Chesapeake Region Meet and Greet with John Palma
Sometimes things just fall into place like this red, white, and blue Corniche photo. Red - Ginger Garbarini's 1984 Corniche (DAE-08826) Mulliner, Park Ward dhc. White - Mike and Sherry Brown's 2001 Corniche (KA1-68547) Mulliner, Park Ward dhc. Blue - Andy Diem's 1986 Corniche II (DAG-13815) Mulliner, Park Ward dhc. Photos by Andy Diem
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n Sunday morning, April 12th, the Chesapeake Region of the RROC hosted RROC board member and technical consultant John Palma and his wife Mary at the Argyle Country Club in Silver Spring, Maryland for a club brunch to hear a broad-ranging Modern Car presentation by John and for a Q&A session. John is a co-owner of Palma Automotive, Inc, in Audubon, N.J. maintenance where he specializes in the maintenance, repair and restoration of Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars. He is one of the Club’s Modern Car experts. Nearly 40 Chesapeake Region members were on hand to greet, meet, eat and chat with John. Along with them were about one dozen spectacular RR/ Bs on display on a stunningly-beautiful spring day. Among those attending were Chesapeake Region elected board members John Beschenbossel (chairman) and his wife Jeane, Bill (treasurer) and Brenda (secretary) Morstein, Eric Jankowiak (membership), and members Mike, Sherry and David Brown, Tom Burch, Akin Davis, Andy Diem, Gary and Sandy Elder, Ginger Garbarini, Julian and Sherry Gitlin, Andrew Holbrook, Brad Johnson, Richard and Dara Koller, Brian and Helene Leimbach, Brian O'Connell, Paul and Brenda Pascal with grandson Noah, Steve Rose and Sandi McGee, Rod Rydlun, Peter Schwartz, Ted Sterne, and Tony Wilner. Joining us from Williamsport, PA from the Keystone Region were Eiderson Dean and a friend.
During his presentation, John discussed Modern Car battery types (acid and gel-core) used for engine starting and to power accessories, parasitic draw on the accessory battery, and the critical need for owners of Modern Cars to utilize trickle chargers to maintain battery charge while cars are not in regular use. He described various gremlins that can appear in cars with weak batteries so that members will recognize some of the possible signs that they may be failing. He pointed out that a fully discharged battery may never regain its full power if allowed to repeatedly discharge. And he discussed the need to properly put to sleep a Modern Car after use to minimize parasitic draw, extend battery life, and limit one’s need for calls or trips to the repair shop.
John Beschenbossel, Richard Koller, and John Palma at Argyle Country Club. The Chesapeake Lady
May/June/July 2015
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