Text and photos by John DeWaele

ON A COLD JANUARY DAY, Alfa club members from the CT and AONE chapters received a very warm welcome to The Paddock Classic Car Restorations by owners Michael and Pat Donnelly. Located in New Britain, CT, The Paddock, a relative newcomer in the field of classic and vintage car restoration, is filling the confines of a former Chrysler dealership building with an amazing array of unique automobiles!

The guests were treated to a body shop tour viewing ongoing work on two Ferraris, a DeTomaso, an Alfa Sprint, a very unique BMW 2002 Turbo, a TR-6, and an MG B. On the way is a brand new state-of-the-art spray booth! Graduating to the mechanical shop, among others is a trio of stunning Alfa GTs, all being prepared for different levels of track use (see notes below). Also in assembly are a stunning BMW 3.0 and a gorgeous blue Mercedes 280 SL. For those with an interest in muscle, a red Chevy Chevelle SS 396 (375 HP), and a triple black Dodge Challenger 440 Six-Pack are offered for sale.

Before the shop tours, we enjoyed an informal Q&A with the mechanic's mechanic, Roger Barr. Roger answered questions on his favorite car, a LaSalle, as well as his favorite race cars being Crosslé formula cars, one of which Roger drove to a national SCCA championship!

After a terrific lunch, the guests were free to revisit the shops and talk to the mechanics and the body shop team. A big thanks to the mechanical team - Craig, Nick, Andrew, Roger, and Arturo as well as the body shop team of Aaron, Omar, and Sean. Heard over and over were compliments and praises for the amazing attention to detail with assembly and the stunning paintwork!

Thanks to everyone for making this event a great experience!

Alfa GT – GTV notes

• Complete restoration of a 74 GTV into an Alfaholics GTA-R with 2.1 liter Alfa Twin Spark motor (225 HP), complete Alfaholics suspension and drivetrain, in an incredible Alfa Rossa Competizione color

• Complete restoration of a 71 GTV into a fast road/track day car with 2.1 liter Alfa Twin Spark motor (225 HP), with Classic Alfa handling kit in its original Oliva Verde Metallica color

• Complete restoration of a 1967 GT Junior into a lightweight GTAm wide-body tribute with high performance 2 liter engine and modified suspension in a striking Monte Carlo Blue

• Metal work, body work, paint, and interior in progress on a Frank La Sala’s very nice ’59 Giulietta Sprint