t was really touch and go. On the Wednesday before the Tenth Annual Italian Car Day, the forecast for the weekend was for sunny weather both days. By Friday it had changed to a nor’easter blowing through, with high winds and heavy rain from Saturday afternoon through Sunday. Porca Madonna! Not another washout!

Nonetheless, we loaded up and headed over to the Larz Anderson Auto Museum for this year’s Tutto Italiano. It rained on the way, not instilling a great deal of optimism. But by the time the cars were starting to assemble, the showers seemed to have stopped. Could it be possible that we were going to get lucky?

Yes indeed, for the rest of the day stayed dry (albeit overcast and downright cold). Beautiful macchina kept rolling in all morning long until it became clear that the day was becoming an unqualified success.

This year’s show had a new set of organizers, and there were several changes in the format. Of particular note to our readers is that the Alfa Romeos were displayed on the Museum main lawn! Yes, the main lawn was the domain of all of the Alfas, plus the Fiats (about three), Lancias (were there any?), and the judged Ferraris. In areas up the hill were the Maseratis, Lamborghinis, and Detomasos, with the non-judged Ferraris and Italian motorcycles at the top. While this arrangement accommodated many more cars, it tended to spread things out a bit much and it didn’t feel like the show was as cohesive. We expect changes again for next year, but this time we got to hold court on the main lawn!

A quick count revealed 45 Alfas in attendance—a great turnout considering the nasty weather possibilities! Overall, there were probably 200 Italian cars on display this day, always a feast for the eyes. Among the marvelous automobili were several stunning Alfas. These included Richard Meyer’s wonderful Sprint Zagato (which won its class plus First Place in the People’s Choice Award voting and also Best of Show!), Stefan Gavell’s terrific yellow Junior Z, the red Montreals of John Maker and John Darack, and many more great Alfas too numerous to mention.

Our club made its presence known with our colorful 10’ x 20’ canopy, also on the main lawn. People buzzed around constantly and we sold quite a few club shirts, coffee mugs, posters, etc. and signed on a couple of new members. Fortunately, the canopy didn’t have to be used as a rain shelter.

AONE Director and Tutto Italiano head Alfa judge Myron Barnett wishes to thank all of the AONE members who participated in this event. Special thanks go out to the judges who worked tirelessly for several hours and did a commendable, conscientious job. These include Mario Pinto, Muneer Sakallah, Gary Hoyt, Andy Kress, and Kevin Murphy (our apologies to any others that we may have missed). And the club in turn owes Myron a heap of thanks—he truly represented our interests in planning and carrying out this triumphant event.