THAMES VALLEY SECTION SUMMER 2016 NEWSLETTER & EVENTS DIARY
GIRO TRAMONTO Trenta Miglia This year’s Giro Tramonto was held on July 4th, in place of the regular section meeting.
After a changeable weekend a pleasant evening meant that hopes were high that a few nice cars should turn out for what would be a pleasant drive through the Berkshire and Oxfordshire countryside. In the event, it was a quiet evening but Spiders dominated the attendance sheet. I won last year’s prize and was therefore given the dubious honour of setting the route for this year. The format of the event is for simple route instructions showing all the major junctions and mileages, punctuated with some observational questions regarding items of interest along the way. Letters from the answers were put together to form an anagram of interest to Alfisti, and there was a suit-
able tie-breaker in the event that observational skills and Alfa knowledge were equally… indifferent… amongst local club members. I drove the route from the destination back to the start earlier in the evening, checking for roadworks and any other new hazards, and fortunately the route instructions were able to stay unchanged. It’s amazing how many times the best laid plans can fall apart due to the efforts of the local councils and utilities! Back at the start by 7pm, and the first few folks to arrive included Julian Milne with his son, Kieran in his white 33. Another early arrival was Ewan Dalton in the lovely roundtail Spider and Andrew Cloney in – well, it wasn’t the Fun Concours winning Bertone track day car, which sadly had a minor fault. We put Andrew into Ewan’s
passenger seat so that navigation became easier for both. Both Julian and Ewan set off to negotiate the route, taking a left out of the Bird In Hand car park, and soon afterwards another left to go over the hill through Cockpole Green to Remenham, down into Henley and out into the Oxfordshire hills through Rotherfield Greys, Stoke Row, along ‘quiet’ roads to North Stoke and down to Goring, crossing the river for a second time before making our way through the Berkshire downs to Yattendon, for a nice evening meal at the Red Lion. The ‘trente miglia’ route took just over an hour and avoided major roads for the most part; there was a section on single track lanes, but visibility and road surfaces were generally good (remarkable for South Oxfordshire!). At the start the Spiders kept arriv-
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drivers being responsible for ensuring the bridge is not overloaded – as anyone stuck in a rush hour jam for the last few years would be well aware of. The other items were Greys Court, Maharajah’s Well in Stoke Row, the Miller of Mansfield pub in Goring, the Rainforest at Hampstead Norreys. Letters from these formed an anagram of Giulia, which was maybe a bit too obvious.
ing – Guy Swarbrick and Jeremy Suiter arriving in their very similar 939 versions. Nick Suiter also arrived in his Giulietta and hopped into his brother Jeremy's Spider, directions in hand.. I waited in vain for more participants before setting off for home, picking up my wife Beth and then joining the route at Rotherfield Greys. It was slightly surprising that one of the observational
SWAP MEET Blag-a-Ride
Blag-A-Ride is not what John Thaw and Dennis Waterman did while hitch-hiking back to base after trashing the Sweeney’s big Ford
questions involved a landmark in the distance that was obscured by late evening mist – Didcot Power Station was not visible from the Portway between Woodcote and Wallingford, which certainly improved the views somewhat. Nevertheless all of our participants spotted all the observational items except for the tricky first one, which involved reading the original signage on Henley bridge – engine
Consul. It is in fact a great opportunity for a passenger ride in a classic or modern Alfa with the owner at the wheel. Some lovely cars turned
The tie-breaker asked how many gears UK buyers would get - the answer being eight as the new Giulia will only be available in the UK with an 8-speed semi-automatic ‘box. Taking into account a few problems with the Henley bridge question for some, and a surprising interpretation of an automatic ‘box as having no gears(?!) we were able to separate the participants and declare Guy Swarbrick the winner. He was the happy recipient of a prize kindly donated by Alfa Aid – thanks to Julian and Adrian for supporting us yet again. JOHN TIMMS
out at the Bird-in-Hand on a sunny Sunday 17th July. Most popular blag was Ken Beere’s dramatic wide-bodied 3.0 V6-engined GT
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Junior. It’s very well set up and bags of torque from the Busso motor makes for rapid progress, it helps that Ken knows how to drive it properly. Needless to say, there were some big smiles after Ken demonstrated how docile it is in traffic. When the sun’s shining it’s difficult to beat a 105 Spider, if you like people looking at you. Three smart examples attracting a lot of attention were Paul Baxter’s beautiful red left-hooker 1750 roundtail, Michael Haines’s trusty silver 2000 and Neal Courtenay’s very smart Farina red 2000. Neal took me for a spin round the local lanes and we ended up waiting at traffic lights in Twyford behind a brand new Bentley convertible with its top down. A loud voice from a group of people on the pavement beside us said, “Wow, isn’t that beautiful! What a car! Fantastic! I just love Alfas...” And Neal’s car is a beauty, very original and with a strong motor that drives as Alfa intended. Paul’s 1750 was in great demand. Jeremy Suiter was impressed and wondered if Paul would swap for his 3.2 Q4 Spider but I don’t think a deal was on the cards. Gabriel Griffin really enjoyed his trip in Jeremy’s car but since he’s only 14 will have to wait quite a while before he can make him an offer! Nick Suiter and Mario Guzzetti were surprised by John Timms’ rapid 159 2.4 JTDM Sportwagon. Remapping the turbodiesel has upped power and torque dramatically; it’s a real wolf-in-sheep’sclothing Q-Car, with allegedly around 275bhp. Possibly even faster than Nick’s 75 3.0 track car, so it must really go. We didn’t get to do a direct comparison because Nick brought his cooking Giulietta along. Surprisingly no-one blagged a ride in that! Mario is a true V6 afficionado and has several superb V6-engined Alfas. His stunning red 916 GTV 3.0 with factory aero kit,
which he’s owned from new, was another favourite. Thanks to everyone who generous-
ly offered rides in their cars. Let’s do it again next year. JONATHAN GRIFFIN
& EVENTS DIARY - SUMMER 2016 PAGE 3
CROSS SECTION National Alfa Day - Chatsworth House
Ask three car enthusiasts about their ideal venue for the summer 'Show and Shine' and you'll get four different answers. In recent years AROC has tended to choose a museum venue for the Spring event - the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, Beaulieu - and a 'traditional' stately home venue for the summer get-together. And there are few stately home venues more traditional than the spectacular Chatsworth House.
After venue choice, the second biggest debate is parking. Should cars be arranged by model? More loosely - into 'classics' and 'modern'
nise themselves. this year the NAD organisers took the brave - but popular decision to arrange parking by model.
(good luck drawing that line...)? Or completely free - allowing friends, sections or model registers to orga-
Why brave? Because it requires a significant extra effort in terms of planning, a lot more stewards and,
We drove up the afternoon before and stayed in a lovely farm bed and breakfast in the Peak District with an access road that made full use of the Spider's four wheel drive. After spending two days washing and polishing a quick check was in order but, fortunately, the mud spatters were minimal. That was just as well - we had to go back out for dinner! The forecast for Sunday had been changing hourly but Saturday evening was glorious so things were looking good. And then the clouds rolled in and the heavens opened. It rained all night and it was still raining as we left the B&B. It stopped shortly afterwards, though and our half hour drive was long enough to see the roads dry out and the sky brighten and, as we drove down towards the house... the clouds rolled back and the rain returned.
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inevitably, a few people who get upset when either they can't park with friends who have a different type of Alfa - or the organisers get
The combination of the wet start to the day and the previous occupants of the field meant that, when the drizzle stopped 20 minutes later,
another 939 Spider owner. They have an extensive collection of V6 powered Alfas, though - and had travelled up in Mario's lovely GTV6.
the space allocation wrong and they end up in the overflow area.
the second order of the day (after coffee and bacon sandwiches, naturally) was cleaning the mud, grass and sheep droppings off the car - followed by a quick application of the excellent AROC-branded Aquanil spray. I'd just finished that when it rained again!
As well as Mario and Adrian, I bumped into John Timms and spied Martin and Ella Dominguez's Junior Zagato before we headed off to the house and gardens.
As the model registrar for the (Brera) Spider Register, we'd requested model parking anyway - to celebrate the model's 10th Anniversary - and asked if we could be opposite the 105 Spiders - who were celebrating their 50th. Consequently, we arrived early to act as 'marker' for our lineup at which point there were just a handful of cars dotted around the grounds - including the first few of fellow section member Adrian Jardine's SZ Register line-up and a solitary 147 GTA.
That, fortunately, was the last of the rain and the rest of the day was warm and sunny with a scattering of clouds. After helping to marshall 21 Spiders into line before we ran out of space - another three ended up in the overflow areas - it was time to catch up with people. Among the first of them was Mario Guzzetti - whose wife Valerie is
All in all, it was a great day and a great venue and, for me, the model parking worked really well. It would have been nice to get together with more section members - and for Southern Alfa Day we will once again be organising a section 'convoy' to Hever Castle. Details elsewhere in this Newsletter and in the section Facebook group. GUY SWARBRICK
TV TIMES Section Events Round Up
FUN CONCOURS Fun Concours was the theme for our June meeting and saw our largest attendance of the year with 20 classic and modern cars on display.
105 series coupes where the most popular model with six on display, notable ones being Jonathan Griffin’s GT Junior, Robert Davies 2000 GTV, Nigel Rayner and Andrew Szemere both in 1750 GTVs. One track
prepared 1750 GTV belonging to Andrew Cloney graced the carpark. Spiders were well represented; 105 series being Paul Baxter’s Duetto and two 2000s of Michael Haines and Neal Courtney, two 939 series Q4s belonging to Guy Swarbrick and Jeremy Suiter and one 2.2JTS. Completing the line-up were 2 modern Giuliettas; mine and Margaret Callard’s , a 147, Julian Milne’s 33, Sud Ti, Mario Guzzetti’s GTV6, Ella and Martin Dominguez’s Junior Zagato and John Timm’s tuned 159 2.4JTD purporting to have 400lb/ft of torque! Members voted on two categories, best classic and best modern. Congrat-
& EVENTS DIARY - SUMMER 2016 PAGE 5
ulations to the winners, Andrew Cloney (track prepared 1750 GTV) and Guy Swarbrick. BERKSHIRE MUSEUM OF AVIATION
Woodley Airfield, made famous by Douglas Bader who lost his legs in a plane crash here in 1931 and then went on to be a successful WW2 fighter pilot. Notable aircraft on
producing 550,000 a week!
BOAT TRIP
Requests for weekend events saw a handful of members attend our first one at The Museum of Berk-
display are a Fairy Gannet (aircraft carrier Anti-submarine warfare), Miles Martinet (WW2 target tug)
Our second weekend event took place on the 3rd of July at Marlow, when we were kindly offered a river Thames trip in Margaret Callard’s electric Launch.
shire Aviation in late June, attracting new member Duncan Fraser who arrived in his recently restored Spider 2000. The museum is located on the site of the now defunct
and a Handley Page Herald (Turbo prop short haul airliner). A lesser known fact is the production of Biro pens by Miles; such was the demand that in 1949 they were
We met Martin and Ella Dominguez, who were piloting the boat, at Higginson Park, where we first enjoyed a picnic. Afterwards Ella took us on a tour of the river from Marlow Bridge to Temple Mill Island. Motoring along we became aware of music becoming louder and louder, this turned out to be emanating from Bisham Abbey where a large party was taking place. After a short stop at the island we returned to the park. Many thanks to Margaret, Ella and Martin for kindly hosting us. NICK SUITER
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CROSS SECTION MITCAR, British Motor Museum, Gaydon
I first went to MITCAR a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it but since then it's either been at the far end of the Midlands region or has clashed with something else. This
message from Neal Courtney who was bringing his Series 2 Spider along - to say that he was at the Oxford Services - on the A34. A quick tweak to the plan saw us
year it was about as far South as it could be - at the top end of the M40, at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon near Coventry, And it was on a day when I was free!
head to Cherwell Valley services to form a three car convoy. We met Nick Suiter and Philip O'Hara once we got there..
As a trial for the Southern Alfa Day convoy, we arranged to meet some other members from the section at Oxford Services - although we only had three confirmed participants and two maybes. We arrived first and grabbed a coffee. We weren't the only MITCAR attendees meeting up - there was a gaggle of Abarth 500s and Puntos. There was also a very nice Alex Jupe GTV6. Next to arrive was John Timms - one of the 'maybes' - in his 2.4 JTDM 159 Sportwagon - and shortly afterwards we got a Facebook
We were split up when we arrived with the Alfas all kept together and split - broadly - between 'modern' and 'classic' - although 10 minutes later I had to move my car as someone had decided that there were to be three categories - modern, classic and 939 Spiders (mostly, I think, because five arrived together!). The nice thing about MITCAR is the presence of the other Italian marques - although my perception this year is that the number of FIATs, Lancias, Ferraris and Maseratis was down on previous years. There were a number of interesting trade
stands, though - we came home with more flavoured sugared almonds than we needed - and even the museum shop managed to find a few items with an Italian theme.
British cars aren't really my thing, but the main museum and the overflow collection next door are both full of rare and interesting cars - and provide a handy shelter when the weather turns - which it did just as we were leaving. GUY SWARBRICK
& EVENTS DIARY - SUMMER 2016 PAGE 7
SOUTHERN ALFA DAY Hever Castle - 10 September This year’s event is hosted by our friends in the Kent & East Sussex section and they’ve chosen a fantastic venue, too – Hever Castle – which is located just south of the M25 on the Kent/Sussex borders. We are hoping to see 100-150 Alfas as we have for the last three years. Details of the event can be found at the www.southernalfaday.com website. Kent & East Sussex are planning a theme involving the colours of the Italian flag, so anyone with red, white or green Alfas will be placed in a special display, strictly first booked, first served basis. No doubt the odd red Alfa can be found without too much trouble, so – especially if your Alfa is white or green – do let them know if you would like to join the display (check the links on the event website to do this, please). The Thames Valley section will form a convoy - we’ll meet at the M25 Cobham services by 9am, setting off no later than 9.15. It’s no more than one hour’s drive from there so this should allow us plenty of time to get to the event by the time the gates open. If you are planning to travel separately, the satnav instructions are TN8 7NG. Tickets are available through our Eventbrite booking system via the event website above, or the club website www.aroc-uk.com. Hopefully there will be a good number of Thames Valley Alfisti supporting the event as always. In past years, we’ve seen a very wide range of Alfas including pre-war and modern 8Cs, a wonderful 1900 Super, plus superb examples of Giuliettas, 2600s and 105 series cars from the 50s and 60s through to beautifully cared for everyday drivers from the current range.
WHAT’S ON DIARY
As a result of your feedback in the recent member survey, our monthly meeting will change from the 1st Monday of the month to the 1st Tuesday starting from this September, see Diary Dates. The venue will remain the same. Calendars of our events can be found on our Facebook page and on our recently updated website www.aroc-uk.com/thamesvalley September 10th Southern Alfa Day Hever Castle, Kent TN8 7NG October 2nd Goodwood Breakfast Club - Italian Sunday 8am Goodwood Circuit (Registration required) November 6th Goodwood Breakfast Club Hot Hatch Sunday 8am Goodwood Circuit, near Chichester (Registration required) If there are any other events you’d like to see here? Email nico12367@ gmail.com
JOHN TIMMS
Section Meetings Monthly at 8pm, first Tuesday Venue The Bird in Hand Country Inn, Bath Road, Knowl Hill, RG10 9UP
CLASSIFIED ADS 2008 (58) Alfa 159 Sportwagon
September 4th Bird in Hand, Knowl Hill Front Wheel Drive Night October 1st Bird in Hand, Knowl Hill November 8th Bird in Hand, Knowl Hill December 6th Bird in Hand, Knowl Hill Christmas Quiz Next time... November features on Southern Alfa Day, the Shere Hill Climb and the revamped Alfa Romeo Museum Your contributions are welcome reports, pictures, event dates and details, article ideas and feedback - and your Me & My Alfa story can be sent to aroctvnews@swarbrick.com
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2.4JTDm Lusso 70k miles, recent clutch , AHM 260bhp remap (gives 15% better economy), in Argento Alfa (Silver) All the standard Lusso features including full black leather, auto lights and wipers, dual zone climate control, etc. Extras fitted: aluminium roof rails, 18in multispoke alloys and security glass. One owner, full service history from Alfa Aid. Offers around £8250. Contact John on 0797 683 9453 Published by AROC Thames Valley Edited by Guy Swarbrick