Great trip to Rio Grande Valley Regional Rendezvous Sept. 22-25. I caravaned
with a MGBGT and Midget from Tucson to Farmington NM. We dropped the Midget
off at a car show at Show Low, and then started making some real time. We were
on back roads almost all the way, and the new overdrive on the Alpine sure made
a difference. The BGT also had OD, and we were cruising at 85 on I-40. Lots
of nice scenery and twisty roads, and we made the 530 mi. trip in about 10 hrs.
I went thru 3 thunderstorms with top down and tonneau. Most of the rain blew
by the windscreen, and the rest dried quickly. Even so, the guys in the coupe
nicknamed me the "rainman".
The event was great, and the British Automobile Owners Association of New
Mexico knows how to put on a rendezvous. This was their 15th. We took the
pre-event tour to Mesa Verde NM, and had a great time with 20 LBCs strung out
along the mountain highway. Good fall color, and interesting cliff dwellings.
I was keeping up with the TR-3s and MGBs pretty well, and the Alpine was
running great.
Sat. was a show 'n shine, and I took 2nd place out of 4 Sunbeams present (2As
2Ts). Not bad for a 15 year-old restoration. A rally, a funkana, a drive
and, and a banquet made up the rest of the program. The chance to be with old
friends was priceless. The trip back was smooth, scenic, and uneventful. I
averaged about 23 mpg. over about 1,400 mi. (one of the Tigers got 12 mpg.)
One of the guys traveling with us said "I love your car", and he's an MG guy.
I strongly recommend taking your Alpine to Britcar club events. It's a great
way to show the marque, and there is a lot of interest in our cars.
Rex Funk
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