Alfa Canadese

The road to Alfa Canadese started with Lauren and me meeting up with Gene & Judy Durso along with Dan & Deb Donovan and heading north to Montreal. The trip to Montreal took a bit longer than expected due to a leaking bypass hose on Gene’s GTV. After some creative repair (see photo) at a Mass Pike rest stop, we headed up to the next exit to find a parts store in order to make a proper repair. In addition to the faulty hose, a louder-than-normal tappet noise lingered in the backs of our minds; more on this later.

In Montreal, we met up with Jim Lehman and Cindy Speaker at our hotel, and were soon collected by Canadian AONE member Phil Duffy’s wife Lisa Maria and children Magnus and Renee. Then we were off to meet Phil at a great restaurant in the town of St. Lambert for a much-needed relaxing evening. We were also happy to meet fellow Alfista Dave Robertson, who also joined us for dinner.

After giving the next morning’s traffic some time to thin out, we headed to Ottawa, led by our official Canadian guides. The route Phil chose kept us off the highways and on the kinds of scenic back roads that our Alfas enjoy so much. Our tour through the quaint towns and villages was capped off with lunch at one of the most incredible resorts any of us have ever seen. (If you are ever inclined to make this trip, or even part of it, contact Phil or me for route numbers and general info.) The Chateau Montebello resort, sitting on the shore of the Ottawa River, is the largest log structure in the world — certainly an engineering marvel! Check out www.fairmont.com/montebello. The resort opened in 1930, boasts 211 rooms, tennis courts, and yes, a curling club!

After a great lunch, we continued our journey, arriving in Ottawa late in the afternoon. After a quick check-in, we were treated to a personal walking tour of the city by Lisa and Phil. Our tour consisted of the magnificent Parliament buildings, the Rideau Canal locks, and of course a few cold ones and another great dinner in the city’s quaint restaurant district, the ByWard Market.

Wednesday greeted us with hot sun for our jaunt to Toronto. The five Alfas (one GTV, two Veloce Spiders, one Duetto Spider, and a Montreal!) headed out of the city onto even more great roads and the most magnificent countryside. We toured along Lake Ontario for hours (that is one big lake!). At one point, we had to load the Alfas onto a ferry!

Phil arranged for us to lunch at the Casa Dea Vineyard — yet another highlight! After loading our stomachs with a wonderful lunch, we proceeded to load our trunks with great wine. Although one can only bring two bottles back to the US, there is no limit to how much one can drink while in the country. Yes, Casa Dea did okay by us! By the way, my expectations of this trip had already been exceeded, and we hadn’t even gotten to the convention!

Late on Wednesday, after a long and very hot drive, we arrived at the Delta Hotel, greeted by approximately 50 Alfas and a very enthusiastic blend of Canadian and American Alfisti. Unfortunately, the tapping in Gene’s motor had become loud to the point of making heads turn as we pulled in. On top of that, a fuel leak reared it’s very ugly head! More on this later.

Prior to our arrival, there were various tours and events leading up to the four-day convention format. One of the tours was the Maple Leaf Mille, a four-day tour of Eastern and Northern Ontario. I understand that 24 cars took part.

On Thursday, the guys headed off to the track for time trials, parade laps, and an advanced driver’s school. The ladies, probably having a very good idea on how hot and dusty the track would be, took off on a delightful wine tour through Niagara Falls and several vineyards. By 2PM, we would have liked to be in that air conditioned tour bus!

Fellow AONE member Greg Stidsen tore up the track in his nicely prepared GTV. Phil and Dan participated in the driver’s school, while Gene, Jim and I enjoyed the spirited “parade laps”. While Gene’s GTV was in the shop (more on that later), he rode shotgun with Jim. Those of us following were happy that they didn’t have a map in the car (ya had to be there)!

The welcoming reception was held Thursday night at the Old Barber House, which would also be the site of Saturday’s Concorso. Fellow AONE members Roger & Karen Carlson, Fred Frey and Beverley Fisher, and Greg Stidsen’s wife Andrea also attended the convention.

One of the most creative aspects of the convention was our tickets. A cleverly designed and beautifully printed passport listed the full week’s schedule as well as our events with descriptions, locations, and sponsor info. The only slightly disappointing part of the week was the lack of vendors — only two. We can only assume that customs regulations might have been the reason that International, Centerline, and others did not appear, although some still sponsored events, which as always is greatly appreciated!

Friday was Autocross and Rally Day. Phil finished a fine 5th out of 15 cars in his first autocross attempt! The rally caught us all by surprise; it was a true TSD (Time, Speed, Distance) rally, with real rally instructions! We were given the instructions one minute before our start. There were no written descriptive instructions — pure rally symbols, something similar to hieroglyphics! We were concerned, very concerned. The Rally Master actually held a brief rally school the night before but, with so much going on, we could not attend. AONE rally enthusiast Tom Letourneau would have been in rally heaven!

Due to Lauren’s efforts, we actually came in fourth place (technically tied for third)! Not only did she interpret the instructions, she kept after me to slow down and keep us at the “average speed” in order to make our check points on time. Not an easy task due to the great roads and gorgeous scenery incorporated in this rally! The Alfa just wanted to go!

On Friday night we were treated to an outstanding barbecue, complete with a rock band and a loose count of around 90 Alfas! It was a super night — great food, music, plenty of Alfas, and a lot of that Casa Dea wine! Hey, we had to do something with it — we couldn’t take it all home!

Okay, Gene’s car (actually Judy’s car!). This is where the Alfa spirit lives and really comes alive. After spending a day at Pinarello Motori to have the fuel leak fixed (cracked filter housing), timing adjusted, as well as the actual bypass hose installed, we were still concerned about the loud tapping sound. After speaking with Alfa BB member (and god) Jim Neill, affectionately known as Papajam, we gladly accepted his offer to meet us at 6AM on Saturday to have a look at the situation.

After removing the cam cover and lifting the cams out of the way, Jim discovered that a shim had actually jumped off the top of the valve (see photo gallery). Yes, they said it couldn’t happen, but lo and behold it did; it seems that this may have been a byproduct of past work. Due to the nature of the situation, the same shim had to be reinstalled. Buy Gene a beer and he’ll tell you all about it.

Jim spent several hours with us — a guy who truly epitomizes the Alfa spirit! There were also several other repair situations going on with many people pitching in, lending parts, and just helping out. A great bunch of folks indeed!

By the way, if you ever find yourself in the area and the ol’ Alfa needs service, Pinarello is the place to go. They have many accolades and happy customers in that neck of the woods.

Saturday brought the Concorso, held at the lovely Old Barber House. See the gallery section for a sampling of all the great cars in attendance, especially the new TZ3 Stradale! I expect that we’ll see a few photos of Phil’s Montreal in an upcoming edition of Hemming’s Sports and Exotic Car magazine, as AONE member and Editor Dave LaChance was also in attendance. AONE member Fred Frey was the Giulia Chair as that group celebrated the Giulia’s 50th Anniversary. Incidentally, Fred plans to drive out to next year’s convention in San Francisco in his immaculate Giulia Super, via Route 66.

The afternoon brought the fun rally and tech sessions, all well attended. On a bit of a somber note, a Canadian member with an absolutely pristine GTV, purchased new at the factory, shipped all over the world, and still totally original (with 200,000 plus miles), got damaged when an errant motorcyclist tried to pass on a double line road. As the Alfa was making a left, the motorcycle slammed into the side, sending the rider into the bush. I believe he was banged up but not seriously injured. As for the Alfa, it can no longer be an original treasure.

Saturday night brought the Gala Dinner. A great dinner, lots of door prizes. Fram sent filters, many filters. In fact, you were not allowed to take one if your number was called — you had to take three!

Our speaker, Andrea Zagato, the grandson of the late Ugo Zagato, gave a lively talk on his company’s history, their association with Alfa, and their future with an emphasis on bringing cars to North America. He made a comparison to the cars of Germany and their quest for perfection. He noted that, although their quest for perfection was admirable, it lacked passion. In Italy, rather than build the same cars year after year, making adjustments and refinements, they would rather build a new, exciting car. His closing quote; “In Italy, we enjoy life, that’s it!

We were also treated to a lively speech from Keynote Speaker Jim Kenzie. Jim is the Automotive Editor for the Toronto Star and is Canada’s leading automotive journalist. Jim is a real enthusiast, competing in club racing as well as the Targa Newfoundland Rally, winning the open class three times!

This convention was a first, combining the visions of the AROC and the ARCC. From our experiences and the comments of many others, I would say it was a resounding success! The thoughts in general were, “When can we do this again?”

As we followed the pre-planning and reviewed the agenda, we had great expectations. Our Canadian Alfa brethren did not let us down. As expected, they were gracious hosts, putting on a great show with a wide variety of enjoyable events.

On Sunday morning, an awards brunch was held, but with the long drive ahead we opted to leave early. Deb and Dan plotted out a great ride on the opposite side of that Great Lake. All in all, it was a wonderful trip — great cars and wonderful people!

Check out www.alfacalifornia2013.com for next year’s convention schedule and www.alfacanadese.ca/ for more info on this year’s convention.