Alfa Romeo

For the last 15 years or so, Alfa Romeo has been laboring mightily to achieve mediocrity. Often, the attempts to earn a C didn't work out, as suggested by an assortment of sour citrus that included the Alfetta and the Milano. Recently, the Italian automaker decided to do something about a lemon legend that was beginning to rival its sporting heritage. It set out to build an automobile that exuded quality as well as an exciting image. The result was the 164, which Alfa believes is the most advanced, highest- quality car it has ever built.

A doctor who grew up in Kensington collects what others overlook, displaying his finds in a quirky manner and gaining more notice abroad than at home. Think of Fred Simeone as the Albert Barnes of classic racing cars. On Wednesday, Simeone, 75, of Chestnut Hill, a retired Philadelphia neurosurgeon, will don black tie in London, where his Simeone Foundation Museum is short-listed for an International Historic Motoring Award. A big deal. But there's a good chance you've not visited the Simeone museum, unless you happened to be driving among the gentleman's clubs and rental-car lots in the wastelands off Essington Avenue and followed the placards pointing to the "race car museum.

As Frank Havnoonian walks around the basement of his Drexel Hill home, each frame and sprocket in his scope inspires a new cycling story. "See this frame? This was my first racing frame. I retired it after 20,000 miles before anything could happen to it. "You know what's neat about a wheel spinning? Because of the motion of the wheel, you can balance it with only one hand. " "They have discovered through computers that a relatively smooth tire tread is better for bicycles than the deep treads that are used for car tires.

Patrons and sponsors of the Harcum Junior College 75th Birthday Ball were feted at the Bryn Mawr home of Sandy and Tom Pew last Thursday evening. The Pews and Arthur and Marilyn Klein chaired the sponsor and patron event, which was attended by more than 50 people. Sandy Pew is a 1972 graduate of the school. Elizabeth Schoch of Haverford and Bernard Guth of Andalusia are general chairmen for the ball, which will take place at 7 p.m. on Nov. 30 at the Merion Cricket Club in Haverford.

Howard A. Hanna told an Inquirer reporter in 1961 that he had fallen in love with car racing while still in grammar school. "I've been a racing nut ever since I was 11 years old," he said, "when I got my first Model T Ford. " He didn't say where an 11-year-old was allowed to drive a car - let alone race one - in those less restrictive days of 1930, but it must have been good training. By the time of that 1961 interview, the 42-year-old was in first place in the national championship standings of the Sports Car Club of America.

Baldwin-United Corp., operating under Chapter 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy Act since 1983, said yesterday that it hoped to emerge from the proceedings next week and operate as PHLCorp Inc., with headquarters in Philadelphia. Baldwin-United has had its headquarters in the IVB Building, 1700 Market St., since the spring, when it moved from Cincinnati. The company has been managed under contract by Palmieri Co., an arrangement that is to continue after it emerges from bankruptcy. The one-time financial-services conglomerate said its new structure would focus on S&H trading stamps, motivation services, travel services and life, health and accident insurance through various subsidiaries.

Free-agent pitcher Kevin Millwood reached a preliminary agreement yesterday on a $60 million, five-year contract with Texas, giving the Rangers the legitimate No. 1 starter they have been seeking. Texas can void the fifth year of the deal if Millwood, who pitched a no-hitter for the Phillies in 2003, does not pitch a certain number of innings. Millwood is expected to undergo a physical today in Texas, and the deal likely will be finalized tomorrow. Millwood was 9-11 this year in his only season with the Cleveland Indians.

Saturday Start your engines Classic cars once driven for 24 Hours of Le Mans will be displayed Saturday at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, 6825-31 Norwitch Dr. The race, first held in 1923, is one of the world's best-known endurance racing competitions. Among the cars will be a 1933 Alfa Romeo that once led the race, a 1934 MG K3 Magnette that finished fourth, and a 1936 Aston Martin Le Mans, built specifically for the race. You can see the cars being driven on a three-acre lot at the museum and attend a brief lecture on their historical significance.

After watching "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and thumbing through magazines glorifying high-tech gadgets for grownups, a person gets ideas, ambitions, dreams. No, the old Sears "wishbook" just doesn't work the same old magic. Paging through pictures of bikes and barbells, suits and shoes, no longer whets everyone's passion for the better things in life. Ah, but a trip to the Civic Center this weekend to check out the area's first Toys for Adults consumer products show may bring super-shoppers closer to their objects of desire.

Can it be that America is converting back to the convertible? You may remember that only 11 years ago bold headlines announced that the Era of the Convertible was Over. The Very Last Convertible, the stories reported, had rolled off Cadillac's assembly line. Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Pontiac had stopped making convertibles the year before. American Motors stopped making them 10 years before. Chrysler abandoned the ragtop in 1971; Ford, in 1973. The reason was, simply, lack of demand.

A doctor who grew up in Kensington collects what others overlook, displaying his finds in a quirky manner and gaining more notice abroad than at home. Think of Fred Simeone as the Albert Barnes of classic racing cars. On Wednesday, Simeone, 75, of Chestnut Hill, a retired Philadelphia neurosurgeon, will don black tie in London, where his Simeone Foundation Museum is short-listed for an International Historic Motoring Award. A big deal. But there's a good chance you've not visited the Simeone museum, unless you happened to be driving among the gentleman's clubs and rental-car lots in the wastelands off Essington Avenue and followed the placards pointing to the "race car museum.

Howard A. Hanna told an Inquirer reporter in 1961 that he had fallen in love with car racing while still in grammar school. "I've been a racing nut ever since I was 11 years old," he said, "when I got my first Model T Ford. " He didn't say where an 11-year-old was allowed to drive a car - let alone race one - in those less restrictive days of 1930, but it must have been good training. By the time of that 1961 interview, the 42-year-old was in first place in the national championship standings of the Sports Car Club of America.

Saturday Start your engines Classic cars once driven for 24 Hours of Le Mans will be displayed Saturday at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, 6825-31 Norwitch Dr. The race, first held in 1923, is one of the world's best-known endurance racing competitions. Among the cars will be a 1933 Alfa Romeo that once led the race, a 1934 MG K3 Magnette that finished fourth, and a 1936 Aston Martin Le Mans, built specifically for the race. You can see the cars being driven on a three-acre lot at the museum and attend a brief lecture on their historical significance.

Free-agent pitcher Kevin Millwood reached a preliminary agreement yesterday on a $60 million, five-year contract with Texas, giving the Rangers the legitimate No. 1 starter they have been seeking. Texas can void the fifth year of the deal if Millwood, who pitched a no-hitter for the Phillies in 2003, does not pitch a certain number of innings. Millwood is expected to undergo a physical today in Texas, and the deal likely will be finalized tomorrow. Millwood was 9-11 this year in his only season with the Cleveland Indians.

Patrons and sponsors of the Harcum Junior College 75th Birthday Ball were feted at the Bryn Mawr home of Sandy and Tom Pew last Thursday evening. The Pews and Arthur and Marilyn Klein chaired the sponsor and patron event, which was attended by more than 50 people. Sandy Pew is a 1972 graduate of the school. Elizabeth Schoch of Haverford and Bernard Guth of Andalusia are general chairmen for the ball, which will take place at 7 p.m. on Nov. 30 at the Merion Cricket Club in Haverford.

For the last 15 years or so, Alfa Romeo has been laboring mightily to achieve mediocrity. Often, the attempts to earn a C didn't work out, as suggested by an assortment of sour citrus that included the Alfetta and the Milano. Recently, the Italian automaker decided to do something about a lemon legend that was beginning to rival its sporting heritage. It set out to build an automobile that exuded quality as well as an exciting image. The result was the 164, which Alfa believes is the most advanced, highest- quality car it has ever built.

He hooked his drive into the scraggly rough. His second shot clattered through some overhanging branches. Now, he was a stride inside the 150-yard marker and he was crouched over an 8-iron, really crouched, because he is 6-5 and uses regulation sticks, so his hands are knee-high when he grips the club. The backswing was fluid with the proper pause at the top. Hips turned, head still, a solid clack at impact. The ball soared through the azure sky, high enough for the wind to nudge it. It plopped on the soggy green, pin-high, maybe 25 feet from the flagstick.

Can it be that America is converting back to the convertible? You may remember that only 11 years ago bold headlines announced that the Era of the Convertible was Over. The Very Last Convertible, the stories reported, had rolled off Cadillac's assembly line. Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Pontiac had stopped making convertibles the year before. American Motors stopped making them 10 years before. Chrysler abandoned the ragtop in 1971; Ford, in 1973. The reason was, simply, lack of demand.

As Frank Havnoonian walks around the basement of his Drexel Hill home, each frame and sprocket in his scope inspires a new cycling story. "See this frame? This was my first racing frame. I retired it after 20,000 miles before anything could happen to it. "You know what's neat about a wheel spinning? Because of the motion of the wheel, you can balance it with only one hand. " "They have discovered through computers that a relatively smooth tire tread is better for bicycles than the deep treads that are used for car tires.

After watching "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and thumbing through magazines glorifying high-tech gadgets for grownups, a person gets ideas, ambitions, dreams. No, the old Sears "wishbook" just doesn't work the same old magic. Paging through pictures of bikes and barbells, suits and shoes, no longer whets everyone's passion for the better things in life. Ah, but a trip to the Civic Center this weekend to check out the area's first Toys for Adults consumer products show may bring super-shoppers closer to their objects of desire.