, The Cavallino Col- restored it, it won a lection, Arturo Keller, The Nethercutt Collection, Peter Best in Class in 1998 at Mullen, Jules Heumann, and many Pebble Beach ex- Pebble Beach. Like the hibitors, as well as all of the prominent local collec- 8C2900, he drove it a tors. We used to have special classes, such as Ulti- lot, then decided to mate Packards, Alfa Romeo Sports, Historic Hot Rods, have it completely re- Sweet Sixteen (cylinders), and others. Now the fea- restored. (With the only changes being the leather ture classes are such as Lincoln, Mustang and BMW. interior. Editor) Butch Dennison handled the work. When it was still in Kirkland, I used to attend selec- We’ve seen many of Jon’s cars in Butch’s shop and tion committee as well as general committee meet- Butch presented this car at Pebble Beach. Jon’s Fer- ings and was very impressed with the local talent rari won Best of Show at this year’s Pebble Beach and knowledge, and they always succeeded in pro- Concours. This is especially newsworthy as it's the ducing one of the top concours in the United States, first time since 1968 that a post-war car won Best of probably one of the top five. My big highlight was, Show and also the first Ferrari to ever win. So, Jon’s for years, getting to greet every entrant as they en- win surely broke the mold and will always be famous tered and direct them to their display area. Seeing for being the first one. Kudos to him, and of course, and hearing those cars move was a priceless experi- to Butch Dennison and his team. ence. Judy used to say the Kirkland event was a Also on the Monterey Peninsula were the auctions. “Little Jewel box” in the way the cars were presented. This year, Bonhams had the Ferrari GTO, which was Now, we drive down to Tacoma and see the cars anticipated to be the highest auction sale ever, and it spread out on the lawn. It just isn’t the same. was, at $38,000,000. Various pundits had predicted The next regular meeting is September 10, at more, but that is comparable to what a local collector Angelo’s, where we’ll hear about wheel repair as well (also with notable Alfa Romeos in his collection) re- as collector car insurance, and of course, there is the portedly paid for the ex-Sterling Moss light green GTO Half-Fast Lap of Washington, September 13-15. I a couple of years ago. The Pebble Beach auctions hope to see you at one or both of them. were certainly big time this year, with 828 cars being sold for a total of $428,000,000, an average of Bill Gehring $517,000 per car. There were lower priced ones, too, NWARC President

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Alfa News By Fred Russell

While I write this issue, I am watching Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson on a Quad Bike ATV/boat as he races against Richard Hammond in an Alfa 4C. They are racing the length of Lake Como. The direct path, and lack of traffic allows the am- phibious Quad Bike to finish first, but they love the 4C, though they think the inside is too plastic and cheap. Luckily one of the next episodes also featured the new Alfa Disco Volante based on an Alfa 8C… “the most soulful car I’ve ever heard.” said Jeremy Clarkson. “It accelerates like it fell off a cliff.” Those guys are an entertain- ing bunch. From August 28, through September 28 the Griot’s Garage flagship store in Tacoma is celebrating Italian cars by putting some stunning examples on display. Our member, Clyde Rutherford, has his perfect GTV displayed next to three Lamborghinis, and a few Ferraris including Jon Shirley’s Pebble Beach Best of Show winning 375 MM. (See Page 2 for more info) Nice company of cars and the Alfa Romeo GTV looks right at home. Swing by during the month to ogle the cars and the cool garage supplies. The Lucky Car Auction is held once a year, or maybe more, but more importantly they are working on making it a premier NW auction. Held at the LeMay Family Foundation during their annual Open House, they had a wide variety of cars cross- ing the block. A few are from LeMay, but most are from outside customers. Alfa Romeo was represented with 3 entries; an ‘88 Spider, a tired GTV, and a very nice ‘74 GTV. The excellent ‘74 GTV sold for a $24,500 which was cheaper than I felt it was worth. The other GTV was a lot cheaper but needed a lot of work. For entertainment value, the ‘88 Spider had a note on it that hampered sales. “Not sure what happened on the way here but the clutch stopped working.” Sounds like hydraulic fluid loss.

San Juan Islands Half-Fast Lap Sept 13-15 Its time for our annual NWARC Half-Fast Lap, which heads to the San Juan Islands this time around. Our first day will take our Ferry ride from Anacortes to Lopez Island. Second day is Orcas discov- ery, while the third day is on San Juan Island before heading back to Anacortes. With people coming from a variety of places, we’ll gather in Anacortes at the Safe- way store at 911 11th St. Since we have to catch a 9:35 AM boat to Lopez Is- land, so we need to gather close to 8 AM, enjoy a short “Driver Meeting” and head to the ferry dock. So far, it appears that the 27 people coming along are: Cindy Akana, Fred Russell, Heidi, Merril, and Dillon Gordon, Dean & Lynne Sinnott, Georges & Arlette Hebrant, Ken & Louisa Case, Harry & Elsie Reed, George & Marie Bradshaw, Dick & Jessica NEW LOCATION Camp, Kristy & Paul Affolter, Bill & Judy Gehring, Rondi & David Opko, Dave & Jane 2600 West Commodore Way Emerson, and Alex & Kathleen Voss. We are all staying at the North Beach Inn Suite #3 (360 376 2660) Seattle, WA 98119 If you miss the start timing, the next boat to Lopez leaves at 12:35 PM. It catches 206 378 0900 up to the rest of the group. Call me (Fred) at 425 308 6621 if you miss the www.group2inc.com early boat and we can get you caught back up.

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September Club Meeting Sept 10 Board Members President Bill Gehring Two guest speakers will inform and entertain at our next club meeting. Learn about (425) 822 4231 damaged wheels and making them new again, as well as specialty car insurance, and [email protected] vintage racing at Laguna Seca. Vice President Ken Case  When: September 10 6:30 PM—9:00 PM (425) 702 9298 [email protected]  Where: Angelo's Ristorante 1830 130th Ave NE Bellevue Secretary Gordy Hyde Starke Shelby will bring us up to date on the latest in collector car insurance and share (425) 241 9307 his recent experience vintage racing at Laguna Seca as part of the Monterey Historics [email protected] event. No, he wasn’t racing his Alfa Giulia Super, but he was still having fun in the sun Treasurer Ron Calkins in California. (206) 403 3445 [email protected] We will also hear from Shana Blum who specializes in repairing auto wheels. Her business is called Bellevue Wheel Repair and one of her services is she comes to you and Committee Directors your car. She’ll share info about what is fixable, and maybe show an example of her Activities Earl Krygier good work. With the easy damage we can do to rare rims, this may be a good fix. [email protected]

Competition Co-Directors Upcoming “other” Fun Events Mirko Freguia (206) 795 0861 Chris Benny (206) 283 9065 The Citroen club has invited us to join their End of Summer Drive on Sept 21. They plan to start at 9 AM from the Redmond Ridge QFC and end in late afternoon on the Membership Everett waterfront. For more info: Paul at 425-306-8525 Paul & Kristy Affolter (206) 523 8534 With an open drive up Maryhill Loop Road, car show, kids events on Saturday, Oct 4th [email protected] and Hillclimb races on Oct 5th, SOVREN’s Maryhill Hillclimb should be a ton of fun. [email protected] This is your chance to enjoy the unique locale and vintage racers. You must pre-register Iniezione Editor Fred Russell by Sept 30 at http://sovrenracing.org/maryhill-hill-climb/ [email protected]

Webmaster Earl Krygier [email protected]

Technical Editor Wes Ingram 15613 “C” Peterson Road Burlington, WA 98233 (360) 707 5701 [email protected]

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) Ed Slavin 503 789 3282 The Iniezione is the monthly newsletter of the Northwest Alfa Romeo Club, a non-profit organization of Alfa Romeo en- [email protected] thusiasts. 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 sub- FEN (Fiat Enthusiasts NW) scriptions 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 Gordy Hyde 425 241 9307 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 MGCCNWC (MG) AROC. It is the responsibility of the person performing any procedure to accept all consequences of his or her actions. Ken Bottini 425 883 9615 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] ...then when the automated tool sends you an e-mail message, simply reply to the msg and you’re on the list.

NWARC September 2014 newsletter page 4

5th Annual Viva Italia Enjoys a Perfect Woodinville Day

Photo by Al Glenewinkel

Though weather is never a guarantee around the Northwest, our luck this summer has been good. Lots of sunshine and it delivered on Au- gust 23rd for our annual Viva Italia Italian Car & Motorcycle Show at Columbia Winery in Woodinville. With a perfect forecast and a great location combined with getting the word out through a number of chan- nels, we had a great turn out of around 60 cars, and plenty of happy Photo by Al Glenewinkel people. The event followed a nice showing of British cars in the middle of Redmond Town Center, and a very good variety of Alfa Romeos at the South lot of the Exotics show as well. Once the Exotics @ RTC show ended, many of the Italian cars cara- vanned over to Columbia Winery and started to gather. Since Viva Italia benefitted the Maltby Food Bank, it was great to see so many people off load bags of groceries from their Ferraris, Fiats, and Alfas as they arrived. In all, over $200 in groceries and $229 in cash was raised. Plenty of people took advantage of the half price wine tasting coupons and the wonderful flatbreads. Nice! The Alfa Romeo section was well represented. Gordy brought out his rare Junior Z, while Mirko and JVR both brought out their fierce Milano racers. Cindy Akana attended her first car show with her nice 164L. Kim and Rosco Buty brought their Montreal, and it would’ve won Best Montreal if we’d voted. Kay Jones and many other club members enjoyed the day with their Giuliettas, Alfettas, GTVs, Spiders, and much more. Andy Bock won the unofficial Longest Distance award since he came all the way (532 miles, 2 ferries, and 2 border cross- ings, Round Trip) from Black Creek, BC on Vancouver Island. That is a fun drive! Other Alfisti brought Italian cars like Dave Kingstone in a Fiat 500, Mike Leonetti with his Ferrari 575 Superamerica, Joe English was in his Fiat Dino Coupe, Shannon Low brought the Lancia Scorpion, and Lee Atkins arrived in his bright red Lamborghini Countach. Fiat Enthusi- asts Northwest (FEN) had 9 or cars from older Spiders to new 500s. Alex Sargent brought a new Maserati Ghibli from his inventory at Maserati of Kirkland, while we also enjoyed 14 different Ferraris, and one rare Italia 2000 Coupe from 1960. What a great gathering of passionate people, including Hayden Coon who came with his parents. He helped me work as a greeter and served lemonade, and gave his parents a tour of the cars when he had a chance. Thanks to Hayden, Columbia Winery, and everyone who made this a great day for Italian cars and the Maltby Food Bank.

Photo by Al Glenewinkel

Hayden Coon enjoyed Lee’s Countach

Photo by Gordy Hyde

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Concorso Italiano 2014

One-off Zagato Lamborghini 595

A field of Alfa Romeos

What’s to say? Concorso Italiano is an outstanding event every year for lovers of Italian cars in general and for Alfa Romeos in par- ticular. This year, the event moved to the Saturday of the Mon- Alfa TZ3 terey Car Week; a gathering of car freaks and everything car re- lated. It is an overdose of car events if you try to take it all in, so you pick and choose the things you must see, can afford to see, or just happen to see. In my book, Con- corso Italiano is a Must See, with Pebble Beach being the next day, if you can make it. This year, the featured marque was Maserati as well as a special Zagato display. Maserati was celebrating 50 years of the Quattroporte and they had each model displayed. They also had an inner circle of select Maseratis which included a Bora belonging to our local guy, Bruce Wanta, as well as a great variety of cars. Sebring, Mistral, Ghibli, Khamsin, Shamal, 3500GT, and more were on display and looking great! The Zagato display was helped by Andrea Zagato being there and a number of one-off, or extremely rare cars including one of the nine built Alfa Romeo TZ3 based on the

Cisitalia 202 MM 4C on Display!

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Concorso Cont’d... last original version of the Viper, the ACR-X. Early Lamborghini Countach Wandering around the display you find vendors selling art, car oddities, memorabilia, and clothing. Next are the displays for each type of Italian car. Lambor- ghini had thirty or more of the older cars, and tons of the newer Gallardo, Aventador, and even a couple Huracan. Ferrari, must be about 35% of all the cars on display in a sea of red across the green grass. An eclectic group had the Cadillac Allante, and others. Back into the normal cars with DeTomaso, Lancia, Fiat, and then Alfa Romeo. The Alfa Ro- meo grouping had a wonderful assortment with the usual, and unusual. A nice AR51 sat next to Giulia Supers. I found a number of people I knew in Lamborghini Huracan the area including Joe & Lynn Faherty. The rest of the field included specialty displays like a wrecking yard that specializes in exotic cars with a Ferrari 458 Italia in two halves, and a Lam- AR51 Military Vehicle borghini Gallardo that was severely bent. One more display was for the McLaren dealer who had a P1 on display. It isn’t Italian, but looked Fiat Dino Spyder & Coupe like it could be so maybe that is okay. Right at the main entrance, and next to the awards area was the Alfa Romeo display tent with two Alfa Romeo 4C for people to try on. They even had a couple more hid- den out behind the show so those lucky enough to get to

1958 Fiat 1200TV test drive could get access out of, and back into the event. As the day came to an end, and the Italian overdose sank in, it added up to a wonderful day. Most people had Perfect Milano Verde left by the time I finally was dragged from the grounds as I ended the evening ranting about the cool cars and people during a nice dinner with the Joe & Lynn, as well as Tony & Debi Schmid, Sean Russell, and a few others. Make sure Concorso Italiano is on your Lots of Ferrari Bucket List a few times. If you aren’t convinced, contact me.

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Monterey Auctions

The auctions during Monterey Week are an impressive sight to see. A lot of money is spent from around the world on impressive, and some not so impressive cars. During our October Meeting, Shannon Low will be able to share a few tales of cars selling for odd prices, but in the mean time, I thought I’d share the sale prices for the Alfa Romeos I know of during this one week in August. I am always amazed as Alfisti complain about how much money someone asks for their car when selling. “It’s way overpriced.” or “That guys a fool if he thinks his car will sell for that much.” These comments may make the person feel smart, but it actually does nothing more than help keep the values of our cars low. In the non-knucklehead world, the prices are often higher. In the alcohol induced, ego driven world of flashy auctions, the prices are much higher. Reality falls somewhere in be- tween. Enjoy the photos and the sale prices in US dollars which include the auction fees. There were more Alfas including a nice but non-stock GTV that sold for over $40000. Oh well… check these out.

Montreal $99,000 1947 1900 SSZ $1,012,000

1900 Ghia Coupe $330,000 6C2500 Pinin Farina Spyder $4,000,000

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Membership The NWARC would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest The following members provide Alfa Mentoring!!! member. We hope to see you at upcoming events. Please don’t Don’t hesitate to contact any of these members for good Alfa info! hesitate to introduce yourself to others within the club. Model/Series Member Name Contact 164 / GTV-6 Dan Jardine [email protected]  Paul Forecki Tacoma, WA GTV Dave Emerson [email protected] Spiders, GTV Fred Wright [email protected] 1971 Spider Spiders (101/105) George Gibbs [email protected] 80’s Spiders Harry Reed [email protected] Almost Anything! Fred Russell [email protected]

Name: ______

Spouse: ______

0340 -

Address: ______City/State/Zip: ______

Home Phone: ______Alt. Phone: ______

E-mail Address: ______Membership Application

Do you wish to be affiliated with the local Alfa Club? Yes…. NWARC

ALFA ROMEO OWNERS CLUB OWNERS ROMEO CLUB ALFA 12340 BOX P.O. 64116 MO CITY, KANSAS 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

Mailto:

NWARC / AROC Or… Online registration http://www.aroc-usa.org/

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Alfa Romeo 4C Test Drive By Fred Russell

Photo by Sean Russell

The Alfa Romeo 4C has been getting a lot of press coverage of late, and the anticipation of the coming car is huge. Sure, it has it’s detractors but every car will. For the most part the coverage has been extremely positive, especially about the fun factor, or DNA as Alfa Romeo calls it. A few months back, I toured the Maserati factory in Modena, Italy where the Alfa 4C are assembled. It was extremely cool to see the carbon fibre tub and all the sub sections coming together along with the body panels being installed. Can’t travel to Italy soon? You’re in luck as The Science Channel on TV has been showing a very informative episode of How Things Are Made that features the Alfa Romeo 4C. If you missed it, you can always ask me… I have it saved. After my factory tour, they allowed me a little seat time in the car, but as soon as we pulled out onto the roads of Modena, I was told to drive slowly and easily. After only a short time on peaceful pretty roads just north of town, I was back in the lot at the factory with the car. No speed runs, fast corners, hard braking, or DNA usage. Cont’d on Page 11

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. Dent Solutions, Mobile - Paintless dent removal 206 890 6456 Burien Upholstery, Burien - Upholstery, carpets Classic Interior Restorations, Seattle - Headliners Mark 2 Collision Center, Lynnwood - Collision repair Selling Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and North Kitsap Auto Rebuilt, Poulsbo - Collision repair Lancia Parts Since 1971 Professional Glass Company, Seattle - Windshield Replacement Security Safe & Lock, Inc., Bellevue - Lock rebuilding FREE CATALOG Speedometer Service, Portland - Speedometer and tachometer repair and calibration 1-800-788-4435 Tire Rack Internet - Tires, wheels and parts 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.

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Test Drive Cont’d...

That changed in mid August as I pulled out of the parking space in sunny California. This time, it was a US spec Alfa 4C with no restrictions on speed or style. All they asked was that I return in an hour and to try to not hurt the car as they had to show it the next day at Concorso Italiano. I had that in mind as I gently drove off into the scenic countryside on the Monterey Peninsula. Sharing the car with Sean Russell, an Alfa dealer from San Diego, he endured the view from the passenger seat as I tried to get close, but not quite wreck the car. The fit and finish of the inside of the car is extremely good, and the look and feel of the interior material is excellent. Stitching, dash display, controls are all pleasing, sporty, and in view. Compared to Lotus Elise, Tesla, and other smaller cars, this is a visual treat that fits. The seat doesn’t adjust, as they are fitted to the owner upon purchase, so some may complain but the setup fit my 6’2” size extremely well, especially for spirited driving. There is excellent visibility out the sides and front, but enjoy the mirrors to the rear. I had no problem backing up the car, as I quickly adjusted to what I could see. The nose drops away but I never felt like any portion of the wide car was a mystery as the car feels the same as its dimensions. If I’m going to complain about anything, it will be the transmission and perhaps its simply that I’m old. After driving a manual transmission since 1974, I really like shifting exactly when I want to. Even using the DNA Sport setting the car helped me with that decision. Otherwise, the car will go down as the most fun Alfa I’ve ever driven. The handling is beyond exception with an incredible balance and sure footed effort around every corner. Bumps half way through corners pro- vided no tail wag or hop that my GTV6, Sport Sedan, or Milano would provide. Acceleration was smooth and strong and under most situations the paddle shifting was fast and easy… perhaps too easy. Downshifts were equally quick throughout the 6 speed shifting. The engine makes great music as you run up the revs, with each gear change adjusting the tone, you have no need for the infotainment system in the car. There is no risk of cell phone use or texting as it would distract from the experience with the car. The low weight of the car is quickly noticed in the responsive steering and easy braking. Though there is no assist with the steering any forward movement at all and the thick steering wheel turns easily. The stop pedal gives excellent feedback as the large brakes bring the car to a stop so quickly it made my behind pucker a little. Overall, the car is not going nearly as fast as you think you’re going. Any well dressed guy in BMW M5 will blow your doors off until you get to a corner, then he’ll be worried about his dry cleaning bill while you easily pass on the inside line. The treat is that the car feels and sounds amazingly fast and you don’t care if it isn’t. I was worried about who would be selling these cars at dealerships. Not any more, as after I climbed out, I realized these will sell themselves. The looks, handling, sounds are exactly what makes an Alfisti’s heart race. The car is a ton of fun, even if you’re driving to visit your mother-in-law. Go place your order as soon as they put up their Alfa dealership sign.

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 Parts For Free! Yes Free: several dellorto carbs with or without key parts, 2 three shoe brake drums, an oil pan from something soon after 101, some starter motors, a generator, a fly wheel presumable from 101 series car, and 3.5 or 4 quarts of Dentax 85 90 trans oil for early cars. Call Fred R at 425 308 6621 to pickup what you want. Parts For Sale: 3 new '78-79 Alfetta Sedan doors with factory stickers on them. Also for sale- a 3L block for Milano/ GTV6 new. Must sell-make offers. Call Peter in Seattle at 239-292-4838. Wheels For Sale: 4 Alloy 5 spoke wheels from a 1985 Spider. These look really nice! $300 Call Jeff at 206 300 6468 For Sale or Parting Out: 1977 Alfetta Sedan There maybe a few parts on this car someone may want before I send it off to the grave. I am a recycler Call Tim Covey at 800-809-5334 M-f 9-5 or email at [email protected] . 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 ex- ceedingly 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

NWARC September 2014 newsletter page 11

2014/2015 Calendar of Events  Sept 6 Griot’s Garage Tacoma Caffeine & Gasoline Italian Automobili 8 AM start  Sept 7 PNW Concours d’Elegance Tacoma LeMay-Americas Car Museum  Sept 10 Club Meeting Angelo’s Ristorante Bellevue (See page 4)  Sept 13-15 NWARC Half Fast Lap of Washington San Juan Island Tour  Sept 21 End of Summer Tour Citroen Club (See page 4)  Sept 27, 28 Festa Italiana Seattle Center wwww.festaseattle.com  Sept 27, 28 SOVREN Fall Finale Pacific Raceways Kent Vintage Racing  Oct 3 Microsoft Car Show West Campus Garage  Oct 4, 5 Maryhill Hillclimb & Car is King Show Goldendale, WA (See page 4)  Oct 8 Club Meeting Park Place Ltd Bellevue (host: Shannon Low)  Oct 15-19 Seattle Auto Show (Century Link Exhibition Hall)  Oct 19 Fall Leaves Tour (FEN contact [email protected] )  Nov 12 Club Meeting Angelo’s Ristorante Bellevue (speaker: Martin Rudow)  Nov 8 NWARC Performance Driving School Monroe  Dec 7 NWARC Holiday Party Burien (Save The Date!)  Jan 1 Anti Football Drive

Event ideas? Contact: Earl Krygier [email protected]

Fred Russell taking the new Alfa Romeo 4C out for a spirited drive in the California Sun. Photo by Sean Russell NWARC September 2014 newsletter page 12