by Dave Pratt
The weather gods were with us again, as dawn broke bright and clear for the AONE Fall Tech Session and Swap Meet at Glynn Motorsports on November 4. I don’t want to jinx us for next year, but we’ve been enjoying a streak of terrific weather at AONE events for past couple of years. Fabulous weather for both autocrosses this year, a stunningly beautiful day for the Wachusett Hillclimb (as well as last year’s wine tour), threatened rain for Italian Car Day that held off completely, perfectly brilliant skies for both the NHIS Vintage Celebration and Lime Rock VSCCA Fall Finale—even the mist that fell at Castle Hill just added some ethereal ambiance.
Good weather never hurts the turnout at an Alfa event, and November 4 was no exception. It was hard to count, but well over 30 members were in attendance at one point or another. Of course, the chance to see a whole slew of various different Alfas all in one place, hob-nob with their owners, buy or sell some parts or accessories, learn something about your car, and see what kinds of automotive delights might be hanging around Glynn Motorsports doesn’t hurt either.
The Tech Session topic this time was transmissions. Starting with a tired but complete 105-series transmission, we all watched as Paul Glynn disassembled it so that we could see what makes it tick (well, and make some other even less-desirable sounds). Paul had that baby apart in 15 minutes flat! (I’d like to see him put it back together in 15.) A lot of people who hadn’t seen the guts of a tranny before were impressed by the large number of parts it comprises. We got to see what worn synchro rings looked liked, and Paul discussed what actually goes on when the synchronizers are working right and when they’re not. We also compared some lightened gears with some stock ones and discussed their advantages.
To help our members find the place, especially those who hadn’t been there before, we hung a couple of Alfa Romeo banners up beside the road. This resulted in two non-member Alfa owners, who just happened to be driving by, stopping in for a while! Eccellente! I trust we’ll have a couple of new members and Glynn Motorsports a couple of new customers!
At around noon, lunch arrived in the form of some terrific roll-up sandwiches plus accompaniments from Tapas Corner in Beverly, paid for by your club. These were a gourmet treat and sure to become a fixture at future events. Thanks to Tom Ducibella for making the arrangements!
All day long, people spent a lot of time outside in the parking lot, admiring the sundry Alfas gathered thereon, taking in the crisp fall air, swapping parts, literature, and automobilia, and gathering in groups to throw the bull around. Eventually, the cars lit up one by one and made their sonorous exits.
Preceding the Tech Session, the AONE Board of Directors held a meeting in the Glynn Motorsports conference room. Astonishingly, we had perfect attendance again—10 out of 10—President, eight Directors, and Treasurer. (Ask your Congressman what kind of attendance he gets at his committee meetings.) Many topics were discussed, including plans for the upcoming AONE Winter Party and the possibility of AONE hosting the AROC National Convention on New England turf as early as the year 2003. There’ll be more info coming on both of these topics soon—stay tuned!
Many thanks go out once again to Paul Glynn and his
team for being such gracious hosts, for helping us to understand our cars, and for being
around to fix ‘em for us when we don’t! 
