STAR THE MBCA CAROLINAS inside this issue: We’re going green! The main disTribuTion of This neWsleTTer is noW elecTronic. page 1 calendar of evenTs. page 2 hilTon head island concours d’elegance recap. page 4 scam alerT. page 6 the official newsletter of the mercedes benz club of america, carolinas section first Qtr winter 2010 Carolinas Section Changes for the New Year this issue marks the official transition to e-publishing for the carolinas section quar- terly newsletter. for the first time, a majority of our members will receive or view this newsletter in an electronic format. The future is now and the leadership of your club is ready to embrace change. At both the national and the local levels, the Mercedes Benz Club of America is undergoing a facelift. Serving the needs of our current members is our most important goal. One of the ways we plan to do that is by increasing our local membership numbers and bringing better events that attract more members on a regu- lar basis. You may be wondering how our goal can be achieved. First, we are transitioning to a more contemporary look for all club communications. This redesigned newsletter is just one example. We also have a new website, found at our brand new domain, www.mbcacarolinas.org. Current events will be posted regularly, and you’ll find a link there to view this newsletter each quarter. As more and more people are accustomed to reading and receiving information via the internet, the time is right to move our primary communications tool to an electronic format. Second, we’re making it easier to commu- nicate with club officers. We’ve established standard emails, so you can always reach a club leader, regardless of who holds the position at any given time. here’s a handy reference: [email protected][email protected][email protected][email protected][email protected] (general inquiries) Third, we’ve planned new and different types of events for this year. While you’ll still find a few of the old favorites on the calendar, you’ll see a more inclusive strategy that hopefully appeals to a broader range of our member- ship. And, new members (in the club for one year or less) and prospective members may attend events at no charge. (Events that would normally have a charge, such as as rallye.) Your new Green publication
Transcript
S TA RTHE MBCA CAROLINAS
inside this issue:We’re going green! The main disTribuTion of This neWsleTTer is noW elecTronic.page 1
calendar of evenTs.page 2
hilTon head island concours d’elegance recap.page 4
scam alerT.page 6
the official newsletterof the mercedes benz club of america, carolinas section
first Qtr winter 2010
Carolinas SectionChanges for the New Year
this issue marks the official transition to e-publishing for the carolinas section quar-terly newsletter. for the first time, a majority of our members will receive or view this newsletter in an electronic format.
The future is now and the leadership of your club is ready to embrace change. At both the national and the local levels, the Mercedes Benz Club of America is undergoing a facelift.
Serving the needs of our current members is our most important goal. One of the ways we plan to do that is by increasing our local membership numbers and bringing better events that attract more members on a regu-lar basis.
You may be wondering how our goal can be achieved. First, we are transitioning to a more contemporary look for all club
communications. This redesigned newsletter is just one example. We also have a new website, found at our brand new domain, www.mbcacarolinas.org. Current events will be posted regularly, and you’ll find a link there to view this newsletter each quarter.
As more and more people are accustomed to reading and receiving information via the internet, the time is right to move our primary communications tool to an electronic format.
Second, we’re making it easier to commu-nicate with club officers. We’ve established standard emails, so you can always reach
a club leader, regardless of who holds the position at any given time.
Third, we’ve planned new and different types of events for this year. While you’ll still find a few of the old favorites on the calendar, you’ll see a more inclusive strategy that hopefully appeals to a broader range of our member-ship. And, new members (in the club for one year or less) and prospective members may attend events at no charge. (Events that would normally have a charge, such as as rallye.)
Your new
Green publication
Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance: March 12 - 14, Amelia Island, FL. Headquarters hotel: Ritz Carlton, 904-277-1100. Exhibits, auctions, golf. Friday, 3/12: 7th Annual MBCA Officers Dinner, hosted by Southern Stars section, Fireplace Room at the Ritz. Details: [email protected].
Service Clinic: March 27, Hendrick Mercedes Benz of Charlotte, 704-535-6400. Free food, car washes, inspections & diagnoses. Service clinic - meet service techs and vendors. Classic car show & more. Details: www.hendrickmotorsofcharlotte.com.
brinG the loVe of Your life... and don’t forGet Your sPouse!
Valentine’s Weekend: Join us in the Queen city! feb. 12 - 14, charlotte, nc. headquarters hotel: marriott center city charlotte, 100 w. trade st., 704-333-9000.
Friday, 2/12: 5-6:30p, marriott’s savannah red bar 7p, cajun Queen restaurant10p, double door inn
Saturday, 2/13:9a, hendrick mercedes benz11a, drive to downtown davidson5:45p, Valentine’s dinner at cafe siena8p, blumenthal center
there was no shortage of rain or cold for our holiday gathering and annual meeting, held in columbia december 11 - 13, 2009. neither dampened the spirits of the members and it was a great weekend.The Friday evening foray to Riverbanks Zoo and Garden for the famous Lights Before Christmas was fun, but boy, was it cold! With a daytime high hovering at freezing, walking through the displays required full winter gear and a warm cup of Starbucks coffee.
After the zoo, most of the group had dinner at the Sheraton hotel in downtown Columbia.
On Saturday, we joined the Ferrari Club of America’s South Carolina Chapter for a fabulous lunch at Rosso’s Italian Trattoria. Comparing notes on German engineering ver-sus Italian made for lively lunchtime conversa-tion.
The highlight of the weekend was the annual meeting and dinner, held at Sheraton’s POSH restaurant. The dinner was made up of multiple courses, including an appetizer, soup, salad, main entree and dessert. It was an excellent culinary experience!
Club president, Tony Santagati, awarded the Member of the Year to Henry Dunbar, who graciously accept-ed. Many thanks are also owed
to Odette Sigler-Pedersen, who organized the entire event.
Jimmie dwayne etterleJulia & Keith Gaskilldavid & michelle Grantwilliam Griffenbarry mackenzieeugenia clarerobert mickeydaniel Quattlebaumbilly & norma bakerbruce burdickchristine & michael fridayJohn Glaserron husbandsmorris & ann Knupptoni larose Gerken
welcomenew members
MERCEDES-BENZ PARTS Specialists for 29 YEARS 1955 thru 1990’s Models
Miller’s East 877-226-1870 ext204 1749 Williams Rd., Suite A
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Charlotte Auto Fair: April 8 - 11, Concord, NC. Charlotte Motor Speedway, Car show on 150+ acres with 10,000 vendor spaces. Details: Mel Carson, 704-841-1990, www.charlotte-autofair.com.
Low Country Rallye: April 16 - 18, Charleston, SC. Headquarters hotel: Springhill Suites, North Charleston. 843-572-8866. Dinner Friday night at 7p, Fourth Annual Low Country Rallye on Saturday, starting at 9a. Followed by dinner on Saturday night from 5 - 9p. Farewell breakfast on Sunday morning at 9a. Rallye fee: $20. Details: Tony Santagati, 843-812-7822, [email protected].
Sneak Peek of Later Events:•Williamsburg, VA: May 2, 11th Annual British & European Car Show. Details: www.wmbgbrit.com/ carshow•Columbia, SC: May 22 - 23, New Member Welcome Party/BBQ on the Saluda River & Golf Weekend. Details: Melissa Sprouse Browne, 803-791-3800, [email protected].
Henry Dunbar, Member of the Year
ron Gerken
art & dottie lundquist
don & marilyn murphy
carl Paquette
dennis Pieschke
lewis stuart
mark John tucker
Gary & maggie hibler
richard tripp engel
John scott davis
raymond moore
John norton
ag swearingen
aniko thomas
2640 Asheville Highway Hendersonville, NC
JERRY CANNONOwner
828-606-7255 Cell
828-692-6541 Office
Cannon’sSpecializing in Pre-Owned Mercedes• •
Hilton Headconcours d’eleGance
With four glorious days of events in a spectacular Southern coastal venue, the Hilton Head Concours d’Elegance chose 2009 as the year to honor Mercedes Benz. An enthusiast’s paradise, the Car Club Jamboree on Saturday and the offi-cial Concours d’Elegance on Sunday featured several stunning examples of the iconic brand.
The Car Club Jamboree took place on Saturday, October 31st at the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn. The weather was per-fect; unbelievable, really for the end of October to boast bright sun and a temperature that settled around 85 degrees. Surrounded by tower-ing oaks, hanging low with Spanish moss, car clubs from across the nation fielded more than 180 cars.
The Mercedes Benz Club of America has participated in the Car Club Jamboree since its inception eight years ago and has consistently offered some of the best represen-tatives of the brand, including a 1967 300-SE Convertible, owned by Robert Platz, which was awarded the Chairman’s Choice Award in 2008. Even though this year is the first time Mercedes Benz has been the Honored Marque, Mercedes Benz has always enjoyed a strong showing, with over fifteen awards, ten of which have been Best in Class.
This year, the Carolinas Section and the Peachtree Section combined to show fourteen beautiful examples of the marque, from a 1960 190-SL,
owned by Jim Mitchell from the Peachtree Section, to an outstanding 2007 CLK-550 Cabriolet, owned by Janet L. Bishop of the Carolinas Section.
Mike Kunz, manager of the Mercedes Benz Classic Center in Irvine, California selected four cars from the field of Car Club Jamboree exhibitors to represent the automaker as the Chairman’s Choice in the Parade of Featured Marques. Chosen to participate were: Janet L. Bishop, 2007 Mercedes-Benz CLK 550; Bruce Dickey, 1962 Mercedes-Benz 220 SE; Ken Jarrett, 1968 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL and James Mitchell, 1960 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL.
Mercedes Benz USA and AMG were proud sponsors of the Concours d’Elegance at Hilton Head. Mercedes Benz USA, together with MBCA, provided a hospital-ity booth both days, which was flanked by displays of a 300SL Roadster, in the unusual color of Strawberry Metallic, a replica of the 1896 Mercedes Benz Patentwagen, and a 190-D, currently in mid-restoration. Members of MBCA enjoyed the assortment of hors d’ouevres graciously provided by the hosts. It was a great place to find some shade and a cool drink while chatting with other club members.
Jim O’Sullivan, past President of MBCA, attended the show as a part of the Concours organizing committee and was thrilled with the turnout. “This year’s theme of ‘Past, Present and Future’ is quite fitting, with the great examples of Mercedes Benz from the past through today’s current models that we have for both days of the event.”
The Carolinas Section even picked up a few new mem-bers at the Jamboree, who attended that evening’s dinner at Sigler’s Rotisserie and Seafood Restaurant in Bluffton, SC. It’s not often that local section mem-bers have the chance to meet national officers, so the Carolinas Section’s dinner affair gladly welcomed cur-rent MBCA National President Pete Lesler and his wife Josie, Jim O’Sullivan, past President and Rodger Van Ness, curator of the Kemp Auto Museum in Chesterfield, MO.
noV. 2009
2009 exhibitors for the car club Jamboree:• 1960 190-SL, Jim Mitchell
Peachtree Section• 1962 220-SE Cabriolet, Bruce S.
Dickey, Carolinas Section• 1968 280-SL, Ken Jarrett
Peachtree Section• 1970 280-SL, Avery Wise
Carolinas Section• 1971 280-SE 3.5 Cabriolet,
Mike Marsh, Memphis Section• 1972 350-SL, Henry Dunbar
Carolinas Section• 1987 560-SL, Soren Pedersen
Carolinas Section• 1989 300-SE, Bill Head
Carolinas Section• 2000 CLK-430 Cabriolet, Rick Deiber
Carolinas Section• 2003 SLK-320, Fred & Gladys Harris
Carolinas Section• 2004 SL-55 AMG, Tony Santagati,
Carolinas Section• 2005 SLK-350, Melissa Sprouse
Browne, Carolinas Section• 2005 SL-55 AMG, Dr. Richard
H & H Auto Service35 Hunter Road, Hilton Head Island, SC 29926
Proud Members of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America Since 1983
•Sales and Service of Pre-Owned Mercedes-Benzs•Service by Experts Trained on Mercedes•Full Body Paint Shop for a Flawless Finish•Complete Restorations by Experts•Great Advice and Helpful Information
The only INDOOR pre-owned showroom on Hilton Head!
(843) 681-8384 • www.handhautos.com
tidbits • useful information
From the National Business Office: With every email and address update that we receive at the NBO, we will send a 10% off coupon for one item in the Club Store. One coupon per member will be sent electronically (so it must include a valid email address). Please send these updates to Geni at [email protected].
Scam AlertWe’ve recently heard from several members who listed cars for sale online that they were emailed from a “buyer” from outside the US who is will-ing to pay full price. They mail a fake cashier’s check to you and ask you to pay the shipping costs in cash. If the check is no good, you’re out the money for the check plus the shipping. Essentially, your car has been sto-len. The best buyer is someone you already know or with whom you have friends in common. Be careful when conducting business online!
