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September 2009 Newsletter
 

BRISTOL & WEST SECTION

Please visit our section website www.arocbriswest.co.uk which has all the latest news and events.
Best regards,

Martin King

CENTRAL & EAST MIDLANDS SECTION

Coming up soon...

On Sunday 20 September we are off to Chesterfield for the return of the Peak Alfa Drive, organised so ably by Steve Ball and the team from the Derbyshire Section. Hopefully you will have booked by now (pre-booking is a must!), but see the AROC Derbyshire website for all the details if you haven't. We have arranged a convoy run to the start, meeting at the Trowell Services on the M1 Northbound just past junction 25, departing at around 8.30am. It's always a great fun event; make sure you on good terms with your navigator!

On Tuesday 29 September we've got another Karting challenge. This time our intrepid teams will be taking on the Jaguar Enthusiasts' Club (Leicestershire region) at the superb PF International circuit near Grantham for a two-hour endurance special in exciting twin-engined karts. At time of writing it's looking booked solid, but contact John if you are desperate to take part there may just be space!
Another convoy run is planned for the AlfaJumble at the Alfa Workshop in Royston, Herts on Sunday 11 October. This one leaves the Rothwell Services (McDonalds) on the A14 near Kettering at 9am prompt. Should be another good day there.

Wednesday 14 October is our AGM and Alfa Quiz night at our new regular venue, the George and Dragon in Thringstone on the A512 (for your SatNav it is LE67 8UH. It’s a very friendly pub with great food, plenty of space inside and a big car park, situated one mile closer to Ashby from our old venue the Bull’s Head. The latter is becoming an M&B Carvery – not ideal for us.

The AGM proceedings will include a review of the past year's events and a look ahead to 2010. Our existing Section committee will be standing for re-election, but if you'd like to stand for a post, please let me know in advance. After the formalities required by our club's rules, we'll be holding another Alfa quiz and this time I've got the honour of compiling it having won last year's set by Bryan. It's a straightforward 'multiple choice' format so anyone can have a go and there are some nice prizes too!
WARNING: This is our one 'formal' meeting of the year, so if you plan to make October your first visit please don't let that part of the evening put you off - we are far from a Parish Council, honest! The AGM part will start promptly at 8pm in our reserved area at the bottom end of the pub.

Set your alarms nice and early on Sunday 1 November to make sure you don't miss our run to the Breakfast Club car meeting at the RAF Cosford air museum near Telford. We will gather at the Longshoot pub on the A5 in Nuneaton (it's at the junction with the A47) ready to depart at 7.30am prompt. Travelling the 40 or so miles in convoy, we will arrive before 9am ready for a breakfast at the museum restaurant. We will display our Alfas in a prime position at this regular monthly meeting featuring cars belonging to enthusiasts of many marques. It goes without saying that ALL Alfas are welcome, and do bring partners and friends too - the museum is FREE to enter and has some superb aircraft exhibits (indoor and outdoor), plus a gift shop. We had a great time there back in December last year so we thought we'd have a repeat, hopefully on not quite as cold a day! See www.midlandsbreakfastclub.co.uk for more details of the meeting and venue, and please send me an email if you intend to go.

Our regular monthly meeting at the George and Dragon on 11 November will feature a talk from Peter Cambridge, ex-Prodrive leader on the Brera S project. Peter’s now working for Bilstein/Eibach and has a load of fascinating things to talk to us about.

After that, from 13-15 November it's the Classic Motor Show at the NEC. Many of us will be helping on the AROC stand again this year, and another super collection of cars is expected.

The succession of exciting events and activities in our Section continues! After a very busy summer we're now planning a host of activities for autumn and winter. Read on to find out more...

Looking Back...

Our 8 July meeting at The Bull's Head in Thringstone was billed as 'Spider Night'. We had a very nice collection of cars present from Giulietta to 916 phase 3; sadly no 'new' Spiders though. An enjoyable evening all-round with several people enjoying spins in the 16 or more Spiders present.

 

After another enjoyable meeting in August at the pub, with better weather too thankfully, it was on to MITCAR at the fabulous Burghley House. That was a really enjoyable day with gorgeous weather and over 260 Italian cars present, from Lamborghini to Cinquecento - and loads of brilliant Alfas too - all against the magnificent backdrop of the Elizabethan house and Deer Park.

MITCAR will be fully reported elsewhere in the club's publications; suffice to say we are going to have to really go some to beat it in 2010!! Many thanks to all the helpers in our Section who made it such a success and to all our members who supported it.

By the time you read this a number of us will have been to the AROC Track Day at Silverstone on 5 September and supported the Leicester Aeroclub Open Day at the grand-sounding Leicester Airport on the following day where we will have provided an Alfa line up and enjoyed the sights and sounds of a host of World War 2 planes among others. Also, at our 9 September meeting at the Bull’s Head where we are expecting a visit from our local Autoglym Franchise promising product demonstrations and stock at exceptional prices. Great stuff!!

To get the very latest info on all of this and more, please see our local website www.aroc-uk.com/cem which has a full event calendar, dozens of photos from recent activities and pictures of over 120 members' cars. Also, our monthly eight-page printed newsletter, 'Alfisti', is posted to around 150 local members. If you'd like to go on to the mailing list as an active member at no extra charge, please contact me by email at aroccemids@tiscali.co.uk. Cheers!

John Griffiths

COTSWOLD SECTION

For the latest news from the Cotsold Section, please visit our website at www.aroc-uk.com/cotswolds Here you'll find pictures and reports from recent events and news of our plans for the future. You can also download copies of our Newsletter.

CUMBRIA & BORDERS SECTION

A couple of months back I raised the question on the club forum "Does anyone else live in the No Man's Land that is the Scottish Border regions and Cumbria?" And now, somehow, I appear to be in charge of a new section on the AROC map! I must have blinked and missed something!

So here we are! Welcome to AROC Cumbria and Borders Section.

Covering the lands either side of the Scottish/English border (primarily those with postcodes DG and CA) has given me a huge geographical area to deal with, but with such a sparse population, I believe that initially our section will be starting off as the smallest in the UK. With some of the most beautiful driving roads in the world on either side of the border, I hope to be able to coax a few of you out on a Sunday for a run now and again! We also have a brand new dealership opening on our doorstep in the form of Lloyd's Fiat/Alfa Romeo in Carlisle. That sounds like an excuse for a meet if ever I heard one!

Initially a monthly meet up seems a good place to start - just to see how many of you are out there - and then we can take things from there. Please join me at The Shepherd's Inn, Rosehill, Carlisle on the second Thursday of the month from 7.30 onwards. I will be glad of the company and pleased to see you!

Alternatively I host a pub meet at The Farmer's Inn, Clarencefield on the last Thursday of the month for our local car club which you are welcome to come along to (7 onwards). Be warned, however, I am the only Alfa owner there most of the time!

Julie Hollis

LINCOLNSHIRE SECTION

Once again the Lincolnshire section were guests of Nigel Broddle of the Lincolnshire A30/35 Owners Club at the Normanby Hall Classic 2009. Our numbers were down on last year unfortunately but those who made it still had a good day despite the weather being a little damp at times in the morning. I know some had gone off to Silverstone for the classic meet while Charlie & Viv were in the States holidaying so no GTC to display. Also Mike Herring took advantage of the early morning brightness to do some combining so no 1300 GT Junior either.

Still those of us, who were able to go, got a good day out for just £2.50. That price was for up to a family of four and car of course. For that there was the 300 acre country park to stroll through, the Hall which is a Regency Mansion, a Farm Museum, the Victorian Walled Garden where you can actually buy the organically grown produce and of course the Children's Adventure Playground. There was even a brass band concert on in the afternoon by which time the sun had come back out.

Despite our small number of cars (5) we had our own spot where we chatted to quite a number of people who genuinely seemed interested in Alfa Romeos.
Terry Richardson had come over from the Derbyshire section in his Montreal, Keith & Martin brought their 916 spiders, Dave and Sue had their 3 litre 166, and I had the 75 V6 there.

British cars were in the majority and I was worried that a piano may have fallen out of the sky onto the Morris Ital Estate but obviously Clarkson hadn't spotted it! My favourite was a little Honda S800 in immaculate condition despite the E type & Mk2 Jags.

Later in the afternoon the Alfas were joined by one more car. It was unfortunately not an Alfa (but it was bright red) or an old British classic, but it did attract quite a crowd. It was in fact a brand new Nissan Skyline GTR.

Our meet for August was not held at our regular venue of the Red Lion at Redbourne but a few miles away at the Jenny Wren in Susworth. The owners are car enthusiasts so hold a classic car meet there on the 2nd Tuesday of the summer months. I had gone to the Red Lion just to make sure nobody went to the wrong place so by the time I got to the Jenny Wren the car park was full so I parked on the road along with a couple of Lotus, a Cobra, a Starsky & Hutch look-a-like and of course some Alfas. There were also TVR's, Jags, MG's, 1 Aston & a Ferrari in the car park but the Alfa's & Lotus were the most abundant cars on the night. Charlie & Viv's GTC was particularly attracting a lot of attention. They had got in the car park early for a prime spot and enjoyed what they said was an excellent meal. As a bonus our hosts offered the use of the upstairs restaurant area if we wanted to hold our meetings there. One for the committee to think about!

Mike Scarf

 

WESSEX SECTION

The Summer in Wessex

A great series of events over the summer saw the Wessex Alfisti out and about all over the region.

June meet at Mudeford

A great line up for the annual Wessex BBQ at Mudeford Quay. Dave Kell with his Bertie, and Tim & Andrea Hope Frost's Sud Sprint gave us a nostalgic alfa line up, along with a good selection of 'moderns' including a 156 GTA, a brace of 159 sportwagons, the Scutts 147, Mark Simey's 156 selespeed and, of course, the Thames Motor Company's race support 145 cloverleaf. To add a bit of diversity we were joined by the Steve Knight Alver (or was it a RovFa) 2000TC and the Grant Mazda MX 5 (Colin, a 3.0 GTV is an excellent idea!)

Nigel & Denise did a sterling job providing a never ending flow of Gluwien (for those not driving!), and some wonderful hot dogs with onions.

Although the evening did cool down (Fleeces required over the tee shirts & shorts) a great time was had with fantastic views over the water to the Isle of Wight watching the Motor Cruisers coming back to Christchurch Harbour, and watching the locals watching us enviously with our fine line up of Alfas!!

Wessex Concours in July

A Fantastic turnout at the Sir Walter Tyrell Pub in the heart of the New Forest, by the historic Rufus Stone. By 19:30 the reserved section of the car park was almost full, with Wessex section Alfisti enjoying the heatwave and the great food on offer.

With 16 cars taking part in the concours, we had a great range of Alfas from a 2600 Sprint right up to a gorgeous MiTo.

Peter Smart, our resident Alfa Specialist was the judge for the Concours and did a splendid job producing a list of worthy winners. Peter & Nigel then interviewed each of the class winners after presenting them with their certificates & bubbly wine.

The winners were as follows:-

• 1960 Gareth Firth - Guilia 1600 GT Junior
• 1970 David Kell - Guilia 1600 GT Junior 1976
• 1980 Tim Hope Frost - Sud Sprint
• 1990/2000 Ian Wateridge - 156 Saloon GTA

Classics at the Castle - July

The Classics at the Castle was a great event despite the weather. We had a Wessex Alfa Romeo club stand and a marvellous collection of Alfa's, many thanks go to Mark Simey Alfa 164, Peter Smart's Guilletta Sprint, Simon Gallacher's series 3 Spider, Richard Blaylock's Alfetta GTV, David Kell's Guilia GT Junior, Rob Dance's Duetto Spider, Gareth Firth's Guilia GT Junior, Nick Wood's Spider and Ian Bateman's Junior Zagato.
A fantastic location with rolling grasslands within the estate of Sherborne Castle (the Country house of Walter Raleigh). With a discounted entry for anyone with an exhibited car, the house was outstandingly beautiful.

The weather.... well the wind to be precise! (we did get a shower but nothing to worry about ) but the wind. Nigel spent a good amount of time making sure the gazebo didn't fly to Mars, by storm lashing it until eventually the frame said enough and buckled ! Not to be deterred we did BBQ in the shelter of Nigel's Sports Wagon on the fields edge to ensure no precious cars were burnt.
A great event, which Wessex will be supporting again.

The July New Forest Drive Out

On the way over the New Forest

A perfect evening (what a rare event this Summer!!) saw us meeting up at the St. Leonards Hotel on the 5th August for a great drive out through the western reaches of the Forest to Nomansland and the Lamb Inn. After negotiating fords, ponies & Alfa admirers on route we arrived in time to enjoy the evening sun in the very pretty garden, before seeing a beautiful sunset whilst eating some great pub food.

With nearly 50 years separating the oldest & newest in the drive out, everyone had the opportunity to admire the style and beauty of the marque over the years.

Dave Howard's 2600 spider was stunning on the night (despite the cautious drive home with limited lighting power!)

By the time you read this we will have had the Annual Wessex Treasure Hunt (this year organised by Steve & De Oxlade) - A full report with photos to follow!.....
Future Events
We are now looking to organise the Christmas Wessex party, more information to follow.
Many other events are in the pipeline so keep an eye on our website www.aroc-uk.com/wessex/ as up and coming events will be posted there.
As always our usual monthly meets are on the first Wednesday of each month at the St. Leonards Hotel, Ringwood Rd (A31), St. Leonards, Hants at 20:00, unless otherwise specified above.

Graham Wood

WEST WILTSHIRE SECTION

Summer Barbecue

Sunday 23 August, 2009 was a beautiful day in Wylye, Wiltshire. This was fortunate as it was Barbecue Day for the members of the West Wiltshire Section of the AROC. It was the second barbecue held at Great Bathampton Cottage, the beautiful home of Rachel Belle, the Club Secretary, and David Carpenter. David Edgington acted as car park attendant for the day, and stopped us at the gate and directed us to the parking area. David is impressive in this role, perhaps he should consider it as a second job? (Sorry David, only joking!)

The twenty one Club members gathered around 12.00 pm in the garden of the house, where tables had been set up around the pond in the centre. We had all brought a bottle of our choice to drink and our hosts supplied a welcoming Pimms and soft drinks to start things off.

Meanwhile, as we enjoyed our drinks, David was checking the barbecue to ensure the correct heat was available to cook the delicious local farm sausages, burgers and chicken on the menu. After half an hour or so we started lunch by collecting plates, cutlery and various salads, couscous, and rice from the house and went over to the barbecue for the main course.

It was really great sitting in the lovely garden and enjoying the sun whilst we had lunch. Rachel was kept busy bringing round second helpings. Following the main course, we went back into the kitchen where a wonderful selection of puddings had been set out. These included Eton Mess, Cheesecake, Trifle, Profiteroles and mini éclairs. Some people even managed a second pudding (yes, you know who you are!)

There was an impressive line up of cars parked in front of the house, which as you will see from the photo included an Alfa Brera and a GTV. Club members obviously wanted to look at the various cars and soon small groups had formed to discuss the merits of one Alfa versus another. Apart from the Brera and GTV, there were two 1750 GTV's, two Giulia Supers, a 147 and a Lancia.

Around 3.30 pm it was time to leave, and we all agreed that Rachel & David had hosted a really enjoyable event and one that we hope will be repeated next year.

Chris Lacey Bevan

WEST MIDLANDS SECTION

Since our last bulletin in section news many of the section members have met together on a number of pleasant occasions.

As with many outdoor events this year, it was doubtful whether the weather would be kind to us for our Sunday BBQ at the beginning of June. However, about twenty members bravely set forth and ended up enjoying a very convivial gathering. Not quite everyone took advantage of the tables in the garden but everyone had a good time. Many thanks to Liz and Andrew Christie for hosting this once again.

A few years ago a number of section members enjoyed a lovely week-end stay at a country hotel in west Wales and ever since then we have been trying to repeat the occasion, which has not materialised for all sorts of reasons.

It was decided that in conjunction with our travelling to Newby Hall for National Alfa day we would make a weekend of it. Thus it was that five o'clock on the Saturday evening saw the eight of us sitting in the garden of our guesthouse near Knaresborough enjoying some excellent wine and nibbles! Taxis arrived and whisked us off to the Black Bull in Boroughbridge, where we had a superb meal. We were in close proximity to the parked Alfa Romeo van but caught no sight of occupants - they must have been dining elsewhere. The general opinion of those convened and those with whom we caught up next day, was that Newby Hall was an excellent venue and the day most enjoyable.

The section's Fun Concours was held at July's normal Monday meeting at Lyndon House. The usual roaming the car park and poking into members' cars took place and after what seemed a very short time back in the hotel David Roberts was ready with the results and the prizes. Nick took the prize yet again for the untidiest interior, but Liz actually avoided the dirtiest engine prize, she admitted having cleaned it recently! Ben's156 was found to have the scruffiest wheels and the baldest tyres this year, and once again my beloved 147 was seen as having the most stone chips. Oh dear! The smartest, bestest car was undoubtedly Hugh's GT, claiming wins in three of the "best of" categories. Good to see you, Hugh. But the star of the show - the car we all wanted to take home - was Will Dick's desirable Mito! Again we must thank David for his work in planning and running this fun event.

At the last meeting at Lyndon House we held a Memorabilia Evening when members brought in items of interest for others to share. There was a remarkably interesting collection of brochures, books, models and other bits and pieces, including a special carburettor and a piece of a prototype Alfa! All good for conversation!

By the time you read this our Giro di Staffordshire will have been and gone - more next time.

We hope that during the autumn and winter we will meet some more of the Alfa people who live within reach of Walsall; please come along and share your interests with us.

John Watt

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