Lancia Motor Club

The sunshine is back, the light evenings are back, so is the London meet.

First meeting of the year is Thursday 12 April at the usual place;
Ace Cafe, North Circular Road, NW10 7UD.

This coincides with the Italian car & bike night at the Ace (2nd thursday of the month) so there's always something interesting in the car park.

See you all there.

Martin Dowling.

I'll be there  ;D (but in the Fiat  :)  but it is fitted with CD51 Beta alloys so there'll be a Lancia in part  ;D)

off to Italy for Gamma bits so will have to try for May....

Well, not a single Lancia last night  :'( The Beta Berlina CD51 wheels on my Fiat 131 were the only obvious Lancia part in attendance  ;D

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20April%202012/P1100379.jpg)

Here's some more photos (mainly of Fiats  ;)) from the Ace Café last night:


(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20April%202012/P1100385.jpg)

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20April%202012/P1100383.jpg)

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20April%202012/P1100380.jpg)

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20April%202012/P1100378.jpg)

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20April%202012/P1100377.jpg)

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20April%202012/P1100376.jpg)

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20April%202012/P1100375.jpg)

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20April%202012/P1100374.jpg)

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20April%202012/P1100373.jpg)

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20April%202012/P1100372.jpg)

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20April%202012/P1100371.jpg)

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20April%202012/P1100381.jpg)

I'll do my best to correct the lack of Lancia attendance at my next visit  :D

Shame there were no Lancias.

One of those photos I'm tempted to caption "Honey, who shrunk the car!?"

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20April%202012/P1100380.jpg)

William, you must have read my mind, i was thinking the same.

That 131 looks in lovely condition, is it a UK car?

Yes it's a UK car. It lived in Scotland until I bought it 10 years ago. Details at http://www.131mirafiori.com/smf/index.php?topic=1564.msg9782#msg9782 (http://www.131mirafiori.com/smf/index.php?topic=1564.msg9782#msg9782) if you want to know more  ;) ;D

We went along last week to this month's Italian night, but it was a very poor turn-out, mainly due to bad weather

However, we can only hope that 14th June will not be raining/hail/snowstorms etc and we intend to be there in our yellow Beta...... it's only about 20 mins away from us

Hope some more of you will be able to make it too??

Hello James, (Nice to meet you at Norwich.)

Sorry I couldn't make it last month but I'll be there on Thursday. Looks like there should be a good turn out with lots of interest on the Beta Forum.

Martin.

I should be there if it's not bucketing down with rain as it is today  :-[
Not sure which Lancia I'll be in or if I'll just bring the Beta alloys again (using the Fiat as alloy wheel transport  ;D )

My apologies, but my Fulvia and I won’t be at the Ace tomorrow. It’s not that the subtle pleasures of the Ace on an early summer evening, with the sun setting over the wooded slopes up to Hanger Lane, or the patient slow calm of the bar and the relaxed hum of easy conversation amongst friends, have lost their charm – it’s just that me and milady are off to the theatre.

Hopefully another time and I will have the chance to cruise the A406 to enjoy such delights.

Colin

Should be a few of the Maserati guys there, do say hello and compare notes!


P

Sarah and I will will be going (finally) in Rosie. Theo, stand by for your coffee!

 ;D

Thanks for the coffee Tim :D

A few pics from this evening   ;)


(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20June%202012/P1100469.jpg)

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20June%202012/P1100473.jpg)

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20June%202012/P1100474.jpg)

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20June%202012/P1100471.jpg)

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20June%202012/P1100470.jpg)

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20June%202012/P1100468.jpg)

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/Ace%20Cafe%20June%202012/P1100475.jpg)

Good pics Theo, (as ever).
A good turnout last night, great to see some new faces.
5 cars ( Nick's lovely Fulvia coupe turned up later so too dark for photographic evidence) and 7 Lancisti plus 5 guests.
Furthest distance award must go to Tim and Sarah, hour and a half each way from Chelmsford for fish & chips and a chat.

Parisien, yes lots of Maseratis too.

160mile round trip :(Q

To Colchester which is 20 miles on.

Got wheels balanced today and much more comfortable at cruising.

Car ran v cold all way home and was subsequently very sluggish. Need to check thermostat....

Also got v non linear fuel gauge...

And the windscreen washers aren't working.

As Theo kindly said "well it's a Gamma" :D

The Southern UK guys like to meet up on a regular basis and they love all other Italian cars too....most of them came to Maserati via Alfa/Lancia/FIAT routes


P

Trust me to always get it wrong!  :-\  I went from Maserati to Lancia  ;D

Thotos.......we all came from somewheres......and are going somewhere else....;)...............we have a couple of Greek origin guys on the sportsmaserati forum........you in UK or in Greece, they asked!?


P

I'm in the UK, Enfield in fact. Born in London (Guys Hospital) so I'm a Cockney Greek  ;D (but I don't sound like one  ;D ;D)

Sorta freaky...the 3200 with the DEM plate on it is owned by Dem on our forum, also in Enfield!!!


P

Not really, Dem is probably Greek (Demetris?). There are a lot of Greeks in Enfield and Greeks like their Maseratis  ;) ;D

..............well I think so...only one 3200 in photo.....only one there owned by a Greek origin guy.....and one on our forum.....but great to see!


P

When's the next one? I'll try and get along.

It's the second Thursday of every month so it'll be Thursday 12th July for the next one.

Thanks, I'll try and get along but will be in a Alfa!

Sorry, didn't make it due to work and weather!

I didn't make it either  :-[
Having moved offices, after over 30 years of driving to work I have now become a train commuter  :-[ :'( >:( So the option of driving to the office in a classic Lancia or Fiat (or Alfa  ;)) and then going straight to the Ace Cafe is no longer there  :'(

Oh well. Maybe next month.

Anybody planning to come this Thursday?

We'll be there, and hopefully one of our neighbours who has a rather nice Maserati

Hope to be. Weather looks to be good as well.

My Fulvia and I would like to be there, but I have a few crises at home here to worry about, so sorry to say we won’t make it.

Colin

It's that time again, this Thursday (13th).
The weather looks good.
I'll be there, and as it's probably the last month before winter sets in it would be great to have a good turn out !

Martin.

I couldn’t resist Martin’s kind invitation and I thought it would be a great opportunity to cruise round the North Circular and spend a quiet evening in contemplation with my Lancia buddies. Well, it was dusk as I arrived and all the local farm hands had wended their way home and the cattle were safely away for the night. An owl was hooting in the distance as the sun set and I realised that with Harvest Festival almost upon us it was going to be a quiet evening in the snug of the Ace.

And so it was. The local lad who had been recruited to help bring the wagons in, did his job well and put my carriage in prime spot in front of the over-filled yard. There were a few similarly marked carriages there including two known as Integrales, one owned by farmer Colin Dolphin and the other by a visiting hand called Mike. Another one known as a Beta Cabriolet was also witnessed.

There were other younger and bigger beasts lying around in the yard – some were known as Masers and some as Alfas – some looked as if they had been fed on steroids and might not last for long if left out in the open. Their keepers were close by and looked very anxious and protective of their valuable charges. A very pretty little Fiat 850 coupe looked almost out of place among all that brawn.

Sadly, I had to leave at 8:30 to wend my way home along the quiet lanes and to ruminate on what is likely to be the last such gathering for me this year.

Colin      

I know Martin will groan, but how much better it would be with some decent lighting, then I might be tempted to do the 60 mile round trip again, love the Ace ( remembered from my motorcycling days of my youth when I lived 3 miles away) but can't understand why they don't change the abysmal lighting, considering how many groups meet there.
Brian
8227 8)

Brian,

The trouble is that if they improve the lighting it would reveal what a ghastly place it really is and, Lancia cars and folk excluded, just how gruesome are the cars and their owners!

And I too have memories of going there in the 1950s usually on the back of a 350cc Gold Star, rich with the aroma of Castrol R. The bikers end of the car park captures something of this, but not the rest.

Colin

Gents,

Firstly huge apologies for not making it last night, crisis at office so still working at 9pm.

Brian/Colin, you're right, the artificial light isn't perfect but during the summer months there is daylight to look at all the cars. That's partly why I suggested we ease off the 'official' LMC meets during the winter although of course Italian night at the Ace continues for those who wish. When it gets darker, go inside and have a drink and/or a bite to eat, I know it's not fine dining at the Ace but it's still a good venue.

(As an aside, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a Town Planning or Highways issue relating to external light levels in a location like this).

I don't really get this obsession with the lighting and being outside in the dark, I've been going to various LMC meets for 6 years and only once have we stood around in the car park and looked at the cars (and that was when the Alfa boys were there and they seemed to initiate being outside). 

Normally it's everyone inside no matter what cars people have brought. I've always thought it odd that as a car club people don't seem to spend much/any time looking at the cars !!!

Anyway, if anybody's got a better idea ? ...............

And anyone who's reading this thread who hasn't been to the Ace, please come along, it's not as bad as you might think from these comments. There are a reasonable number of people who happily attend regularly.

Martin.

Martin,

I am sorry to be negative, but as you know I have never been a fan of the Ace. When the idea of using it as a north London LMC venue I had my doubts and gave a preference for a pub alternative. The pub I suggested then was The White Horse at Shenley/ Radlett, which is just within the M25 boundary.

I have been to quite a few of the Ace meetings, but can’t remember it attracting more than about five LMC members and their cars, which is much less than the real potential for such a wide area. I think the Surrey meetings that I have also been to usually attract ten or more and I think we should do equally as good.

I doubt I would be a more frequent attendee than I have been at the Ace, but for next year can I float the idea of The White Horse for either an evening gathering, or a Sunday lunch-time meeting?

The White Horse is an OK pub and a restaurant too – it has a large car park and is used to hosting car club gatherings – the VSCC have monthly meetings there.

See their website: http://www.whitehorseradlett.co.uk/  . Postcode is WD7 9ER.

It could be worth a try.

Colin

Colin,
That would be better for me as it's closer, with the added advantage that I don't have to go right to the end of the M1, and then around the North Circular, so I'd be more likely to get there.


Brian
8227 8)

Colin,

Good idea, I would try to get along to the White Horse when I could. It would be closer to me than any of the other 3 meets I regularly attend so easier from that perspective although fitting in a fourth meet would not be easy.
Sunday lunch would probably be better especially during the winter. When would you plan to organise the first one ?

As for it being a replacement for the Ace, well it's the 'London' region not 'North London' and your pub is in Herts, (a Watford postcode). Even if the M25 defined the London boundary (and I don't think it does) I believe we need to be further into London to be fair and appeal to London Lancisti residents/workers.

When Mark and I resurrected the London region we particularly chose Italian night at the Ace to get away from the "3 blokes in an empty pub" scenario. At least there are other Italian cars, people and Italian things going on, I've already met 2 non-LMC Lancisti who attend regularly because it's Italian night so they wouldn't have been at a pub based LMC meeting.

There are a few people who regularly attend and enjoy the mix that the Ace provides, numbers vary between 3 or 4 up to maybe 7 or 8 sometimes so come on guys, please don't let this thread become an Ace bashing one, we're trying to build it up not put people off because it may not particularly be your cup of tea.

Martin Dowling.

Martin,

Thanks for your words of support for the idea of the White Horse as a venue. I too think that Sunday lunch might be a preferred option.

I had quite forgotten that the Ace was supposed to be a venue for all London. I guess I might have been influenced to think it was ‘north’ if only because my impression is that the only member I have met there who actually came from south of the A 406 (other than me) is Mark, and I guess he is barely a mile or so south of it.

I looked back at my earlier posts on the Ace and I see that at first I was very positive about it (partly to encourage others), but it seems to me not to have lived up to expectations. I think the numbers you quote are derisory, but are perhaps indicative of a club that has lost its charm for local meetings. Such meetings were once the focal point for LMC members.

It would be great if there were a more central venue to attract all-London members. Ally Pally once did this about 12 years ago when maybe 30 members and cars used to attend. Sadly, this venue is no longer an option and I can’t think of a practical alternative more centrally.

At least the White Horse on a Sunday lunchtime might be attractive to north Londoners and others within a ten mile radius. You ask: “When would you plan to organise the first one?” Well, I don’t think it takes much by way of organising – let me contact the pub and find out which Sunday might be OK for them. Then, in say April next year it can be announced on the Forum and in VL! as an additional option to the Ace. It would be up to members to turn up, as they used to and it might just work.

Colin

We still enjoy our local meeting here in the Vale of Evesham.

Hi could I make a suggestions.
We have a fabulous old style Italian restaurant in Uxbridge why not meet once a month for lunch it has a huge car park cheap great food and is a lot nicer. The owner is big into cars too.

Hello All,

A reminder that this Thursday 11th is the Italian Night at the Ace again.

This is probably the last "official" LMC London meet until the spring , although of course Italian Night continues every month so no reason why people can't continue to meet up anyway.

Christo, good to hear from you, perhaps we could discuss your suggestion with the (frequent) regulars, can you make it this week?

Cheers,

Martin.

I should be there about 7:00-ish...  :D

Hello Theo,
I should be there around 7pm too, we seem to have quite a crowd coming.

Martin.

Do post up photos guys.........:)


P

It'll probably be too dark to take photos .....  ;D ;D

......candles....Thotos..........;)


P

I think the Health & Safety officers will be upon us with the amount of candles we'll need  ;D Maybe I can still get some 3200 ASA Colour film for my old 35mm camera....  ;D ;D

modern digitals have an excellent night setting (must be 64000 iso!!)

My digi is obviously not modern and will only do 400 ASA  :-[
I'm obviously not modern either as I still talk of ASA and not ISO  ;D ;D ;D

Sorry to say I am indisposed. So, even if there is a remarkable display of the Northern Lights to illuminate the Ace, my Zagato and I will not be there.  But I hope the expected good turn out is there, and I look forward to reading about it.

Martin’s reminder included the idea that Christo’s suggestion of an Uxbridge venue could be discussed with “the (frequent) regulars”. I would like to think that I am in that category, so let me comment here.

I like Christo’s idea of a fabulous old-style Italian restaurant, which sounds great, but I worry that making it a lunch gathering, it might also make it too formal in the sense that it would probably have to be a commitment to a meal, rather than the informality of just turning up. My own preference as an alternative to the Ace would be a pub-type gathering such as I have already outlined, where folk can just turn up or not whatever their inclination on the day. As promised I will put up another post in the Spring about the White Horse at Shenley.

Perhaps Christo’s place would be a good venue for a pre-Christmas lunch.

I hope the meeting goes well.

Colin

Sorry guys, having managed to get on the wrong train and got home late amidst an absolute downpour, I decided to stay home in the warm and dry instead. 

Hi guys just saw the not on post been busy working on 3 cars a and a few other projects
I won't mind organising a Christmas meal or getting involved.
Who do I need to phone or contact. Won't mind organising some event for next year for west London group plenty to see and do and I don't like to formal but a good social be fun.
I think one has to have a date in diary to make it a nice event I keep forgetting about ace as no reminder but then no excuse as I have a modern phone, but  to look forward to an event makes it feel  more special for me and a nice old style Italian lunch and classic cars is close to
My hart .