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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: [email protected]
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
[email protected] 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