AONE Cars & Coffee

By Tom Ducibella
Photos by Tom, Greg Stidsen, Jim Miga, and Seth Wonkka
Video by BMS Drone Pilot Brandan Venne

The day of the event did not start auspiciously for the organizer, as the weather forecast morphed in the wrong direction and a sheet metal screw was buried in his Giulia’s tire. So, he got off to a late start.

On arrival at Boston Motorsports (BMS), the lot was chock full of Alfas with members in full social mode. So many showed that that, instead of the usual one cluster of Alfisti, there were many enclaves admiring the wide range of models driven to the event and new Alfas at the dealership. 

BMS personnel had gone the extra mile by moving their vehicles to clear a large area for AONE member cars. 60 years of Alfa models were represented from Duetto to 4C & Giulia; see the fotos (that’s Italian spelling). Club members also enjoyed a warm welcome and free beverages, but also the spacious showroom, modern facilities, and impressive service area.

For the modern Alfa owner, the star on the lot was not only the Tonale, but a metallic green 2024 Giulia Quadrifoglio with the rare, optional carbon fiber roof — and it’s for sale, by the way. Sales staff were on hand for those wishing a test drive in a Tonale or an in-depth model introduction while sitting in the car. I was not surprised to meet many Alfa owners with both old and new models. The tide is turning, as Alfa owners want a modern, affordable, Italian sports car that can be serviced (especially under warranty) by an authorized, reliable, customer-friendly dealership. 

Club members kept saying how much they appreciated not only that BMS hosted the event, but, more importantly, I met at least four BMS customers who had high praise for the dealership, personnel, and service experience. They and the writer (of this report) have had their Alfas serviced at BMS. In my case, Seth (see below) made sure my appointment did not overlap with rush hour and accommodated a request to use my battery diagnostic tool at BMS on the new AGM battery installed there and to see the “fresh” battery decal date before install (long periods of new battery storage prior to install are rumored to affect their lifespan).

What could be better than having a sales and service dealership that is uber passionate about Alfa? It reminds me of days gone by, when Gaston Andrey was the Boston franchise. First, we’ll start with the fact that Corryn Leccese works at BMS (the Leccese family has the Nikki Lauda edition Alfa Spider). Then, there’s service manager Seth Wonkka, who made the event (with free lattes) possible and provided a tour of the impressive service area, complete with state-of-the-art tire mounting equipment, modern lifts (I lost count), and super-clean space for over five technicians. BMS sells and keeps most OEM tires in stock for modern Alfas, but also welcomes Tire Rack “drop ships” (shipping to BMS, talk to Seth, avoiding tire schlep). 

BMS management suggested discussing a relationship with AONE members, and you’ll hear more about that emerging conversation in the future from Greg and club Directors. We were encouraged to arrange tech sessions, some even presented by an AONE member who is well versed in an Alfa specialty area (think: SPICA, track modifications, V6 timing chain tensioner, valve shims). We could learn from their techs about state-of-the-art wheel/tire mounting/balancing, modern electrical system basics, and what’s involved in major services for the 4C, modern Giulias, Stelvio, and Tonale.

Drizzle began promptly at 11:30, as the weather gods waited for the official time for the event to end. If you missed this event, be prepared for a tech session or fall social. Again, many thanks from the club to BMS for the event and their passion for Alfa Romeo.