1 The Texas Star

The North Texas Section

Christmas Party was

held at Heritage Ranch

Golf and Country Club. It

was decorated in

beautiful holiday cheer

and the food was

delicious. Our President

of MBCA, Terry Kiwala

was a special guest,

Gene Jurick our

Regional Director was

also a part of our

event. Brett Jurick, our

Section President,

presented Ron Seifert

with the 2014 Member of

the Year Award.

We had some very

special entertainment

besides the wonderful

music played by our

favorite DJ, Pete. Our

very own thespian,

Gayle Brewer, recited

the poem, A Cajun’s

Night Before Christmas,

using the Cajun

vernacular, and another

poem by Ogden Nash

called the Boy Who

Laughed at Santa

Claus. They were both

perfectly portrayed.

Gayle is always a

wonderful part of our

section events. Gayle

inspired another

entertainer, Suzi Checki,

to do a solo song, Santa

Baby. Everyone enjoyed

both performances.

The night was sprinkled

with the raffle of 20

gifts. The evening was

an event with great food,

good entertainment, and

neat gifts from the raffle

and great music for

dancing. Thanks to

Karen and Mic

Macmanus and all of

their Section helpers

who made the evening

possible. Thanks to

Terry for making the trip

from Chicago to attend

our party.

North Texas Section Christmas Party - 12/20/2014

Mercedes-Benz Club of America — North Texas Section

2015 April / May

The Texas Star

Section Leadership

Brett Jurick, President

Open, Vice President

Gayle Brewer, Secretary

Craig Halvorson, Treasurer

Thomas Lovell, Membership

Brett Jurick, Newsletter, Webmaster

Ken Muller, Technical Chairman

Ron Seifert, Events Chairman

Thomas Charles Mako, Ex-Officio

Maurice Nahas, Board Member

Gene Jurick, Regional Director

Ramzi Baransi, Park Place

Motorcars Liaison

Larry Reeg, Mercedes Benz of Pla-

no Liaison

Inside this issue:

North Texas Section Christmas Party

1

President’s Message / Welcome

3

Upcoming Events 4

Star Tech 2015 5

News/ AMG Petronas 6

World Car Awards / Book Reviews

7

New & Renewing Members through March 2015

8

Membership Application 10

Our Sponsors: Mercedes-Benz of Plano 2

Pangea Natural Stone 6

Hagerty 6

Marshall Motors 8

Step By Step Travel 8

Park Place 11

2 The Texas Star

3 The Texas Star

Please check out our new website at

www.ntx.mbca.org. This site is now hosted by the

MBCA National Business Office and is intended to

provide all of the information you are accustomed to

from the North Texas Section plus everything that is

available nationally. With all of the great events

coming up, I hope to see every one of our 950+

members at an upcoming event. Please say hi if you

are new or not a regular attender. We will do our very

best to make you feel at home.

If we do not have your email address, you are missing

out on the majority of the communications from The

Club. Please go to www.mbca.org, log in and update

your info to stay in contact with all we have going on.

Brett Jurick

President, North Texas Section

President’s Message

April / May 2015 The Texas Star

Welcome!

The North Texas Section

of the Mercedes-Benz

Club of America (MBCA)

is dedicated to enhancing

the ownership experience

of the finest automobiles

in the world. We engage in

a variety of activities

throughout the year that

hopefully appeal to a

broad section of our

membership.

Currently our membership

totals over 940 members

who are committed to

furthering their experience

and enjoyment of their

cars. Whether you’re a

gear head, performance

driver, rally enthusiast,

cultural maven or social

mingler, the MBCA North

Texas Section had an

upcoming event for you.

Check out the Events

section to see what’s

coming up during the

year, and for details on

events that are just over

the horizon.

I hope you had a great holiday

season and are off to a good

start in 2015. I am so happy for

the weather warm up we have

seen recently. This year has

started out great for The Club

and Mercedes Benz as well.

New cars like the GLA, the

upcoming GLE Coupe and of

course the awesome new AMG

GT. There is lots to love. We

have a great year planned for

the North Texas Section. We

strive to make your experience

enjoyable. WE have great times

coming up this year including

driving, technical and social events. I think there is

something for everyone.

Check out where the

competition is and where

we are! Mercedes Benz is

taking the luxury car

market by storm!

Wonder How We Are Doing?

US LUXURY BRAND SALES

BrandJan/Feb/March

2015

Mercedes-Benz 83,715

BMW 78,492

Lexus 77,180

Cadillac 37,175

Audi 40,098

Lincoln 21,478

4 The Texas Star

The Tenth Annual Texas

Mercedes-Benz Owners' Get

Together will be held

Saturday, May 23, 2015 in

Centerville, TX. This event is

open to all who wish to

come, whether you're a

MBCA member, or not.

Join us for a delicious BBQ

lunch at Woody's

Smokehouse on the northbound side of I-45,

followed by a show and

shine at Fort Boggy State

Park, just 4 miles south of

Centerville.

Caravans will leave from

Houston, DFW, and the Austin area on the morning

of the event. For more info,

please contact Joseph Middleton at 713-487-8197,

or texasbenzmeet13 @gmail.com.

North Texas Section signups

- Please e-mail Ron Seifert at rseifert@grandecom.net by May 20th if you are going to attend.

Upcoming Events —Here’s what’s happening!

Tenth Annual Mercedes Benz Owners Get Together – May 23, 2015 - Centerville, TX

April / May 2015 The Texas Star

Mercedes Benz USA is moving to Atlanta!

MBUSA, which is currently

headquartered in Montvale,

New Jersey, will construct a

new, state-of-the-art

headquarters facility on a

greenfield site located at the

corner of Abernathy and

Barfield roads in Sandy

Springs, expected to be

completed in early 2018.

Set near the intersection of

Georgia 400 and Interstate

285, the approximately 12-

acre parcel rests in one of

Atlanta's largest and most

sought-after commercial

districts, offering numerous

hotel, retail and restaurant

options with easy access to

public transit and

Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta

International Airport.

"Mercedes-Benz USA's

planned headquarters

Directions:

From DFW Metroplex

Love's Truck Stop

2500 S I-45 (Exit 272, Fulghum Rd. Exit)

Hutchins, TX 75141

Assemble at 9:45am, depart at 10:15am

location in Sandy Springs is great for the city,

metro Atlanta and for the entire state of

Georgia," said Governor Deal. "I want to thank

Mercedes-Benz USA and its leadership team

for its decision to call Georgia home."

As part of the relocation, the automaker plans

to hire hundreds of new employees from the

Atlanta area. MBUSA will continue to maintain

several operational business units in both

Montvale and Robbinsville, New Jersey.

Additional details on the new Sandy Springs

facility, as well as MBUSA's Atlanta recruiting

efforts, will be released in the coming weeks.

5 The Texas Star

Welcome to StarTech 2015!

Our wonderful event will take place in Cincinnati, Ohio June 12-14. We look forward to having a fun and

informative National Event with as many of our members as possible. The weekend's events will be centered

around our great host hotel, The DoubleTree by Hilton, Cincinnati Airport. Whether you fly in or drive, this

hotel is very easy to find, has a secure parking lot, and will be the location for the tech sessions and Saturday

Night Soiree.

StarTech 2015 Overall Schedule

Friday

• 2PM- Vendors register and start setting up for the Show and Shine.

• 3PM- StarTech 2015 kick-off with a Show and Shine car show in the hotel parking lot. Registration check-in

opens.

• 7PM- Welcome Party Sponsored by MBUSA at the Mercedes Benz Diamond Club at Great American Ball

park.

Saturday

• 9AM- Technical Session Block 1; check-in for morning off-site events; vendor area opens.

• 12PM- 2-hour lunch break.

• 2PM- Technical Session Block 2; check-in for afternoon off-site events.

• 6PM- Ladies of Mercedes event (still in the works!)

• 7PM- Saturday Night Soiree

Sunday

• 9AM- Onsite events start for those not going to the Ault Park Concours d’Elegance

• 10AM- Ault Park Concours d’Elegance. (Separate tickets must be purchased for this event)

For hotel information: Click Here

To Register:Click Here

To see our speaker lineup: Click Here

Star Tech 2015 – MBCA’s Premier Event for 2015

April / May 2015 The Texas Star

6 The Texas Star

Mercedes-Benz opened 2015 with a record January to take an early lead in the U.S. luxury race, but a surging Lexus is nipping at its heels.

2014’s luxury champ, BMW, finds itself in third place after the first month. Mercedes sales rose 8.9 percent to 24,619 vehicles. The brand’s biggest gainer among models that sold at least 1,000 units was the GL class, which had a 38 percent sales jump. Mercedes sold 1,566 S -class units, good for a 22

percent gain from the year -earlier period."On the heels of recordsales in 2014, a best-everJanuary is the perfect wayto kick off the New Year,"said Stephen Cannon, CEOof Mercedes-Benz USA, ina statement. "Our productoffensive continues in 2015with the launch of theMercedes-Maybach S600, afully redesigned light trucklineup and the hero of ourSuper Bowl spot this year,the Mercedes-AMG GT S.Stay tuned."

Mercedes Takes Early Luxury Lead, Resurgent Lexus Jumps to No. 2

April / May 2015 The Texas Star

Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1

The domination continues.

Whether or not you are a fan

of Formula 1 auto racing the

absolute domination is

nothing short of amazing. In

2014 Mercedes AMG

Petronas driver Michael

Hamilton won the F1

Championship and MB also

won the Constructors Title.

As of this writing, 2 of the 19

Formula 1 races of 2015

have been completed.

Mercedes AMG PETRONAS

has won 1 of those races.

Out of a total of 6 possible

podium positions, a

Mercedes powered car has

captured 4 of the 1-2-3

positions. Currently

Mercedes AMG PETRONAS

(76) is in first position in the

Championship followed by

Ferrari (52), Williams-

Mercedes (30), Sauber-Ferrari

(14) and Toro Rosso-Renault

(12). In the pinnacle of auto

racing Mercedes leads the pack

but is followed closely by

resurgent Ferrari. Lewis

Hamilton leads the way with 43

points with Sabastian Vettel 40

points and Nico Rossberg

follows close behind with 33.

Hamilton and Rosberg both

driving for Factory Mercedes.

With 2 races completed and 17

to go Mercedes is off to a great

start. I am sure many of you do

not follow this sport. I

encourage you to check it out

as I recently did and have

quickly become hooked. You

can even see a race in person

at COTA in Austin the last

weekend in October.

http://www.formula1.com

“...a best-ever January is the perfect

way to kick of the New Year.” -

Stephen Cannon, CEO,

Mercedes-Benz USA

7 The Texas Star

Hattrick for Mercedes-Benz at the "World Car Awards 2015"

April / May 2015 The Texas Star

Auto Engine Performance and

Driveability 4th

edition

Chris Johanson

Goodheart-Willcox, 2015

Hardcover, 528 pages

http://www.amazon.com/Engine-

Performance-Driveability-

Training-Certification/

dp/1619607794/

A very good introduction to the

technology of today’s cars, Auto Engine Performance and

Driveability contains the information technicians need to

pass the A8 section of the ASE testing battery. Each

chapter contains numerous color photographs and

illustrations, and pedagogic features such as objectives,

terms, summary, review questions, and examples of basic

and advanced ASE certification-type questions.

Auto Engine Performance and Driveability is highly

recommended for anyone wanting a thorough, but general,

introduction to the computers, sensors, and actuators

controlling the air, fuel, and ignition systems in modern

engines.

Book Reviews

C-Class is World Car of the Year

Stuttgart/New York - Mercedes-Benz wins three categories in the prestigious "World Car Awards 2015". Christoph Horn, Head of Global Communication Passenger Cars Mercedes-Benz and Rob Moran, Director Mercedes-Benz USA Communications, received the awards on behalf of the brand with the three pointed star at a ceremony held on the occasion of the New York International Auto Show.

Particular success was enjoyed by the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, which won the "World Car of the Year 2015 Award". The S-Class Coupé was voted "World Luxury Car 2015", while the Mercedes-AMG GT sports car picked up the award for "World Performance Car 2015".

Mercedes-Benz was the only automobile manufacturer to make it into the final round of the awards with five vehicles. This commanding performance is unprecedented in the 11-year history of the "World Car of the Year" awards and serves to reflect the tremendous popularity of the Stuttgart-based brand among their customers. The international jury for these prestigious awards is made up of 75 renowned automotive journalists.

Mercedes-Benz has found favour with the jury in previous years too: in 2014 the S-Class won the category "World Luxury Car". In 2012 the S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY was the winner in the category "World Green Car", while the same award was taken back in 2007 by the E 320 BlueTEC.

American Automobile

Advertising, 1930-1980: An

Illustrated History

Heon Stevenson

McFarland, 2008

Hardcover, 294 pages

http://www.mcfarlandbooks.com/

book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-3685-

9

Although Mercedes-Benz is not a

major focus of this book, it does briefly cover Mercedes-

Benz’s early foray into the U.S. market through a

cooperative agreement with Studebaker-Packard beginning

in 1958 (coincidentally, the last model year for Packard

automobiles). Studebaker-Packard sold Mercedes-Benz

models, including the 300SL (an ad is featured on page

225), through the Studebaker-Packard dealer network.

As a long-time auto literature collector, I found this book to

be very well-researched, organized, and written. Well-

illustrated, American Automobile Advertising is highly

recommended for all auto enthusiasts. It is a very

interesting read and is a substantial contribution to automotive literature.

8 The Texas Star

Ronald Abuda

John Alvarado

David Barrett

Raj Bharagav

Reid Bonner

Jamila Boyle

Sarah Brooke

Will Brooks

Darrell Brown

Jami Brumfield

James D. Caldwell

Jasmun Charlton

Manuel Dominguez

Jim Dupre

Ehsan Elashyi

Regina Finney

Cannon Flowers

Aubry Fogel

Anthony Foreman

Glenn Goodrich

Seralaathan Hari-

haresan

Peter Harrison

Shirley Hawkins

Dirk Hilkmann

James Hogan

James Hooks

Rachid Konate

Freddy Laba

Tyler Lebaron

Ouida Lee

Habib Loriot-Bettaieb

Barbara Lyle

Kevin Mamminga

Katherine Millet

Thomas Mitchell

Eric Nadler

Thuong Nguyen

Emmanuel Ogwo

Clement Osimetha

Alvarene Owens

Ryan Petty

Ann and Tim Pletta

Steve Potaniec

Amanda Price

Carton Quarles

Sridhar Ravilla

Chris Ray

Valarie Redmond Bell

Walter Reynolds

William Robertson

Page 8 April / May 2015 The Texas Star

Welcome New Members!

April / May 2015 The Texas Star

Andrew Schildcrout

Raj Sethi

Althaf Syed

Kim Thomas

Demetria Timmons

Michael Vasko

Pandora W. Dade

Hal Waldman

John Wells

Mark White

James Wiley

9 The Texas Star

April / May 2015 The Texas Star

Many Thanks to Our Renewing Members!

David Alkire

Justin Anderson

Paul Andrew

Tudor Apostolescu

Henry Arraj

Ronald Aspgren

Johnny Bailey

Jackie Battreal

Hal Bird

Izudin Bratanovic

Carolyn Buckenham

Robert Bucker

Robert Burns

Jacovie Burns

Glenda Camp

Joel Carp

Sri Cherukuri

Dominic Chiffolo

Judith Ann Childton

Taj Clayton

Esmeraldo Conanan

Gerardo Conanan

Robert Craft

Debra Digiacomo

Robert Edwards

Dianne Egenes

Jane Fuller

Danny Garner

Regina Glover

Jose Gomez

Rick Hall

Edgar Hall

Martha Harcharik

Jim Harper

Marcia Harris

Belinda Hart

Gary Hayes

Thomas Healy

James Holmes

Leslie Inman

Arthur Janes

David Jasso

Bessie Johnson

Perry Johnson

Steve Jones

Jason Kaar

Rodolfo Kalfayan

John Kestel

Gosby King, Jr.

Clarence Knighten

Peggy Knox

William Kortemeier

Robert Laster

Pg Legg

Changcheng LI

John Logsdon

Daniel Maher

Devincent Martin

Gloria Mays

Richard McCain

Don Mechanic

Marek Nagiel

Mathew Thomas

Carlos Vigil

Keronn Wade

Gordon Wagner

Debra Walker

Richard Watson

Karen Elizabeth Harms

Watts

Charles White

Maurice Nahas

Bouchra Nhairy

Willy Orji

Robert Perkins

Richard Playter

Kojo Pobee

Mike Polosky

David Pope

Rena Price

James Purdy

Charles Pyne

John Razmus

Terry Richards

Hillary Riley

Robert Rodgers

Bertha Rosales

Loyd Rye

Ravi Sattiraju

Howard Schaeffer

Jonathon Sehon

Ronald Seifert

Suzanne Short

Betty Lu Smith

Dustin Smith

William Sodt

Balaji Srinivasan

Eric Steen

Walt Sunday

Brook Taylor

Antonio Taylor

Robert Teeter

10 The Texas Star

April / May 2015 The Texas Star

Mercedes-Benz Club of America Membership Application Please call the National Office at 800-637-2360 to join by phone or go to www.mbca.org/ to

join online.

Full Name ____________________________________________________________________

Associate Member’s Name ______________________________________________________

Street Address ________________________________________________________________

City _____________________________________ State _______ Zip ___________________

Home Phone ( ) ____________________ Business ( ) ____________________

Email address ________________________________________________________________

Member’s Occupation __________________________________________________________

Mercedes Cars Now Owned _____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

(list year(s) and model(s))

I hereby apply for membership in the Mercedes-Benz Club of America.

_______________________________________ Date _______________!

(Signature)

New US Membership Rates

$49.00 for one year

$95.00 for two years

$139.00 for three years

New Canada & Int’l Rates

$59.00 for one year

$116.00 for two years

$169.00 for three years

Annual dues include six issues of “The Star” each year,

plus your local section’s newsletter.

Make your check payable to MBCA, and mail it along with

the application to:

Mercedes-Benz Club of America, Inc.

National Business Office

1907 Lelaray Street

Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Calling All Members...

We’re looking for a Car and Driving events

coordinator to organize Car and Driving events

for the North Texas Section. If you are

interested please contact Brett Jurick at

bjurick@tx.rr.com.

New Ideas Wanted

We’re always looking for new ideas for events,

get-togethers, drives, overnight tours, etc. If

there’s a particular type of event you would like

us to host, let us know. Contact Ron Seifert at

rseifert@grandecom.net.

Help!

11 The Texas Star

12 The Texas Star

Date Event

April 11, 2015 Dinner and Theater Night, Rockwall, TX

April 25, 2015 GermanFest in Muenster and Horton Classic Car Museum

May 9, 2015 MBCA Member Appreciation Picnic

May 16, 2015 DIY Tech Session – Park Place, Grapevine

May 23, 2015 10th

Annual Mercedes Benz Owners Get Together, Centerville, TX

June 6,2015 Monthly Membership Meeting, Central Market, Plano, TX

June 13, 2015 Day Trip to Edom, TX

July 11, 2015 Monthly Membership Meeting, TBD

July 18, 2015 Day at the Ballpark - Frisco Rough Riders

Mercedes–Benz Club of America—North Texas Section April / May 2015

Event dates, times and locations are subject to change. Please check out our

website at http://ntx.mbca.org for the most updated information.

Have you visited our new

website?

www.ntx.mbca.org/ www.facebook.com/mbcantx