Iniezione The newsletter of the Northwest Club

New Year’s Anti-Football Drive A Newbie Tackles the New Year “There is life beyond an easy chair in front of a TV screen to kick off the New Year!” – Martin Swig “Lack of action begets itself.” - Sam Smith, R&T If you are ever to do something new, then by definition at some point you have to be a “newbie”. So it was that we newbies overcame the ease of do- ing nothing and were departing from a Starbucks parking lot on the 2018 NWARC New Year’s Drive. But I’m getting ahead of myself, as the story of our newbie experience goes back a bit. Melissa Donovan Many years ago a television show about Martin Swig’s annual “Anti-Football Drive”, a Northern Cali- night of fireworks viewing, rushed our daughter to fornia group of sportscar crazies rising early for a her downtown retail job, warmed up the Spider, situ- drive on New Year’s Day, appealed to me in a twist- ated our beagle, Harley, in his nest behind the seats ed, anti-social way. At the time I didn’t live in and set off for the rendezvous. Skies were dim and Northern California or own a vintage sportscar, so I overcast in a typical Seattle morning way, and a was unable to join the revolt against easy chairs and frost-covered exit ramp warned us we could be in for bowl games. That all changed when my wife Karen some slick tarmac. If nothing else, the prospect of and I purchased a Rosso Corso ‘75 Spider in late Oc- icy roads activated the on-board alarm system in the tober 2016, soon after learned of NWARC’s own ver- passenger seat who would warn me of any possible sion of the Anti-Football Drive and made plans to join danger. And you thought vintage Alfa’s lacked mod- the 2017 New Year madness. We pushed to ready ern safety equipment! the Spider for its big first drive, but unfortunately The Starbucks’ parking lot held an assortment of January 1st found it sitting in the garage waiting for interesting , mostly Alfas with a sprinkling of parts and me stuck in the easy chair! So the words other makes for variety. After a quick briefing by of Martin Swig and Sam Smith really fueled our an- Fred Russell, distribution of the turn-by-turn driving ticipation for the 2018 Drive. instructions (including points of interest) and the last We woke early New Year’s morning after a late -minute mention of a that likes to go fast (don’t they all?) we were off! Well, sort of. Exiting from the parking lot somewhat resembled a Le Mans race start, with a brisk walk to the cars followed by the congestion of 30 or so vehicles all trying to leave at the same time. Lesson for newbies: back into the parking spot! But we were off, for real this time. Melissa Donovan (continued on page 4) Inside this February 2018 issue… * New Year’s Drive …... pp 1, 4 * Garden Tour ………….….… p 7 * Classifieds ………………... p 13 * President’s Column ...... p 2 * Citroen Spring Drive ...… p 8 * Membership …...... …. p 14 * Suspension Tech Session p 3 * Sempreverde Update ……. p 8 * Calendar ………...... ……… p 16 * Brainstorming ……..…...... p 5 * Desmodromic Valves .pp 9,10 Next club events… * AROC Desert Retreat ……. p 6 * Scottsdale Auctions ….... p 11 * Suspension Tech Talk ……….…. February 13 * Pasta Sauce Cook-Off ………..... February 18 * Pasta Sauce Contest ...….. p 7 * Alfa History Snapshot .... p 12 * Club Meeting ……………………....…. March 13 * St. Patrick’s Day ………..... p 7 * Alfa Romeo News …….... P 13

President’s Column By Fred Russell

Great Start to a Busy 2018 Almost 20 people braved the roads on a very rainy Tuesday, gathering at Wild About Cars Garage to go over the known, suggested and typical club activities in our annual NWARC event planning meeting. Their input helped us identify a great number of events as well as a few gaps that may need to be filled. The goal is to ensure we have varied activities satisfying the interests of all Alfa club members; each month we want to hold an interesting meeting as well as at least one other related or social event. Check out the calendar on the last page of each newsletter; you’ll see the coming events and hopefully pick the ones you’ll enjoy. If you don’t see one that jumps out at you, let me know so we can get your idea add- ed to our agenda. We want you to actively enjoy the club and get the most, and the best, for your efforts. Sometimes we plan way in advance for our for a lot of people to change plans that quickly, but events. Sometimes they happen really quickly. An we had hoped it would work for some. The limited example of quick was our Lapping Day on January number of paying drivers meant each of us had plen- 27. Mirko Freguia (our club’s Chief Driving Instruc- ty of track time, especially for the money. Lots of tor) found out on Thursday that the coming Saturday wet track laps… with speeds a bit below what they’d was open and discounted for a track day. To say yes be on a dry day. to this date, a number of things had to happen, and The glory of the day was our chance to practice happen quickly! Ken quickly jumped to get the The Art of Racing in the Rain. In his book of that ti- needed insurance, track certificate, and checks to tle, Garth Stein (or maybe I mean Denny and Enzo) pay for the needed services. Mirko made all the ar- tried to explain the technique of driving as if you rangements with the track personnel, turn worker have eggshells between your feet and the pedals. It crew and race rescue, and then created an event on was excellent practice trying to be that smooth on Facebook as well as MSReg. I got the needed nation- each braking zone, turn and exit point, and damn, al blessing and contacted reps at each of the local that was both beneficial and a lot of fun. Each partic- dealerships, car places, other Facebook groups, and ipant received an autographed copy of Garth’s book. more. It all came together in less than 4 hours, and If you missed this short notice lapping event, don’t we were getting the word out. miss the next one. We knew that a short notice event would be tough One of the benefits of a local Alfa Romeo club is to fill, especially on a weekend with a rain forecast, the expert help available when people ask. Any of us but we hoped people would come out anyway. can be the expert at differing times on different cars. Though many people replied that they’d come out on When I get called by strangers or fellow members, I’ll Saturday, only a few did actually register. It’s tough answer what I can or refer the question to some of you who know specific topics best. A perfect exam- ple of this is a recent call I received from an Alfa owner in Puyallup, whose car had been in the family since new in 1969 and who wanted advice on value and possibly selling it. It’s nice to be able to reach out to a couple of members who own and drive these S1 spiders and who can offer knowledgeable advice. (Thanks, Dale!) Between new cars, old cars, new friends and old, social events and lapping days… it’s a great time to have and enjoy an Alfa Romeo. Fred Russell / President QV meets H2O - Fred Russell NWARC February 2018 newsletter page 2

Board Members Next Club Meeting - Feb 13 - Suspension Tech Talk! President Fred Russell (425) 308-6621 Pizza, Tuk Tuk Thai and Red Mill Burg- [email protected] ers. Prova will provide light snacks Vice President and the club will provide beverages. Gordy Hyde (425) 241-9307 Don’t forget to bring along your sur- [email protected] Join us at Prova Motorsports from plus magazines to share/exchange with Secretary 6:30 pm on for a fun evening of social- others! Joanie Vivaz (206) 420 8161 izing, seeing the various projects Prova [email protected] is currently handling, and getting some Prova Motorsports Treasurer great advice on suspension tweaks for 4022 23rd Avenue W Ken Case our beloved Alfas! Seattle, WA 98199 [email protected] Prova has significant experience in Committee Leadership all aspects of suspension, alignment Activities Directors and tires. Owner Chris Benny will dis- Judy & Bill Gehring 425 822-4231 [email protected] cuss Alfa suspension designs: how they Chief Driving Instructor work, how they have evolved, and how Mirko Freguia 206-795-0861 the aftermarket and technology have Membership Chairs responded to our cars. He'll cover de- Paul & Kristy Affolter 206-523-8534 signs from the 1950s to present. [email protected] As usual, remember to bring some- [email protected] thing to eat or order in something to Newsletter Editor be delivered by 6:45 pm. Local op- Jon Inge 206-355-3111 [email protected] tions include Highliner Public House, Webmaster Chinook, Boxcar Ale House, Pagliacci Earl Krygier 206-349-3913 [email protected] Communications Director Shannon Low 206-715-9670 March Club Meeting - March 13 - The Shop [email protected] Technical Tour of The Shop! Wes Ingram 360-707-5701 A special meeting at Seattle’s new- 15613 “C” Peterson Road Burlington, WA 98233 est car storage, maintenance and so- [email protected] cial hang-out location! After a 6:30 Digital Printing pm dinner in The Shop’s on-site res- Dan Hatch Swifty Print Seattle taurant, The Derby, our club meeting will start at 7:30 pm, and will be fol- http://nwalfaclub.com lowed by a tour of the Shop’s facilities Otherwise please have dinner else- www.aroc-usa.org and the amazing variety of cars and where, and just show up at 7:30 pm www.alfabb.com Facebook: NWARC motorcycles stored there. for the meeting and tour. Please Note: dinner space at The The Shop Derby is limited , so reservations will 2233 6th Avenue S Club Liaisons be essential if you want to eat there. Seattle, WA 98134 AROO (Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon) Doug Zaitz 509-768-4312 Informazioni Generali [email protected] FEN The Iniezione is the monthly newsletter of the Northwest Alfa Romeo Club, a non-profit organization of Alfa Romeo en- thusiasts. NWARC is a regional chapter of the national Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC). Chapter meetings are typically ( Enthusiasts NW) held the second Tuesday of most months except December. Membership dues are $68 per year, which includes subscrip- Gordy Hyde 425-241-9307 tions to either the digital and/or print versions of the Iniezione and the monthly national publication, Alfa Owner. For infor- mation about joining the club, contact the membership director listed in the right hand column. Opinions expressed in the MGCCNWC Iniezione are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the club. (The author may simply be nuts!) Publi- (MG) cation 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 Ken Bottini 425-883-9615 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 Pacific Coast AROA while supporting the NWARC. Ad rates are: 5”x8” $85/Qrtly $200/Annu 4”x5” $65/Qtrly $170/Annu 2”x3.5” (BC, Canada) $50/Qtrly $120/Annu E-mail a color tif, or pdf file (300 DPI) to [email protected] Don Best 604-939-5056 To subscribe to the digital newsletter: Send an e-mail to [email protected] ...then when the dlbest@telus automated tool sends you an e-mail message, simply reply to the message and you’re on the list.

NWARC February 2018 newsletter page 3

New Year’s Drive — continued

Heading north we dropped down into the socked- We were greeted on arrival by Fred in Snohomish river valley. Passing frost-covered Schueddekopp and Kathryn Bowes, with very welcome meadows and future Christmas trees we eventually food and coffee. After a sufficient crowd had arrived, broke out of the gloom and into the sun, skirted the Fred described the various cars in the shop and in edge of Snohomish and carried on to Lake Stevens, nearby storage, and some of his restoration challeng- Marysville and under I-5. es. Alfa Romeos are his primary focus but Fred also Westbound on Marine View Drive, a glance in the works on other makes, including a rare 1965 factory rear-view mirror re- electric sunroof Porsche 356C, a 1964 1/2 Mustang vealed a metallic silver- and a Forsgrini Veloce sports racer. Made in 1965 by gray menace behind us: Lyle and Dale Forsgren in Issaquah, it’s being restored the infamous Ferrari! for vintage racing with a Cosworth engine. Oh boy - newbies find All too soon we had themselves tailed by a to leave for Burling- car with three times the ton. We found a cylinders, oodles more lovely yellow Fiat power and significantly Dino Spider parked more traction than our in front of Wes In- little Spider! Feeling a gram’s shop and bit like a diminutive chatted with the Bugeye Sprite racer owner for a good cowering in the pres- while before going ence of the mighty Cor- inside. Seeing the vettes, we pressed on flow bench, shelves Alan Florsheim regardless, trying to of injection pump maintain pace in an attempt to keep the Alan Florsheim bodies and custom Ferrari at least mildly amused. dyno pictured in Winding through evergreens, Ma- Sam Smith’s Road & Track article on rine View Drive carried us out to Priest Wes’ shop was like visiting a holy Point, then around Tulalip Bay and past shrine, at least for this owner of a Battle Creek Golf Course. The route di- SPICA-equipped Alfa. And like many rections described this as “a fun 18 hole sacred sites, the space is actually fair- course. Especially the 185 yard, par 3 ly small: plenty big for the work but a hole 12 which has a house-sized boulder bit confined when filled with tourists between the tee and the hole. Easy like us. Wes described various current shot until you see that rock and it mess- projects (such as a Montreal V8 en- es with your confidence. Stupid rock.” gine rebuild), Herb Sanborn held forth

Perhaps our leader harbors some re- David James beside the famous test bench, and sentment toward the 12th hole? then we hopped back in the Spider to We motored past Tulare Beach, Sunny Shores, search for some lunch. McKees Beach and Kayak Point, then past Warm The fun continued as we joined an informal Beach (in January?) and over the Stillaguamish River NWARC crowd at the Train Wreck Café for great sand- to Stanwood and Conway, crossing and re-crossing wiches and even better conversation. As always, it’s the river. Roads now tended to be straight and level the people that matter, more than the cars. Was it on the low open terrain of Skagit Flat, and more than worth the early wake-up, missed TV and being new- a few stretches reminded us of Europe as we drove bies for a day? Absolutely! A lovely day on great along dikes and down roads lined with towering pop- roads (just the reason we purchased the Spider), in- lars. teresting shops and delightful conversation with fellow At the Highway 20 intersection we faced a choice: Alfisti. Thanks to Fred Russell, Fred Schueddekopp, go straight on to Ingram Enterprises or turn left to Kathryn Bowes, Wes Ingram, Rita Ingram and Herb Autostrada. Most of the cars in front of us continued Sanborn for a great New Year’s Day! straight, so we turned left, following a Guilia and a Martin Swig was right. Fiat 500 to Autostrada’s home in Anacortes. - David James

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January Club Meeting - Brainstorming! “There’s no crying in baseball!” coach Jimmy Dugan repeats to his female ball players in “A League of Their Own”, when one outfielder couldn’t hold back her tears after he yelled at her. I thought that was a toms, or Shannon Low, a local car curator. classic line and used the male equivalent when I • Provide any outing around food, wine and/or coached Little League baseball many years ago. It’s chocolate. true, most boys don’t cry on the ballfield, but several • Conduct club meetings at the Museum of sure could whine. So I’d playfully tell them “There’s Flight, Flying Heritage Museum or the Hydroplane Mu- no whining in baseball,” and then prompt them to fig- seum . ure out how to solve a problem rather than whine • Plan a Fremont Brew Cruise or go miniature about it. It usually worked, and my boys learned to golfing as a group. speak up for what they wanted rather than whine • Offer technical talks for owners both of older about the things they didn’t like. and new Alfas One way to get people to take ac- tion rather than whine is to involve them in the decision-making process. Therefore, it was wonderful to see the NWARC spend their January 9th club meeting at Wild About Cars Garage brainstorming ideas for 2018 events. After our usual, bring-your-own- dinner mealtime and introductions, a positive greeting was given by our re- turning club President Fred Russell and an in-the-black report was shared by returning Treasurer Ken Case. We al- so heard from our new club secretary, Jon Inge Joanie Vivaz, and committee reports by newsletter editor Jon Inge and membership coordi- In addition to the new ideas, the club attendees nators Paul and Kristy Affolter. Eight new members in voiced in favor of continuing the track days, movie December! Welcome to each and all. night, garden tour and pasta sauce competition as The club then well as participating in the MG Tulip Rally. Alfisti also launched into generated ideas for the Sempreverde 2018 National a general po- Convention we’re hosting in Olympia this August. For tential activi- folks who didn’t make this gathering and have an idea ties brain- for an activity that didn’t come up, you can still con- storming ses- tribute by calling in or emailing your ideas to any club sion before officer or committee chair. looking at The next step is to find volunteers to organize or each month host one of them. I’ve offered to organize one of the to determine Pre-Convention Tours and the Women-Behind-the- which annual Wheel Drive. This should be fun; the men get to sit in Looking Back to plan The Future! - Jon Inge events to the passenger seat and refrain from sarcasm and bit- continue and what new ones we wanted to add. To ing their nails as we whisk them around the curves answer these concerns, club members asked, “What and stop to do a little antiquing here and there. events do we have to attract our female club mem- Hopefully, as NWARC members and affiliates give bers as well as new Alfa owners?” Ideas gushed forth, their input for events and lend a hand in organizing such as the following: them, the only whining we’ll hear this year is the • Host a seminar on collector car insurance or a sound of our Alfas racing around the track and meeting about miniature cars. backroads of Washington. • Invite guest speakers Keith Martin of Sports - Cindy Akana Car Market magazine, Darin Walker of Vintage Cus-

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AROC Mid-Year Desert Retreat, January 12-14 The popular 2018 AROC Mid-Winter Retreat was A Stellar Saturday at the AROC Retreat held January 12-14 at the Palm Desert home of AROC Sunglasses, sandals and Alfa t-shirts in Janu- president Cindy Banzer and her husband John Kilian. ary! We were gathered under a clear blue Palm De- It’s a great opportunity to escape the Northwest win- sert sky with a crowd of other drivers and navigators, ter, catch up with other Alfisti and drive on some ready to drive our Giulia on a tour of the Coachella great roads. Here are reports from two couples who Valley and Santa Rosa mountains. There were almost drove there and back from Seattle! 50 cars, at least 20 of them Alfas; the NWARC was also represented by Lynn and Joe Faherty, Gordy From Apples to Dates to Zoooom Hyde and Dolly Samson. Another participant was re- Why would a three-time owner join the nowned vintage car expert Donald Osborne, Sports Alfa Romeo OC Mid-Winter drive in Palm Desert in her Car Market contributor and TV host of the “Assess and Maserati Granturismo-S coupe? As Emilia Kato ex- Caress” segment of Jay Leno's Garage. plained to Dolly on the drive from Palm Desert to Jul- Doug Zaitz’ route notes for the self-guided tour in- ian, it’s all about the people! She loved the camara- cluded fascinating geographical, geological and histor- derie, the passion and the inclusiveness of AROC’s ical facts. We joined a Climbing Hwy 74 - Judy Gehring gatherings and activities. group of five other Alfas The popularity of this retreat has grown expo- and drove up the steep nentially since its inauguration in 2014, from four grade on the breathtak- directors and four SoCal members to 90 partici- ing switchback turns of pants from 12 Highway 74. There states, with about were some white three dozen Alfas. knuckles on the pas- To launch the senger side, but retreat, 80 Alfisti the driver loved gathered on Fri- how the Giulia day at the stun- handled, and the ning hillside Mid- views of the Son- Century Modern Serpentine - Dave Hammond oran desert land- home of Bob and scape were phe- Lynda Merlis in Palm Springs, for an evening renew- nomenal. ing friendships and sharing thoughts on past and Jeremy’s on the Hill - Steve Edelman The evening saw future Alfa Romeos. a lavish pool par- Saturday took the group on a parade of nearly fifty ty at Cindy Banzer's lovely home. Donald Osborne cars on a 200+ mile drive through the mountains brought copies of his new book, Transatlantic Style…A south and east of the Coachella Valley, to the 1870’s Romance of Fins and Chrome. He was happy to sign a gold rush town of Julian, now famous for its apples. copy while entertaining us with stories about filming Following lunch at Jeremy’s on the Hill and a little with Jay Leno, and even serenaded Cindy in his beau- wine tasting at two local vineyards, we returned to tiful opera-trained voice. Palm Desert for a “pool party” at the Banzer-Kilian Attending the AROC retreat meant a long road trip home. Everybody enjoyed a lavish buffet, prosecco from Kirkland, but it was a great test of the Giulia’s and socializing, and nobody was dunked in the pool! abilities. It was very comfortable and we could easily The retreat continued into Sunday with a board have traveled much farther every day than we meeting, followed by lunch at Shield’s Date Farm in did. That 280 horsepower let us cruise at any speed Palm Springs where everybody enjoyed a complimen- we wanted, and the brakes hauled us down quickly tary date shake. Farewells were said until we meet whenever another vehicle (usually a semi) pulled out again at Sempreverde 2018 in Olympia in August. in front of us. The Giulia’s handling made it great for Though Dolly managed significant Maserati seat the drive back up Highway 101, and in the 3,452 time as Emilia’s navigator to Julian and back, she did- miles we traveled, it averaged 31 mpg. We couldn’t n’t miss out on Alfa mileage at all; we drove from have had a better car for the trip or a more agreeable Kirkland, WA to Palm Desert and back in our fun and group of Alfa enthusiasts to spend time with in the comfortable Stelvio, Stella Rosa! desert! - Gordy Hyde and Dolly Samson - Bill and Judy Gehring

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Upcoming Events

Pasta Sauce Cook-Off - Sunday Feb 18, Wright/Lombardo’s The Pasta Sauce Contest is back! across to the several beaver ponds, which have been Bring your best sauce, then choose from one of the much expanded from prior years. Do remember to two different pastas available, regular and gluten-free. bring waterproof shoes/boots as the trails will certain- Our hosts will provide the boiling water, cooked pas- ly be more than a little wet and muddy! tas and soft drinks. If you want, bring a side of salad, When: February 18th at 1:00 pm. Sauce judging biscotti, veggie or wine to share and compliment the begins at 2:00 pm. wonderful pasta Where: Fred Wright & Kathy Lombardo’s home: flavors. 3843 85th Avenue NW The judging Olympia, WA 98502 will be as impar- (360) 628-8679 tial as ever(!), Enjoy the friends, food and a walk on the beach. though every- This is always a great event; come and show us one will surely what you can do!! have their fa- vorites. And this year the winner will receive a hand-crank pasta-making machine! While you’re there, explore the beautiful grounds of Fred and Kathy’s water-front home, following the trails down to the water and

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration - Saturday, March 17 Once again Joe & Lynn Faherty have invited us to make sure you attend! their home on Fox Island for a wee bit o’ the Irish. Where: 768 6th Ave, Fox Island, WA 98333 Arriving about 4 PM makes for a great drive and the Once you get to the location on Fox Is- chance for a nice walk on the beach; the festivities land, follow the gravel drive until it starts start around 5:30 PM. Please bring a side dish to go downhill; you’ll find the house on your left. with Joe and Lynn’s outstanding food! Rain or shine, Call 253 549 2082 if lost.

5th Annual Garden Tour - Saturday June 2 This year we’ll be visiting three special gardens on the Kitsap Peninsula. We start at the Albers Gardens in Bremerton, have lunch in Bremerton and then drive to the Elandan Gardens and Brothers Greenhouses in Port Orchard. Despite being featured in several local and national publications, Albers Vista Gardens remains a little- known gem in Kitsap County. Divided into 15 distinct areas, it provides great inspiration for Northwest gar- deners. After lunch it’s on to Elandan Gardens, a waterfront gardens including a Hobbit House! site on the shores of Puget Sound with a world-class Save the date! More details will be announced lat- collection of bonsai. Finally, we stop at The Brothers er this year. Greenhouses, a retail garden center with inspirational - Debi Schmid

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Upcoming Events — continued

Citroen Club Spring Drive - March 18 Once again the NWARC is invited to join the NW Citroen Owners’ Club’s Annual Spring Drive Tour! This year - the 7th such event - the run is on March 18th, 2018. Last year we had beautiful blue skies and sun- shine, not to mention the usual variety of rare and unusual cars! The route this year is the same 66 miles of fun twist and turns on back country roads, with a pit stop in Black Diamond, WA. The tour ends in Auburn, in time for lunch. This is really a fun drive on these NW roads, and with weird cars and great camaraderie, too! Social- izing starts at 9:00 am with a drivers’ meeting at 9:50 am, aiming for a 10:00 am departure. When: Sunday, March 18 Where: Starbucks, 6977 Coal Creek Parkway, Newcastle, WA 98059

Please RSVP to [email protected] so I know how many copies of the route in- structions to print up! If you have any questions, please call me at 425-306-8525. - “Panhard Paul” Melrose

Sempreverde National Convention - Volunteers Wanted! CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS! We’re still looking for volunteers to help out in all areas of Sempreverde, this year’s AROC National Convention, during the week of August 7-12. It’s based at the RL Hotel (the renovated Red Lion) in you want to chip in, we can use your willing efforts! Olympia. We need your help to make this happen and Please email us at [email protected] to show off our club and our beautiful region to their best advantage. Reserve your rooms at the Hotel RL now! Enjoy How can you help? If you have a particular inter- the full convention experience by staying at the con- est or area of special expertise, please tell us! If vention hotel so you will be close to all events and you’re just willing to help wherever we can use you, meet fellow Alfisti from around the country! please tell us that, too! You could help with the com- Click on this link - http://bit.ly/2nnpwSv - or petitive events in setting-up the Concorso, managing call 800-733-5466 and mention the code NWAR0804 check points on the Gimmick Rally, directing cars on to secure your room for the convention. Track Day etc. At the hotel, artwork will need to be Pre-tours begin on Sunday, August 5, 2018. The hung, we need help with Cell Phone Photo Challenge Convention Registration opens on Wednesday, August downloading and organizing, you could be a host on 8 and wraps up on Sunday, August 12. the Tacoma Museum Tour Bus or at the Alfas in the - Debi Schmid Parking Lot event. We’ll need volunteers every day to help at the Registration tables at the Hotel. Wherever

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Desmodromic Valve Operation - What, Why and How Our Alfas don’t use desmodromic valve opera- tion, but Georges Hebrant was fascinated by Ducati’s use of it during the AROC Goes to Italy tour last year. It’s an intriguing subject for any gearhead; here Georges explains the concept and its history. On May 16, 2017, as part of the “AROC Goes to Italy” tour we visited the Ducati factory in Bologna. Although not a motorcycle man, I was very impressed by what I saw. This large plant employs about 1,200 people; all the bikes are manufactured, assembled and tested here. On the factory wall was Ducati’s famous 90-degree V-twin engine in cut-away form, the crankshaft rotat- ing at slow speed to show the movement of the pis- A version of desmodromic valve operation was pa- tons, camshafts and valve train. The unusual valve tented as early as 1896. Various approaches were train consisted used in an Austin marine engine in 1910, a 1914 of three over- Delage Grand Prix car and some Azzariti engines in head cam- the 1930s but only came to highly successful promi- shafts: each nence in Mercedes-Benz’ championship-winning W196 outboard cam- Formula 1 cars of 1954-55 and its 300SLR sports car shaft pushed a of 1955. valve open, while the cen- ter camshaft lifted it closed again through a forked lever acting on a col- lar on the valve stem. This is a desmodromic valve train; it does not use springs to close the valves and seat them. Why use such an elaborate system? The valve springs in very early internal combustion engines were difficult to design and manufacture, broke frequently and, as engine speed increased, failed to keep the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 - Georges Hebrant valve in contact with the cam, resulting in valve float and the very real possibility of the valve hitting the Desmodromics were introduced to Ducati in 1956 piston. They could also allow bounce – the valve not by Fabio Taglioni (who’d joined the firm in 1954) and staying seated when closed - due both to the valve's were first used in the 1958 125TT engine, helping it inertia and to resonance in the coil springs. Increas- run reliably at much higher engine speeds and win ing the spring strength helped, but led to greater in- many races. Development of the approach continued ternal friction and wear. steadily and proved to be very successful, and it is Some form of positive control was therefore seen still a key (and unique) feature of Ducati engines. as a major advantage in eliminating all of these prob- In the meantime valve spring design, manufacture lems, but it came with other challenges. While doing and metallurgy have all improved immensely and fail- away with the valve spring the system adds the iner- ure is now very rare, even at the 16,000 RPM peak tia of the extra valve closure levers; it also requires engine speeds achieved in modern motorcycles. The very high-precision manufacturing, and adjustment to desmodromic valve train used in today’s Ducati en- maintain correct clearances is more difficult and gine, while effective, is a luxury which successfully painstaking (see next page). But at least the valves helps to maintain the distinction and the character of will never float or bounce. the marque. - Georges Hebrant

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Desmodromic Valves — continued rocker arm clearance to set right, not to mention the Setting Desmodromic Valve Clearances: very tight space you have to work in. The closing An Exercise in Patience. shim takes much more practice and patience, as you Steve Schaeffer, our NWARC representative in have to remove the collets to get the shim out. My Southern California, recently tackled valve clearance trusty old Mitotoyo micrometer was my bff. But I'm a adjustments on his Ducati 848, and reports as follows. technician at heart, so I enjoy the process. The 848, a pure sports bike, has a 4-valve, water I bought a 4-week pill dispenser to keep track of all cooled engine, and looking after it is fascinating and my shims. I did have to adjust both opening and methodical work. I feel the valve stuff, while com- closing shims on all 8 valves, and you kind of chase plex, is just patience, keeping one's focus and good your tail trying to get the clearance to where it needs technician skills. What really petrifies me is taking to be. I purcha$ed a ton of shims, sanded some, but apart all the body panels and trying to remember I eventually got it to where I was happy. The cams where all those little fasteners go! came out at least 10 times. I slipped on the new cam belts after getting the cams and crank aligned, then set the tension on the belts. I used a borrowed Gates harmonic tensioner, and set them to 100Hz; you place a microphone by the belt, then pluck it like a string. Very interesting. I even got to do this twice, because the belt tension- ers can be positioned two ways, and in both cases I chose the wrong way and the cam covers wouldn't go back on. I spent 5 days camped out before her, removing her Doing the valve clearances is a big job and fairings, measuring something of a pain. Just as with an Alfa engine her clearances, ad- you have to check the clearances, pull the cams to justing her see what shims are in place, buy or sand down valves. I'm embar- shims (400# wet/dry on a plate of glass) to get the rassed to say how right values, replace the shims and then reinstall long it took, but it the cams to re-check clearances. Repeat... was over 50 hours. I On a desmodromic system like Ducati's, though, worked fast and furi- you get twice the amount of work per valve, as you ous as I was always have an opening rocker arm clearance and a closing racing against sun- light and the dealer- ship's hours (needed to purchase shims). I haven't been this focused and intense for so many days straight in many years. I even lost 4 lbs be- cause I didn't stop for eating breaks. It must be true love. It was like balancing 16 plates at once, for 5 days, so much to manage. Shim management took most of the time, figuring out which ones I could mix and match, or purchase. A TON to keep track of but I did it, with no spare parts left over, or lost. The dealership charges at least $1,500 for this, and it's a bargain at that price. I enjoyed the learning ex- perience, many others would not. Article and photos - Steve Schaeffer NWARC February 2018 newsletter page 10

Arizona Auctions - Strong Alfa Prices With sunny days and temperatures in the mid-60s in a large tent with chandeliers(!) that housed the the Scottsdale auctions this year were a nice retreat 163 lots for sale. Complimentary espresso and cof- from the rainy NW. It was also a new experience for fee kept us jazzed up for the event and the maestro me to be a spectator and a bidder instead of working auctioneer, Charles G. Ross, kept us entertained as a consignee at one location as in some previous with humor and British charm as he sold over $49 years, and I managed to attend five auctions in total. million in automotive masterpieces. “Shall we start First up was Barrett-Jackson, which continues to the bidding at 1 million dollars? I like the word 1 be the leader in number of lots offered and attendees million, it has a nice ring to it, don’t you but is very much a circus/carnival environment. Over think?” Free kettle corn and cookies handed out 1,700 vehicles were offered over 7 days and brought during the second half of the day are always a big in $106.8 million dollars - but not a single Alfa crossed hit and a source of Charles' jokes throughout the the block! But plenty of hot rods, muscle cars, high- bidding. “Are you raising your hand Sir, to bid or calorie food, fur coats, cowboy boots, framed artwork, do you want more popcorn?” tables made from aircraft engines... 1963 Giulietta Berlina TI, cond 2+ - $35,200 Bonham’s more intimate and sophisticated one- 1966 Giulia GTC, cond 2+ - $148,500 day auction offered 111 vehicles and $25.2 million 1965 Giulia Spider Veloce, cond 3 - $104,500 in sales results. Set on a green lawn with a compli- 1967 Giulia Sprint GT Veloce, cond 2 - $66,000 mentary buffet breakfast and light jazz playing in 1951 1900C Sprint, cond 1 - $616,000 the background, this was a much more re- 1960 Spider 2000, cond 1 - $176,000 laxed environment in a concours-type setting and a very British auction style. I was lucky in purchas- ing a mint condition black 1994 Porsche 911 RS America for my boss and am looking forward to driving it this spring! 1954 1900C coupe, condition 1 - $330,000 1963 2600 Spider, driver, condition 3 - $125,000 RM Sotheby’s had the best location, its 274 lots showcased on the grounds of the Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced Arizona Biltmore Hotel. The two- day sale brought in $53.7 million from a relaxed, British-style auction with the cars on a turntable. It also provides grand people-watching as this auc- Russo & Steele is an auction for everybody with tion is a who’s who of the collector car world. After 914 lots offered over 4 days, located on the Salt fierce bidding we picked up a lovely orange 1973 River Fields at Talking Stick Resort. It’s a more DeTomaso Pantera L with 18,000 original miles. traditional fast-speaking, American-style event, but 1921 Alfa Romeo G1 –$445,000. with cars offered at a wide range of prices there is 1942 6C 2500 SS Spider w/ an 8C 2900 coachwork really something for everybody’s taste. The cars special body - $555,000 are driven into a center stage, arena-style; you can 1955 1900C SS Special, built for the 1955 Turin walk around the car to view it up close and each Motor Show - $1,270,000 one is given a lengthy, informative introduction by Drew Alcazar, Russo’s CEO. If cars don’t sell over the block you can still present an offer to the house which may bring home that new toy for your gar- age; we purchased four Porsche 911s and a 1967 Oldsmobile 442 Convertible. 1967 Guilia Super, driver, cond 3- - $23,100 1991 Spider, cond 2 - $19,800

Every car enthusiast needs to put the Scottsdale auction week on his/her bucket list; it’s a fascinat- Gooding and Co do a fine job of welcoming its ing and somewhat overwhelming experience! guests with calming blue carpeting and white chairs - article and photos by Shannon Low NWARC February 2018 newsletter page 11

Alfa History Snapshot

Tazio Nuvolari in the massive Alfa Romeo 12C-36, Barcelona 1936. Despite considerable power the car, an early adopter of independent rear suspension, had a reputation for poor handling, which the angle of the wheels (above) tends to support as each seems to be aiming in its own direction!

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Alfa Romeo News ALFA ROMEO GAINS YET MORE AWARDS! The Giulia has now won no fewer than seven industry The Giulia was voted "Best Car 2018" in the medi- awards in the United Kingdom alone during the last 12 um-class imported category by the readers of Germa- months. ny’s "Auto motor und Sport" magazine, repeating The Stelvio won the "Premium SUV" title at the last year's success. Further, the Stelvio SUV and inaugural edition of the CCT100 Awards, organized by compact Giulietta finished second in their categories. “Company Car Today” to recognize the best models The Giulia Quadrifoglio was named "Best Sports available to corporate fleet buyers. It was cited for its and Performance Car" in the 2018 edition of British low emission volume, safety features, elegant, sporty “What Car?” magazine's "Car of the Year" awards. style and the outstanding driving experience.

Classified Ads - Cars & Parts For Sale/Wanted

RALLI-ROUND GARAGE SALE FOR SALE: LOST LEASE - EVERYTHING MUST GO! 1979 Alfetta Long-time Alfa garage Ralli-Round has lost its lease coupe, rescue car and is holding a Garage sale on Saturday, Feb 24. brought back to life. We have dismantled over 3,000 cars since 1965, Complete bare-metal still have many, many items and cannot take much repaint/rust fix by when and if we move. American Auto Paint- - Piles of used Alfa GTV and Spider springs, bumper ing in Renton (not an shocks, used shocks including Koni Reds. original Alfa green - Sway bars, old gas tanks and various other parts. but very attractive), - Interior/trim items, boxes of relays, 750/101 oil Re-upholstered by Central Family Upholstery in Sky- pumps, 164 parts, so much more. way. Mechanical updates by Prova Motorsports in- - 79 Spider, running; 74 Spider shell, restored; 73 clude new driveline doughnut, rebuilt starter, Spider fully restored but damaged dash; 72 GTV in new clutch master & slave cylinders, new suspension middle of rotisserie restoration. bits and pieces as needed, rebuilt seatbelts, new Come on down and buy! Most items are really, re- ally cheap; we might even give some away at the end of the day. Some items are rare and hard to find so their prices reflect that, but I am very much in a deal- making mood. Now’s your opportunity to look over what we have and make offers! The less I have to sell on Ebay the better. - Ben Howe 1512 Fairview Ave E, Seattle WA 98102 206 323 8000. steering wheel and gear shift knob, new battery & ______hold-downs, stainless steel exhaust. Campagnolo FOR SALE: '86 Spider, black/black, 78,000 miles, wheels, tires OK. Odometer says 80,776 miles. Ask- garaged since new. Very good cosmetic and mechani- ing $12,999 OR MAKE OFFER! Contact Frank cal condition: seats re-done/soft-top replaced 10 yrs Churchill, 425-271-3474 or 425-894-6458 ago. Wooden Momo wheel. Comes with Spider dust ______cover. Photos on request. David King (2nd own- WANTED: set of 15 er.) 206-304-0475, [email protected] inch, 4 bolt wheels to fit a ______1988 Alfa Spider QF. I have FOR SALE: Parts from '74 S2 Spider: the 15 inch stock wheels - Set of brightwork- trim (no badges/script) - $50 and am looking for lighter - Windshield, wings and doors glass set - no chips/ weight wheels for summer cracks/fogging - $150 (U Pickup, no shipping); driving on the roads. - Front bumper with lights - $100; Thanks! John Parkey, - Rear lights (lens and housing) - $50: [email protected] Contact Tom in Spokane, [email protected].

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Monza 8C 2600 in the rain- Dennis Gray, Sports Car Digest Member Recommendations

Have a parts or service provider you have found to be highly satisfactory? Share your wisdom with us all at [email protected]. With your help, we can all be better automotive consumers. Burien Upholstery, Burien - Upholstery, carpets S&S Custom, Kenmore - Auto Upholstery & Interiors Dent Solutions, Mobile - Paintless dent removal Security Safe & Lock, Inc., Bellevue - Lock rebuilding Mark 2 Collision Center, Lynnwood - Collision repair Sound Wheel Works, Bellevue - Wheel repair Muffler King - Kirkland Custom exhaust services Tire Rack Internet - Tires, wheels and parts North Kitsap Auto Rebuilt, Poulsbo - Collision repair Vancity Plating, Burnaby BC - Chrome plating and Professional Glass Company, Seattle - Windshield Re- polishing placement All the above providers have been recommended by one or more club members as being highly satisfactory but are not specifically en- dorsed by NWARC.

Member Mentors

The following members provide Alfa Mentoring!!! Don’t hesitate to contact any of these members for good Alfa info!

Model/Series Member Name Contact 164 / GTV-6 Dan Jardine [email protected] GTV Dave Emerson [email protected] Spiders, GTV Fred Wright [email protected] 80’s Spiders Harry Reed [email protected] Almost Anything! Fred Russell [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 Membership Application Please indicate your interests: ALFA ROMEO OWNERS CLUB OWNERS ROMEO CLUB ALFA CLARK BARBARA c/o 92155 BOX P.O. OR 97292 PORTLAND, Technical______Tours______Social______Rally______Vintage Cars______Cost: $68 annual AROC / NWARC dues

Make check payable to: ALFA ROMEO OWNERS CLUB Or… Online registration http://www.aroc-usa.org/ Mailto: NWARC / AROC

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2018 Calendar of Club & Local Car Events

• Feb 13 NWARC Meeting / Prova Motorsports, Seattle • Feb 18 Pasta Sauce Cook-Off / Fred Wright & Kathy Lombardo, Olympia • Mar 13 NWARC Meeting / The Shop, Seattle • Mar 17 St. Patrick’s Day Celebration / Joe & Lynn Faherty • Mar 18 Paul Melrose/Citroen Club / Spring Drive • Mar tba Driving School / Pacific Raceway, Kent • April 10 NWARC Meeting / Wild About Cars Garage • April 14 MGCCNW Tulip Rallye / Burlington Mall • April 15 FEN All-Italian Show / XXX Drive-In, Issaquah • April 28-29 AROO Old Spider Tour • May 8 NWARC Meeting / Wild About Cars Garage • May 30 Evening Lapping Event / Pacific Raceway, Kent • June 2 NWARC Garden Tour / Bremerton • June 12 NWARC Meeting • June/July TBA Lapping Day (prep for Sempreverde) / The Ridge, Shelton • June 29 NWARC Prehistorics BBQ / Gary & Marie Patitz Auburn, WA • Jun 29—July 1 SOVREN Historics / Pacific Raceway, Kent • July 10 NWARC Meeting • July 14 AROO Summer Drive & Picnic • July 15 Concours d’Elegance featuring Alfa Romeo / Forest Grove, OR • July 26-29 AROO Monte Shelton Northwest Classic Motor Rally • Aug 4-12 Sempreverde AROC National Convention, Olympia • Sep 8-10 Half-Fast Lap of WA • Sep 11 NWARC Meeting • Sep 15 AROO Old Super Tour • Oct 9 NWARC Meeting

Northwest Alfa Romeo Club 9301 236th Street SW Edmonds, WA 98020

Giulia - Melissa Donovan NWARC February 2018 newsletter page 16