MBCA | CAROLINAS SECTION

APRIL 2015 Myrtle Beach EventRead the story on page 6

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:Officers & President’s Message ............. 2New Members & Member Benefits ........ 3Mercedes Benz of Charlotte ................... 4

Amelia Island Concours D’Elegance ...... 5Myrtle Beach ................................................62016 Dock Party Registration ................ 7Special Biltmore Offering ....................... 8

Member of the Year ................................ 9Hendrick Motorsports ........................... 102015 Upcoming Events ......................... 11 More Member Information ..............12-13

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE MERCEDES BENZ CLUB OF AMERICA, CAROLINAS SECTION | 2ND QUARTER 2015

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President’s Message

About MBCAEstablished in 1956, MBCA has approximately 26,000 active members and 9251 additional household members in 12 regions which are comprised of 80+ local sections throughout the United States and Canada. Each region is administered by a regional director who is responsible for assisting and inspiring the sections in the region. The regional director also fosters the formation of new sections, coordinates regional activities and represents the constituents as a member of the national board of directors. Hundreds of events are organized by sections, from social gatherings to tech sessions, from car shows to driving events. Most sections publish a newsletter of information and events and each section has its own officers and bylaws.

Special thanks to all who submitted photos for this issue. Ads are from member recommendations but do not constitute MBCA endorsement. See The Star magazine or go to www.MBCA.org for a list of National Officers and contacts.

S ince becoming President the first of the year, I have kept the roads busy with Carolinas MBCA on my mind.

First going west to Greenville, SC to set up a Meet and Greet for May. Then east to Myrtle Beach to set up an event there. Then north to Florence, SC to see the folks at the dealership there. And finally back home to South Charlotte for an informative Tech/Service in March.

As a MBCA Carolinas section member, you are eligible to serve on a committee or run for section officer. The officers for election at present are Vice President and Events Chair and Board Member. If you would like to be an officer or volunteer to help on a committee, please contact me president@mbcacarolinas.org.

Many thanks for the kind words and encouragement I have gotten along the way. Remember, this is your club. Let me know what you think.

Rugby Hodgkins, President

OFFICERSPRESIDENT Rugby G. Hodgkins, Jr. Gastonia, NC (704) 472-1221 | rugwill@bellsouth.net

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Nicholas Pasquine Lancaster, SC (803) 283 - 3144 | NickPasq@aol.com

VICE PRESIDENT Position Open

SECRETARY Butch Barksdale Charlotte, NC (704) 497-2816 | barkford@bellsouth.net

TREASURER Roy L. Davis Columbia, SC (803) 331-1852 | roy.davis1852@gmail.com

MEMBERSHIP CHAIR Rugby Hodgkins

EVENTS CHAIR Rugby Hodgkins

NEWSLETTER EDITOR Louise Johnson Brookfield, CT (203) 885-9168 info@mbcacarolinas.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Paul Witt | pwitt65@gmail Pedro Campuzano | campuzano.pedro@gmail.com Carl Schiller | cshiller@sc.rr.com Joseph Clemmer | guardsher@bellsouth.net

2 | OFFICERS & PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

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BENEFITS FOR NEW MEMBERS

We thank all of you for joining and thank those members and the Mercedes dealers who referred some of you to the benefits of the Club. There are a lot of pluses to be had from your membership. The Club adds some fun and friendships to Mercedes ownership and opens up new avenues of knowledge about the brand at a low 14 cents per day.

Membership also brings some savings at both the National level and at your local Mercedes dealership. Go to www.MBCA.org , log in and register. Then click on the Membership tab to bring up all of the member benefits. Even long term members should do this as a refresher as we tend to forget everything that is available. You will also note the MB Loyalty discount available for new car purchase or lease after being a member for 1 year or more.

Check with your local dealer as to what their parts, service, and boutique discounts are. You simply need to show your MBCA membership card at time of sale. They vary from 10 to 15%, or hourly rate special and some of them run other promotions during the year. Providing a discount is not only a Club benefit but also gives you an incentive to use a dealer’s repair expertise and OE parts for your Mercedes.

To many of us one of the most valuable benefits has been to develop unexpected friendships and knowledge from other Mercedes member enthusiasts. But to do that you have to step up and attend some events. We look forward to meeting you in person.

Amy Ambrose ...............................................Charlotte, NC Chris Anderson ...............................................Barnwell, SC Jim Brusseau ............................................. Summerville, SC Hong Bui .........................................................Rock Hill, SC James Burke ..............................................Weddington, NC Elizabeth Dickey ...........................................Charlotte, NC Dave Edwards ............................................Spartanburg, SC Issac Grosswiler ........................................... Charleston SC Chason Hayes .................................................Fort Mill, SC Mike Hill ......................................................... Belmont, NC Micheal Kutemeyer ........................................... Blufton, SC George Lenze .......................................... Pisgah Forest, NC Daryl Long .................................................... Cornelius, NC Tracy Molloy ....................................................... Blufton SC Stephen Morant .............................................Lexington, SC Robert Murray .....................................Hendersonville, NC Mary Newton ............................................... Charleston, SC Skip Paschall ..........................................Biltmore Lake, NC Larry Powers .................................. Hilton Head Island, SC John Richardson ............................................Charlotte, NC Jon Rodgers ................................................Indian Trail, NC C. Homer Rose III .....................................Spartanburg, SC Tom Sadler ......................................................Richfield, NC Wallace Scarborough ...................................... Beaufort, SC Robert Shurmeier ......................................Mooresville, NC Peter Shanahan ....................................Hendersonville, NC Larry Sims ......................................................Charlotte, NC Carolann Smith ......................................... Indian Land, SC Amanda Smith ................................................. Florence, SC Irwin Smolin ..................................................Charlotte, NC Henry Snowa ................................................ Cornelius, NC Donald Staffa .............................................Hilton Head, SC Paul Tucker ....................................................Charlotte, NC Carlos Vargas .................................................Charlotte, NC Bill Walton .....................................................Charlotte, NC Austin West .................................................. Greenville, SC Michael Whitehead .......................................Charlotte, NC Walt Wick.......................................................Davidson, NC Donald Wilburn .............................................. Monroe, NC Donna Young .................................................Charlotte, NC We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new Members, equally divided between the two States. The Club should bring you more reasons to enjoy your Mercedes, some event fun with fellow owners, some savings, and some new friends. We encourage you to go to www.MBCA.org, fill in your profile, check out member benefits, and order name badges for you and your Associate Member. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or comments. I would also like to thank the Mercedes Dealers and Members for their referrals.

We are so pleased to welcome the newest members of the Mercedes Benz Club of America to the Carolinas Section!

NEW MEMBERS & MEMBER BENEFITS | 3

An educational and delicious day was shared by 35 members and guests at Mercedes Benz of

South Charlotte and the nearby Wald-horn (“Vahld-horn”) German restau-rant. Starting at around 9:00AM we started congregating in the showroom, saying hello to old friends, meeting new members and guests and of course admiring the new Mercedes Benz mod-els on display. The dealership, located at 950 North Polk Street in Pineville, was built in 2006 and is a luxurious and tasteful setting for Mercedes’ best. A glass walled AMG showroom held some hot rods for the Lewis Ham-iltons and Nico Rosbergs amongst us. Unfortunately keys weren’t left in them.

After seeing some of the older cars some of us drove, a salesman told us a story of the recent visit of a gentleman with a restored Mercedes Benz 600 Pullman Limousine and his attempts to sell it to Mr. Felix Sabates, owner of Mercedes Benz of South Char-lotte. There were lengthy negotiations and an even longer test drive but Mr. Sabates must not have purchased it for they had money to buy us coffee, juices and bagels for our visit.

At 10:00AM Georgia Buys, New Vehicle Sales Manager, graciously wel-comed us and we were led to a sec-tion of their spacious Service Depart-ment. They had set up this area with the aforementioned breakfast treats as well as several Mercedes models on display… including a “please do not photograph” secret prototype “hybrid”

car that incorporated the design influ-ences of a Smart Car, an E-Class and a Toro riding mower. The new car likely to be officially unveiled April 1st.

Georgia Buys introduced us to Mr. Jonathan Emmanuel, Product Concierge at Mercedes Benz of South Charlotte. Mr. Emmanuel’s task is to make sure new owners fully appreciate and understand the controls and capa-bilities of their automobile. Similar to a Hotel Concierge if he doesn’t know it, he will know someone who does.

We were then introduced to Mr. Jim Willard, Service Manager, and Mr. John Adams, Shop Foreman. These two gentlemen, with many years worth of experience, kindly took time out of their busy schedules, and maybe a Saturday off, to share their collective knowledge of Mercedes Benz auto-mobiles. Good questions and honest answers started flowing. For exam-ple we delved into vibration and tire issues, radio troubleshooting and brake squeal that was explained with a perfect analogy of the old “finger around the wine glass” trick, a case of simple harmonics.

By 12:00 PM we had pried as much as time would allow out of these two gentleman and we motored up Polk Street to the Waldhorn. The park-ing lot looked like lunchtime in Bre-men as cars packed the front lot. The staff supplied us with a private room, a dedicated staff and a menu filled with schnitzels, wursts, spätzles and strudels.

President Rugby Hodgkins and past

President Nick Pasquine went through our upcoming schedule of events and goings on. We all then proceeded to introduce ourselves, brag on how long we had been with the club, Mercedes models owned, one man professing his deep love for Mercedes diesel powered cars and we of course welcomed the first time members and guests. There were a few members who brought neighbors that owned a Mercedes or two. We hope they enjoyed the expe-rience and join the Club! Thanks to those members for introducing them.

Long time members Roger and Midge Loewenheim will be leaving us soon, we wished them well with hopes they find happiness in their new home and Section. Door prizes were handed out to those with the lucky tickets, because you have to bribe people to drive their nice cars on a sunny day, see even more nice newer cars and eat delicious food at a fine restaurant.

That said… we were served a deli-cious lunch by the Waldhorn, tasty soups and salads, delicious mains and of course some very nice Ger-man desserts. There was a case of one man stealing another man’s stru-del but we won’t name names. The Waldhorn, located at 12101 Lancaster Hwy in Pineville, NC, deserves a visit by those who love German food, a warm German atmosphere and of course German beer! Any chance we could get Mr. Felix Sabates to be designated driver in his 600 Pullman for Oktoberfest? Buy it Mr. Sabates! Buy it. ■

MERCEDES BENZ OF charlotte by Pedro Campuzano

4 | 2015 MARCH EVENT

W ow, is the only thing I can say, a once in a life-time event. Saturday was “Cars & Coffee” Invitational. I figure about 300-400 cars. Then on Sunday the “Big” event-250 judged cars. Plus, I figure at least 50,000 people-you couldn’t walk

without banging into someone but still “an event to experience” at the Ritz. It is truly car overload but it was exciting to see Sterling Moss’s race cars along with Formula One racing legion, Nicky Lauder, and his race cars (the Ron Howard smash hit “Rush”). Therefore, enjoy just a few pictures of some unique and beautiful cars. ■

CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE | 5

Amelia Island ConcourS March 14 & 15, 2015

6 | MYRTLE BEACH

O n Saturday, April 18, our loyal and determined MBCA Caroli-nas members braved the down-

pours at Myrtle Beach to meet, social-ize and lunch together. We met for our meet and greet first at Mercedes Benz of Myrtle Beach. Following our tour and socializing at the dealership, we enjoyed “Ribs and Rides” lunch together at the nearby Texas Roadhouse Grill. (Thanks to Carl Schiller for that fantastic flyer broadcasting the event!)

During our dealer tour, we were enter-tained and informed by Waylon John-son, sales manager for the dealership.

Waylon overviewed the local dealership history, his team of dedicated staff and then proceeded to show us the facility. We started in the service drive thru area where we learned how cars have align-ment checks and never even go up on a rack. Talk about amazing technology! Then we toured the actual service bays where mechanics worked on cars and the floor was clean enough to eat lunch or dinner from. Lastly, Waylon’s shared two of his secret weapons for keeping team members informed, happy and energized - a private classroom space and a gymnasium on the second floor.

Yes, a gym for employees. Dealer employees can utilize all of the typ-ical gear found in gymnasiums the rest of us have to pay for monthly. We truly appreciated Waylon’s tour of his facility and for spending time with us candidly answering all our questions. Waylon might have even picked up a few new customers.

But, as is typical, people get hun-gry. For lunch we lined up mem-bers cars over at Texas Roadhouse Grill, including our member friends of the local Myrtle Beach SLK club. Talk about some good looking cars! The General Manager at the restau-rant, Chuck Argenti, treated us to an MBCA special menu and seated us upstairs to socialize and dine together. Via general introductions, we met new faces and learned more about our SLK friends from the area. SLK club President, Len Sokoloff spoke about his broad membership base and invited other SLK owners to reach out to him to join. Addi-

tionally, we heard from our upstate friend, Randy Varner, President of the MBCA Tarheel section. Randy also welcomed all club members to attend Tarheel section events, espe-cially the Rock Barn event coming up on June 26 in Conover. (Contact Randy for more info)

After we feasted on ribs and other-Texas Roadhouse lunch delights, MBCA Carolinas President Rugby commanded 100% of the group’s attention with the “goody giveaway.” Lucky door prize winners went home with ball caps, umbrellas and other fine Mercedes branded gifts. And to top the day off perfectly, the coastal sun returned for a few brief moments while we returned to our rides to enjoy the rest of the weekend.

On behalf of the MBCA Carolinas board, the Tarheel section and the Myrtle Beach SLK club, we thank everyone for turning out and we hope you had fun! ■

WE HAVE GONE EAST!Submitted by Secretary Barksdale

7 | 2016 DOCK PARTY

annual mercedes benz dock party - june 6, 2015 Where: The Dunbars

2235 Lazy River Drive Charleston SC 29414 or by water, ICW marker 21A, Stono River, Charleston

When: June 6, 2015 10:30AM-2:30PM

Cost: $25 Per person in advance by May 31, 2015 | $30 at door

Come join the fun!! Dress is waterfront casual Event is rain or shine.

Bring your Mercedes to enter for a prize. This year we are planning several categories of people’s choice awards-Sedan/roadster/year model/etc. I would suggest coming with a clean car, unless you want the Charles Schulz (Peanuts) Pigpen award.

Schedule of Events:

10:30 to 12:30 Meet and greet

12:45 Awards/announcements and LUNCH-Low-country surf & turf. All liquid refreshments provided.

2:30 until Swimming off the dock

VOLUNTEERS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME. Many hands lighten the load. Please contact Henry Dunbar at dunbardome@yahoo.com.

If you wish to stay overnight in the area, there are many hotels nearby (zip 29414).

For more information about Charleston go to www.Charlestoncvb.com/visitor

YES, you may invite non-member Mercedes owners so they can experience the fun of being a member. For more information please contact the Dunbars or President Rugby Hodgkins at: rugwill@bellsouth.net

Please send the form below with your check made to MBCA-Carolinas to:Henry Dunbar

2235 Lazy River DriveCharleston, SC 29414

DOCK PARTY JUNE 6, 2015

NAME(S) _________________________________________, _________________________________________,

_____________________________________________, ______________________________________________,

email address_____________________________________________ Phone number _______________________

Number of attendees _____________ X $25. = $_________________***

***NOTE: Reservations made after May 31, 2015 are $30.pp

BILTMORE | 8

Submitted by Nick Pasquine, Immediate Past President

Biltmore Special Offer@ @

A number of you e-mailed your frustration to me with the March Biltmore trip being canceled. We will look at it again in the future and hopefully put something together.

Biltmore is currently building a second hotel on the property expected to be open before the year is out.

The Biltmore is currently offering a 40% discount on NEW annual passes from now through May 31st.

If you live within a few hours of the Biltmore you should definitely consider this option. It is good for 1 year from date of issue. It includes unlimited daytime admission for each Passholder. Kids under 16 are admitted free when accompanied with a Passholder.

Your Pass also includes discounts on dining, optional tours & activities, Estate shopping, and on some hotel stays. You save up to 25% on wine purchases at retail shops, plus other benefits. The Pass virtually pays for itself in just a couple of visits.

This Pass lets you in right after purchase. You can see the Downton Abbey displays through May 25th plus the Flower Festival. There are summer concerts, fall scenery, a spectacular Christmas, and of course the flowers again next spring. North Carolina has a real historical gem here that receives no Government support.

To take advantage of the offer through 5/31, go to www.biltmore.com/biltmorefriend.

Member of the YearSubmitted by Nick Pasquine, Immediate Past President

On After our Educational tour of Caldwell Collision on Jan. 10th, we met for lunch at the Wald-

horn German restaurant in Pineville, NC for lunch. It is located just 2 miles South of Mercedes of So. Charlotte. After Lunch Past President got up to address the Group. He noted that the Member of the Year award is usually presented at the Annual Meeting in Aiken. This year’s winner was not able to attend due to business commitments.

Candidates for MOTY can be nom-inated by Club members or Officers. The Officers and Board members make their selection from the candidates sub-mitted. The basis is a member’s con-tribution to the good of the Club for that year. The chosen candidate’s name is then submitted to MBCA By early November. MBCA creates an upscale bronze and wood plaque with the win-ner’s name engraved, and sends it to the Club President for presentation at the Annual meeting.

Our winner for 2014 was Johannes Tromp. co-owner of Kilburnie the Inn at Craig Farm, a B&B in Lancaster, SC. Last year we had requests to run a driv-ing event such as a rally, something that had not been done in some time. We decided to make it a member Appreci-ation driving event whereby the Club picked up the entire cost of the mem-ber’s participation and luncheon.

We wanted to make it in a rural area so we did not spend too much time in heavier traffic for safety. Obviously

9 | MEMBER OF THE YEAR

cost was also a consideration. I approached Johannes, who is a Club member, regarding having the event at his historic location since it offered very pleasant surroundings, ample parking and a covered area usually used for wedding receptions. It could also provide over-night accommoda-tions for some who chose to do so..

The rental for this reception facility can easily run in excess of $2,000. There are table/chair set ups to be done, utilities to be used, food set ups to be done, kitchen facilities for the caterer, plus clean up and tear down of everything after the event and the payroll to do it, which all cost money. Johannes said for the Club he would do it at no charge, plus give mem-bers who wanted to a tour of their facilities! We all had a great time and there were many requests to repeat the event.

In recognition of this substan-tial financial and personal time gift Johannes is awarded our 2014 MBCA Carolina’s Section Member

of the Year award. He was presented with the National plaque and a few gifts. Johannes enjoys wine and has to dress for some business functions. The Club presented him with a Mer-cedes wine bottle stopper and a set of Mercedes cuff links, and of course we had to give him an official Mercedes key chain. He also got a great round of applause from our members in attendance and his partner John Craig was also recognized.

Thank you again Johannes for what you did for us. For those who would like to see more of where we met go to www.kilburnie.com. ■

We were greeted by our hosts and given the itinerary around a circle of the best performance cars available. Upon entry through the Board Room, we could inspect the glass table mounted to the working chassis of Rick Hendricks first Corvette, complete with working engine and ready to be disassembled at a moments notice and be transplanted into a real car again.

Upon entry into Mr. Hendricks per-sonal museum we were guided through the years of progress in the life and business track of Rick Hendrick. The exhibits contained cars and recreations of places and events that were special to him growing up, even his own Ice Cream Store. Along the way was a recreation of the bank where his mother worked and where she explained to him the process of how to take out a loan and pay it back after making a profit fixing old cars. I am pretty sure she succeeded! As a Corvette lover, Mr. Hendrick has collected nearly every year of Corvette made and had one of each color from his favorite years during the 60’s.

Some may not be aware of his pas-sion for speedboat racing and his son’s involvement with motorcycles. For the NASCAR fan there is a complete exhibit covering the movie Days of Thunder with the City Chevrolet actually driven by Tom Cruise. His collection is also inclusive of some of the icons of motor

sports as well, including Ferrari, BMW, and of course Mercedes. Several were daily drivers and taken to the Drag Strip regularly, another passion for Rick. One of the most significant 60‘s era Corvettes was one with a motorized retractable top. This was a prototype never in pro-duction, but strangely located here!

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS | 10

T here was an impressive group of Mercedes Owners standing around the circle in front of The Rick Hendrick Museum to welcome

the early spring sunshine. A bit cool but a great day to see an unbelievable collection of cars.

An amazing tribute to a true car lover and racer. We were all impressed and suggest a visit to anyone interested in Classic cars, Corvettes and Racing. The organization built by Mr. Hendrick is a true testimony to the American Spirit and ingenuity that allows the creation of the cars we drive.

Upon leaving the museum you have a panoramic view of the race team buildings on the hill above. All venues are open to the public but always check hours if you plan to visit in case of special events. ■

By Carl Schiller, Board Member

2015 Event Schedule - Carolinas SectionThe following is our 2015 Tentative Event schedule with both planned and TBD events. You will receive updates via monthly e-mails and upcoming quarterly Newsletters. So update your 2015 calendars and watch for Club updates.

MAY | MEET & GREET Saturday, May 16 - Meet & Greet Carlton Mercedes Benz Greenville, SC.

JUNE | ANNUAL DOCK PARTY Saturday, June 6 - Annual Dock Party Home of Henry and Katherine Dunbar Charleston, SC.

SATURDAY, JULY 11 July Driving Event to be announced. Also watch for October Eurofest registration details in early July.

FRIDAY & SATURDAY, AUGUST 21-22 | SHELTON WINERY CAR SHOW & JUDGING This now Annual Tarheel Section week-end event will again partner with the surrounding Club Sections. Watch for details in an upcoming Newsletter.

SEPTEMBER | MEET & GREET Saturday September 12th - Meet and Greet Baker Motor Company Charleston, SC.

FRIDAY & SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16-17 | EUROFEST Eurofest at Greer, SC. Registration should start in early July.

NOVEMBER | TBD Plans for this month are still being made. This is also the month of the Hilton Head Concours. Watch for updates.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12 | ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING & CHRISTMAS DINNER Will again be held at the Historic Willcox Inn in Aiken SC.

We look forward to meeting you at these and future events and continue to solicit your input.

Sign-Up For DOCK PARTY on page 7.

FOR SALE:Recently bought a new 2015 ML250BT. It came with18” wheels that I have

taken off & changed to 19”. I have the original MB wheels for sale. MB dealer here charges $1800 for this set. I am asking $1150 plus shipping.

Jim Parent Tarheel Sec. | golfcat@triad.rr.com | 336 922-5529

W108 280SEL Parts Car If you would like a set of bumpers complete with all mounting brackets,

please contact Bynum Hancock on Facebook or call 336 416-9364.

WANTED:1972 Mercedes Benz 280 SE V-8 Owner’s Manual and Fuel pump. Please email

Roy Davis at roy.davis1852@gmail.com with information.

11 | UPCOMING EVENTS

FOR SALE:1986 Mercedes. If interested, please email

Charlotte Jumper at CJumper@twgarner.com.

MORE MEMBER INFORMATION | 12

peachtree sectionMBCA 2015 Fall Tour | October 23 and 24, 2015In and around Cashiers, Highlands and Sapphire, NC

Please join us for a fall tour that will include MBCA members from the Carolinas and Peachtree Sections. The tour will take place on Saturday, October 24th. We will gather at the home of Richard and Donna King near Salem South Carolina at 11:00 a.m. for a simple “brunch” at their gazebo and then depart from there at around noon for what will be about a 3 hour drive through some very beautiful, rural countryside. Detailed maps will be provided at the gazebo. The drive will conclude at a location that will be suitable for on foot sightseeing, hiking. An optional dinner that evening will be arranged at a restaurant in Cashiers.There is nothing planned for either Friday or Sunday. Feel free to organize what ever you may choose for those days. For those of you planning to stay overnight for this event, it is time to make room reservations, NOW. There are no properties that will block off any number of rooms for groups during this very popular time of the year and all require a 2 night minimum stay. Two options that do have availability are:1. The Hampton Inn, in Sapphire Valley (rates start at about $215). You can reserve

online or by calling them locally at 828 743 4545.2. The Mitchell’s lodge in Highlands (rates run from$ 169-$224 per night). Contact them

online or at 828 526 2267. They offer a variety of lodge type cabins. Both properties have quite a few rooms available now but will fill up very quickly for this busy time of year.There are a number of privately owned properties for rent in the Cashiers/Highlands area. You can check with Vacation Rentals By Owner at www.vrbo.com or Flip Key at www.flipkey.com.Depending on your location, it would be possible to make this a 1-day turn around trip.To register on-line go to: www.MotorSportsReg.com or visit the Peach Page to register by mail. Registration closes on October 10th, 2015. The registration fee is $20 per person. All participants will need to sign a standard MBCA waiver form to participate in this event. Questions? Contact Jim Mitchell at: jrs190sl@yahoo.com or by phone at 770-883 2316.

2015 Fall Tour – Saturday October 24, 2015 11:00 a.m.Richard and Donna King’s Gazebo, 198 Kings Ridge Dr. Salem, SC 29676 864-723-0607

Name(s) of Member(s) Attending: _______________________________________ Names(s) of Guest(s) Attending: ________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________________ Phone: _______________________ E-mail: ______________________________ Membership Number: ________________________________________________

Is this your first event that you have attended with the Peachtree section? _______

Number Attending __________ x $20 __________

Registration Deadline: October 10, 2015. Mail the Peach Page registration form to: Jim Mitchell, 357 Mountain Valley Drive, Hendersonville, NC 28739. For questions please contact Jim at jrs190sl@yahoo.com or at 770-883-2316.

startech 2015Cincinnati, OhioStarTech 2015 is proud to announce it is being held in Cincinnati, Ohio on June 13-15. Like Mercedes, Cincinnati, has a rich German heritage, and we hope to showcase that for the attendees at MBCA’s biggest annual event. We will present great technical lectures, and many learning experiences unique to this event!We will kick things off by hosting a Welcome Party sponsored by MBUSA at the Great American Ball Park’s Mercedes Benz Diamond Club on Friday night. The Cincinnati Reds were the first professional Major league Baseball team, so it is only fitting we paired this venue with fans of the first automobile. We have partnered with the DoubleTree by Hilton Cincinnati Airport as our host hotel, and also for the Saturday Technical Sessions and lectures. Book your hotel rooms by on their website. Rooms are $110 a night.We have speakers such as Pete Lesler, Tom Hansen, Joe Bernardi, Ted Gottfried, Pierre Hedary, Mary Nohr, Rick Drewrey, and many more. Topics will include the history of German automotive industry, silver star preservation, the classic center, insurance, what to look for in a concours level vehicle and more. To see a full list of speakers and topics please visit the StarTech website at http://startech2015.mbca.org/Registration is open and can be found on the startech website, at (https://squareup.com/market/StarTech2015). The full technical weekend costs $225, and the social Registration is $130. For those of you not interested in the full weekend, we also have 4 offsite events that showcase Cincinnati and its many gems. Our off-site events are highlighted by the Queen City Underground tour. This tour has been rated a top 5 walking tour in the country, and doesn’t disappoint.Saturday night we are planning a wonderful reception with great food, wonderful company, and possibly a keynote speaker from MBUSA. Any questions, please email Peter Emslander at MBCAStarTech2015@gmail.com. For a Paper registration or to pay by check please call David or Kimberly Hagood at 513.404.8183.

rock barn euro classicTo register: www.motorsportreg.com/events/rock-barn-euro-classic-golf-spa-mbca-tarheel-759884 The fun begins Friday June 26th on the patio of Rock Barn Country Club —Take full advantage of this beautiful setting, while enjoying the popular Prime-Rib dinner buffet, and live musical entertainment. Saturday June 27th is the European car show — Car placement begins at 8:00a, and the show opens at 10:00. The show is a people’s choice judged event, so you’ll want to check out all the entries and cast your vote!We are planning a relaxing and enjoyable event, with the proceeds going to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. Should you have questions, or need additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact us by email: rockbarneuroclassic@gmail.com or call 336-501-5389.

Registration is open for the Rock Barn Euro Classic Car Show — Register NOW to ensure a spot for your European car!

13 | MORE MEMBER INFORMATION continued

The Highlands Motoring Festival will honor Mercedes as the 2015 Marque of the Year, at the 8th Annual Festival scheduled for June 11th-14th As we have done every year, for the last many years, we have selected a Marque to be recognized at the Festival. This, in no way, is intended to exclude any other vehicle, whether foreign or domestic. In years past, there have been as many, or more, non-marque brands as marque. We only select a marque to identify the history that it has brought to the motoring world.

Mercedes traces it’s history to the first petrol-powered car, the Benz Patent Motorwagen, in 1886. The automobile was first marketed at the turn of the 20th century, in 1901. In addition to automobiles, Mercedes is know for trucks, buses, limousines, and race cars, as well as bicycles.

We welcome, and encourage, your attendance, at the 8th Annual Highlands Motoring Festival, June 11th-14th.

highlands festival

The NEW Hendrick Motors of Charlotte

NOW OPEN

5201 E Independence Blvd.Charlotte, NC 28212866-578-7234HendrickMotorsOfCharlotte.com