This issue of The Alfa Rumor is dedicated to coverage of the 2016 National Convention in Nashville Tennessee

Transcription

1 This issue of The Alfa Rumor is dedicated to coverage of the 2016 National Convention in Nashville Tennessee Our next Monthly Meeting will be July 27th, 2016 at Macaroni Grill, 7245 E. Gold Dust, Scottsdale at 6:30 p.m. The only way to get The Alfa Rumor is by . Send your name and address to Phoenix, Arzona THE NEWSLETTER OF THE ARIZONA ALFA ROMEO OWNER S CLUB July 2016

2 2015 BOARD OF DIRECTORS President/ Rick Mahrle Vice President/ Alan Headley Treasurer/Secretary: Terry Greenslade Newsletter Editor: Dick Botkin Trustees: Joseph Frischknecht Informazioni The Alfa Rumor is published monthly as the official newsletter of the Arizona Alfa Romeo Owner's Club (AAROC). AAROC is a local chapter of the national Alfa Romeo Owner's Club and is dedicated to the enjoyment of Alfa Romeo Automobiles and the advancement of the Alfa Romeo marque. Subscription to this newsletter is included with membership to the national Alfa Romeo Owner's Club and expressed affiliation with the Arizona Chapter. Classifieds, contributions, and criticisms are welcome and should be addressed to the editor by mail, phone, or . Technical information, data, or suggestions in this publication are the opinions of the contributing authors, and, as such, their accuracy or correctness cannot be warranted by AAROC or the national organization. All owners should determine the suitability of any modifications: the club will not assume liability for any consequences. Meetings General meetings are held the fourth Wednesday of each month at 6:30 PM. The meetings are held at an appropriate Italian restaurant (see the latest newsletter or club website for details). Board meetings, open to all members at the discretion of the board, are held two weeks prior to the general meeting. Website The Arizona chapter now has a website located at: The website contains general information about the club and a copy of the yearly events calendar EVENTS CALENDAR July 27 General Dinner Meeting Aug 27 Antonio's Metal Craft On the Cover: The BAT cars in Nashville. Photo by Arno Below: Bill s grandson Nathan, enjoyed the Martin Museum. Photo by Bill. Fred Firschein alfaoro@yahoo.com Russ Staub bbb11489@azboss.net Mark Kirchner mlkrandom@cox.net Ken Felthouse danafelthouse@cox.net Bill Greenslade bgreenslade@cox.net Webmaster: Joyce Himes joyaz711@yahoo.com

3 ED Note: Our monthly columns Presidential Bondo and Active Rumors will return in the next issue. Citta della Musica The 2016 AROC National Convention Nashville, TN By Arno Leskinen AROC-USA National Chief Concours Judge and Member of the Board of Directors. has been growing every month since then. This can be attributed to the availability of new Alfas (and therefore new Alfa owners) in the US, plus the extensive outreach efforts the Board has initiated. In addition, we have cultivated a very strong and positive relationship with FCA, who now recognizes the mutual benefits that AROC and Alfa Romeo US can bring to each other. In fact, Alfa Romeo/FCA had a very strong presence throughout the Convention, including attendance by the Head of Alfa Romeo Marketing in the US, Pieter Hogeveen as well as numerous other representatives from the firm. They also brought along two of the new Giulia Quadrifoglio sedans and a 4C to display. Citta della Musica, the 2016 AROC National Convention, was held June in and around Nashville, Tennessee. Put on by the A.L.F.A Inc of Tennessee, the event was very well organized and extremely enjoyable. I have to say that we found Nashville and the surrounding communities to be a really nice place steeped in history. While Country Music remains a huge part of the identity of the area, there is a lot of other stuff going on. As with all recent Conventions, the first event was the three day Pre-Convention Tour through various parts of the state. The tour stopped at places like the Coker Tire Museum, Beechcraft Heritage Museum, Lookout Mountain, and of course the Jack Daniels distillery. We did not participate in the tour, but all who did, raved about it. The first official event of the Convention was the Board of Directors Meeting. In a fun little aside, our daughter Sofia was appointed the AROC Junior Ambassador by National President Cindy Banzer. Sofia got to say a few words and then gavel the meeting to order. For those of you who don t know, we on the Board meet by videoconference once a month in addition to the meeting at the Convention. Unfortunately, the videoconference has often conflicted with our monthly dinner meeting which is why I have not been around a lot this year. By meeting monthly, we are able to conduct the business of the club on an on-going basis so the meeting at the Convention has become a half-day event instead of the 8 to 12 hour ordeal it used to be. In summary, the club is in good health overall. After hitting a low point in September 2015, our membership Back to the state of the club, I can report that our financial position is actually better than we budgeted and predicted it to be. We are constantly looking for ways to save money while providing the benefits the membership desires. The new AROC website has been successfully rolled out, as well as the new system for managing memberships. Local chapter officers now have access to membership data for their chapters that has never before been available. Our new merchandizing program is off to a successful start with sales exceeding expectations. There are a lot of miscellaneous initiatives we are pursuing on an ongoing basis and a lot of problems still to solve, but this Board is very motivated and works well together. We also held a Town Hall meeting with interested members later on in the week and received valuable input. The Executive Committee is President Cindy Banzer (Oregon), Vice-President Enrique Zuniga (New Jersey), Secretary Mike Bange (New York), and Treasurer Tim Spruill (Louisiana). If you have any specific questions about club business, contact me directly. The first fun event of the Convention was a visit to the Art Deco Frist Center for the Visual Arts. Noted author Ken Gross had curated an absolutely spectacular exhibit there called Bellissima! The Italian Automotive

4 Renaissance The exhibit featured 18 cars and three motorcycles, including all three of the Alfa Romeo BAT cars as well as the original 1970 Lancia Stratos wedge prototype, a Cisitalia 202, one of the remaining Chrysler Turbine cars, an eight cylinder Moto Guzzi motorcycle (perfect for you Bill G. and Alan H.) etc.. All I can say is that the collection of cars was so spectacular that I didn t even stop to look at the 1962 Ferrari GTO, which was kind of mundane (or at least as mundane as a $20 million car can be). car s 50 th anniversary. We also debuted a Preservation class for original cars. There were close to 100 cars in the Concours. Best in Show went to a perfect Junior Z, and the Pat Braden Peoples Choice Award went to a stunning 1900CSS. Later that evening was the Opening Reception, which was held at the Lane Motor Museum. For those of you not familiar with the Lane, it is home to one of the most eclectic and downright weird collection of vehicles anywhere. In addition to featuring the largest collection of Tatras in North America, there are microcars as far as the eye could see, oddball Eastern Bloc vehicles, French and JDM cars, a collection of 70 s Italian and French racing bicycles, all manner of motorcycles, propeller driven vehicles, a replica of Bucky Fuller s Dymaxion, well you get the idea. I could have spent a week in there The track event and autocross was held across the border in Bowling Green, Kentucky at the National Corvette Museum, and a Gimmick rally flummoxed a lot of people. One highlight of the Convention was Alfa Under the Stars with Wes Ingram. Wes discussed seven different cars and interviewed their owners on a warm evening in the parking lot, and it was all professionally captured on film and will be available to the membership to purchase. As most of you know, Wes is THE Spica guru and a wealth of information on Alfa Romeos in general. After the requisite Banquet and Awards Brunch, it was time to bid farewell to another great week of total Alfa Romeo saturation. Next year, the Convention will be held in Montreal, Canada and will honor the 50 th anniversary of the debut of the Montreal Expo showcar. We expect that a number of European Montreal owners will attend and bring their cars. Make your plans now! The Concours was held at the gorgeous Two Rivers Mansion. We had the usual rigorous Certificato d Oro judging for those owners serious about concours competition as well as various Shine and Show categories for those just wanting to show their cars in a more relaxed fashion. We also had a special Duetto class honoring the

5 The ALFA RUMOR ED NOTE: On July 16th, the club toured the Martin Museum in Phoenix, and lunched at the North Mountain Brewery on Dunlop Ave. Thanks to Fred for organizing this fun filled day. Here are a couple of pictures courtesy of Bill Greenslade. Phoenix, Arizona Classifieds Classified ads for Alfas and Alfa parts are still free for members. Just your ad and any photos to me at rgbotkin@yahoo.com. THE NEWSLETTER OF THE ARIZONA ALFA ROMEO OWNER S CLUB July 2016

6 If you wish to join the Alfa Romeo Owners Club, please complete and mail the following application. Benefits include close camaraderie with other Alfa enthusiasts, a one-year subscription to the national club magazine (the Alfa Owner) and, as a bonus, a one-year subscription to this newsletter. ARIZONA ALFA OWNERS CLUB Membership Application Name: Address: City State, Zip: Chapter Affiliation-Arizona Do You Own an Alfa Romeo? What Kind(s)? Please enclose a check in the amount of $68 (dues) to: ALFA ROMEO OWNERS CLUB PO Box Portland, OR 97292