IniezioneIniezione The newsletter of the Northwest Alfa Romeo Club “Barn Find” at Alfa of Tacoma It was about a week before the Half-fast Lap last September when my friend, Steve Anderson (now a new club member) called, so excited about a “barn find” he had heard about that he couldn’t even wait for me to finish my shower. An uncle, Steve Bates, had been to his house for dinner the night before, and had told of a 1957 Alfa spider that his brother-in-law had taken to Alfa of Tacoma for repairs in 1977 and never picked up. Steve B’s brother-in-law, Phil George, had lived in Richland and acquired the car in about 1967. Steve remembers that Phil drove the car actively, and on one particular “hold on tight” ride, Phil told him that he and the Alfa “became one” when he drove. Steve had his doubts. When the engine began to show problems, Phil brought it to Alfa of Tacoma. Carlo ended up rebuilding the top and bottom ends, the front suspension, the brakes, and replaced the steering box. Carlo knew the car and said Phil had always taken good care of it, but when it came time to pick it up, he couldn’t pay for it. He stopped by often to see it, though. Phil remarried, but his new wife thought he really didn’t need that car, so there it sat, in the second bay from the window, on jack stands and under a cover. Phil died about five years ago and Lino had no idea how to contact any of the family. He finally told the story to one of his Ferrari customers, a Microsoft employee, who agreed to help. They found Phil’s first wife, Betty, in a retirement home and told her she could have the car if the repair bill and a storage fee for the 35 years were paid. She didn’t know what to do but in approximately March 2011, contacted Steve B, fervently hoping he could do “something”. By the time Steve B told the story to Steve A, he had been to see the car and Lino a few times, and together, they had gotten a title release from Phil’s stepdaughter, who had power of attorney for her mother. No one in the family was interested in it, especially in the condition it was in. Steve A certainly was, though. A few days after he called, he, his uncle and I went to see it. It is a nor- male, SN 1495.03151, built December 10, 1957 and sold January 10, 1958 to Hoffman in New York. Other than the front end, brakes, and steering column being disassem- bled and parts all over the place, it was in great shape, very solid, with a very nice top and tonneau cover, upholstery, glass, etc., and NO rust. The included pictures are as we initially saw it. On October 20, we went back and paid Lino for the repairs that had been done in 1977 and some “storage” since then. The title was lost, and the state only has records back seven years anyway, so we Inside this June 2012 issue… * Barn Find ……………... pg 1,2 * Mystery Car ….……........ pg 7 * Classifieds ……..….. pg 12,13 * President’s Column ….. pg 3 * Member Rcmd ………….... pg 8 * Calendar ……………….… pg 14 * Club Meeting …...…..…... pg 4 * Bataar Hero .…..…….…... pg 9 Next club events… * News ……..…………...……. pg 5 * Membership …………….. pg 10 * Lapping Evening ….…...… Jun 13 * Ville d’Este ….………….... pg 6 * Historics / BBQ ….……. pg 11 * Club Meeting …………....… Jun 14 Barn Find cont’d... have to do the “Ownership in Doubt” process to become the legal owners. We can register and license it, though. Carlo was really enthused about the car, and told us stories of being an apprentice in the Alfa dealership in Rome when the Guilietta was new. He took us to the fabled basement to see his own Guilietta spider Veloce (and everything else, too!). He agreed to get the engine running for us and then we would pick it up and start doing what we could. It turned out that Carlo’s enthusiasm took him through the whole car! The next time I called, he had rebuilt the ignition and carburetor, gotten the engine running and was working on the master cylinder. He went on to replace the brake lines and whatever else that he thought necessary. He rebuilt wheel cylinders, packed the bearings, sent out the gas tank for cleaning and had the missing keys remade for the ignition and trunk. He was assembling everything and doing needed repairs as he went. The car was so solid and rust free from its life in the Tri cities, we didn’t even have to re- place the exhaust system. The last time I saw the car, in the middle of May, it was on its wheels, completely together and just needed a battery hold down, working brake lights and a driving check-out by Carlo. Next, we will have it trucked to Group 2 for alignment and new tires. Then home for some clean up (Steve and I only live about four blocks apart) and we will bring it out for the first time, either at the June meeting in Kirkland, or the corral at the Historics. Lino says that “these Classic Alfa Cars generate a lot of excitement and joy” in him and Carlo and they will miss it, but Steve and I are very excited and looking forward to enjoying it, and the Guilietta being a part of the NWARC. By Bill Gerhing (with tears of joy in his eyes as he wrote.) 2012 Half Fast Lap Sept 15-17 Maryhill Hillclimb Each year, NWARC enjoys Save The Dates: October 6, 7 2012 a wonderful 3-day drive. SOVREN’s featured marque will be Alfa Romeo at Last year took us to the this year’s Maryhill Hillclimb and Concours. This Tri-Cities, Palouse, a event is held annually at the Maryhill Museum and Snake River dam, and a on the Maryhill Loops Road. The Alfa Romeo wind turbine farm. Back Owners of Oregon (AROO) will be joining this in 2010, we wandered Mt event as well. St Helens, the Washing- ton coast, and parts of The Maryhill Loops Road was first constructed the Olympic Peninsula. from 1909 to 1913 by Samuel Hill (1857–1931), founder of Maryhill Museum of Art. The road as- This year, our destination cends 850 feet in a series of 25 curves including 8 will be the Columbia River hairpins with a gradient of ascent at 5%. Gorge, twisty roads of eastern Oregon, the Goldendale Observatory, per- haps a little vino from one of the great Oregon wineries, and plenty of history and scenery along the way. Save Sept 15-17 for this event! NWARC June 2012 newsletter page 2 President’s Column by Merril Gordon as the original MX-5 Miata successful, and that is compactness, very light weight, and moderate costs (Alfas had better styling). Well, I know Giuliettas were quite expensive in their day, but working with Mazda will require good value of their end product and that’s for the better. Anything less will not bring success. Mr. Chapman was famous for once saying “To increase perform- ance, add lightness,” and that needs to be a critical requirement. Mazda Romeo? Alfa Romazda? No badge engineering either, although I think the car companies What will it be? have learned. In fact, Pininfarina’s 2uettottanta concept is a Do any of you Alfisti ever get tired of slam dunk of Italian gorgeousness for Alfa’s version. Make it always hearing from main stream media happen boys, and I’m not interested in excuses. about the Graduate movie with Dustin The chassis ob- Hoffman’s character driving a Duetto? viously has to As if Alfa spiders didn’t exist before be pretty much then? That movie is 45 years old now identical as a and while I think the Duetto is fine, I cost savings so have no problem liking Giulietta and that leaves out Giulia (Sprint Veloce’s of course) Spiders unique items either. And where was Alfa Romeo (ok such as trans- FIAT) when Mazda came out with the axles but hope- Miata? Sitting on their hands, that’s fully we’ll see A where. I’m sure many of you are aware -arm & mul- that Toyota and Subaru have collabo- tilink suspensions and none of those forever compromising rated on a new 2-seat sports car coupe Macpherson struts dirtying up the undercarriage. One of the ar- of 2+2 nature with a target weight of ticles I read said Alfa would supply its own engine. Well I hope 2700 lbs. Nice, but a convertible ver- so, it does need to have some Italian soul and while modern en- sion may be a few years off. gines can rev from DC to daylight, the Italian one needs to do it Which brings me to the latest headlines while sounding better and louder than its counterparts. Have at regarding collaboration in work between it Alfa Romeo and Mazda, and make me proud. Mazda and Alfa Romeo. That’s not what Merril Gordon I want! I want Alfa Romeo (not FIAT) NWARC President and Maserati to combine their engineer- (And not at all convinced the Alfetta chassis wasn’t the best one ing and financial resource to create a they ever produced.) compact sports convertible. Probably not Maserati’s market anymore. But here’s a thought that makes sense; Mazda probably needs a newly engi- neered and styled Miata to stay current in the marketplace but with develop- ment costs so high it’s a difficult busi- ness case to make.