Yes, I know I haven't been keeping up with the posts for the last few months. But let me tell you, that doesn't mean I haven't been busy! The list of things I declined, dodged, deleted, delegated, and ignored is far longer than the one thing that dominated the top of my "To Do" list.
But I have a valid excuse: it has been the Summer of All Fears. Fears? What fears? Well, let's back up a few months to just after the 2016 Arizona Concours d'Elegance in February when The Alfatross placed Third in the "Coachwork by Zagato" class. That was better than we expected because we knew it wasn't finished. We knew we could do better.
The opportunity to do so was provided when The Alfatross was invited to the 2016 Santa Fe Consorso on September 25th, to be held on the grounds of The Club at Las Campanas (http://santafeconcorso.com/about.html). The Alfatross accepted immediately because the "featured marque" is to be Alfa Romeo! More recently The Alfatross received another invitation to be presented at the prestigious "Friday Night Gathering" leading up to the Concorso. Quite an honor (http://santafeconcorso.com/2016_Concorso_Program.html#p=31).
So, again, what fears? Well, first there are the "Known Unknowns", the kinds of things that plague every restoration of a car now more than 60 years old: Fear that the persistent problem with the brakes cannot be fixed in time. Fear that the glitches in the paint can't be repaired to invisibility. Fear that the engine won't start. Fear that the starter will continue to run on after it has been turned off. Fear that the "trafficator" box will refuse to activate the turn signals (as it did in Arizona).
Then there are the "Unknown Unknowns", the kinds of things that are totally unpredictable, but can be devastating: Fear that something bad will happen during the transport, loading and unloading procedures. Fear that the distinguished panel of judges will not care for the restoration path we have chosen to pursue. Fear that the weather prediction for potential thunderstorms (with one of northern New Mexico's famous hailstorms?) might come true and The Alfatross, along with the rest of the field, will be pummeled into scrap metal.
But the time is nigh. Forty-three hours from now, as I write this, The Alfatross will be presented at the Friday Night Gathering, and two days later at the Concorso. She is ready. . . not sure I am . . but the die is cast!
But I have a valid excuse: it has been the Summer of All Fears. Fears? What fears? Well, let's back up a few months to just after the 2016 Arizona Concours d'Elegance in February when The Alfatross placed Third in the "Coachwork by Zagato" class. That was better than we expected because we knew it wasn't finished. We knew we could do better.
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| Dan Allen, the author and The Alfatross at the Arizona Concours d'Elegance, 2016. Dan is The Alfatross' Godfather. Randy Davis photo. |
The opportunity to do so was provided when The Alfatross was invited to the 2016 Santa Fe Consorso on September 25th, to be held on the grounds of The Club at Las Campanas (http://santafeconcorso.com/about.html). The Alfatross accepted immediately because the "featured marque" is to be Alfa Romeo! More recently The Alfatross received another invitation to be presented at the prestigious "Friday Night Gathering" leading up to the Concorso. Quite an honor (http://santafeconcorso.com/2016_Concorso_Program.html#p=31).
So, again, what fears? Well, first there are the "Known Unknowns", the kinds of things that plague every restoration of a car now more than 60 years old: Fear that the persistent problem with the brakes cannot be fixed in time. Fear that the glitches in the paint can't be repaired to invisibility. Fear that the engine won't start. Fear that the starter will continue to run on after it has been turned off. Fear that the "trafficator" box will refuse to activate the turn signals (as it did in Arizona).
Then there are the "Unknown Unknowns", the kinds of things that are totally unpredictable, but can be devastating: Fear that something bad will happen during the transport, loading and unloading procedures. Fear that the distinguished panel of judges will not care for the restoration path we have chosen to pursue. Fear that the weather prediction for potential thunderstorms (with one of northern New Mexico's famous hailstorms?) might come true and The Alfatross, along with the rest of the field, will be pummeled into scrap metal.
But the time is nigh. Forty-three hours from now, as I write this, The Alfatross will be presented at the Friday Night Gathering, and two days later at the Concorso. She is ready. . . not sure I am . . but the die is cast!
