Eighty Hours (Post # 102)

The Alfatross went to the Arizona Concours d'Elegance with two simple objectives and no expectations. The first objective was just to get to Scottsdale AZ and make it onto the field under its own power to join the other cars in the "Coachwork by Zagato" special class. If we made it that far the next objective was to take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: get a photo of it in the company of Andrea Zagato, grandson of the man who designed it 61 years ago. The Alfatross had no expectations beyond that. It knew this was its first public appearance in 47 years, that it had no established reputation in the car media and was not associated with a well-known collection or restorer, so it did not expect to be able to compete with the other 11 Zagato bodied cars in its class.  

First objective: make it onto the field.  CHECK!  Photo by Randy Davis.

  

Second objective: get photographed with Andrea Zagato. CHECK! Photo by Randy Davis

With its two objectives finally met, The Alfatross was content and thought it could finally relax, but then the judges appeared!  They were not easy to please. They looked at everything, and The Alfatross knew it was not flawless. 

Consequence of getting onto the field: getting judged.  Photo by Randy Davis.

The judges went away and more time passed.  It turned into a pleasantly warm afternoon. The Alfatross had started to doze off when suddenly the judges were back. They said, "Lift a wiper!" She complied and they placed a ribbon with writing on it underneath, congratulated her, and disappeared again.  

Consequence of getting judged: Third place.  Photo by Randy Davis.

Then Lou Costabile, a producer, came asking questions and shooting video for "My Car Story", a channel on YouTube.  We think he did a great job!

Eighty hours after leaving The Shed in Santa Fe, being trailered the 1,100 mile round-trip to Scottsdale, making its way onto the Arizona Concours d'Elegance field, being driven for the first time in 47 years, and seen by hundreds of appreciative spectators on the field and many more on YouTube, The Alfatross was safely back home once again where the restoration will continue--at a more leisurely pace--for the next several months. The objective of the next round of the restoration will be to make the car fast, reliable, and safe on the open road.

Three of The Alfatross' Support Team members, Don Keith, caretaker, DeWayne Samuels, engine builder, and Tim Marinos, paint and body artist.  Photo by Randy Davis.

Stay tuned, the story is far from over.  With the big push to get The Alfatross to Scottsdale now over there will be more time for blogging! 

Racing to the Concourse (Post # 101)

A phone call from a fellow Zagato bodied car owner last night was a reminder that many of you are wondering what happened to the Alfatross in December. Did it ever make it back home? Is it going to be ready for the January 24 show at the Scottsdale Concourse d'Elegance? Because Don has nearly moved into his workshop full time, he asked me to "fill in" and "fill you in." But who is "me" you might be asking. Let me introduce (or reintroduce) myself. I'm Toni Carrell, Don's wife and enthusiastic supporter of this reincarnation of the amazing Alfatross.
 

Trapped in Amarillo

To get right to it, coming back from Paul Russell’s trim shop in Essex, Massachusetts, the Alfatross was trapped in Amarillo until Monday, December 28. The excellent driving team of Michael and Chloe Compton  from Reliable Carriers rolled into Santa Fe around 9:30 am. The storm that stopped them wasn’t snowmageddon, but it shut down roads from Amarillo to Albuquerque and the delay put a real dent in the schedule. 

Chloe and Michael Compton are truly a Reliable Team!

It was with a huge sense of relief that we transferred the Alfatross into its personal trailer to bring her back to Don’s workshop. Did I mention that we live down a long dirt road? Did I mention that it was snow-packed and icy? Dave Carrell (my son) is a master trailer wrangler and even with the snow handicap he was able to maneuver the trailer right up to the workshop door. The Alfatross was home!

Tim Tackles the Trim and …

Tim Marinos flew in on January 1 to continue the job of installing the dash, glove box, polished aluminum trim, Plexiglas windows, wind deflectors, weather-stripping, door and window hardware, adjusting the doors and quarter windows. Don and Tim put in 10 hard long days and each day ended with a noticeable difference in the Alfatross and her presentation, which is up by at least 100!

The Car Table Team to the Rescue

Dave installing the headlights and fog lights.

The long list of things that were done since December 28, beyond what Tim did, includes getting the engine and all of its associated bits and pieces (can you tell I know nothing about car engines?) reinstalled. Pumps, generators, reservoirs of various descriptions, the radiator, brakes and brake lines, the exhaust system, heat shields, wiring, dashboard gauges, lights and switches, suspension system, rear springs, headlights, fog lights, the battery and its box, the Automobile Club of Torino and the Sanremo rally badges all are emerging from hibernation and returning to their proper places for the first time in decades.

Luckily we’ve had the help of several car table volunteers; Terry Morgan, Gerry Strickfaden, Jeff Kramer, Tarvo Sutt, Jeff Robison, and my son Dave have gone above and beyond. Without this amazing team and their combined knowledge, there’s no way we could get it finished.

The car table team plus Don on the floor! L-R Tarmo, Gerry, Jeff and Terry.

The Alfatross is Purring

Don is a hands on guy!

Don will undoubtedly do a number of blogs to fill in all of the details of the installation successes and challenges since the Alfatross came home. We are less than 48 hours from lift-off very early on Friday morning to make the nearly 500 mile trek to Phoenix and there’s still a lot to do. But for now, at least you know that the Alfatross is on track to make her debut at the Arizona Concours. We hope the she has a chance to meet Andrea Zagato, the grandson of her designer, Ugo. 

Suddenly, as I sit here writing, I can hear the engine being started and a huge sigh of relief. It’s the first time in more than 30 years that the engine is back in the Alftross and that sigh of relief came from the Alftross herself!

L-R: Jeff Kramer, Terry Morgan and Gerry Strickfaden.

Or maybe it was a purr? 

Stand by for more photos and more blogs.