The Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) in the UK always likes to kick off its season with one of its most popular events, Spring Alfa Day. The main criteria for Spring Alfa Day is that the event should be held at a location that were there is another attraction other than Alfa Romeos. So this year club members found themselves heading towards the Duxford Airfield in Cambridgeshire.
Duxford is world famous for its collection of aircraft that span the ages and one of its more recent additions is the American Museum built to honour the thousands of American Airmen who served in this part of England during the second world war. This contains a quite amazing array of American aircraft not only from WWII, but also from the cold war era as well. The collection is dominated by a massive B-52 that greets visitors as they walk in. Plus there are U2 and SR-71 Spy planes that operated out of the UK during the cold war.
The area between the American Museum and the Land Warfare hall (with it collection of tanks) is the area usually devoted to car clubs and it was here that the AROC could be found. Spring Alfa Day is quite an informal occasion so cars tend not to be parked in tipo groups, thus you can and do find the very old parked next to the very new. This only adds to the experience.
The trouble with holding such event in the UK in April is the weather. You never quite know what its going to do. This year the AROC was blessed with warm sunshine, but the inclement weather in the lead up to the event meant that many owners opted to leave their classic Alfa at home. Thus the event was dominated by the 156 in every form. This writer helped the 156 cause by turning up in 156 Sportwagen. There were also a number of the 156GTAs in attendance a car that that despite having a price tag that is nearly double that of the entry level version is increasingly popular. It is fair to say that the 156 is by far the most popular car, numerically speaking, in the club at the present moment in time. Having taken the mantle for the 33, of which only a dozen or so showed up at Duxford.
The 147 is also massively popular in the UK and numbers were pretty much on a par with the 156. The 147 also come in GTA guise and has to be the ultimate pocket rocket. It was interesting to note that models like the 155 were few and far between this year, the model had a slow start in the UK sales wise, but did gain in popularity, yet long term popularity has wained, the same is true of the 145 which has never had the popularity that the model deserved.
Alfa's coupes have always been popular in the UK and a number of GTV6s can always be expected at club gatherings. Duxford was no exception. There was even a rare (in the UK) South African built 3liter GTV6. Newer GTVs have also been numerous at event of the last few years, however allegiance has shifted somewhat to the new GT. At its launch many saw it as an important car for Alfa, but few could imagine just how popular it would become in a very short space of time.
One of the rarest Alfa in the UK is the Alfa 90 and it was surprising to see two examples at Spring Alfa Day. Surprising because there really aren't than many left in the UK with most being left to rust away or simply being broken for spares to keep others running. Sadly the 164 is heading for the same fate - a lack of spares, particularly the engine’s ECU is seeing many go to an early grave. But Gatwick Alfa's 164 did draw and interesting crowd. This car must be the only twin engined 164 in existence having both a 3000cc V6 up front and a similar engine in the trunk. Sadly not road legal, but an interesting track day car…
The Alfasud's ability to rust away is legendary on in this part of the world, low grade russan steel and all that. So it was nice to see a number of nice examples, espically of the early Suds. A nice chrome bumper Ti was spotted along with a rare Sprint Trofeo which is possibly the only one in the UK.
From the classic point of view, there was a good showing of 105 series cars in spider and Sprint GT forms including a GTA. There were even a couple of Junior Zs on display along with a Giulia SS. Plus of course a number of Giulia saloons, a tipo with a strong following in the UK. But on of the most impressive sights had to be a row of Montreals. And not to be outdone there were couple of Giulettas as one, one a spider, the other a sprint.
In in all about 600 Alfas descended on Duxford for Spring Alfa Day demonstrating the fact that the AROC is one of the biggest car clubs in the UK.
Alfa 145 Cloverleaf, numbers are reducing at club event's. This underrated tipo is in danger of becoming the forgotten Alfa
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Alfa 147 is fast becoming the most popular Alfa in the UK ever!! Sales of the three door model far out weigh the those of the five door shown here along side a 155 and a Geman interloper. |
Twin Engined 164. A masterpeice of engineering brought to the event by it creater, independent Alfa Romeo specialist Gatwick Alfa.
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The Giulia Super has a strong, near fanatical following in the UK. This particular car is a stalwart of AROC events.
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156GTA, the ultimate 156 born out of Alfa's desire to go racing, the 3.2liter V6 means that this car eat BMW's M3 for breakfast...
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Two examples of the GT Junior show how the styling was tweeked over time. The tank in the background saw action in Operation Desert Storm.
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The GTV seems to have been amoung us for ages, but still looks fresh, however its poularity is going to be out shown by the new GT.
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Not many Sud Sprint Trofeos were build and only a few made it to the UK. Sadly this is the last one left on these islands.
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105 Series cars are ever popular and a number of spiders have been imported over the years from California.
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Giuletta Spiders are still incredibly popular and there are quite a number of pristine example like this in the UK.
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The ultimate classic Alfa, the 105 series GTA; many Giulia Sprints have been modified to look like GTA's.
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Early Sud Sprints like thes from the late 1970's are now very rare in the UK, but these two proudly few the flag in front of the American Museum.
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Pulling the biggest crowds of the day were the Montreals. At one stage five were lined up together
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