AROC EAST MIDLANDS SECTION John

AROC
EAST MIDLANDS
SECTION
Formerly Central & East Midlands
We are looking forward to seeing a production version of the Alfa 4C at Geneva in March.
Firstly, Season’s Greetings to all! I hope
everything is prepared for a terrific Christmas and
New Year break. (I bet like me it isn’t!)
Can you believe it’s this time of year already
though? As I put in last edition’s editorial, we’re
gonna have to go some to beat the level of activity
we had as a Section in 2012, but maybe the year’s
pictorial summary inside will act as an inspiration
to us. You’ll also see the events calendar for
2013, something that will develop as we progress
in the year of course. You’ll spot a lot of ‘TBC’s’ at
the moment on dates/venues, but these are the
best estimates possible. You’ll see that NAD may
be moving back to June and Auto Italia Stanford
Hall has gone to very end of June also. All updates
will be reported here and on our website as always.
It’s a few weeks past now, but the NEC Classic
Show was just excellent this year. The 105s drew
loads of attention, and (though I say it myself) I
thought the stand layout worked really well. Great
to see so many Section members there on the
Saturday, the only day I could make given work
commitments. That was one of the busiest I
remember in the 15 years plus I’ve been going,
and that despite the Top Gear show not being on
at the same time. Interest in cars is clearly as
strong as it’s ever been and us signing 28 new
members was a massive uplift on last year.
Anyway, a great show and it reaffirmed my faith in
our marque. You’ll see a mini show report inside
and longer one in the December club magazine.
Of course we all love the summer months for
club activities—and boy have we got some good
stuff lined up again already—but we also try and
keep things going through the winter months too.
After the New Year Meal we’re looking at two
factory visits; Triumph Motorcycles at Hinckley (via
Paul Atkins) and the massive JCB HQ at Rocester in
Staffs (via Peter Farley.) See more inside in
Gazetta (P7).
Us Club Board members are off to meet with Alfa
Romeo UK down at Goodwood in December, and
we will have opportunity to drive various Alfas there
too—on public roads sadly, not the race track. I’ll
report back on any news here of course. Signore
Marcionne (boss of Chrysler/Fiat group) is
promising some incredible things for our marque,
maybe as many as 9 new Alfa models over the next
5 years as he pushes the strong Alfa Romeo and
Maserati brands in particular, but shrinking Fiat
back to 500, 500L and Panda, abandoning the CSegment market. The new Maserati Quattroporte
is ready as a starter and the sensational 4C Alfa
sports car seems just around the corner. The one
we are really waiting for is the new Alfa Giulia
saloon of course, but that seems to be slipping
back further. It would be good to see a real
‘teaser’ shot; maybe we’ll get a mock-up at a show
this year. We can hope.
Anyway, I look forward to seeing you at our New
Year Meal, it’s always a great night.
Anno Nuovo Felice!!
We are returning to the delightful La
Torre restaurant for our Section’s New
Year Meal following the success of last
year’s there.
Where is it?
48 High St, Coalville, Leics, LE67 3EE.
Can I park?
Easy! La Torre has a large car park at
the rear of the building.
What’s on the menu?
Please see the special menu on page 6.
An excellent choice of fine dishes is
available for a very good price of £21.95
for three courses. (Balance after deposit
is paid on the night by individual.)
How do I book?
Please give a £5 per head deposit to
John along with your menu choice.
Cheques should be made payable to
John Griffiths and posted to him at
25 Heards Close, Wigston Harcourt,
Leicestershire, LE18 3SW.
Website?
See www.latorrecoalville.co.uk
The owners, Bruno and Gregorio, look
forward to welcoming us there again,
arriving at 7.30 for 7.45pm.
As well as good food, wine and
company, we’ll have a charity raffle.
(Prize donations on the night kindly
received, no matter how small!)
John
Alfisti is the AROC East Midlands Section
newsletter, edited and produced by
John Griffiths
AROC East Midlands Section Secretary
Tel: 0774 8881317
e-mail: jg.alfa@tiscali.co.uk
Our website for the latest news and more:
www.AROC--UK.COM/EASTMIDS
Alfisti production sponsored by
ALFISTI / EASTMIDS
Price? IT’S FREE!!
■ Alfisti Issue 149 ■ Dec ‘12 / January 2013
With over 1,400 cars on display from Austin 7 to Aventador and with well
in excess of 40,000 visitors across the three days of opening, the Classic
Motor Show 2012 was bigger and better than ever.
The theme for our club display was the 50th anniversary of the Giulia
‘105’ Series and we had six great variants of these wonderful Alfa Romeos
there, plus a new Giulietta courtesy of Chris Variava Alfa Romeo
Nottingham. Simon Addison’s Spider S4 was a last minute stand in for a
race car that couldn’t make it, strictly a 115 it was still a good car to have to
compare with the first-of-line Spider (Duetto) we had.
Feature cars and their owners:
 Giulia Nuova Super 1600 – Chris Savill
 Giulia 1750 Berlina – Nick Clancy
 Giulia 1600 Spider Duetto – Paul Conway
 Giulia 1750 GT Veloce – Peter Woods
 Giulia Giardinetta Colli Wagon – James Wheeler
 Spider S4 – Simon Addison
 Giulietta Sportiva - Chris Variava (Alfa Romeo Nottingham)
Simon’s Spider S4, last minute replacement
Big thanks to all our Section members who supported the club at the
show, and in particular to Duncan and Lynda Langford who worked
tirelessly on the Saturday signing up members (28 across all days) and
Leigh Nethercot and Bob Woodward who did the same on the Sunday.
I can’t possibly mention all of the exciting cars at the show, suffice to say
that there were some amazing Supercars from Enzo to Bugatti, and
amazingly well maintained prosaic models too from Vauxhalls to Datsuns,
and basically everything else in between!
Photos here taken are by me, Simon and Brian Austin will hopefully give
you a flavour of the whole thing, (I’ve put more on our website too) and my
much longer report on the show will be in the Club’s December ‘Alfa Driver’
magazine. After such a good show we are really looking forward to next
year’s. Wouldn’t it be nice with a new 4C on our stand? We can wish…
John
Chris Savill with Giulia Nuova
Peter Woods - 1750 GTV
Nick Clancy - 1750 Berlina
Opel Manta
Ferrari Testarossa
Maserati Ghibli
Mighty Lamborghini Aventador
Ferrari Enzo - Wow!
Bugatti EB110 S - Magnifico!!
Sir Stirling Moss - of course!
1978 Opel Kadett - like new!
At our November meeting at the G&D
We were delighted to welcome Vehicle Dynamics
expert Peter Cambridge back to the George & Dragon
in November, and this time at his suggestion. (The
mad fool enjoys it!)
Since we last had Peter along he’s been working
with Mountune (on a highly-tuned Ford Focus RS),
Lichfield (on a barking mad Nissan GTR) and Jaguar/
Land Rover including on a number of ‘secret new
models’ – we teased out a few bits on those... Other
than that we covered all kinds of topics; tyres,
suspension modifications, driver training, you name it.
To help illustrate some of the finer points of chassis tuning (Some sailing blissfully over or heads)
Peter had brought along an amazing radio controlled off road buggy, complete with fully independent
suspension, coilovers with oil-filled shocks, and all infinitely adjustable. (See picture with bodywork
removed.)
Peter has extensive knowledge of working on Alfas of course having been project leader for Prodrive
on the rather fabulous Brera S. Now independent, in between manufacturer work he is next due to set
up the suspension on the Evo Magazine owner’s new practical toy - get this: an Alfa MiTo TwinAir!!
Bilstein shock absorbers and Eibach Springs will naturally feature (Peter now an agent for selling both
of course) - so watch out for reports on that car in forthcoming Evos…. After that he’s looking to buy a
MiTo himself; a 155bhp TBi is on the cards for which he will be developing suspension kits with
appropriate alignment settings. Of course once he’s got that AROC membership will be compulsory.
(LOL!) Incidentally, Peter’s Mountune Focus RS won Evo magazine’s ‘Tuned Car of the Year’ award;
they and many others absolutely rave about it - indeed just as they did for the Brera S; one of few
magazines that truly tested one properly.
Our questions kicked off at 8pm and I had to call things to a close at 10.15 or we would have gone
on all night… as it was some of us were still chatting to Peter at 11. We gave him a bottle of Chianti
as a small token of thanks. Peter WILL RETURN, and we cant wait to try his fettled MiTo… John
Screenless De Tomaso Guara
In Alfisti 148 I wrote
about the benefits of
using a good sealant
on your Alfa’s
paintwork to protect
it through winter,
recommending
Autoglym’s excellent
Extra Gloss
Protection. The only downside with that product
is it takes as long a an hour to cure properly, and
when its cold it can take even longer. Well, on
Simon Addison’s recommend-ation, I’ve been
using new Armor All ‘Shield’ and am absolutely
knocked out by it.
Supplied in a pack with an applicator pad and a
microfibre, it dispenses easily as a cream - a bit
like thick sun lotion. It is very important that you
read the instructions: you only treat about half a
panel at a time. Spreading the cream very thinly
in stripes, you don’t even leave it to haze (not a
problem if you do but makes it all harder), and
simply buff it immediately. It takes just a few
minutes then to treat a whole car!
Now the best bit is,
apart from beading
water incredibly well,
dirt and grime just does
not stick! It is supposed
to last for 10 washes
and it really helps
reduce washing/drying
time too. Simon also
tells me it is great at
stopping bugs from
sticking too...
Another product
heartily recommended.
(Retails at around £14 a
pack.) John
With 31 events and monthly gatherings 2012 has proved as busy
as ever and all that despite generally miserable summer weather.
The Classic Car Night at Beedles Lake Golf
Centre was enjoyable again - and despite heavy
rain all around we stayed dry! A great variety of
Alfas along as ever...
Spring Alfa Day in April was held in a
hurricane at the Cotswold Wildlife Park.
Thanks heavens for Dave Atkins’ VW
Damper Van - aka Section Support Vehicle!
Our Coventry Transport Museum Alfa Display in March was just
excellent. 50 many and varied Alfas were great for us Alfisti and
the (Many and varied) members of the public in Coventry enjoyed
them a great deal too. Remember the traffic warden by the Chris
Variava 8C? Priceless...
The Fox Run across Northamptonshire was great fun. Brilliant roads and everything from classic
Giulietta (Peter Farley) to ground-hugging SZ (Keith Krog). Nice pub meal at the finish too.
Our Fun Concours
Night in June is always
well supported, and this
year we were delighted
that 33 Alfas
came
along. It was good to be
joined by people from
as far away as
Northamptonshire and
Birmingham as well.
There were some
superb classics along,
and car of the night was
John
Vaughan’s
Giulietta Sprint rally car.
Auto Italia Italian Car Concours at Stanford Hall was another of
2012’s aquatic events. Just 90 Alfas along in place of the usual
300 plus. Still, we made the most of it, and the Section Shelter
helped.
Magical MITCAR! Nearly rained off in
August, the event at Elvaston Castle
shifted from vast but waterlogged display
fields to public car park. It actually
worked out superbly and just over 200
Italian car owners were able to enjoy it.
And by some miracle it stayed dry.
Mallory Park saw the AROC Championship racing in
July. Great entertainment, it should return in 2013.
Spider Night in August at the George & Dragon saw
a lovely variety of the type gathered together.
The Curborough Experience in August saw 15
of us taking our Alfas to this challenging Sprint
track for a brilliant day’s entertainment.
Cotswold Alfa Day at Sudeley Castle was well supported
by our Section and proved another very enjoyable day.
Our Karting Night was just brilliant fun again in
September…. Action everywhere!
Several of our members went up to National Alfa Day at
Newby Hall in August and saw a great collection of cars.
The canal barge trip on 19 August was
most enjoyable. Thanks again to Captain
Dave Atkins pictured at the tiller!
The Twilight Drive in September was a fitting way to
end our ‘outdoor nights’ at the George & Dragon
The Aeroclub Open Day in September was bigger and
better than ever, and in glorious weather too! Free flights
and lots of Alfas—and a fly past from the awesome Vulcan.
at Donington Park
It was freezing cold day and on a Friday (30
November), but this didn’t put off the hardcore
club track day goers at this event organised
by Javelin.
From our Section, Dave McFarland (GTV
3.0 V6), Simon Addison (Brera V6) and Leigh
Nethercot (MX-5) took part enjoying plenty of
laps in the open pit lane format. There was a
real mixture of cars taking part; lots of Caterhams and Westfields, BMW M3s and Z4s,
Sierra Cosworths, even a Radical and a VW
Beetle race car. Among other Alfas; a brace
of Bertone Coupés, a pair of 145s, a Supercharged 156 GTA—a strange sounding but
wickedly fast device, a 155 BTCC ‘Tarquini’
replica, a standard 156, a very modified 147
2.0 TS, and an ES30 SZ.
Happily it stayed dry and crisp throughout,
though it was seriously perishing. Lots of fun
anyway. (There are more photos in the gallery
on our website.) John
The Jaguar Factory tour in November was
fascinating. We couldn’t get photos in the
production area, but this 98K XK-RS is great!
NEW YEAR MEAL MENU - LA TORRE
As mentioned on the cover, please make your selection of
starter & main courses from this list and send to John G.
(See cover for how to contact John.)
Remember, it is FRIDAY 4 JANUARY from 7.30pm
LA TORRE, 48 HIGH STREET, COALVILLE, LEICS, LE67 3EE
SECONDI (Main Courses)
Pollo Cacciatora
Chicken breast in garlic, olives, carrots, rosemary in a white wine
and tomato sauce
Salmone alle Erbe e Fagiolini
Fresh salmon fillet in a herb, garlic white wine and fish vellute set
on French beans and cherry tomatoes
ANTI PASTI (Starters)
Zuppa Del Giorno
Fresh home made soup
Antipasto all Italiana
Selection of cured Italian meats with giardiniera vegetables
Formaggio Alla Griglia
Brie wrapped in Parma Ham, grilled and served with a salad garnish.
Funghi al Aglio
Filleto Casanova (£3.00 extra)
Best cut of beef in a splendid sauce of pink peppercorns, French
mustard, cream and a splash of brandy
Maiale Pizzaiola
Rolled pork cooked with capers, garlic, oregano and tomato sauce.
Parmigiana di Melanzane
(Vegetarian dish.) Layers of aubergine and courgettes backed ian
rich tomato, pesto and parmesan sauce, lasagne style.
DESERTS
Sautéed mushrooms in garlic, white wine and finished with cream and
parsley
A selection of Italian inspired sweets
Gamberoni e Pancetta
COFFEE
King prawns wrapped in Pancetta, served with cherry tomato velouté and
topped with fresh rocket.
dreaming. . .
Menu incudes a selection of vegetables. £21.90 per head.
AROC East Midlands Section Events 2013
Date
Event
12 Dec ‘12
from 7.30pm
Monthly Meeting at The George & Dragon in Thringstone, including the
infamous “What’s it Worth” quiz.
4 Jan ‘13
New Year Meal at La Torre, High Street Coalville. See cover.
9 Jan ‘13
Regular Monthly Meeting at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - starting at 7.30pm
TBC Feb ‘13
Triumph Motorcycles Factory Tour, Hinckley. More details soon
13 Feb ‘13
Regular Monthly Meeting at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - starting at 7.30pm
13 March ‘13
Regular Monthly Meeting at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - starting at 7.30pm
25 March ‘13
Curborough Circuit Experience – Thanks to El Presidenté George Cole, 10 cars from our
Section take on the challenges of the Nurburgring of the Midlands! Contact John to go.
TBC March ‘13
Coventry Transport Museum including special display of our Section members’ Alfa
Romeos in the impressive Millennium Place. Space for 60 cars FREE ADMISSION.
10 April ‘13
Regular Monthly Meeting at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - starting at 7pm
21 April ‘13
Spring Alfa Day at Gawsworth Hall, Macclesfield, Cheshire.
CONVOY RUN meets at the Castle Donington Services, M1 J23A
8 May ‘13
Regular Monthly Meeting at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - starting at 7pm
TBC May ‘13
FOX RUN – Scenic drive, including Pub Lunch. Entry £12 per car (TBC) to include route
guide and special Fox Run Rally Plate. YOU MUST PRE-BOOK!!
TBC June ‘13
National Alfa Day – Venue and date /month all to be confirmed . Prob. June, poss Aug.
12 June ‘13
Fun Concours Night at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - starting at 7pm.
All Alfa Romeos automatically entered and all present do the voting! Stacks of categories
and terrific prizes from our Section’s supporters.
23 June ‘13
Cotswold Alfa Day - More details TBA
30 June ‘13
Auto Italia Italian Car Concours and ’Summertime Classics’ - Stanford Hall near
Lutterworth. Includes special Section parking area and picnic.
11 July ‘13
Regular Monthly Meeting at The George & Dragon in Thringstone.
TBC July/Aug
‘13
AROC Racing at Mallory Park – Lots of Alfa racing as part of the Classic Touring Car
Racing Club’s event. Special Alfa parking area.
14 Aug ‘13
Spider Night – at our regular Monthly Meeting at The George & Dragon in Thringstone starting at 7pm. (All Alfas welcome of course!)
18 Aug ‘13
MITCAR 2013 - Midlands Italian Car Day at venue TBC. The 13th edition of our Section's
flagship event will be one not to miss. Incredibly, admission is still just £5 per Italian Car!!
TBC Sep ‘13
Leicester Aeroclub Open Day - at Leicester Airport (aka Stoughton Aerodrome), including
air displays, special Alfa display and potential free pleasure flights too! Starts at 10.30am.
11 Sep ‘13
Twilight Drive at our regular Monthly Meeting at The George & Dragon in Thringstone starting at 7pm. Drive at 7.45pm followed by optional pub meal.
TBC Sep ‘13
KARTING NIGHT at Sutton Circuit, Broughton Astley. Fantastic outdoor track, Endurance
style mini-team event. Racing followed by drinks and supper.
9 Oct ‘13
AGM & Alfa Quiz at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - starting at 7.30pm
13 Nov ‘13
Regular Monthly Meeting at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - starting at 7.30pm.
TBC Nov ‘13
Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham, AROC stand featuring historic Alfa Romeos
11 Dec ‘13
Regular Monthly Meeting at The George & Dragon in Thringstone - starting at 7.30pm.
More events will be added over the coming months
Gazetta
News Snippets
SECTION 2013 CALENDAR
Section member Chris Cheal, who’s
company produces the printed version of
Alfisti for us, has produced another very
professional looking calendar for us. It
features shots from a number of Section
events this year plus some of individual
members’ cars.
Copies are available at £5 (collected) or
£7 posted. Please contact John if you’d
like one. All proceeds will go to
Macmillan Cancer Care.
ALFA 4C WATCH
More shots of the 4C undergoing road
tests are appearing on Italian websites.
This one (not a fake as it is part of a long
seque-nce) shows some wonderfully
intricate detailing around the rear
diffuser. Appetites are getting well and
truly
whetted!
SECTION FACTORY VISITS
After the success of our visit to the
Jaguar Factory at Castle Bromwich in
November we are lining up some more.
We had a fascinating visit to Triumph at
Hinckley back in 2005 and are looking to
go back there in February. That visit is
free and we’ll follow it with a pub lunch.
Peter Farley has also given us a lead to go
to the huge JCB operation at Rocester in
Staffordshire - photo above. That
morning visit will cost £17.50 a head but
include a full breakfast at 9am. A date
will be organised soon, probably for early
March.
AROC MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
For most members in our Section January
is renewal time. Please don’t ignore the
envelope. You can renew by post or
online at www.aroc-uk.com. We don’t
charge anything in addition for
membership of our Section of course.
OTHER MARQUES
Toyota IQ
Clever packaging aside - this is still one
heck of an ugly sonofabitch. And in brown Yeeuchhh…!
Polo shirts with full colour embroidered logo. All sizes - Just £15
PLUS Fleeces from £25 and Soft-Shell waterproof jackets from £30
TO ORDER contact our man Brian Smith at Bryant.marketing@hotmail.com
The Small Print: ‘Alfisti’ is published primarily for the enjoyment of members of the Alfa Romeo Owners’ Club East Midlands Section.
Chris Variava Alfa Romeo Nottingham supports the cost of Alfisti’s printed production which is done 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 are personal ones.
(Ugliness rating: 9.79)
156 2.0 Twin Spark - Matt Dalby
Matt’s 156 is in magnificent condition for its year, and looks superb in Africa
Grey - a tone that really suite d the early series cars. Sadly a few weeks ago
it developed a rather worrying engine rumble, so it was in to IntaServices
pronto.
Dave soon
diagnosed
‘bottom end’
problems, so
work was
needed. Sump
removed, crank
examined, shell
bearings
replaced, things
were back to how
they should be.
We hope ‘Bill’ (as
he’s known) gives
you solid Winter
service now Matt.
MiTo TwinAir Sprint - Fiona Sangster
This new TwinAir is Fiona’s
third MiTo would you believe,
following 155TBi and 1,3
JTDm. Doing lots of short
journeys the TwinAir with its
stop/start system, 6-speed box
and potential high mpg when
driven gently were really
appealing. A great trade in
price at Chris Variava’s then
sealed the deal.
156 2.0 Sportwagon Veloce - George Cole
Brera 2.4 JTDm - Darrel Rhodes
From an email to John: I was in touch with you this time last year as I'd just been made
redundant and was forced to look at selling my Brera. Well the great news is that I found a new
job (in St Albans!) and whilst I'm putting a few miles on her, I was able to keep the Brera and still
love every minute of driving
(and cleaning!) the car.
She’ll be 3 at the end of
January and, insurance
problems aside, am planning
an engine re-map with DPF
and EGR removal. I've only
ever heard how amazing this
work makes the car feel and
5-7 more miles per gallon
(when driven sensibly)
follows! Cheers Darrel
Spider 2.2 JTS LE - Dave Atkins
(From an email to John)
No owned for 12mths, the Spider was bought at just 15K as a one owner car.
Dave’s now covered 24K and the only expense so far is a new rear tyre not
cheap as 19" wheels, plus a service at 21K. Average is around 30-33 MPG. Top
down motoring is good with little wind around the back as it has a standard wind
shield fitted. The LE has heated memory seats too. The car had its 2nd MOT in
November with no problems. It’s now just a weekend car as I’ve now got a Punto
for work.
I
can
then
keep the
mileage
down
and if it
snows
get
home
again...
Dave had a terrific
time in his GTV
Donington Park at the
end of Nov.
The car has had
succession of subtle
modifications. Brake
and
suspension
upgrades
have
featured, and recently
a
full
Alfaholics
exhaust system and
handling kit make the
car both drive and
sound wonderful.
Dave has a bit of an
obsession
with
gauges,
and
has
replaced the central
air vents with three
more. (Still two left he
says!) The car looks
terrific too.
■
El Presidenté’s 156 has proved to be a terrific tow car for his single-seater
Terrapin Sprint car
this year. The 2.0
Twin Spark having
plenty of low-end
pull for a petrol
unit. George
certainly stuck
lucky with this one,
it having a tow bar
and electrics
already fitted. We
should have
George’s season
report in Alfisti
next time.
Giulietta MultiAir Veloce ‘TCT’ - Duncan Langford
Duncan may be quite new to Alfas but this is now his third in just over a
year! Good as his previous 11 plate Anthracite MultiAir was, he and Lynda
very much fancied the TCT version. Working on the NEC show stand with
Will Hobden from Chris Variava just kind of cemented ideas, and after a visit
to Nottingham
a deal was
struck on this
4,000
mile
very
highly
spec’d beauty
in Etna Black.
(Happily Dunk
is a detailing
fanatic
so
black doesn’t
phase him!)
- SCOOP! Unusual news from the world of motoring
New Alfa Giulia misses January’s Detroit Motor Show...
“No, it was
definitely in a blue
crate.
And no, I’m not
ringing him again...”
Alfisti’s production is kindly sponsored by Chris Variava Alfa Romeo Nottingham
■
Alfisti no.150 will be out in February