By Peter Walker

Photos by Peter, John Rowntree, Greg Stidsen, and Dan Donovan

A QUICK CHECK OF THE VELOCISSIMA ARCHIVES reveals that the first Sortie (then called the AONE Last-Minute Indian Summer Sortie) took place in 2003. Hard to believe, then, that October 5, 2024, was the twenty-second running of our Berkshires Sortie. It is now a staple of the AONE calendar.

The first Sortie, in 2003, gathered nine cars: six Kamm-tail Spiders, one Giulietta Spider, a Fiat 124 Spider, and a Ferrari 330 GTC. Subsequent Sorties have gathered sometimes smaller, sometimes bigger groups. But for 2024, there were 20 participants riding in thirteen different cars. These thirteen were all Alfas; the “lesser cars” stayed home. All thirteen were also twentieth-century Alfas. Yes, the 4Cs, modern Giulias, and Stelvios also stayed home. All the decades of Alfa Romeo’s heyday in the US, from the 1950s to the 1980s, were represented: Jeff Greenfield brought one of his latest acquisitions, a lovely, red 1959 Touring-bodied 2000 Spider. From the 1960s we had Frank Anigbo’s widely-admired, mustard yellow 1969 1750 GTV. Kamm-tail Spiders and several more GTVs represented the 1970s, including the white 1974 2000 GTV that Haig Tellalian’s father had purchased new. The rarest and most exotic of the cars from this decade, though, was certainly Stefan and Sonchu Gavell’s 1973 Junior Zagato 1600. John and Roberta Rowntree’s 1987 Spider and Deb and Dan Donovan’s 1988 Spider held the flag for the 1980s. So too did the “Greek,” Michael Smyth’s exotic and rare (especially in North America) 1988 75 i.e. Turbo. To the uninitiated, this car, which Michael imported from Greece (where it had been his uncle’s car), looks like a Milano. The Milano name was only used in our market; in Europe it was the 75 and was available with a number of different four- and six-cylinder engine options. Even so, the four-cylinder turbo was a very rare option.

As in the last two years, we assembled in the morning at Baked, a bakery and café in Shelburne Falls, Mass. Some of us arrived early in order to eat a hearty breakfast. Others arrived later and indulged only in a roll and a cup of coffee. Shortly before 11AM we held a drivers’ meeting, and then we went to our cars and took off on a roughly 80-mile jaunt through the hills and countryside of western Massachusetts.

Our route took us from Shelburne Falls, across the Deerfield River and into Buckland, then on a back road to Conway. From there another back road took us through Whately to Williamsburg, where we stopped at Tangle Chocolate. Also known as Cichy’s, this former service station still had its period gasoline pumps out front. While no longer in service, these nicely restored pumps looked great and were certainly well-suited props for photo ops with our older Alfas. Our contingent took advantage of the amenities at this human pit stop, and then we resumed our route.

The second part of the tour took us on another back road, to South Ashfield, then to route 116 from Ashfield to Plainfield, where we turned onto Mass. Route 8A, which took us through West Hawley to Charlemont. There we stopped for our second pit stop, where we’ve often paused in the past: at the Berkshire East ski resort. After our break there, we recrossed the Deerfield River, turned east on route 2 for a mile, and then left onto route 8A again, but headed further north now, toward Vermont. Here the only down point of the tour took place, as a cumbersome chowder delivery truck turned into the same road just before us. Needless to say, this truck negotiated what is normally a terrific and traffic-free sports car road at a very slow pace. Given how narrow and windy the road was, opportunities to pass were nil, and the truck driver either never noticed that he was holding back a pack of enthusiastic sport cars or didn’t care. Even so, there were maybe only two spots where the truck could have pulled over to let us pass, even if it had wanted to.

Thankfully, the frustration was short lived, as after our route took us off highway 8A and onto another back road, this time from Heath to Rowe, we were separated from and no longer held up by the chowder truck. Still, one continues to wonder: what was a chowder truck doing here, so far from the coast? It’s not like anyone raises clams in the hills between the Deerfield River and the Vermont state line!

Freed of our rolling chicane, we continued on our way. From Rowe we turned back toward Charlemont and the Deerfield River valley. We recrossed the river and headed back up into the hills to the river’s south, through East Hawley and back to Ashfield, where our lunch spot, the re-opened Ashfield Lake House, awaited us.

Some of our pre-Covid Sorties ended at the Lake House, and on at least one occasion, the weather had been warm enough to allow us to eat outside and enjoy the patio overlooking the lake. While the weather on October 5, 2024, would have been warm enough for outdoor seating, there was not enough of it available to accommodate us (and the restaurant wouldn’t reserve space for us in advance). We ate indoors, grouped at five tables of four that were all close enough to each other to allow for some inter-table conversation, in addition to enjoying the company at our own tables. The Lake House had only recently re-opened under new management and ownership, so we were anxious to know if service and the food were at least up to the standards of the earlier iteration of this restaurant. Everyone appeared satisfied with their meals. Even more satisfied were our tourers—with their cars, with the roads, with the fine weather, and with the company. The only thing that is better than enjoying a well-running Alfa on a smooth, curvy, traffic-free, scenic country back road is enjoying it in company with other Alfa enthusiasts.

22 years from now will be 2046. Whether we’ll still be running the Sortie then, whether our prized Alfas will still be as operational, and whether AONE will still be as active are all much to be wished for.

Participants

Frank Anigbo - 1969 1750 GTV
Deb and Dan Donovan - 1988 Spider
John and Lauren DeWaele - 1972 2000 GTV
Tom Freiberger - 1974 Spider
Stefan and Sonchu Gavell - 1973 Junior Zagato 1600
Jeff Greenfield - 1959 2000 Spider
Giorgio Kradjian - 1974 2000 GTV
Steve and Nancy Perry - 1978 Spider
John and Roberta Rowntree - 1987 Spider
Michael Smyth and Marilyn Widmer - 1988 75 i.e. Turbo
Greg Stidsen - 1973 2000 GTV
Haig Tellalian - 1974 2000 GTV
Peter Walker and Meg Anderson - 1977 Spider