by Dave Pratt
Velocissima Editor
[This is the second in a series of profiles about the people and companies around New England who are out there as resources that we can draw upon to help keep our Alfas running and make them better. —Ed.]
Accel Automotive, Inc. was founded in early 1995 by three members of the staff at legendary High Performance Cars in Waltham, MA after the latter closed its doors. In fact, Accel’s shop is right next door to the old HPC building! The three partners are John DiIanni (who had been with HPC for 3 years), Brian Schoener (5 years), and Leroy Ward (18 years!). Their goal was to carry on the same high level of support and service of Alfa Romeos that was already in their blood.
Since 1995, their business has grown, they now have five employees (including themselves), and they’ve taken over the whole front of the building they’re in. You don’t have to finagle a spot for your car in the alley any more—you can park right in front! They work on other marques besides Alfas, but Alfas still constitute over 40% of their business. Often, their Alfa customers will also leave their more mundane vehicles in Accel’s care—one-stop shopping for automotive service.
Accel Automotive proprietors Brian
Schoener, John DiIanni, and Leroy Ward (L-R)
pose among some of their clients’ cars in front of the corporate digs in Waltham
The shop is geared more toward the maintenance of Alfas that are driven every day and less toward restorations and race prep, although these are well within their capabilities and they like to have a restoration or two going on, especially through the winter months. For many maintenance visits, your Alfa will be back in your hands the same day. They like to get your car in, do the work, and get you on the road again. Loaners are often available to help with your transportation needs.
Realizing that Alfisti are often a do-it-yourself bunch, which is perfectly fine, John DiIanni warns, "Be careful about getting your Alfa information from Internet chat rooms! The same thing that a guy on the ‘net has maybe done once, we’ve done 50 times. Some of the info we’ve heard is absurd! Call us up, tell us the problem, and we can almost always tell you what it is and what it takes to fix it."
To get in touch with these helpful and friendly folks, give them a
call at 781-894-0470, an email at AccelAuto@aol.com,
or drop by their shop at 97 Linden Street (Route 60) in Waltham. It’s nice to have
them around. 
