September, 2019 Going with the Flownwalfaclub.com/media/iniezione/2019/Iniez201909Web.pdf · Activities Directors Judy & Bill Gehring 425 822-4231 [email protected] Chief Driving

Iniezione The newsletter of the NorthWest Alfa Romeo Club

S tart your Engines!” “Alfas up front, all the oth-

er cars in the back!” I call to all as I slip into

my 4C for the drive.

So we all set off after a brief Driver’s Meeting, with

Debi Schmid recommending a slight detour along the

way. 5 Mile Drive in Point Defiance doesn’t open

until Noon on summer Sundays, so we had a detour

to Dune Peninsula, a new park in the city of Ruston,

just west of the new restaurants at Point Ruston and

connected to Point Defiance Park.

At this time I am up front, leading

the Alfa convoy in my black n’

white 4C with seven cars trailing

close behind. I know this route so

well I hardly bother to check the

route directions that were handed

out to all, along with a miniature

“racing flag” as a memento of the

day. (Later on, those driving an

Alfa Romeo received another flag.

See, it really does pay to use your

Alfa!)

Gotta keep the group together, I

was thinking. I pulled over after a

few traffic lights to let drivers catch up, then sped on. I used

my turn signals to help guide them through a few more lights,

and soon we are all on Marine View Drive, having so much

fun, taking in glimpses of the water on the passenger side of

our cars.

Zip, zip, vroom, vroom, we all went down the

curvy windy roads. My rear view mirror dances

with the colors of my fellow Alfisti’s cars as they zip

through the twisty road, all gentle turns, everyone

having fun. Then, as we almost glide into Dash

Point, all the cars in my mirror disappeared!

Ok, what happened to the regular program? I

pulled over and waited, then finally went back to

find them. Was this an un-scheduled restroom

stop? Road repair?

I soon found them, all cautiously waiting behind

Tony Schmid’s 1987 Spider Veloce, with Tony fix-

ing his down and out exhaust pipe. Harry Reed

provided some baling wire, which Tony used to re-

hang the pipe. Meanwhile Tony’s wife, Debi, soon

sat back down in the passenger seat, knowing full

well that Tony could solve any problem. Why

worry?

Back on the road, I let

Going with the Flow The August Drive doesn’t go quite according to plan but is great fun!

(continued on page 4)

September, 2019

In this issue…

* August Club Drive ……... pp 1, 4

* President’s Column .............. p 2

* Brew Cruise ……………….... p 3

* Prova Motorsports ….…….... p 3

* Alfa Day at Group 2 …... pp 4, 5

* Pittsburgh Convention .…..... p 5

* Upgrading a Spider ……. pp 6, 7

* Half-Fast Lap ……... …... pp 8, 9

* Maryhill Weekend ,,,,,,,. pp 9, 10

* AROC Goes to USGP ……..p 10

* Classified Ads ………….…. p 10

* 8C Competizione ,,,,,,,,,.,..,, p 11

* Membership Update ……… p 12

* Calendar ……….......……... p 16

Next club events…

* Brew Cruise ……………. Sep 10

* Half-Fast Lap ………. Sep 14-16

* Maryhill Weekend ….…. Oct 5-6

* Prova Motorsports …...…. Oct 8

Iniezione page 2 September 2019

The Full Monte-rey

H eading to the Monterey peninsula for all the festivities

that make up one of the biggest, and definitely one of

the coolest, car weeks anywhere, it’s hard to imagine

that this happens every year. If you’ve gone, you know of

what I speak. If you haven’t attended, it needs to be in your

future. We have a few members who are regulars here so if

you want to go, grab one of them and get expert advice so

you get as much of an experience as possible.

My enthusiasm was already high when I got a selfie from

member Michael Leonetti at the I-5 rest area and Mt Shasta

viewpoint, with his silver Lamborghini Miura between him and

the mountain. His long-awaited car was running and taking

him to Monterey. Shannon Low was also driving down in a

Porsche 928 while some of us were flying down. By Tues-

day, I was checked into my Monterey hotel with my fridge

stocked with snacks and milk and a bag of candy on the

counter. I was ready to face Car Week.

Wednesday, I headed over to the parking area for Pebble

Beach entrants to check on the cars we were planning to dis-

play on the lawn. We had a Lamborghini Miura to compete,

while Tazio’s Alfa P3 would display as part of the Scuderia

Ferrari show. I hadn’t picked up my event credentials which

include event tickets, parking passes and more, but I had no

trouble getting into wherever I wanted. I assumed they must

recognize me or something. Police moved barricades and

parking security waved me into even the closest lots… wher-

ever I wanted to go. Our guys were already at the cars and

prepping the Miura. I spent time on the Alfa before heading

away to play. I checked out the Gooding Auction, then Cindy

and I headed for Carmel for lunch and the “Prancing Ponies”

car show… women-owned show and exotic cars.

Up early on Thursday to the start of the Pebble Beach Tour

d’Elegance. This is a chance for people to see many of the

cars that will be on the lawn on Sunday, out driving the way

the car Gods intended. The route takes participants down

scenic Hwy 1 to the Big Sur area before returning to Carmel

for lunch. My niece, Cindy, and my friend Adam came along

for the adventure. Scoping out where the photos will have a

great foreground, middle ground and background, we found

our spot along the Highway. If you wave as the cars ap-

proach they wave back, which makes for great photos.

Next, off to the Automobilia Show with tons of miniature

cars, artwork, vintage posters, car parts, vintage tools, old

books and much, much more. The parking lot had early Lam-

borghinis, vintage Porsche, Alfa Duetto, GT Junior, Ferrari P4

replica and more before you got inside. Later, to the town of

Pacific Grove for the Mini-Car Show with lots of small cars.

Friday meant visits to the Legends of the Autobahn

(German Cars) Show. Amazing and plenty of great cars

across the flowing grass of yet another golf course. Next

door was our stop at Laguna Seca to

visit the Rolex Motorsports Reunion;

the mix of amazing and historic race-

cars is fantastic. At the track you get

up close and personal with the cars,

drivers and owners throughout the

paddock, and have numerous vantage

points to watch the cars racing on this great track. Don’t even

get me started on the turn known as the Corkscrew.

Friday evening was the Alfa Romeo invite-only party at

Folktale Winery. Upon arrival, I immediately talked with Troy,

a special events manager for FCA, then chatted with Ralph

Gilles, Head of Design at FCA and a really great Alfista. I

also found Ant Anstead, co-host of Wheeler Dealers on Motor

Trend TV. He shared with me that there is a very cool Alfa-

related project in the next season. I was so excited, I forgave

the fact that he refered to the Alfa 164 as a taxi. It was as the

valet brought round my rental that Ralph, Ant and others

started laughing out loud. My rental was a 15 passenger

Chevy van.

Nicknamed the Prison Van, perhaps that was why security

let me go wherever I drove… everyone assumed I was the

shuttle van. As a note, the van also worked great as a pho-

tography platform. Avis couldn’t find my reserved car so they

gave me the van… despite the fact that 2 hours later they

sent me an email saying that since I “failed to pickup my car”,

they were giving my perfectly normal luxury sedan to some

other customer. Wow.

The next two days were the busiest. At the goofy-cars Con-

cours d’Lemons the most prestigious award was Worst in

Show, this year awarded to the ugliest Ferrari Enzo kit car

I’ve ever seen. My rental van would have been a close 2nd.

(Last year there was a GTV6 whose owner had used foil to

convert the rear window into a pizza oven.) Next came Con-

corso Italiano with its overload of amazing Italian cars. The

Alfa gathering is the biggest in North America each year.

On Sunday we were at Pebble Beach Golf Course around

5:30 AM as part of the Dawn Patrol, watching the Concours

cars roll onto the lawn. We also got donuts and hats for our

efforts. Then the Concours itself on the golf course, with

stunning water views as a backdrop. There was also the

Casa Ferrari display where I stood by the Alfa P3 all day and

shared the storied legacy of the 1935 German GP.

Heading home after another great year of cool car events,

memories of seeing an Alfa TZ or Giulia SSZ drive by on the

roads, of lots of friends and great weather, we shared the

plane with Greg and Michelle Whitten, Roy Catz, my friend

Adam and Jack from VRM. Without a doubt, it is always a

treat to attend and for every event I attended, there were

three I didn’t get to see. Overload for a car geek.

- Fred Russell

President’s Column By Fred Russell


AROO (Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon) Doug Zaitz

509-768-4312 [email protected]

FEN (Fiat Enthusiasts NW) Gordy Hyde

425-241-9307

MGCCNWC (MG) Ken Bottini

425-883-9615

Pacific Coast AROA (BC, Canada)

Don Best 604-939-5056 dlbest@telus

President Fred Russell

(425) 308-6621 [email protected]

Vice President David James

(206) 849-3211 [email protected]

Secretary Joanie Vivaz

(206) 420 8161 [email protected]

Treasurer Ken Case

[email protected]

Activities Directors Judy & Bill Gehring

425 822-4231 [email protected]

Chief Driving Instructor Mirko Freguia 206-795-0861

Membership Chairs Paul & Kristy Affolter


[email protected]

Newsletter Editor Jon Inge


Webmaster Earl Krygier


Technical Wes Ingram


15613 “C” Peterson Road Burlington, WA 98233

http://nwalfaclub.com

www.aroc-usa.org www.alfabb.com

Facebook: NWARC

Board Members

Committee Leadership

Club Liaisons

The Iniezione is the monthly newsletter of the NorthWest Alfa Romeo Club, a non-profit organization of Alfa Ro-meo enthusiasts. NWARC is a regional chapter of the national Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC). Chapter meet-ings are typically held the second Tuesday of most months except December. Membership dues are $65 per year, which includes subscriptions to the digital and/or print versions of the Iniezione and the monthly national publica-tion, Alfa Owner. For information about joining the club, contact the Membership Chairs listed in the right hand column. Opinions expressed in the Iniezione are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the club. (The authors may simply be nuts!) Publication of articles describing technical procedures does not constitute an endorsement by the club, its officers or AROC. It is the responsibility of the person performing any procedure to accept all consequences of his or her actions. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone would take personal responsibility?

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Informazioni Generali

Back to the Boat!

N W Alfa Romeo Club returns to the

Fremont Brew Cruise! Spend a late

summer evening on a character-filled

boat with plenty of good friends, good bever-

ages and an unparalleled view of

Seattle and its bridges from the

water.

Boarding and your first house

beverage is $25 (+tax). Addition-

al beer and wine are $6, non-

alcoholic beverages are $3.

There is also happy hour snack

fare such as soft pretzels, chips,

nuts, etc. for $3 & under. Please, no outside

food or beverages on board. Must be 21 or

older and have ID. This event is open to

NWARC members and their guests, so family

and friends are welcome to join the fun!

Boarding will be 6:15-6:25 pm from Fisher-

man's Terminal Dock 9, for a 6:30 pm depar-

ture. Google Chinook’s Restaurant for direc-

tions: the boarding dock is to the left of the

restaurant as you look at it from the parking

area, in front of their outside seating. The

cruise is from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.

DON’T DELAY! THIS WAS VERY POPU-

LAR LAST YEAR AND WE DON’T WANT

YOU TO MISS

OUT. Reservations

are strongly encour-

aged. Walk-ons are

welcome, but will be

subject to space avail-

ability on the boat.

Payment (cash or

check payable to

NWARC) will be collected at the boat for

boarding and any additional food or beverage

purchases.

Please RSVP David James by 6pm, Sun-

day, September 8 at 206-849-3211 (text)

or [email protected] (email).

- David James

Next Club Meetings

Tips and Tricks for Current Alfas

P rova Motorsports will host the Octo-

ber club meeting. Following our brief

club meeting, Prova owner Chris

Benny will present tips and tricks to enhance

the performance of your new Alfa Romeo for

spirited driving on strada (road) and pista

(track). Learn how to get your 4C, Guilia or

Stelvio ready for the November driving

school/HPDE!

Join us at 6:30 pm to socialize with your

fellow club members, with the formal meeting

starting at 7:00 pm. Light snacks and re-

freshments will be provided . Bring a dinner

or order ahead if you wish, and bring along

any unwanted magazines to exchange with

others!

Prova Motorsports

4022 23rd Avenue W

Seattle, WA 98199

- David James

September 10 Fremont Brew Cruise, Seattle

October 15 Prova Motorsports

https://hangouts.google.com/?action=chat&pn=%2B12064208161&hl=en&authuser=0

http://www.nwalfaclub.com


Tony and Debi assume their new lead position to the Dune

Peninsula, the detour route from the original drive, while I

stayed back in the ‘sweep’ position. Not very

happy back here as opposed to being in the front

seat, I thought, but I had a job to do. Just do it!

Be happy!

Now the plan is to go into the Dune Peninsula

with the new leaders up front, so I relax and pull

up the rear.

Whoops! I am staying be-

hind, like a good sweep, but as

we entered Point Defiance

Park, something happened.

Someone missed the last-

minute route change turn at the

second roundabout (or, if

you’re Fred Russell, “traffic cir-

cle”.) I decided to stay in last

place until I could re-direct this short

convoy back to Dune Peninsula.

Once in the Park the road wid-

ened to two lanes, so I zipped by all

the “lost” drivers, stopped to block

them, turned on my flashers and

regrouped. I then had Gordy and

Dolly assume new leader roles (in

their Porsche…) to guide us back to

the Dune Peninsula. So much for “Alfas up front”!

Once again we’re all together, in a new place, Dune Penin-

sula. Debi Schmid took us on a tour of the area, with Tony in

the rear providing some of its previous history. We walked,

chatted and enjoyed the wide views available here of Com-

mencement Bay as it meets Dalco Passage. This is also peak

fishing season, so new parking areas had been designated for

these folks. The parking lot was huge, holding maybe 1,000

boat trailers with their corre-

sponding trucks/cars at-

tached.

Our stomachs are starting to

growl. Not as loud as the

4C’s engine, so close to my

ears, but it was time to mean-

der on. Katie Downs was just

down the street; we found parking close by, care-

fully parked our Alfas and whatever else we chose

to drive that day, and went inside to our reserved

table. Food and drinks soon arrived, and Debi

snapped a group photo.

Fabulous food and drinks, spectacular scenery,

with twisty turns and bays of beautiful calm water

in the distance, in the company of

many very happy Alfisti made this

a memorable event that we

should do every year.

See ya next year ALL!

- Mark Greengo

- photos by Merril

Gordon except

where noted

Going with the Flow - continued

G roup 2 pulled out all the stops to put on a memorable

Alfa Romeo Day on Saturday, August 10, and were

rewarded by an excellent turn-out of 50-60 current

and prospective members! I’m sure we’ll gain more than a

few new members from the gathering.

It was wonderful to see over 30 Alfas in one place, from new

Giulias, Stelvios and a 4C, through Spiders, Milanos, Giuli-

ettas, Giulia Supers and a Montreal, to a 1932 8C 2300 which

announced its arrival with a throaty exhaust and loud

supercharger whine! Full marks to Fred Russell for driv-

ing it there through Seattle traffic. And new to many of

us were a police-spec 155 (where did that come from?)

and a V6-powered 147 wirh Canadian plates, both cur-

rently at Group 2 for work.

Our hosts John Van Rensburg and Melissa Donovan

had arranged

for a DJ to

keep us en-

tertained with

upbeat mu-

sic, as well

as a food

kiosk (excellent Fijian “tacos”) and a t-shirt vendor printing

Great Turn-Out for Group 2’s Alfa Romeo Day

Debi Schmid

Fred Russell


shirts on the spot from 4 custom Alfa designs; both were kept

busy throughout the day.

Our monthly club meeting took place after lunch, with Fred

casually using the 2300 as a podium; I guess you use whatev-

er’s handy. After the officer reports and review of activities,

JVR told

us of the

various

projects

Group 2

is under-

taking.

These

include

boring out, re-porting and blue-printing a brand new Alfa V6

from a Giulia Quadrifoglio, with the aim of extracting the same

505 bhp it currently makes in stock turbocharged form, but

without the turbochargers! It’ll probably need to rev to 9,000

rpm to do that, but John’s confident it can be done. And when

he’s done that, he’ll put the turbochargers back on and see

how much further he can push it! Just as well Group 2 also

sells brake upgrade kits…

Overall, it was an excellent gathering. Early morning show-

ers had given way to sunshine by noon, and the tire-kicking

and highy enjoyable conversations went on well into the after-

noon. Many thanks to John and Melissa for a great event!

- Jon Inge

Group 2 Alfa Day - continued

T his year’s AROC National Convention was held in Pitts-

burgh, PA from July 12 - 21, 2019, hosted by the Three

Rivers Alfisti. It was also held in coordination with the

2019 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, hence its slogan: “Cortile

della Corsa”, the Courtyard of the Race. I was able to attend

with my good friend Linda, and also to visit her relatives in

western Ohio, Pittsburgh and Little Silver, NJ.

From the convention hotel in Cranberry, PA, events started

with the usual driving tours in the area. The AROC Board

meeting was held on the Tuesday afternoon, and of

course Joe Faherty was in attendance. Linda and I

arrived on the Wednesday afternoon, picked up a

rental car, headed for the hotel and immediately saw

Joe. I think we were the only other NWARC mem-

bers among the around 200 members attending, per

the registration office. Unusually, there was no ven-

dor area at the hotel, and no technical meetings.

However, we did run into five couples and three

individuals who were with me on the 2017 AROC-

Goes-to-Italy tour. This reunion and much good friendship

was for me a highlight of the convention and allowed Linda to

meet these good friends.

Wednesday saw a parade downtown and a car show; Thurs-

day was the track day, with time trials held at the Schenley

Park in Pittsburgh. This large park offers a huge section of

greenery downtown, with the Pittsburgh Golf Club and the

Pittsburgh Vintage Grand

Prix racetrack. We then had

dinner with many other Alfisti

at the Double Wide Grill in

Mars, PA.

Friday saw the gimmick

rally leave at 8:30 am, but

Linda and I stayed at the ho-

tel where the local Ferrari dealer was offering rides in a 2019

Ferrari 488. We were impressed!

We attended the Welcome Reception and Din-

ner at the Pittsburgh Golf Club, then on Saturday

morning drove to Schenley Park for the car show

on the lawn. With the temperature reaching 95

deg. F with 95% relative humidity, I noticed that

we were all well lubricated! Then we all drove

back to the hotel for the evening AROC Banquet,

Cindy Banzer presiding, and saw a video of Colo-

rado Springs, home of 2020 AROC convention.

We left on Sunday afternoon to drive to Western Ohio to visit

Linda’s relatives, and came

back to Seattle on Monday

evening after a wonderful trip.

- text and photos Georges

Hebrant

Postcard from Pittsburgh - the 2019 AROC Convention


I purchased a bone stock, 1988 Spider Quadrifoglio about

two years ago with just over 34,000 original miles. Even

after cleaning the injectors, replacing the spark plugs and

changing all of the fluids and filters, the car just could not keep

up with modern cars, around town or on the highway. It was

sluggish out of corners and up hills with just me in the car. If I

timed my shifts carefully, I could pass farm tractors on flat,

straight country roads, but passing cars and trucks was not

really an option.

Curious, I had

it checked on

the dyno at Car-

buretor Connec-

tion in Kirkland,

WA; it produced

a peak of 81 hp

and 93.5 ft-lbs

of torque at the

back wheels. I

wanted to drive it pretty often, so I looked into making some

modifications.

Modifications, First Try

The suspension and brakes were the first area of focus.

Using parts from Centerline Alfa, I had the car lowered an

inch, installed their big brake kit in the front, and had their rec-

tangular frame stiffener fitted. A few small holes were plugged

in the rubber piece between the air filter and the intake mani-

fold, and all the fuel lines were replaced. The whole suspen-

sion was inspected and a few bushings replaced.

Handling and balance improved and I was pleased. The big

brake kit is actually about 16 pounds lighter than the stock

brakes, and these cars seem to be quite sensitive to decreas-

es in weight around the

axles.

Next, I installed a pair of

street performance cams

for higher hp and torque

between 2000-4500 RPM,

a Centerline performance

exhaust system and 1974

GTV exhaust manifolds.

The manifolds were ob-

tained from the Alfa parts

place in Berkeley, CA, and are far less restrictive than the

1988 Spider set up. I had them sand blasted and ceramic

coated at Pacific Coatings in Auburn, WA.

I love the sound of that performance exhaust - I can actually

hear the engine with the top down on the freeway now. I

couldn’t before, which really bothered me. Overall, engine

performance improved, but the car was not that smooth to

drive and it really did not seem to produce more power from

2000-4500 RPM. I was pleased with the improved braking

and the stiffer suspension.

Modifications, Second Try

While driving the car around and thinking about possible

next steps, not really sure what to do going forward, I took it to

Randy Johnson at Authentic Motorcars in Redmond, WA, for a

simple oil change. When I learned about his experience with

Alfas, I asked him to take an hour and test drive the car pretty

thoroughly, as I was unsure about the performance.

A few days later Randy reported a number of things. Most

importantly, he noted that the engine did not have the power it

should between 2000-4500 RPM, and that the car was under-

steering pretty badly. At that point, I asked Randy to spend

more time and go over the car very thoroughly.

He started by pulling the injectors and sending them out to

be tested (they tested fine). In his earlier review of the car,

Randy found that the engine mounts had basically failed and

needed to be replaced. He believed they had failed prema-

turely from the weight of the A/C components, which are kind

of a bolt-on affair in the

Series III.

Randy checked the cam

timing for the street per-

formance camshafts with

a degree wheel, and

found that it was off. He

also found that the varia-

ble valve timing actuator

thruster pin on the valve

cover was frozen and not

moving at all. Further, the

engine was running very

lean at higher RPMs such

that it could be damaged with prolonged use.

He replaced the engine mounts, removed

the A/C components, checked with the cam-

shaft manufacturer and adjusted the cam tim-

ing and valve clearances to the recommend-

ed specs. Randy then installed an aftermar-

ket adjustable fuel pressure regulator with a

fuel pressure gauge, which allowed him to

adjust the air/fuel mixture to the correct stoi-

chiometric value at all engine speeds.

After Randy’s work on the Spider, a run on the dyno at Car-

buretor Connection showed 107.1 hp and 104.6 ft lbs of torque

at the back wheels. Compared to the first dyno run with the

stock car, that is about a 32% increase in horse power and

about a 12% increase in torque at the back wheels. Wow! A

graph of the first and last dyno runs is shown below.

In addition, Randy made several other important recommen-

Putting New Life into a Spider


dations and changes. He found that the stock radiator was full

of scaling, so he installed a lightweight and efficient aluminum

replacement. He removed the stock radiator fan and hooked

up the existing A/C electric fan in front of the radiator to come

on at a specific temperature, and replaced all of the coolant

hoses due to age. The electric fan and high efficiency radiator

cool the engine well, even in stop and go traffic.

The removal of the A/C components and these last modifica-

tions took off quite a bit of weight from the front axles, perhaps

40-50 lbs, specifically reduced the understeer and improved

the handling in general. Randy also found that the insulation

around the main power wire from the starter to the rest of the

electrical system had melted and that this wire needed to be

increased in size and replaced, that the rubber hoses to the

injectors had cracked and needed to be replaced, that the uni-

versal joints and center bearing on the drive line all needed to

be replaced and finally, that the air/oil separator needed to be

replaced. He did all this, and also flushed the old air/oil sepa-

rator and painted it in case it was ever needed again.

How Does It Drive?

I am very happy to report that the Spider drives very nicely

now. The handling is much improved over stock and this

makes the car really fun to drive. The understeer is greatly

reduced and the car corners so much better. I would specu-

late that the tires are now probably the limiting factor in most

situations.

The engine is much smoother and the clunkiness after the

“First Try” is gone so that the car is easy to drive and very

smooth in all aspects of driving. The dyno graphs show the

engine performance at wide open throttle, but that is only part

of the story, especially for a street car that is used to drive

around town. The performance at partial throttle has greatly

improved, perhaps more than you would think from the dyno

graphs. There is much more power and torque between 2000

and 4500 at partial throttle. It is now easy to keep up with traf-

fic around town and out on the highway.

Passing cars and trucks is no problem, even if you have to

go up to 80-90 mph. Today I took the car over Highway 18

(that’s a BIG hill more than a mile long for those not from this

area) and easily passed large trucks and an RV, all at partial

throttle. And all without slowing down the cars behind me - in

fact, they were left far behind as I was somehow very quickly

going way over the speed limit!

It is so much fun to drive this car now. These

changes have really given it a second lease on

life! It was not just one change, but all of them

together. I look forward to using this car as my

daily driver for many years.

I am happy to answer any questions about

these modifications and the trade-offs I consid-

ered, but Randy is the real expert and I will

probably end up referring you to him as you

consider your specific car and goals. And

Randy has more suggestions for me for further

improving the handling and acceleration. We

did not get into these suggestions this time

around, but I look forward to exploring them in

the years ahead as well.

You may contact me at [email protected] if

you have any questions.

- text and photos John Parkey

Engine bay showing new radiator, new hoses

and painted components. The new fuel regulator with

pressure gauge is in the lower left corner.

Putting New Life into a Spider - continued


P lanes, Boats and Automobiles… without John

Candy or Steve Martin.

We are getting close to our Half Fast Lap of

Washington on September 14-16, and we have a num-

ber of people signed up already. We'll enjoy some of

what our southern neighbors have to offer, and will visit

three different transportation museums during our trip.

I have arranged lunches on

two days and group entrance

to the museums, for which I

need participants to pay $85

per person once we gather at

the start. The gas, coffee, din-

ners, wine, lunch on the last

day, speeding tickets and ho-

tels are on your own tab.

We’ll gather on the morning

of Sept 14 at the Tahoma Mar-

ket in Fife, WA to start our

drive. Heading east and south

we take backroads as we avoid Interstate 5 and

find lunch in Longview.

After crossing the river into the Beaver State,

fun roads take us around Portland and down to

Wilsonville where the

World of Speed Museum

awaits.

(www.worldofspeed.org)

They’ll even stay open a

little late for us to ensure

we have plenty of time to

enjoy the cars on display.

Next it’s pleasant roads

over to McMinnville where

we’ll check into the McMin-

nville Inn before finding

dinner and wine in the

town.

After breakfast on September 15, we see an SR-71 Black-

bird, a Titan II missile, the huge flying boat known as the

Spruce Goose and MUCH more at the Evergreen Aviation &

Space Museum. (www.evergreenmuseum.org) For some, a

rare tour inside the Spruce Goose cockpit is an additional $30

for 4 people. A deli sandwich lunch with soda, water or lem-

onade will be served in a private space at the museum.

The afternoon sees us stop at a winery before wandering

many great roads through scenic, rolling vineyards and for-

ests as we head to the riverfront town of Astoria. Named for

furrier John Jacob Astor, the town was created along the

southern shore of the

Columbia River 14 miles

upriver and inside the

dangerous sands and

water at the river's

mouth. We’ll be staying

in the historic downtown

of Astoria.

We start September 16

with a tour of the Colum-

bia River Maritime Museum

(www.crmm.org) that focuses on the

complex water, currents, weather and

history of the mouth of the massive

Columbia River. There are great dis-

plays of shipwrecks, early coastal

mapping, bar pilots and emotional Jap-

anese flags known as Yosegaki Hino-

maru

(Good Luck

Flag).

After the

museum,

we cross

the Astoria

– Megler

Bridge that spans the 4-mile

width of the Columbia River

and takes us back to Wash-

ington State and our last

lunch together. Then it’s

backroads along the edge of

the mineral-rich tidal waters of

Willapa Bay, through Ray-

mond before heading towards

Saturday - Monday, September 14-16 Half-Fast Lap

Upcoming Events


Brooklyn, Oakville, Rochester, and finally a quick stop to say goodbye at the

Nisqually Wildlife Refuge.

I hope to see everyone in new cars and old… this is always a wonderful social

event and an even better driving one!

Our hotel room blocks are no longer available but there may still be a chance to

jump in on this fun. If you want to come along contact me at 426 308 6621.

- Fred Russell

Upcoming Events - continued

J oin us for an early autumn drive to the annual “Car Is

King” weekend at Maryhill Museum, above the pictur-

esque Columbia River gorge.

An early Saturday morning departure from the NW Gilman

Boulevard Starbucks in Issaquah will see us driving east to

Ellensburg and Yakima, then south on highway 97 through the

rolling hills of the Yakama Indian Reservation. Crossing Sta-

tus Pass to Goldendale, we plunge down to the Columbia Riv-

er gorge for a noon arrival at the Maryhill Loops road.

After driving the Loops road, you’ll be on their own to take in

the various activities in the Maryhill area. You can appreciate

the art of the car at the Concours de Maryhill show, or the art

of Rodin at the Maryhill Museum. Tickle your palate tasting

vino at the Maryhill Winery, or contemplate the sacrifice of ser-

vicemen in the Great War while taking in the tremendous vista

from the Stonehenge Memorial. Do as much or as little as you

wish, it’s sure to be an enjoyable afternoon - details below.

On Saturday evening we’ll gather for dinner at the popular

Ayutla’s Family Mexican restaurant in Goldendale. For Satur-

day night lodging, a block of rooms has been reserved at the

Ponderosa Motel in Goldendale.

After breakfast on Sunday morning, we’ll travel back to the

Maryhill Loops road to catch the hill climb race. Then we head

back to the Puget Sound area via Chinook and Cayuse pass-

es, with a stop for lunch along the way.

To book a spot on this drive, RSVP to me at

206-849-3211 or [email protected]

Lodging Information

Call the Ponderosa Motel at 509-773-5842

before September 24 and ask for the NW Alfa

Romeo Club block of rooms (single queen bed,

$98.55/rm including lodging tax). After this date

the rooms will be released. Lodging is also

available at the Quality Inn & Suites in Golden-

dale.

MARYHILL ACTIVITIES

Maryhill Loops Road

“Good roads are more than my hobby, they are my religion.”

Sam Hill

The Maryhill Loops Road

was built by Good Roads

promoter Samuel Hill,

with the help of engineer

and landscape architect

Samuel C. Lancaster.

Laid in 1911 as the first

asphalt road in the state,

it achieved low grades

with horseshoe curves.

Today the road is open

to automobiles only twice a year. This is your chance to take a

spin past the beautiful scenery and through the roads eight

hairpin curves. Maryhill Loops Road is located just east of US

97 off of State Route 14.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Use of the Maryhill Loops Road is at

the user’s risk (Washington State Law, RCW 4.24.210). The

road is steep, has blind corners, switchbacks, drop-offs and

gates. Be aware that wildlife, domestic animals and people

may be on or near the road.

For Road & Track’s Sam Smith’s thoughts on the Maryhill

Loops Road (and the future of automobiles), see: https://

bit.ly/2NO5sXh

For driving inspiration, watch rally master Alister McRae

dance up the hill in a Lancia rally racer: https://bit.ly/2LfIUNs

Maryhill Museum

Set on a stunning 5,300-acre site

overlooking the Columbia River

Gorge, Maryhill Museum of Art is

housed in a historic, three-story

Beaux Arts mansion originally in-

tended as a residence for museum

founder Sam Hill. Permanent instal-

lations include more than 80 works

by Auguste Rodin, European and

American paintings and decorative

arts, the Native American collection, objects from the palaces

of the Queen of Romania, unique chess sets from around the

world and the renowned Théâtre de la Mode—small-scale

fashion mannequins attired in haute couture of post-World War

Sat/Sun, October 5-6 “Car is King” Maryhill Weekend - Book by Sep 24!


Classified Ads - Cars & Parts For Sale & Wanted

Moving overseas! FOR SALE - 1976

Alfetta GT, dark burgundy (“faggio” -

beech), original survivor, 111K miles or

211K miles? Original owner purchased

new in 1977 from Grand Prix Motors in Se-

attle and lived in Auburn WA. I am the 2nd

long term owner, 6yrs. 2.0 liter 4cyl, 5spd.

Recent rebuilt Spica FI pump from Wes

Ingram, new alternator, starter, radiator and front suspension.

Previous work includes water pump, left rear wheel bearing,

fuel lines. Rear seats good, fronts need padding and covers.

I do have a complete set of front and rears reupholstered but

in non-original vinyl. Includes spare steering column and

wheel attached, and an original jack (seized). Runs great, al-

ways more to do. $9,750 or reasonable offer. Euro bumpers

also available $750.

Contact Diego Lasheras, 206-390-1677

or [email protected]

II France. Maryhill is also home to the William and Catherine

Dickson Sculpture Park, with over a dozen outdoor sculptures

by Pacific Northwest artists. Admission to the museum $12

for adults. Lunch is available at the museum café.

(www.maryhillmuseum.org)

Concours de Maryhill (on the grounds of the Maryhill Museum)

A Classic car show featuring a variety of European, Ameri-

can and Japanese cars. Some vintage race cars show on

Saturday and race the hill climb event on Sunday. This show

is an opportunity to view cars we don’t normally see in the

Seattle area. It’s free for spectators and runs until 4pm, with

food trucks on site for lunch.

Maryhill Winery

Opened in 2001 and family-

owned, Maryhill Winery is one

of Washington’s largest winer-

ies. Named the 2015 Pacific

Northwest Winery of the Year by Wine Press Northwest, it

offers panoramic views of Mount Hood and the Columbia Riv-

er. Wine tastings and lunch options available.

Stonehenge Memorial

The nation’s first WWI memorial, it was dedicated in 1918 to

the servicemen of Klickitat County, WA, who died in the Great

War. The Stonehenge Memorial lies three miles east of the

Maryhill Museum of Art just off Highway 14.

Maryhill Loops Hill Climb Race (Sunday, 9am-5pm)

Vintage and contemporary competition machines race singly

in a two-mile timed climb up the Maryhill Loops Road. It’s free

for spectators viewing the race from the Highway 97 overlook

and from designated viewpoints along the route.

- David James

A ROC is headed to Austin again

this fall! Join your friends in wel-

coming Alfa Romeo Racing back

to its 2nd year in Formula 1 at the United

States Grand Prix, once again at the

Circuit Of The Americas, Austin, TX.

Steve Austin’s Great Vacations has arranged for another

fabulous four full days for us. We’ll walk the track, meet the

drivers, attend practice and qualifying,

enjoy Texas hospitality, cheer the team

– and more! With World Champion

Kimi Raikkonen as our #1 driver, it’s

going to be an amazing 2019 season.

Join your AROC friends and be a part

of it all! Details at https://www.aroc-usa.org/wp-content/

uploads/2019/07/COTA_2019.pdf

October 31 - November 4 AROC Goes to the US Grand Prix, COTA

Upcoming Events - continued

https://www.aroc-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/COTA_2019.pdf

https://www.aroc-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/COTA_2019.pdf


This article is adapted from a report in Petrolicious on March

25, 2019, by Will Broadhead, who evaluated a black 8C for

sale in England.

-----------------------

A car company that looks to its history to inform its fu-

ture is nothing new, hoping that the shine will rub off on

the current lineup. Taking an iconic name and pasting

it onto a new car has a different rubric depending on what’s

written on the badge. If it spells out “Alfa Romeo” then there’s

a very lush backstory that must be done justice, and one

needs to be pretty damn sure that whatever sports cars carry

the name are worthy. Recently I had the opportunity to find

out if a ten-year-old sports car

wearing the cross and serpent

was up to the task.

Of course, it wasn’t simply

just the famous Alfa Romeo

crest that this car was carrying

forward. It also carries a des-

ignation that symbolizes the

history and success of the

company in the way that the letters D and B do for Aston Mar-

tin: the label 8C. The original 8C engine, Vittorio Jano’s

straight-eight design, took the marque to track wins throughout

the 1930s in various cars while also powering road-going mod-

els with bodywork from some of the era’s finest coachbuilders.

The most recent Alfa to take up the 8C name is an entirely

different affair—it’s got a V8 in it for starters, and has just as

many styling cues from the 33 Stradale—but it still carries

plenty of legacy in its soul. The 8C Competizione was revealed

as a concept back in 2003. When Alfa announced it would go

into production they received 1,500 orders, although only 500

each of the coupe and the later Spider were built.

Love and romance, of course, have large parts to play when

it comes to a marque like Alfa, and the brand has always relied

on a certain amount of starry-eyed affection to help its road

cars brush over whatever shortcomings may appear in the oth-

erwise genius sauce. The Competizione is no different, as I

found out behind the wheel of one that the Classic Motor Hub

had in stock. This one had had some surgery to iron out a few

kinks in its design, namely a major suspension overhaul to

make the rigid factory ride a bit more bearable on the pock-

marked and potholed roads in Britain.

But how does it go when you aren’t dodging craters? With a

bang. The dry-sumped Ferrari-assembled 4.7L V8 makes a

tremendous noise as it sends 450 horses to the wheels scrab-

bling against the tarmac. Alfa quotes a 0-60 time of 4.2 sec-

onds, although with the Pirelli boots struggling with the cold

road surface on our test day I was never going to match that.

Instead I had fun feathering the pedal to find the sweet spot of

grip in a bout of manual traction control that beats any dry

sprint, in my opinion.

Despite the lack of grip on that cold day it’s still not some-

thing you’d call slow. The car moves its way up through the

gears with gusto and a soundtrack befitting a machine with

“8C” on it. It sounds great on the way back down, too; a quick

flick of the paddle on the left drops a gear accompanied by just

the right amount of pop and bang from the four trumpets at the

back on the overrun.

But engine note and performance aside, you start to uncover

a few shortcomings in the process of having a blast with it.

The gearbox isn’t the best, and while it has no trouble select-

ing and does it as fast as

you’d expect, the process can

feel a little cumbersome; there

are certainly sweeter boxes

out there. The handling too,

whilst precise at the point of

input, is a touch skittish for a

car that otherwise seems very

“GT.” At speed the stability of

the taut chassis can easily become displaced, particularly at

the rear, although I admit that the rubber this model was run-

ning wasn’t helping on a cold March day, so take all of this

with a few grains of lingering winter road salt.

But then again, what does one want from a car like this? Is

a little jiggle and oversteer and the occasional bout of butt-

clench so bad? Working hard for its affections, to tame it, is all

part of the experience, and it is an experience worth pursuing.

From the moment you clap eyes on the thing you can’t fail to

appreciate that it is a piece of art, the squat and exotically

rounded rear of the car paired with the long nose echoing the

design of some of the coolest cab-rearward creations.

The way that its voice burbles and shouts, the joy of slipping

into the sculpted seats that prepare you for a special drive, just

seeing that famous crest adorning the wheel in your hands…

Even the brake pedal looks good, which means you can for-

give it for being completely in the way when you try to take

your foot off the accelerator.

Forgiveness kind of sums up this car to me, and if to own an

Alfa Romeo is to be in love, then perhaps forgiveness is the

greatest expression of that emotion. For all of its flaws, for all

of the things that other cars at this price point do better, faster,

easier, I still emerged from the cockpit of the machine with a

massive smile and a heart full of warmth that those other cars

just couldn’t give me. They impress in measurable ways; this

one works in the realm of the subjective, though its numbers

are nothing to sneeze at either. The cynics can pick at it and

offer critiques that don’t bear weight with those who just enjoy

cars like this. I’m quite happy over here with the lovers.

8C Competizione After 10 Years An Experience That’s Worth The Flaws


Anniversaries

Congratulations on all these Anniversaries this month!

Wilfred Painter - 47 years

Kim & Paula Buty - 34 years

Wes & Rita Ingram - 32 years

Dick & Jessica Camp - 24 years

Gregg & Shama Albright - 22 years

Ron Calkins - 22 years

Mike & Jennifer Macaulay - 22 years

Paul & Kristin Affolter - 19 years

Mirko Freguia - 16 years

Robert Gerttula - 9 years

Jim & Geneva Busse - 8 years

Philip Stonebraker - 8 years

Charles Dayton - 5 years

Roger Van der Marel - 5 years

Hans Peter Hauser - 2 years

Nicholas Barrett - 2 years

David Swanson - 1 year

John Wiley - 1 year

New Members

We’ve added another three new members since the last

newsletter!

Please welcome:

- James Evans of Seattle

- Richard Maturi, also of Seattle, with his 2017 Giulia, and

- Steven Norgaard with his 2000 GTV, up in Anacortes.

- Paul and Kristy Affolter

Membership Update



Name: _____________________________________________________________________

Spouse: ____________________________________________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip: ______________________________________________________________

Home Phone: _______________________________________________________________

Alt. Phone: _________________________________________________________________

E-mail Address: _____________________________________________________________

Do you wish to be affiliated with the local Alfa Club? Yes…. NWARC

Please indicate your interests:

Technical______ Tours______ Social_______ Rally_______ Vintage Cars_______

Cost: $68 annual AROC / NWARC dues Make check payable to: ALFA ROMEO OWNERS CLUB

Or… Online registration http://www.aroc-usa.org/

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BARBARA C

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The following members provide Alfa Mentoring!!!

Contact any of them for good Alfa info!

Model/Series Member Name Contact 164 / GTV-6 Dan Jardine [email protected] GTV Dave Emerson [email protected] Spiders, GTV Fred Wright [email protected] 80’s Spiders Harry Reed [email protected] Almost Anything! Fred Russell [email protected]

Member Mentors

Member Recommendations Have a parts or service provider you have found to be highly satisfactory? Share your wisdom with us all at [email protected]. With your help, we can all be better auto-motive consumers.

Burien Upholstery, Burien - Upholstery, carpets

Convertibles Only - Convertible top repair/replacement

Dent Solutions, Mobile - Paintless dent removal

Mark 2 Collision Center, Lynnwood - Collision repair

Muffler King - Kirkland Custom exhaust services

North Kitsap Auto Rebuilt, Poulsbo - Collision repair

Professional Glass Company, Seattle - Windshield Re-placement

NW Crafted Interiors (was S&S Custom), Everett - Auto Upholstery & Interiors

Security Safe & Lock, Inc., Bellevue - Lock rebuilding

Sound Wheel Works, Bellevue - Wheel repair

Tire Rack Internet - Tires, wheels and parts

Vancity Plating, Burnaby BC - Chrome plating and polish-ing

All the above providers have been recommended by one or more club members as being highly satisfactory but are not specifically endorsed by NWARC.

TZ at Dijon, June 2019 - Sports Car Digest, Photo Classic Racing



Northwest Alfa Romeo Club 9301 236th Street SW Edmonds, WA 98020

1931 6C 1750 Gran Sport Zagato Spider, Pebble Beach 2019 - Sports Car Digest, Tim Scott Fluid Images

• Sep 10 NWARC Meeting / Fremont Brew Cruise, Seattle

• Sep 14 - 16 Half-Fast Lap of WA/OR / Portland-McMinnville-Astoria

• Oct 5-6 Maryhill Weekend Drive / Maryhill/Goldendale, WA

• Oct 8 NWARC Meeting / Prova Motorsports, Seattle

• Oct 31 - Nov 4 AROC Goes to the US Grand Prix 2019 / COTA, Austin, TX

• Nov 12 NWARC Meeting / Convertibles Only, Seattle

• Nov 17 Driving School/HPDE / Pacific Raceways, Kent

• Dec 8 Festa di Amici Holiday Party / Marianna Restaurant, Renton

• Jan 1 New Years Day Drive / tba

• Jan 14 NWARC Meeting / tba

• Feb 11 NWARC Meeting / tba

2019-2020 Calendar of Club & Local Car Events

Documents

September, 2019 Going with the Flownwalfaclub.com/media/iniezione/2019/Iniez201909Web.pdf · Activities Directors Judy & Bill Gehring 425 822-4231 [email protected] Chief Driving