April Meeting Night George & Dragon, Thringstone

Weds 13 April, from 7pm

Spring is here, and our first outdoor evening

meeting of the year means an earlier start time

at the G&D. Please park up on the grass

paddock area at the top end of the car park.

We’ve also invited Carl, Fred and the gang from

our local Autoglym franchise who will be bringing

their vans stuffed with bargains galore!

Bring cash as card machine reception poor

there. Both Retail and Trade sizes available. Get

your Alfa shined-up for the events ahead!

Curborough Sprint

Experience Curborough Circuit nr Lichfield

Weds 27 April from 9.45am

Thanks again to El Presidenté, George Cole, cars

from our Section can take on the challenges of

this tight and twisting circuit – the Nurburgring

of the Midlands, in miniature! Cost @£66

depending on number of drivers we have.

All of the car spaces have now gone, though

John has a reserve list.

People are very welcome to come along and see

the cars in action and it’s free admission for

spectators. You may even get a passenger lap or

two. We always advise people to wrap up warm

though as shelter is limited.

■ Alfisti Issue 184 ■ April 2016

AROC Spring Alfa Day, National Motor Museum,

Beaulieu, Hampshire.

This is a terrific venue for AROC’s first big event of

the year where around 500 Alfas are expected.

There’s loads to see and do indoors and out, for

all the family. The museum houses a superb

display of cars from the earliest times to recent

Formula 1 cars. The collection of Land Speed

record cars is of particular note - how men drove

those things just amazes. The Montague family’s

historic house is very pleasant to stroll around and

the high-level monorail and other rides are great

to enjoy, no matter what your age!

The village of Beaulieu is situated in the New

Forest, a beautiful part of England, making it an

ideal place to plan a long weekend, as several of

our local members have already.

Advance tickets are available now with a

significant saving for AROC members. (A good

price compared to normal admission for non-

members too, only not quite as good of course!)

Simply Go to the Club’s main website, www.aroc-

uk.com. If you plan to pay on the day make sure

you take your valid Club membership card to

ensure your AROC members discount there too.

Spotted anything different at the top? Yes, after

three or so years with our ‘Fox and Forest’ logo

we’ve switched designs to better reflect that our

area Section is a natural extension of the

OFFICIAL Alfa Romeo Owners Club UK, and is not

some fly-by-night operation like the things popping

up purporting to be ‘clubs’ on the Internet / Social

Media.

Our members will know that AROC was

established back in 1964, and us organisers and

the many members are very proud of its heritage

and the services and offerings it provides. ’But

what about the cost? Well, it works out as just

77p a week to join the main club, and then our

East Midlands area section membership is FREE.

Yet again last year I saved more than twice that

much just through AROC discounts at Alfa parts

suppliers, specialists and dealers! AND got six

superb Club magazines, cheaper event

admissions and loads more! If you are reading

this, own an Alfa but are not an AROC member, I

urge you to join up; it’s great to be part of the big

family of Alfisti. (If this has dropped through your

letterbox as you are a member, remember it goes

to several Dealers and Specialists too of course!)

Right, advert over - can’t wait for the first truly

big outdoor national Alfa gathering of the year. It’s

going to be excellent - see you there!

Meet at 12 noon by the Alfa UK unit.

See you there! John

IT’S SPRING ALFA DAY !

INSIDE:

Coventry AROC Alfa Display

March Meeting Night

New Alfas at Geneva Motor Show

Fox Run Info

Our Cars . . .

and more

@AROCeastmids

Alfisti is edited and produced by

John Griffiths AROC East Midlands Section Secretary

Tel: 0774 8881317

Email: john.griffiths@aroc-uk.com

Our website for all the latest . . .

www.AROC-UK.com/EastMids

Alfisti is sponsored by

Sunday 17 April - AROC’s first BIG event of 2016

Confirmed - the 2017 Alfa SUV will be called Stelvio. Harald Wester has stated that we will see it in November

(Image here is just a rendering.)

OFFICIAL ALFA ROMEO OWNERS CLUB

NEWSLETTER FOR THE EAST MIDLANDS

Keith Davies with his GTV at Curborough last year… Great fun!

The last Spring Alfa Day at Beaulieu saw the first appearance of the Alfa GT… 2004!

March Meeting Night

at The George & Dragon, Thringstone

Sadly our advertised star attraction, Paul Jones from Chris Variava Alfa couldn’t

make our meeting owing to a special sales promotion, so muggins here took the slot

to cover off all the exciting new model announcements from the Geneva Motor Show

- pre-checked by Paul of course!

The bulk of that material is shown on page 3, suffice to say it generated some good

discussion and the usual sense of ‘we can’t wait!’ Leigh Nethercot was along fresh

from his trip to Geneva and he was able to directly comment on the Giulia in

particular having been able to study it first-hand. He was pleased to report that it is

not too-big, as in seems 159-size rather than becoming too ‘5-Series’. The interior

quality is high, and the infotainment particularly impressive - with its screens

perfectly integrated in the dash rather than looking like an iPad ‘tack-on’.

Leigh also said it was ‘SUV City’ at the show with the F-Pace, new big Bentley and

Maserati attracting lots of attention, It seems every manufacturer has them now -

even a Rolls Royce SUV is expected, so Alfa Romeo’s new Stelvio cannot come soon

enough. I relayed that this trend is very much true in the USA; take Chrysler’s 200. It

was very much improved by Fiat’s influence, and 2 years ago was selling like hot

cakes, but with cheaper fuel prices, everyone is witching to bigger vehicles (Jeep

sales up AGIN for example), but the 200 production is going into extended shut-

downs as there is over 150 days built stock… That’s a lot of cars.

After the new car talk we had a good natter about forthcoming events, notably The

Fox Run (see foot of page), and Spring Alfa Day.

Our next meeting at the G&D is on 13 April where we will be gathering outside

from 7pm for our first lighter evening of the year. Our pals from Autoglym will also be

along with lots of bargains. (Bring a brolly in case!) John

ALFISTI - AROC East Midlands Section Newsletter April 2016 - Issue 184

The FOX RUN - 5 June

with special Italian Sunday Lunch!

This year’s Fox Run drive will be one with a difference. The

route hasn’t been finalised yet, but we know the start and

finish!

Building on the huge popularity of our New Year Meal, we will be ending our run at the

excellent Ristorante, La Torre in Coalville which has hosted it for the past eight years.

Owners Grieg and Fabio (pictured bottom right) look forward to welcoming us for a

special ‘Sunday Lunch’ - Italian style.

To start - we’ll have morning coffee at our usual monthly meeting place, The George &

Dragon at Thringstone, meeting there for 10am, then we will depart

at around 10:45, for a tour around Charnwood, probably with a

stop on route to regather, before arriving at La Torre at lunch.

Grieg and Fabio are opening up especially for us, and we will have

an excellent 3 course menu then at around £22.50 a head.

Menu and exact pricing will be confirmed in the next edition.

Please book your places with John.

It will be a late spring day to look forward to where we can enjoy

driving our Alfas together with a super meal at the finish.

(Any other types of interesting cars owned by members are also

very welcome, plus friends and family. Let’s make it a party!)

Dave & Chris Atkins with their wonderful Giulia 1300ti on last year’s Fox Run

Alfa Romeo ‘Bertone’ Coupé

at Race Retro

HERO, the Historic Endurance Rallying Organisation, had

this lovely 1971 1750 GTV on its stand at Race Retro,

the historic racing car show at Stoneleigh Park

Warwickshire in February. The car is apparently

available to hire and use at a classic car rally or a

‘bespoke event’ and it’s a RHD example too. They also

have a brace of 1961 Giuliettas, both LHD and rally-

prepped, a Spider Veloce and an increasingly rare and

valuable Sprint Speciale. The company is based in Port

Talbot and can be found at www.heroevents.eu

I suspect that deep pockets may be required, but it

would make a great birthday present, hint hint (although

sadly my wife Nicola is not a regular Alfisti reader!)

Cheers! Viv Stephens

Festival Italia Race Day

BRANDS HATCH - 14 August

A new event that AROC will be supporting.

The Kent circuit hosts an all-Italian race

programme and circuit demos, headlined by

Ferraris, with the BRSCC Alfa Championship

too. Features an Italian market, air displays,

and special Club parking for Italian cars.

AROC will be out in strength.

A rather damp and miserable day didn’t deter a another good attendance. This is one corner of the car park.

At the Geneva

Motor Show

New Alfa Romeos are like buses, only in the respect you wait for ages…..

Our Brand chose the Geneva show to launch the ‘standard’ Giulia to the

world. Boss of Alfa Harald Wester spoke for around 20 mins about the

car in front of the worlds press surrounded by 3 of the stunning new

machines, and what headlines they made.

Production starts in March - order books open 14 April, with EU

deliveries in June and UK expected in October. Initial engine range will be

2.0 MultiAir turbo petrol with 200bhp, and 2.2 JTDm3 diesel in 150 and

180bhp guise, the later with a massive 450NM. Both are all aluminium

engines and there are more variants to come including even more power.

6-speed manual or 8-speed ‘paddle’ ZF auto gearboxes will be available.

All Giulias boast 50:50 weight distribution, mechanical LSD, ultra-light

chassis using aluminium, carbon-fibre (inc carbon prop shaft) and high-

strength steel, and a vast amount of ‘tech’ including advanced safety

systems such as the innovative new braking system (IBS) that removes

the ABS ‘shudder’, pedestrian awareness, adaptive cruise control and lots

more, The there is class-leading aerodynamics (0.25 cd), all meaning

exceptional performance.

The headline version Mr Wester used was the 2,2 180bhp manual.

Weight 1374kg. That is Giulietta size, and 100kg lighter than the much-

heralded aluminium Jaguar XE. 0-62mph is then just 6.9seconds, its mpg

is exceptional, (73!) but its emissions are just 99g/km. That is free road-

tax territory. And ultra low company tax grouping. Quite remarkable.

Specification-wise, it will be available in standard (simply called ‘Giulia’),

Business, Super and Sport variants in EU - expect UK range to perhaps

differ a little, with a range of additional packs. You can even have wood

& leather if you fancy, it is not all black carbon and Alcantara. Even a twin

-sunroof is available a la Giulietta. The Giulia quite rightly was a show-

star with the most impressive set of statistics since Gina Lollobrigida.

Elsewhere, the Giulietta and Mito received updates, bring their version

range and styling into

line with the Giulia.

Giulietta info is shown

below as the car had a

special end of February

launch, but Mito came at

us direct at Geneva. With

new colours, nose cone,

carbon-look headlights,

new upper and lower

grilles and new rear

diffuser, it’s a very

successful, if subtle,

update - the Scudetto

working particularly well

with the bonnet ‘vee’.

The Italian MiTo club

reps present on Press

day certainly liked it!

ALFISTI - AROC East Midlands Section Newsletter April 2016 - Issue 184

The 2016 model year update for the Giulietta was

launched at 5 locations across Europe on 24

February and via live streaming.

It is essentially a very light refresh, with the

outline updates as follows:

1. Range revision with new names, notably

Quadrifoglio Verde being replaced by Veloce

(Fastest), Quadrifoglio will be reserved for the

super-fast editions of future Alfas, like the fire-

breathing 510hp Giulia.

2. Revised grille, upper and lower, aping the Giulia

3. A new boot badge and wing badges, in same

‘futuristic’ font as the Giulia

4. Subtle interior trim changes

5. A new ‘app’ interfaced with the Uconnect system

allowing things like Facebook and Twitter

6. Some new colours, including Lipari grey (an old

favourite) and a new Alfa White.

7. Several new wheel designs, old favourites kept.

8. Carbon-effect headlamp inserts on some version

9. One new mechanical version - the JTDm3 1.6

diesel with 120bhp is now available with TCT.

The 170bhp MultiAir is now only available with TCT,

it has 150bhp with the 6-speed manual. (This

matches VW and Audi equivalents.)

The new model names are as follows:

Giulietta (just Giulietta for the base model), Super,

Tecnica (spec like old Business Edition), Speciale

(like old QV Line) and Veloce (like QV).

There was some dissent in the motoring press

and on Social media around the limitations of the

changes being clearly done on a low budget,

however, viewed as a simple update there is logic

as this still very good car will work much better

alongside the brand-new Giulia in the UK this

autumn. It will not have a huge negative effect on

the residual values of current versions either.

The first ‘2016’ Giuliettas are expected here as

soon as May. Looking good...

Quadrifoglio Verde branding has been superseded by Veloce on the top-power

variants, with the original green and white stitching replaced by red, and the new tele

-dial alloys introduced on the MiTo look particularly good too. If you want to learn

more about specifications and pricing, go on the Alfa Romeo website and the

‘configurator’. (NB I recommend you use Internet Explorer on a PC as your browser, it

works best.)

FCA has been remarkably busy. With alfa we have a great ‘new’ range. FIAT have

the superb 124 Spider and budget Tipo hatch and estate; Abarth a stunning 124

version, also homologated for rallying! After years of famine, there is much to be

excited about - and I cannot wait to try the new Giulia. Hopefully LHD versions will

appear over here in a few months. Magnifico. John MiTo updates

Giulia Super Lusso interior

Giulia Super - Sport pack New all-alloy 2.2 JTDm3 - inline

Giulia Super

ALFISTI - AROC East Midlands Section Newsletter April 2016 - Issue 184

For our first outdoor meeting of the year the

forecast showers were nothing like as bad as

expected, and though several owners of classics

had swapped to newer models we still had a

brilliant selection of Alfa Romeos to enjoy. We were

delighted to welcome several new members along

too, namely, David Lawton and his wife Hilary in

their recently acquired 916 Spider V6 in Zoe Yellow;

Craig Percy with his very tidy 939 Spider LE in red,

and Derek Duffill with his silver 939 Spider with

contrasting black alloys, Good to see Gary Poole

again with is blue 916 GTV with its freshly

refurbished Teledials and a nose repaint, and Andy

Pocock with his spotless grey Brera V6.

Mentioning the classics; we had Clive Richardson

down from Derbyshire with his fabulous red

Montreal, Dave Atkins with his Giulia Ti, Ian

Jephcott with his Berlina and Chris Christou up from

Harbury with his Spanish-registered Alfasud Sprint

Veloce, often used for trips to Barcelona. As he

says, that is an adventure!

Among the newest cars, Brain Smith’s red 4C

Spider and Chris Variava’s white similar car flanked

the entrance in fine style.

Bob Woodward had also come over from Walsall

direction in his 166 3.2 V6, meeting a potential

buyer there in the afternoon. Said fella absolutely

fell for the car and the deal was struck! Bob has

his eyes on yet another Alfa, this time a 939 Spider

V6. John Cheeseborough also came over, switching

to his black 916 Spider JTS from his S3 Spider.

It was great having a good natter to friends in the

sunshine, and with a welcoming coffee shop just

inside we had ample facilities when the showers

came. The museum itself has a had an extensive

re-vamp making it well worth a visit on its own merit

- with free admission too! It’s particularly good to

get close to Thrust 2 and Thrust SSC Land Speed

record cars now, but I always enjoy looking at the

recent ‘forgotten; cars like the Triumph Acclaim and

Hillman Avenger! There ls a brilliant Jaguar display

too, and still some interesting race and rally cars.

If you couldn't make it to our day there as a car fan

do pop over sometime.

Special mentions to Ben Cook who brought his

superb blue 147 GTA uop from Essex (setting off

Rich Shaw’s 159’s car alarm with its exhaust!) and

Colin Davenport for winning the ‘most laps of the

museum trying to find the way in’ award. We think it

was 6, not certain, lost count!

Anyway what a wonderful collection of Alfas with a

superb variety. It is clear that the 916 is the new

105 in terms of numbers, perhaps the weather

forecast put off a few of the owners of the latter

classics, ut we enjoyed seeing every car present of

course.

Thanks to all 50 or so who came along to make it

a such an enjoyable day. (And thanks again to Liz

Jones for the Easter cakes!)

John

Easter Sunday saw our first gathering at the Coventry Transport

Museum for three years, the first since its major re-vamp.

The Galloways arrive in Rob’s 146 Ti Chris Christou’s Alfasud Sprint Veloce

Clive Richardson’s terrific Monteal with Chris Variava’s 4C Spider

Liam Jones (left) and Zane Gunston on car cleaning duty! (Paul Jones’ 147 GTA this tine!)

ALFISTI - AROC East Midlands Section Newsletter April 2016 - Issue 184

A message from Peter Crichton -

our Section’s great explorers!

Hello John, and my best wishes from Costa Rica.

As you may remember, I am attempting to drive the alignment of the Continental

Divide from the Darian Gap to the Canadian Border in ‘Rabia’.

Next time there is an opportunity to send something out to members in the

Section , it might be of interest if you let members know that there is a link to a

live web site organised by Land Rover Owners that signals where we have

reached as the journey is happening. We have a tracker device in the vehicle that

reports our progress against the ‘plan’ (whether I am lost or otherwise!). The link

is . www.lro.com/continentaldivideexpedition

Note that the map is in the lower half of page one but takes a few moments to

come up. Look for the yellow line. Ignore all the adverts on all four pages of the

web site. I have nothing to do with that!

Not much sign of Alfas in Central America, I’m afraid !

See you in June ....

All the best to everyone, Peter and Eileen Crichton

Peter & Eileen with ‘Rabia’ their round-the-World 1992 Land Rover Discov-

ery 3.5i V8; 320,000km old, and unmodified bar a second battery. (Peter &

Eileen are more familiar at our Section with their immaculate 1750 GTV.)

DOOMWATCH ALFA

An update featuring Alfa’s Berlina models, traditionally least likely to

appeal to enthusiast collectors who tend to go for coupés and Spiders.

This is the number of cars registered and on the road. There are roughly

the same number on SORN, but the danger is those may never return to

the road. (Model, years on sale, number ln UK Q3 2015 v Q3 2014.)

Alfa 155 —1992 to 1997: 160 (2015) 173 (2014)

Alfa 164 —1987 to 1996: 128 155

Alfa 75 —1985 to 1992: 91 119

Alfa 33 —1983 to 1994: 53 55

Alfasud —1972 to 1983: 75 61

The Alfa 155 has been in decline for the past 5 years, but that seems to

be levelling off now as the cars are beginning to be seen more as a

collectors machine. The same is true of the 164, where registered

numbers appear pretty static in past 3 years. The last rear-drive Alfa, the

75 has however taken a significant dip. Happily the number of road

registered ‘Alfasuds (excluding Sprints) has increased! Great news. John

Best place to see groups of these rare Alfa Berlinas together? AROC events of course! The Alfasuds pictured left were a particular highlight at MITCAR last year.

75s 155

Loads more photos on our website!

Brian Smith’s 4C Andy Pocock’s Brera next to Declan Grey’s MiTo Ben Cook’s 147 GTA

David Lawton’s 916 Spider V6 Craig Percy’s 939 Spider LE Derek Duffill’s 939 Spider

B ob Woodward’s 166 - now sold! Gary Poole’s GTV Dave Atkins’ Giulia, Ian Jephcott’s Berlina and Ian Osborne’s 164 QV.

Tyre Shine

Clean, black tyres make such

a huge difference to the look

of your Alfa. I’ve been using

a particular tyre ‘blackener’

for about 6 years now, but

still like to see if others can

do it better. The big issue is durability. I have used some in

the past where one drive in the wet and it’s all but washed

away. After some investigation I have now found out why.

It’s all to do with chemistry again. (I got Grade ‘B’ O-level.

Not bad, eh? Ok…) Essentially, tyre dressings are pretty

simple, containing a silicone or silane and a carrier agent.

The carrier can either be solvent oil-based or water-based.

Water-based ones are made up of natural oils, like coconut

oil, and polymers emulsified with water. They can’t cause

any damage to the rubber but are not absorbed by it, so are

effectively ‘stuck’ to the surface. Sadly that means reduced

durability and some may streak when exposed to rain/

water. Solvent-based types have a superior durability and a

higher gloss. When applied to the tyre the solvent reacts

leaving the silicone oil to stick. They contain a blend of

petroleum distillates, silicone oil and some scent/colouring

agents. Now, experts report that repeated use of solvent-

based types can lead to premature sidewall cracking and

hardening of rubber..,. I’d counter that by saying you should

really be thinking of

changing tyres at 3-

4 years old anyway.

So, my favourite?

One that wins

many awards. A

solvent based one;

Meguiar’s

Endurance Tyre

Gel. It’s very good,

but I’m STILL

looking for one that

lasts even longer…

John

Alfa back on track with Giuliettas for the TCR Series

This is not an official return of Alfa Romeo to the racing world, but finally we talk of an Alfa

ready to race. The idea came from Romeo Ferraris, who has developed this racing

Giulietta for the international TCR series that sees Golfs, Leons Civics and more battle it

out accompanying some Grand Prix events too. The Giulietta TCR has been testing in Italy

in the expert hands of Mario Ferraris and Salvatore Tavano, the Alfa driver who took part

in the WTCC. Ferraris aims to

produce 10 Alfa Romeo Giulietta

TCRs by April 2016 at an estimated

price of €98,000 plus taxes. The

series runs to strict guidelines based

on power to weight, including

manufacturer’s engines up to 2L

turbo. In practice the limit is

@330bhp, which Alfa’s 1750cc all-

aluminium engine is easily capable

of. Watch out for the race series on

YouTube. (There are two full season

Alfa entrants at time of writing.)

… but Alfa Romeo not for Formula 1, yet. AS part of an interview at Geneva, boss of FCA Sig Marchionne sadly ruled out an imminent

return to F1 for Alfa Romeo, sighting the very real need for volume sales and distribution

before the require expense. He stated Alfa Romeo has the capability to succeed in the

sport, initially with help from Ferrari. He also excluded the chance of Alfa participating at a

‘factory’ level in other race series, in particular, in the USA as, " Running in American races is

not in the DNA of Alfa Romeo." So, in the coming months, all efforts and all economic

resources will be focused on the main objective of the brand, the commercial launch of the

Alfa Romeo Giulia, and the first SUV, the Stelvio, that will come in the end of 2016.

AROC East Midlands Section is very active on the Social Media scene.

Sign up to get latest news, info and chat! See www.facebook.com/groups/arocukeastmids/

ALFISTI - AROC East Midlands Section Newsletter April 2016 - Issue 184

Date Activities through to August

Weds 13 April 2016 from 7pm

Monthly Meeting Night at The George & Dragon, Thringstone. Our first outdoor evening of the year… we’ll have our friends from the local Autoglym franchise along with loads of bargains. See front page for more.

Sunday 17 April 2016

Spring Alfa Day at The National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, Hampshire. AROC is expecting @500 Alfas along at this first big gathering of the year. It’s a fantastic venue, with loads of indoor and outdoor entertainment. Special discount for all AROC members. See P1

Weds 27 Apr 2016 - 9.45am

Curborough Circuit Experience – Thanks to El Presidenté, George Cole, 10 cars from our Section take on the challenges of this tight and twisting circuit – the Nurburgring of the Midlands. Cost @£66 depending on no. of drivers. £30 non-returnable deposit required.

Weds 11 May 2016 from 7pm

Monthly Meeting at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - starting at 7pm. Busso Night, celebrating Alfa’s fabulous V6, plus ‘Blag-a-ride’ so we can give people spins in any of our cars, classic and modern.

Tues 17 May 2016 from 7pm

Classic Car Meeting at Beedles Lake Golf Centre, Nr Leicester. Meeting up with the Leicester Region of the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club. Address is 170 Broome Lane East Goscote, Leicester LE7 3WQ - see www.beedleslake.co.uk All Alfas welcome classic or modern, plus any other interesting cars you may own.

Sun 29 May 2016

World Superbikes at Donington Park - Featuring Alfa Romeo pace cars, demo runs from pre-war racing Alfas, special AROC parking and member admission discount. Go to the Donington Park website and enter code AROC16 at the checkout to save 10%! Race day ticket is then just over £30 inc booking fee.

Sun 5 June 2016

The Fox Run – A scenic Sunday morning navigational run, finishing with a special lunch at La Torre in Coalville. Please contact John to book your places. (see item on page 2).

Weds 8 June 2016 from 7pm

Fun Concours Night at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - starting at 7pm. All Alfa Romeos automatically entered and all present do the voting!

Sun 12 June 2016

Glider Club Day at Husbands Bosworth Gliding Centre, Leicestershire, LE17 6JJ. Public open day – to include special Alfa Romeo AROC display area. Details TBC.

Friday 24 June 2016 (TBC)

Rolling Road Night – at Future Motor Sports in Syston. Just £30 for 3 power runs. We’ll have a barbecue there this time too. Non-Alfas welcome.

Sun 10 July 2016

National Alfa Day at Chatsworth House, Derbyshire. Wonderful venue with a fabulous house and extensive gardens. Discount admission for AROC members.

Wed 13 July 2016 from 7pm

Summertime Spin at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - starting at 7pm. Our regular meeting includes a drive around the local lanes and villages.

AUGUST Events.

In August we will be having our Barbecue night at the G&D (10th) and of course MITCAR, our BIG event at the British Motor Museum on Sunday 28th. Also Festival Italia at Brands (page 2)

Always check our website for the latest news and the full calendar. LOTS to come!

AROC East Midlands Section Events 2016

The Small Print: Alfisti is the newsletter of the Alfa Romeo Owners’ Club UK East Midlands Section. Chris Variava Alfa Romeo Nottingham supports the cost of Alfisti’s printed production carried out at cost rate by a Section Member’s company. Alfa Romeo Owners’ Club UK ltd cannot endorse or recommend services or products advertised in its publications. Any opinions published in ‘Alfisti’ or its sister website, Twitter account and Facebook group are personal ones. Alfa Romeo Owners’ Club Ltd registered Number 01106134. Please contact John Griffiths if you have any queries about the Club or our active local Area Section. See cover for contact details.

Gazetta News Snippets

11 MAY MEETING IS BUSSO NIGHT

Our May meeting sees a celebration of

this magnificent V6 engine. We will have

a special line up of all cars with that

power unit. If you have one, please come

along - the music is sure to be sweet!

All other Alfas are very welcome of

course, and we’ll also have a ‘blag a ride’

too, where you can request a passenger

spin in any car present.

EMAIL ADRESSES

Are you receiving? We send occasional

email updates to members locally

however, many members’ contact info is

out of date, or simply has not been

provided when they joined. If you want to

get the latest on what’s happening,

please email John at

john.griffiths@aroc-uk.com to get

correctly on the list.

TOP AUTOGLYM BARGAINS

You don’t want to miss the chance to

snap up bargain when our local franchise

guys come over to the G&D on 13 April.

Some of the best are:

AutoGlym Bodywork Shampoo (Trade 5L)

Autoglym Rapid Shine & Lube (Trade 5L) -

terrific Quick Detailer and clay bar

lubricator spray.

High Definition Wax (High quality wax)

Super Resin Polish (500ml/1L) - brilliant

multi-purpose polish and wax finish.

Engine & Machine cleaner (1L) - couple it

with Vinyl & Rubber Care (500ml) to get a

brilliant and easy under-bonnet clean.

Custom Wheel Cleaner (1l and Trade 5L) -

a superb wheel cleaner you can dilute.

NEW FIAT FORUM EVENT—ForzaLIVE!

We’re invited by our friends from Fiat

Forum (who support MITCAR) to attend

this new event on Sunday 19 June, based

at MFN (a Biker-friendly pub with large

grounds) Shipley Gate, NG16 3JE—near

Eastwood. There will be a mobile rolling

road, live music, bungee run etc….

Tickets £10 in advance, £15 at gate.

See forzalive.co.uk More next issue.

Calling all Classics . . .

17 May meeting at Beedles Lake. Let’s put on a GREAT show of CLASSIC ALFAS. Got one? Pop it in your diary…

ALFISTI - AROC East Midlands Section Newsletter April 2016 - Issue 184

BRITISH MOTOR MUSEUM RECONNAISANCE

Brian Smith and I recently did a recce at British

Motor Museum meeting the head of the clubs

and event management team there. We were

both surprised by the scale of change there!, with

over £3m spent on refurbishment, landscaping

and an impressive new Collections Centre, which

houses some wonderful Jaguars and other

marques. The 'old' museum changes work really

well and the new landscaping will be properly

established when we are there. We've lots of

space for the Italian car display parking outside

including extensive grass areas in front of main

building to use. It’s a brilliant place to visit even

without 400 or so Italian cars there. John

Sunday 28 August

Gaydon, Warwickshire. Discount tickets available now. See our website.

Alfisti no.185 will be out in May

Alfisti’s production is sponsored by Chris Variava Alfa Romeo Nottingham

GTVs - Viv Stephens (Cup) & Mike Croll (2.0 JTS)

Viv and Mike took up the invite to have their GTVs photographed for Auto

Italia magazine at the end of February. Bruntingthorpe Proving Grounds

was the

location and

they had

fabulous blue

skies too!

Watch out for

the 916

Series feature

in the May

edition. (Paul

Jones’ 147

GTA was in

April’s too.)

Unusual news from the world of motoring

- SCOOP! -

F1 Tests plan to cover drivers in bubble-wrap

Renault has roped in sister company Nissan to develop a new driver safety system. Kevin Magnussen tried it in testing at Jerez with his head bound in 10 layers of bubble wrap. Unfortunately he left the track at turn 1. A Nissan spokesman later stated; “The driver crashed but was perfectly protected. Some have said there is a potential issue with vision - we don’t understand that as it is exactly the approach we took with the designers of the Juke.”

GT BlackLine 1.9 JTDm - Pete Holland From an email to John

Nice to meet you and the other members at the curry night for the first time.

Hoping to make the meeting in April. Some photos of my Blackline are

attached. I've had it for nearly 2 years and done 20,000 in it trouble free. It’s

just had new

anti-roll bar

poly bushes

and drop links.

I still can't get

used to the

diesel sound

after my V6

166 though!

See you at the

April meeting.

Cheers Pete &

Jayne

4C Spider -

Andy Mason:

Andy collected

his 4C from Variava’s on 1 March

and joined our Club too. It looks

superb in Rosso Competizione

with tan leather seats. We look

forward to seeing the car at our

meetings this year.

Alfetta GT - Mark Gunston

Here’s another of our members’ Alfas that’s been tucked away for the

winter. Mark’s car is one of the very first examples of the beautiful coupés

designed by Giugiaro in the early 1970s. The early UK models can be

spotted as they have

the triangular grille at

base fo the C pillar,

indicating it’s a

1779cc Twin Cam

with 122bhp, It was

supplanted by the

GTV 2000 version,

which had a GTV logo

there. (The 2L version

had an extra 8bhp.)

Mark’s GT is a real bit

of Alfa history and

great to drive too.

145 1.6 Boxer - Matt Galloway

19 year old Matt had insurance ills with his 147 we pictured in the last

edition, so has tracked down a replacement—this delightful 145 1.6 Boxer,

for less than the price

of a Halfords

mountain bike!

Fitted with the final

development of Alfa’s

charismatic Boxer unit

that started in the

Alfasud in 1972, he’s

sure to have a lot of

fun. There is nothing

like the ’thrum’ they

make. His red car is

pictured here with his

Dad Rob’s 146 ti the 5

dr Twin Spark version.

Giulietta QV - Alex Pope

From an email to John: My Giulietta was pressed into service with family over

Christmas. On an absolutely sodden M1 on Christmas Eve with ‘All Weather’

mode engaged and it was absolutely planted and reassuring. Another trip

involved crawling round the M25,which had me really glad of the auto box and

Natural mode, where throttle and ‘box settings are ideal. Occasionally the poor

thing even gets a run in Dynamic mode with manual shifting!! On MPG the

brim to brim reading and comes out at 31.2mpg all told. That includes lots

of short runs

from cold,

almost all on

Tesco high

octane

‘Momentum

99’ fuel. The

best I've seen

on a gentle

long run is an

indicated 37.

It’s very close

overall to my

manual Mito

SBK. Alex

Giulietta 1.6 JTDm Sportiva - Alan Lathwell From an email to John

I've now had the car for 18 months and have covered 31,000 miles in that

time. The 1.6 JTDm is very underrated. It is very well balanced as it's lighter on

the front end than the bigger engined models in the range. It handles very well

on the B-roads around Leicestershire! Economy around town isn't great. I'm

averaging around 43 mpg on a local commute but on the long trips to London,

Norwich or Wales I'm easily averaging 55+ so it balances out quite well.

A 1.6 with Sportiva is a rare car. Autotrader reveals there aren't any currently

for sale in the

country!!! 42K service

just carried out at CV's

including wheel

alignment. To say

it was 'out' is putting it

mildly, the inner

edges of the front tyres

down to the cord!

Cheers Alan