Rich Minor possesses a particular quality of enthusiasm for his Alfa, and cars in general.
Not the kind that can bore you to tears, but the type that is happily infectious.
We've see what he's been doing with his first Alfa—a 1972 Spider—(see One man's Alfa) and recently he helped establish a car show in Williamsburg VA, in conjunction with the CIAO, Colonial Italian American Organization (a wily acronym if there ever was one).
Alfa flag was brought by local enthusiasts Tom and Robbin Gonnella. Heading the Spiders is Dave & Debbie Morris's 1992 Alfa. Photo by Rich Minor.
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Perhaps the locale encourages this kind of enthusiasm. Williamsburg—just two hours south of Washington DC—has been until recently, one of the best kept secrets in real estate. Known primarily for the Rockefeller's legacy of Colonial Williamsburg, the town of about 7000 residents still can boast of virtually no crime, very little traffic, a host of historical sites, a famous and growing college of William and Mary, and a hometown atmosphere which is long gone from major population centers. College students, tourists and locals are to be seen walking, jogging, or biking rather than driving, and it must be said that if one enjoys beautiful girls, the sidewalks are usually crowded with abundant varieties. The weather is far better than most east coast cities, and the winters tend to be gentle with virtually none of the dreaded white stuff. The Atlantic beaches are 45 minutes away and the nearby James River provides scenic venues for boats and ferrys. Turning on the radio, you’ll find good local radio stations which play classical music, and jazz. No wonder the Brits established a colony here in 1607.
Jim Salerno's Milano.
Photo by Rich Minor.
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Along with an increasing number of classic car enthusiasts (they move here from the cold northern cities in droves, bringing their collections of Borgwards, Allards and Jaguars and Ferraris) Rich Minor enjoys driving his top down Spider through the village, down Richmond road, until it intersects with Jamestown Road under the ancient oak tree. To the left he looks down Duke of Gloucester Street, the start of Colonial Williamsburg, and to the right the old buildings of the William and Mary Campus. Driving the Alfa further down toward the James River, Rich passes his neighborhood and goes on to The Williamsburg Winery, a 320 acre tract. established by Patrick Duffeler and his wife in 1985.
It was here that the Italian Festival was held on October 9th and 10th.
Salerno also brought along this Lancia Zagato, perhaps the best of the early Fiat Lancias. Photo by Rich Minor.
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Hearing the CIAO group was going to put on a Festival, Rich contacted the CIAO president Ed Esposito and offered the services of the MidAtlantic Alfa Romeo Owners Club then coordinated the participation including a few Ferraris, a Maserati, Lancias and Fiats. The weekend of the event, the Tidewater Alfa club met Friday night at Amalfi’s in Norfolk’s historic Ghent area, then drove to the show in Williamsburg on Saturday morning—followed by a Sunday morning drive through the county and surrounding historic area—and on the to show again. Rich says the very active Tidewater Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owner’s Club made it all happen. "We had the backing of president Dave Morris committee head Jim Salerno, and members Steve Patchin, Rick Triebwasser and Skip Patnode. This sort of effort doesn't happen alone."
It was not a big show—28 cars were entered, but the variety of Alfas was spectacular with representative Spiders of each of the four series of 105/115 production, GTV6s, Milanos and 164s, along with Jim Salerno’s Maserati Merak, and Lancia Zagato. A Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer added to the variety.
Steve Patchin's white 164 heads a lineup of the last Alfa sedan to be imported to the US. Photo by Rich Minor.
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The crowd—coming to eat Italian cuisine and be entertained by the CIAO Italian Festival, was not expecting to see a variety of Alfas and Italian cars, but were asked to vote for the most popular and best in show. The Doudera’s 1958 Alfa Giulietta Spider won Best in Show, while the immaculate 1985 Spider of Rick Triebwasser won the people’s choice award. Amazingly, several onlookers asked if the cars—now all 10-30+ years old—were new models and part of a dealer demonstration! A fitting comment to the classic Pininfarina designs.
Our thanks to Rick Triebwasser, who provided all of the below photos.
The Lancia Beta Zagato and a Maserati Merak, both owned by Jim Salerno.
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Don King's GTV-6 Balocco S.E., Bert Neily's GTV-6, Rich Minor's '72 Spider.
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Larry Felton's 512 BB added some spice from Maranello.
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Another view of the 1979 Merak SS, added spice from Modena.
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Club members relax while trying to figure out why people think the Alfas are new models from the dealer.
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Joe Doudera's '58 Giulietta Spider, Skip Patnode's '67 Duetto, Tom Gonnella's '69 1750 Spider Veloce (boat tail).
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