September 2012

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We would encourage everyone to become a POCA member, if you aren't already a member. Your membership in the national club helps fund your local chapter. You can download a membership application at http://www.poca.com/ Please help our club grow.

Capitol Panteras Foothill Drive & Tour

Saturday, September 29th

We'll meet in Galt (Highways 99 & 104) at the coffee shop in the Raley's shopping center between 10:00 & 10:30 AM.

We'll drive backcountry roads for 1 1/2 to 2 hrs to Mitch Alba's Gold Country Auto Restoration, in Martell,

for a tour of his new facility (gcrestore@mac.com). Following lunch we'll head home about 2:00.

Alba wants a head count, so contact Don at rpdsgt31@aol.com 209 223 2925

Please check out the following link. This is not a "garage" shop! http://goldcountryautorestoration.net

At the meeting several members signed up for this event: Mike & Nancy, Jim & Emilia and their visitor, and John Worsley. If your club car is not operational, remember that you can drive your daily driver; you just need to stay at the back of the pack. Lets all try to join in the fun! Please contact Don ASAP if you plan to attend. Don's email rpdsgt31@aol.com

Lori's Engagement Ring

August 14, 2012

by Mike Drew

Hi guys,

For ages, people have been bugging us about the fact that Lori didn't have an engagement ring, and we've been promising that it would be forthcoming. That's because it was a custom design, one that took many months to design and construct. Drawings and even a prototype sample criss-crossed the Atlantic before a final design was agreed to and implemented.

Well, on Saturday, we hopped on an airplane and flew to New York City. Our ring was ready, and its maker flew from Belgium to New York to hand-deliver it to us! We met him Sunday morning, he presented it me and I in turn presented it to Lori, and then we joined his wife and son for a day spent touring the city (Central Park, Empire State Building, FAO Schwartz, Apple store etc.) and then we flew back home today.

The ring's Big Reveal will be at Concorso Italiano on Friday, but I wanted to give our Sactobuddies a sneak peek. The ring consists of a 2.35 carat sapphire surrounded by 60 diamonds, in a setting of a white gold alloy with a bit of unobtanium added for strength. If you look really hard you may pick up on a bit of a theme...:>)

Cheers!

Mike

Lori was wearing the ring at the September CP meeting and the photo does not do it justice!

Summary of the September 2012 Capitol Panteras Meeting

The September meeting had two club cars in the parking lot, so there was a drawing for "Driving for Gas Money". John McNamee and John Worsley were in the running with the Bricklin winning. Attending this month's meeting were; Jim & Emilia Seiferling, Mike & Nancy Haney, John McNamee, John Worsley, Lori Albino, and Mike Drew. Last month there had been a mix-up with our Club reservation, but everything was fine this month.

Treasurer John reported that the Club is solvent. The current balance is ~$1480. John related some problems with the Club account since it has the old club name, "Terra di Oro", on it and not the current "Capitol Panteras". He is working to resolve this situation.

John Worsley reported that the Brunch at the Grand Island Mansion is a go for October. He will confirm the date and exact times with the manager this month. It is set for Sunday, October 28. John said that they have told him that parking will be reserved in the front of the Mansion for our Club cars. Details will be announced at the October meeting and also sent out by a separate e-mail. If you have not attended prior brunches at the Grand Island Mansion, this is a class act in a beautiful setting in the Delta. Please mark your calendar to save the date.

The group was reminded that officer elections are set for the October 2012 meeting. Treasurer John has agreed to continue as treasurer. Jim & Emilia will continue on as Newsletter Editors. We all assumed the Ken Montgomery would continue as club Web-Master. (Ken had a bad knee and was unable to attend the meeting. We hope he gets well quickly). There was a lot of discussion about the office of President. All of the remaining persons present declined to have their names placed in consideration for club president. It was decided to place the names of all members, not in attendance, on the ballot. In alphabetical order (so as to not give any election advantage) : Paul Bowden, Jeff Budelli, Rick Carlile, Garry & Sue Choate, Lamar Fairchild, Ken Forsyth, Don & Dan Gagnon, Duane Harlan, Henry Kirk, Bruce Maddox, Carl Stein, Ken Whittall-Scherfee. These members represent the paid POCA members. It was discussed that one of "the perks of office" could be club payment of POCA dues for the President for a year, if necessary. There was a very long discussion of items that might entice a person or couple to serve in the office. These items: clothing allowance, personal driver, press secretary, corporate jet, free cell phone, priority seating, reserved parking space and much, much more. Then after some consideration, it was decided that this might be considered "bait & switch" or some other type of misrepresentation of the office benefits. There will be ballots for the election at the October Capital Pantera meeting. If your name was inadvertently omitted from the list of presidential nominees, there can be nominations from the floor prior to the voting. This should give adequate time for each person to develop their election strategies, write their acceptance speech, and to discreetly send any bribes to the potential voters. If anyone would like to serve as the Capitol Panteras next President, volunteers will be given preferential treatment in the election process. We have been presidents since 2002 and it's time to "elect" a new régime.

Remember to arrive at the meeting early and do not leave the table until after the votes have been counted!

It will be exactly 10 years, this October, since Jim & I were given the opportunity to serve as co-presidents of Capitol Panteras. We were members for about two years when it became our turn to step up. It has been a good time for us. It has also been a lot of miles as well, about 11,000 miles, just to get to the monthly club meetings! Heaven only knows how many more miles if all the car events, drives and lunch outing were to be included. We have met many great people due to the fact that we drive a Pantera. Just because we will no longer be president, doesn't mean we will disappear. We were beginning to "burn out" on Pantera stuff. So, not wanting to totally extinguish the flame, we need to step down. We hope the next club leader will enjoy it as much as we have. Lets all get out and drive our Panteras!

"The Motoring Mouth"

High lights of some of the conversations at the September 2012 CP meeting

Ken is recovering from a bum knee somehow acquired at "Burning Man". We all hope Ken feels better fast.

Nancy now has the power steering package installed in her Pantera, thanks to Mike efforts. She is happy with the results.

John Worsley brought a number of old CP newsletters that he found when clearing out his garage. Jim will be reviewing them and perhaps use some excerpts in future CP newsletters.

Mike Drew will be addressing three flat tires on Lori's Pantera. Since the tires are relatively new, he thinks it is most likely just a valve stem problem.

Emilia is at 16 weeks and still counting until she takes delivery of her Fiat 500 Abarth. Originally the time quote was 4 to 8 weeks. It seems that time moves differently for Fiat. She would love to be able to drive the Fiat on the Mother Lode drive since we need a "larger car" for that drive.

Lori was wearing her engagement ring on the wrong finger. It seem that the ring needs to be sized to fit her ring finger. They are looking for a trustworthy jeweler to do the job.

Jim is in the middle of a repair job on the white Pantera. The voltage regulator needed replacing and the miss wiring needed to be corrected. While in there, he'll add shutoff valves in the heater hoses and install a custom main pulley, that will speed up both the water pump and the alternator. He plans on being road worthy for the Mother Lode drive on September 29. We will have a visitor that week, so we may need to take a larger car on that drive. We will have our 1982 Australian exchange student, Karl, visiting us. He will be in Rio Vista, from Melbourne, for his 30-year high school class reunion.

Wanted: Articles for CP Newsletter

If you have attended a car function of any type, please write about your car adventures and send it to jes@riverdeltawireless.com to be included in the next Capitol Pantera newsletter. If newsletter articles are not received, then it will be more of Jim & Emilia's automotive adventures or "The Motoring Mouth".

2012 EVENTS CALENDAR

Capitol Panteras Events in Red

Capitol Panteras member, Rick Carlile, will be racing his TVR in the CSRG Series. http://www.csrgracing.org/

Aug 11 - Oct 28 "Bust! The Cars that History Left Behind" @ The California Automobile Museum

Sept 15 Italy on Wheels at Murer House in Folsom

Sept 15 "24 hour of Lemons" at Thunder Hill - Lori will be driving in the event

Sept 23 EuroSunday, Sacramento @ Folsom

Sept 29 Mother Lode Drive with Lunch and Shop Tour - Chairmen; Don & Kathy Gagnon

Please see the full notice at beginning of newsletter. This is a Saturday event.

Oct 5-7 CSRG Vintage Races @ Infineon - Rick should be racing the TVR

Oct 7 Italian Car Show, Alameda. This is a Sunday event.

A benefit for Special Olympics. No entry fee for exhibitors.

Oct9 Capitol Panteras meeting at Mimi's

(Elections of club officers)

Oct 20-21 Fall Classic, open track at Thunderhill. Shelby Club.

Oct Car Show, Mustangs Plus, Stockton.

Oct 28 Sunday Brunch at the Grand Island Manson-Chairman, John Worsley

Oct 28 EuroSunday, Sacramento @ ?

Nov 2-4 CSRG Vintage Races @ Thunderhill

Nov 13 Capitol Panteras meeting at Mimi's

Nov 25 Euro Sunday, Sacramento @ ?

Dec 1 Capitol Panteras Christmas Party at the home of Paul Bowden, in West Sacramento.

Dec 7 PCNC Christmas Party

Please keep us informed of other dates and activities.

Jim & Emilia Seiferling
Co-Presidents, Capitol Panteras
http://www.capitolpanteras.org
jes@riverdeltawireless.com
#1575 [JHSTBAD]
#7114 [JIMS CAT]
WB6BET-Jim

KI6YYT-Emilia
Life goal: To be the person my dog thinks I am.

"You're never too old to do goofy stuff."
~Ward Cleaver