Articles submitted by our members

A Tale of Two Alfas – By Don Gilkes.
It all began in 1997 when my son Oliver was 14 and his first girlfriend had jilted him. Feeling sorry for him I went into [read more…]

Southern Alfa Day 19th Sept 2020.
Southern Alfa Day, well what an event! It was carefully inserted between an easing of lockdown, risk aversion and the upcoming second wave of COVID-19. [read more…]

Historics on The Hill Lydden 13th September 2020.
Sometimes the best decisions are those that are made quickly. Whilst we were easing out of lockdown between the first and second waves of the [read more…]

Bonnets & Wings 6th Sept 2020.
We have covered and attended the Bonnets and Wings Show before in the following articles: https://www.arockes.org.uk/bonnets-wings-1st-sept-2019/and https://www.arockes.org.uk/bonnets-and-wings-show-at-the-battle-of-britain-memorial-2-sept-2018/ . Both of these articles cover the location [read more…]

Grand Old Timer Rally – 31st Aug 2020.
The Grand Old Timer Rally is one of those late season gatherings that we all try to get to as Michael Stainer, the organiser and [read more…]

Sandwich almost goes Italian. 30th Aug 2020.
Last year at “Sandwich Goes Italian” the event was literally “rammed!” with events, Italian vehicles of every description, Italian food stalls, wine, Italian restaurants, fantastic [read more…]

Historic Masters 23rd August 2020
I must have to admit that I’d had a bit of a “Mare” of a week in between Festival Italia and the Historic Masters a [read more…]

Festival Italia 16th Aug 2020.
It was a bit touch and go whether Festival Italia would go ahead at Brands Hatch this year and as it turned out was a [read more…]

Hever Castle 1st Aug 2020.
Never in my life have I lived and worked through a pandemic. I have read about them and taken in the horror that was the [read more…]

COVID-19 Fish and Chip Run 28th June 2020.
Pevensey Bay lies both behind and on a vast shingle beach that stretches as far as the eye can see in either direction. Although the [read more…]

COVID-19 Picnic 13th June 2020
In January and February most years most car enthusiasts will book up and pay for the upcoming year’s shows and events. This year as usual [read more…]

Covid-19 update. 17th March 2020.
Covid-19 update. 17th March 2020. Hi All, So far early into this epidemic I urge you to check regularly on this website and on our [read more…]

AROCKES AGM – Thursday 27th Feb 2020 at The Moat, Wrotham.
A record turn out this year with about 10% of the section attending and that made for 26-30 people. It was good to see you [read more…]

Classic Alfa Autumn Surprise.
Castle Combe Circuit – 5th October 2019 – By Graham Duplock. Many members who show their cars through the summer will know I have our [read more…]

Pistons & Paws 15th Sept 2019.
Tenterden Pistons & Paws 15th Sept 2019. I don’t know what it is but September seems to bring every Spitfire that can fly out to [read more…]

Kent’s Classic Car Show, Aylesford Priory 8th Sept 2019.
There are two things in September that give end-of-season character to a classic car show and that is early morning long shadows and intense sunshine [read more…]

Drive Out Day 3rd Sept 2019.
Drive out events are really quite popular as there is the chance to meet up, socialise and do some driving along scenic routes to a [read more…]

Bonnets & Wings 1st Sept 2019.
The Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne is a spectacular location in sunny weather. Even when the mist is swirling around the base of the [read more…]

Grand Old Timer Rally 26th Aug 2019.
No show season in the South East would be complete without attendance at one of the best later shows in the classic car show series, [read more…]

Sandwich Goes Italian 25th Aug 2019
Well what a sensory experience this event was with the Italian markets, local niche shops and the AROCKES car display. I have never been to [read more…]

Festival Italia 18th Aug 2019.
Festival Italia has been a firm favourite of AROCKES for the last four years since the events conception and regularly MSV has granted fifty free [read more…]

Rye Country Show 17th Aug 2019.
The Rye Country show, in East Sussex, has always been a good favourite of AROCKES for the last four or so years. This is a [read more…]

Herne Bay Car Show 11th Aug 2019.
Herne Bay Classic Music and Motors is the last in the summer series by Chris West who has really put on a number of spectacular [read more…]

Nürburgring 9-11 Aug 2019.
By John Third. The modern Grand Prix circuit at the ‘ring is a genuine track for enthusiasts and spectators. This is not an airfield with [read more…]

Whitstable Classic Music and Motors July 14th 2019.
One of the most popular car shows in the South East has got to be the Whitstable edition of the Classic Music and Motors Season [read more…]

Dover Transport Museum Classic Car show 7th July 2019
Well this weekend saw me dispatched to The Dover Transport Museum Classic Car Show and in effect this was a recce for one of next [read more…]


40th Wrotham Steam & Transport Rally 30th June 2019
The closest I have ever been to this event is passing the site whenever AROCKES visits Brands Hatch. There are often other events there and [read more…]

Tonbridge Classic Music and Motors 23rd June 2019 Report.
Well temperatures are up but the weather was all over the place. This weekend saw a Met Office severe weather warning for 30 mm of [read more…]

Crystal Palace Sprint Meet Report 2019
I have never been to Crystal Palace before despite having lived in London for many years, so was quite keen to attend AROCKES outing to [read more…]

Brands Hatch Historic Masters 26th May 2019 Report.
The Historic Masters has come round again without it feeling particularly summery and despite not needing thermals it was a bit chilly, unlike the BTCC [read more…]

Leeds Castle, 12th May “Motors by The Moat” Report 2019.
Leeds Castle “Motors by The Moat” Report 2019. Leeds last year was good, Leeds Castle in 2019 was even better with even more classic vehicles [read more…]

Magnificent Motors Eastbourne – May 5th 2019
Well this year certainly started off early in the season with the first event being the Arras show on the 17th of March 2019 in [read more…]

Doug Hodson Memorial Rally – Sunday 28th April 2019
Well the 2019 season has really kicked off with a vengeance as we have already had the BTCC opener on the 7th of April 2019, [read more…]

Duetto Spider 1968 & The “Exposition D’automabiles et Motors Anciennes.”
Every year Daniel Guerin the Chairman of R.A.V.E.R.A ( literally translated as – Rally of the Lover of Old Vehicles of the Artois Region) writes [read more…]

Three weeks three circuits – Part 3 – Zandvoort
As a frequent adventurer on trips to Europe with an Alfa Romeo I know it can be difficult to generate much enthusiasm for the roads [read more…]

Bonnets and wings Show at the Battle of Britain Memorial – 2 Sept 2018
I have never been to the Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-Le-Ferne but I had known about this Classic car show since the beginning of [read more…]

Three weeks three circuits – Part 2 – Brands Hatch
After the drama of Nürburgring I drove the GTV6 back across Belgium and France, collecting more cases of wine, and spending some time in the [read more…]

Three weeks three circuits – Part 1 – The Ring
The first event was a trip to the Oldtimer at Nürburgring from 8th to 14th August and for me this was somewhere new because, although [read more…]

Deal – Classic Music and Motors Report 26th May 2018
English weather being what it is, even with the uncertainties of global warming; can be quite a bit of a surprise. Mix that in with [read more…]

Quex Park Recce Sunday – 6th May 2018
Having lived in Kent now for the best part of 34 years, it is not often, having raised a family here, that there are places [read more…]

Passo del Stelvio and Lake Como
Contributed by John Third Early on a Saturday morning in June the 4C was fired up and headed down the M20 bound for the Folkstone [read more…]

Nino Vaccarella
Contributed by Mark Fuller My admiration for Tazio Nuvolari is no secret amongst my friends. However, no true admirer of great driving could overlook the [read more…]

Tazio Nuvolari
Contributed by by Mark Fuller Most of us have a hero. For many of us the subject of our adoration is usually fixed as a child, [read more…]

How cool is that?
Contributed by John Third There comes a time in a motoring lifetime when the adrenalin rushes have diminished, when an arm chair feels too comfortable [read more…]

A drive in the country
Contributed by Tim Mountford Sunday morning and it’s early. Cold and early. An incredibly muddy field dotted with sheep set in a valley between rolling [read more…]

Alfa Reminiscences
Contributed by Doug Hodson It’s never happened to me before. You know, the moment when someone sidles up to you to say “ I used [read more…]