Group Transport Seattle 2005 Convention!

[junglejustice]

I ask that those members here, who are not NA-based, please hang with me on this X-post for the benefit of the many of us here, who DO live in NA and who WOULD like to maybe take advantage of the opportunity to do this… NO COMMERCIAL INTEREST!! (My Alfas are already here.)

I am posting here to try and create as much visibility for this opportunity as possible and to try and ensure a maximum potential for success for the rest of you...

There is an initiative that really developed out of a suggestion from one of the guys in the SoCal club, (to accurately place credit/blame - I think that it was Nizam...), so stone him for it:

Any way, the thought was to pool together and have an entire transporter full of Alfas picked up somewhere in central-Cali and brought up for the Alfa convention here in Seattle this Summer (to the home of Michael Harris AND THE ALFAGTV6.COM!!!)

A few Alfa owners have now actually asked me about coordinating it, (as I am part of the planning committee for the "Alfa Potlatch 2005 National Convention") Initially, I offered to collect keys, inspect for damage and arrange storage until attendees arrived! It would seem that the commitment is expanding to include transport arrangements too, so I would need help with it if we are going to make this a reality for you.

As some of you know, I am always more than happy to help, so fine, let's try it!

Maybe we can get a personal email sent to me from each of you who are SERIOUSLY interested, to try and grasp a handle on an initial level of interest! Please email me at john@reginaceleste.com Expect cost to be a minimum of 600 to 1000 bucks US both ways at volume just to get your car here and back! (So serious contenders ONLY please.)

I guess that it is not far-fetched to think that we could maybe get several transporters filled from 5 or 6 separate pick-up/drop-off points in the US!?

Let me extend this invitation to those of you located OUTSIDE of the US to help with accommodation arrangements at the very least, should you choose to enlist our help! (I think that Dawie de Villiers, Ron Simons and a few others are actually committed to join us, so come on to the rest of you abroad!) - Take advantage of the weak dollar now! :wink: Let's make this an INTERNATIONAL Alfa convention!

[Alfajack]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but how exactly does this idea benefit anyone outside of SoCal? Lessee, I'm going to have to drive my Alfa 400+ miles from AZ to SoCal and put it on a transporter, pay $1,000 to ship it from there to Seattle, and still have to buy a plane ticket to and from Seattle, then surface transportation to re-rendevous with the car. Not to mention the potential for huge hassles with storage at either end, maybe the truck is late (or stuck in the snow), potential damage during transport, etc. So this - at minimum - quadruples my cost to get to the convention and for what, the benefit of having my Alfa to drive in Seattle for 4-5 days?

If I really want to have my Alfa at the convention, I think driving it to and from there makes way more sense.

AJ

[BKCowGod]

The part about being for people based outside of North America is the part that benefits people outside of SoCal.

[mcc105]

Quote:

Originally Posted by junglejustice I guess that it is not far-fetched to think that we could maybe get several transporters filled from 5 or 6 separate pick-up/drop-off points in the US!?

[junglejustice]

Yeah, AJ - you missed the part about "trying to help those interested" as well as the part about me "taking delivery on this side and helping out with local arrangements" as well as the part about this "STARTING OUT as an idea from SoCal" but that the initiative has grown to "include other pick-up points" across NA.

Dunno if AZ is on the list for now, but who knows, the truck has to get here from say Texas somehow, right?

Just looking to see who might be up for it and who needs help - not stir up anything. The idea works for families who own two or more Alfas, but who do not want to drive far in separate cars...

Hats off to you if you will seriously look at driving up! (I drove to Laguna Seca and back last March for the track event there!)

Hope to see you here!

[Alfajack]

OK, so I missed part of the concept.....but it usually takes those of us in the hinterlands a bit of time to catch on to what starts in LA

I used to drive my Spider to Monterey from Phoenix for the Concorso Italiano/Monterey weekend, let me tell you that was a long haul but a lot of fun. The biggest challenge in August was to get out of the Sonoran desert before the heat came on strong (no A/C in the Spider). It was basically a race to the coast, blasting along starting at 4:30AM heading west, usually nothing but semis and me on the road on a Thursday morning, passing everything in sight on the high side of 80mph, top down all the way. Once I climbed out of Palm Springs and felt a hint of ocean breeze from the west, I was fine.

Even managed one year to make it to Santa Barbara for lunch.

But Seattle, now that's a drive. Isn't Portland something like 12 hours north of LA?

AJ

[papajam]

From the other side of the coin, four members from the New Jersey Chapter drive two GTVs cross-country for the Convention in SoCal and the time trials at Riverside then drive back across the country for a driving event at Lime Rock, Conn. the following weekend. There's nothing like driving to events on both coasts on consecutive weekends!

(won't do it again anytime soon, though )