by Jim Murphy

[Those of you on the AONE email list learned about our club’s eleventh-hour invitation from Royal Jewelers in Andover, MA to participate in an elegant "by-invitation-only" event also on September 29th for vintage and special-interest cars in connection with Alfred Dunhill of London’s new line of automotive-inspired watches and accessories. Free lunch and free hand-rolled cigars were provided for all participants (they flew in a guy from the Dominican Republic to hand-roll the cigars to order!). A few of our members took them up on the offer, and here’s a report from Alfista and timepiece aficionado Jim. —Ed.]

The weather was perfect, which attracted those with the high-dollar machinery. This, of course, offered an opportunity to ogle the stuff of which dreams are made, but severely restricts the number of people anxious to talk to the owner of a Berlina or Alfetta Sprint.

Since this was a jewelry and European car event, the trophies did not all come on four wheels—some came in spandex. There were many pleasing sights—gullwing Mercedes, Ferrari 275, Porsche 550 Spider (two of them, plus a Beck replica), D Type Jaguar, Lancia Flaminia Super Sport, Abarth 750, Bob Russell’s 1960 Lotus Elite, Mike Vosburgh’s 1979 Alfetta Sprint, and my own 1972 Berlina, sitting amidst a field of lesser Porsche 356s and 911s, Ferrari 308s, Corvettes(!), and others.