The evening began with refreshments and sandwiches—so much for the outdoor cookout we had planned, due to the rain. Attendees had the opportunity to view the museum’s new exhibit of French automobiles. Quite an effort had been made to present a collection of very special and rare French-built cars. Most are original to the Anderson collection of cars, which began at the turn of the century (the 20th, that is).

Opening the lecture, Gene Ritvo gave a special tribute to Fred DiMatteo. Fred was a friend to every Alfa enthusiast, and Gene’s tribute expressed many of the feelings we all had for Fred and his special and lasting contributions to the marque.

Jonathan Stein followed with his presentation, discussing many of the attributes of the alloy engine. He showed slide images of the many cars that utilize this power plant. Personally, I was amazed at the 1964 Alfa Romeo product line photo that was shown. I think there were approximately ten different models, from sedans to sports cars. Who remembers Alfa having that many models in production at the same time?!

Overall, it was a very good event despite the wet weather. Check out the lecture series calendar on the Larz Anderson website, www.MOT.org. There are more great events coming up!