Das eimatblatt - Alabama - Mercedes

D as
Newsletter for the Alabama Section
Mercedes-Benz Club of America
Heimatblatt
AUGUST • 2014
Inside this Issue...
Sternblick
1
Calender of Events
2
Coming Events
3-5
Event Recap
8
Sternblick
(View through the Star)
Robert Hinds
President, Alabama Section MBCA
We have had a strong assortment of events this year, and there are more to
I welcome visits from my fellow Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts, please call first at
205 381-0878. Keep driving your Star cars!
Upcoming
Alabama Section
Election
in October
We will be in need of more
of our active members to
step up into leadership
positions since Bob Hinds
has stated that he will not
seek another term as President, and Jim Roberts will
have obligations to all of
the Eastern Region sections.
Please let Bob Hinds or
Mason Beale know that
you are interested in active
leadership.
Shelton Vinyards
Special National Concours
& Eastern Region Leadership
Conference
August 22-23rd
There is another special national concours at Shelton Vineyards near Dodson, NC. This is just off I-77
78 miles north of Charlotte. This is a MercedesBenz only event hosted by Shelton Vineyards. You
don’t even need to register ahead.
There will also be dinners Friday and Saturday
evening, and lunch on Saturday as well as tours of
the vineyards and winery.
Those involved in or considering MBCA leadership
will benefit from the Eastern Region leadership
conference on Sunday.
Upcoming Event Spotlight
ALABAMA & FLORIDA PANHANDLE
come. Because my cancer and the side effects from the treatments make me
too fatigued in the evening, Mason will be conducting the monthly meetings. I will
try to make as many of the daytime events as possible. Since I am housebound
most of the time,
Schedule OF EVENTS
August
Executive Board
19
Birmingham Stammtisch
22
Shelton Vineyards Show
Special National Event - Dobson, NC
23
Dobson, NC
Eastern Region Leadership Conference
September
16
20
24
Birmingham Stammtisch
Barber Tag Appreciation Day
Huntsville Stammtisch
October
3-5
11
17-18
21
Heimatfest 2014 - Special National Event
Cullman Oktoberfest
Euro Autofest
Birmingham Stammtisch
November
1
8-9
14-15
18
24
MERCEDES-BENZ CLUB OF AMERICA
ALABAMA SECTION
www.mbca.org/alabama
Farbenfahrt - Little River Canyon
HMSA Vintage Races- Barber Motorsports
MBCA National Board Meeting
Atlanta, GA
Birmingham Stammtisch
Huntsville Stammtisch
December
President
BOB HINDS
205.967.5014
bobjanehinds@bellsouth.net
Treasurer
BRENDA BROWN
256.237.5277
bama69@cableone.net
Vice President
MASON BEALE
205.837.7003
masonbeale@msn.com
Secretary
KEN CHAMPLIN
205.995.0237
homescan@bellsouth.net
Board of Directors
Member-at-Large
PIERCE WILLIAMS
256.399.1181
phwj15@juno.com
Member-at-Large
CHAD STEVENS
256.426.1548
rotodome@gmail.com
Member-at-Large
JACK SCHILLECI
205.540.5338
avecaesar@bellsouth.net
Member-at-Large
ED JONES
205.335.8125
edwardljonesdmd@aol.com
Member-at-Large
CAROL WADLEY,
205.529.5400
hwadley@bellsouth.net
Member-at-Large
LIZ ROBERSON
205.822.8460
lizroberson2013@gmail.com
Membership/ Reiseführer
JIM ROBERTS
205.933.9333
jertoothsaver@bellsouth.net
Eastern Region Director
William Hopper
202.365.0672
wwhrestoration@att.net
das Heimatblatt
6
Atlanta Section Lunch
16
TBA
Birmingham Stammtisch
Holiday Party
For Sale
EDITOR: RHIANNON GAGE
205.933.9333
jertoothsaver@bellsouth.net
das Heimatblatt is published bi-monthly by the Alabama
Section, Mercedes-Benz Club of America, Inc. Copy deadline: 10th of the month preceding the month of issue.
2000 CLK 430 silver convertible. 46,000 miles.
Non-smoker, navi, upgraded to digital phone.
Dealer serviced, No dings or dents. AMG wheels,
new tires & floor mats.
ABOUT OUR ADVERTISERS: We hope you will support
our advertisers. No inference, however, should be made
that advertising in das Heimatblatt implies approval of
their products or services by the Club, its Officers or members, or by Mercedes-Benz-USA Inc. or Daimler AG.
For more information contact Gary Babb 256-8815464 or gbabb25@att.net
For more information on advertising rates please e-mail
jertoothsaver@bellsouth.net or call 205.933.9333
Questions? Call your Section President at 205.967.5014 or the National Business Office at 1.800.637.2360 M-F, 8am-5pm MT.Or visit www.mbca.org
Coming events
Heimatfest -Special National Event
October 3-5th
The dramatic turns through hills and valleys in a park
like setting make Barber one of the most challenging
and absolutely the most beautiful road course in the
world. Amenities like heat, air conditioning and hot
showers as well as being in a major city make it unique.
Take advantage of this opportunity to improve your driving skills and to gain appreciation for your MercedesBenz engineering with MBCA instructors to guide you
for 2 full days.
Registration info you need to know
Register for Advanced Driving Skills at:
msreg.com/TUBarber2014
Discount Code: MBCA
To register for MBUSI factory tour, Barber Museum,
reception, or lunchtime touring laps:
Registration form below
Heimatfest will begin on Friday morning, 3 October with
a visit to the $5 billion MBUSI factory just west of Birmingham, Alabama to get a first look at production of
the new C-class as well as the ML & GL.
For any additional questions contact Jim Roberts at
jertoothsaver@bellsouth.net tel: 205-933-9333
After lunch in the MBUSI dining room, we will return to
the Barber Vintage Museum with its 1700 motorcycles
and 63 Lotus race cars as well as other Formula One
Champions for an insiders visit to the restoration shops.
Hotel Information
On Friday and Saturday evenings we will enjoy the typical MBCA social events.
We are also working to develop a seminar for regions or
sections considering hosting an advanced driving skills
event like this or a basic driving skills event for teens on
Friday afternoon.
A discounted rate of $89/ night is available at the Hampton
Inn adjacent to Barber Motorsports
Make reservations at:
www.birminghamleeds.hamptoninn.com
Tel 205-702-4141
Registration is open
and spaces are limited.
Heimatfest - October 3-5 2014 - Barber Motorsports, Birmingham, AL
Name(s) of Member(s) Attending: ______________________________________________________________
Name(s) of Guest(s) Attending:_________________________________________________________________
Address: __________________________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip:___________________________________________________
Phone: _____________________________ E-mail: ___________________________ Membership #________
Number for Factory Tour _____ (No Charge)
Number for Saturday Reception _____ (No Charge)
Number for Barber Museum _____ x $16/pp $_____
Lunchtime Touring Laps: Saturday_____ Sunday_____
Please make checks payable to Alabama Section, MBCA. Mail with registration form to James E. Roberts, DMD, 2301
Arlington Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35205. Questions: jertoothsaver@bellsoth.net Tel: 205-933-9333 or 205-529-0071(cell)
Coming events
Euro Autofestival
Cullman Oktoberfest
October 17-18th
October 11th
The Cullman Oktoberfest committee has asked us to
participate in the Saturday, 11 October celebration by
placing our Mercedes-Benz cars along one of the closed
off streets near the center of activity. They will need to
have us in place between 9-10am, as access will be
closed after that and stay in place until mid-afternoon.
This
event grew from a local British car club asking
BMW to allow them to use some of the parking area
around the factory for a car show. In 15 years it has
become a major show for all European cars.
They are very excited to have our cars to add to the European atmosphere they are attempting to create. They
would like to have 20-40 cars.
This will be fun and it will help the celebrations. One of
the Mercedes-Benz suppliers (Rehall) is in Cullman, so
it would be nice to have some of the MK, GL, or R-class
cars there.
Peachtree Section established a presence several years
ago with Carolina’s Section embracing the event in 2012
when Mercedes-Benz was named the featured marque.
This year it will be a regional event. Carolinas Section
invites all the MBCA participants to join them for dinner
on Friday night.
There is a restaurant with authentic German food within
a block or two of where our cars will be parked. We will
plan on eating there and then going back to the “Festhalle” for the music, dancing, and the feature of Oktoberfest.
Details will follow, but save the date and let us know that
you will be bringing your car(s).
This year MBCA’s Pete Lesler will be conducting a concours school for Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi, since
all 3 use the same suppliers. This is a great way to gain
insight into the MBCA judged concours rules.
The host hotel is the Greenville Embassy Suites on Verdae Boulevard.
Basic registration is $35. For details go to euroregistration@hotmail.com
Cullman Oktoberfest
Name(s) of Member(s) Attending: ______________________________________________________________
Car Make: ____________________ Model: _________________________Y ear: ________________________
Car Make: ____________________ Model: _________________________Y ear: ________________________
Car Make: ____________________ Model: _________________________Y ear: ________________________
Please send registration to: James E. Roberts, DMD, 2301 Arlington Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35205.
Or e-mail: jertoothsaver@bellsoth.net Tel: 205-933-9333 or 205-529-0071(cell)
Questions? Call your Section President at 205.967.5014 or the National Business Office at 1.800.637.2360 M-F, 8am-5pm MT.Or visit www.mbca.org
Coming events
Farbenfahrt (Color Drive)
to Little River Canyon
HMSA Vintage Car Races at
Barber Motorsports Park
November 1st
November 8-9th
Jim Roberts - Event Planner
Jim Roberts - Event Planner
The fall colors are more striking here than any other part
of Alabama Section, since Southern Sugar Maples, with
their brilliant yellow, flaming orange and fiery red leaves
as well as the magenta Dogwood, red Beech, and brilliant red Sumac form complete canopies over the lower
part of the 23 mile canyon rim road as it climbs and dives
through this massive tunnel of trees to emerge at the
confluence of Little River 1200 feet below and a side
stream that has also carved a deep canyon.
This is the longest and deepest canyon east of the Rocky
Mountains with one of the greatest roads and very little
traffic. It is the largest national park in Alabama.
We will stop several times including the Canyon Mouth,
Crow Point, and the Falls of Little River before proceeding to lunch at Desoto State Park. We will then continue
to Desoto Falls and the lovely mountain top village of
Mentone which has unfortunately lost its landmark hotel
to a fire.
We will need a count so the restaurants can prepare,
and we will arrange rooms at Atalla as our starting point.
Please let us know you will be joining us at jertoothsaver@bellsouth.net
This
event will draw participants from the west coast
and from Europe as it is being linked with the classic 24
hours of Daytona the following weekend. That race is
also sanctioned by HMSA, which sanctioned the Monterey Historics for several years. I will be driving in the
Barber events, so contact me if you would like to attend
with your Mercedes-Benz at jertoothsaver@bellsouth.
net
This is the informal preliminary event before they start
full scale promotion in 2015. This time the Barber Museum is backing the event as they do the vintage motorcycle races in October. That has become the largest
vintage motorcycle event in the world.
MBCA National Board Meeting
Atlanta, Ga
November 14-15th
Jim Roberts - Event Planner
This is a chance to see how the business of MBCA is
conducted on a national level. It is also your chance to
discuss matters with the board members. They are all
very approachable. They became so accustomed to
taking over things with me that they asked me to serve
on committees and most recently to join the board as
Eastern Region Director. Surely I'm not the only Alabama Section member who is interested in the national
workings of MBCA.
Alabama Section has been nominated for section of the
year. I will need others to help hold the banner if we
win.
We are also vying for newsletter of the year, so it could
be a fitting time to have the national board meeting so
close.
VIew from our Farbenfahrt 2013
Our ancestors, the Peachtree Section, is also celebrating its 35th anniversary, so there will be a major party
on Saturday night.
Questions? Call your Section President at 205.967.5014 or the National Business Office at 1.800.637.2360 M-F, 8am-5pm MT.Or visit www.mbca.org
Great cars make us appreciate
the journey, not just the destination.
1800 Montgomery Highway • Hoover • 205-985-4200 • CrownAutomobile.com
Welcome,
New Member(s)
Thank You, Loyal Member(s)
Gary Babb
Huntsville, AL
William Morris
Lillian, AL
Jason Bardis
Meridianville, AL
Robert Wagner
Lillian, AL
Christopher Booker
Mobile, AL
Joe Petty
Tuscaloosa, AL
Robert Brooks
Laurel Hill, FL
Irvin West
Dothan, AL
Brenda Brown
Anniston, AL
Donald Sandaal
Niceville, FL
James Kotis
Mobile, AL
Bruce Weigmann
Owens Cross Rd, AL
Harold Cochron
Alexander City, AL
David Treadwell
Moody, AL
Belinda Newfield
Birmingham, AL
Odell Wilhote
Mathews, AL
Frank Frantzen
Kingsport, TN
Martin Wojtyna
Birmingham, AL
Scott Powell
Birmingham, AL
Vilpoot Vilsuthikosol
Florence, AL
Clarissa Lewis
Owens Crossroads, AL
Jim Sparacio
Birmingham, AL
Cruise-ins and Gatherings
If you are close enough to Birmingham for a Saturday morning visit.
The 3 events listed welcome Mercedes-Benz cars.
Even if you don’t see one already there, chances are that many participants own a car with the three pointed star. In order
of seniority.
Krispy Kreme, Hoover US 31
1st Saturday year round
Older cars start to gather about 7:30 and dissipate by 11:30 -12 noon. You will get a free cup of coffee and a donut, if your
car is at least 25 years old. This event is staged by the Dixie Vintage Car Club which was founded back in the 1950’s.
This will be about 75-80% domestics as well as a few street rods. Euros are mostly British with 2-4 Mercedes-Benz’s. The
August event had 5 Mercedes-Benz cars.
Logan’s on US 280
11:30- 1pm Most Saturdays
This is organized by M.O.B., INC, so you will see mostly newer European exotics. Most of them own and occasionally
bring a Mercedes-Benz SL, SLR, or SLS. Don’t be put off by them, as they love cars and greatly respect Mercedes-Benz.
They will almost certainly invite you to have lunch with them.
Cars & Coffee, Brookwood Mall
Every Saturday 8:30-10:30am
Yes, the name is the same and the ambiance is similar to the event in Los Angeles that you have seen on T.V. because a
recent California transplant was not satisfied with the existing car club scene. The location is the top floor of the parking
deck of the Merrill Lynch, office building between the west end of the Brookwood Mall building and the new Target store.
There is a coffee shop in the building. This attracts both Asian and European cars including exotics.
Questions? Call your Section President at 205.967.5014 or the National Business Office at 1.800.637.2360 M-F, 8am-5pm MT.Or visit www.mbca.org
Event Recap
Breakfast & Benz
Drive to Desoto Caverns
By: Mason Beale
By: Jim Roberts
Alabama Section gathered at Klingler’s Café & Bak-
Several of us including some first time participants met
After breakfast, members traveled to Crown Mercedes-Benz in Hoover. Upon arrival Sales Manager
Mike Musso greeted members and acted as host for
our visit.
Crossing Logan Martin Dam into Talladega County we
made our way east and south to Kymulga Covered
Bridge and Grist Mill and ultimately to Desoto Caverns.
This was described by Spanish explorer, Hernando
DeSoto in 1540. The beautiful formations
in this limestone and onyx cave are worth
a visit.
ery in Vestavia on July 19 for an authentic German
breakfast. Owner Irmgard Klingler, a native of Germany, welcomed MBCA members to her 27 year old establishment and discussed various menu options. The
selections were tasty and enjoyed by all members.
Members’ attention were
initially focused on AMG
CLA45, S550 and CLA
models.
After viewing
other models and reviewing various specification
documents,
members
departed Crown thanking
their host for an enjoyable
visit.
Crown
Mercedes-Benz
regularly
hosts
Club
events and the Alabama
Section appreciates their
generous support.
for breakfast on 9 August at Klingler’s German restaurant. Some drove to the Barber Museum to be joined
by several other star cars for a nice drive down the dramatic twists and elevation changes of Alabama 25 “The
Copperhead”.
Lunch followed at Fincher’s in Sylacauga
which doesn’t even see the need for a sign.
We would agree, as the food was excellent.
Many thanks to local MBCA member and
Mercedes-Benz mechanic James L. Horne
for the recommendation.
What is the chance of seeing two gold 116
sedans built within a few months in 1977?
In spite of ominous clouds and predictions
of rain, we had dodged it all day. Some of
us paused at Morgan Creek Winery for a
guided tour and tasting to complete a wonderful day. Then we had torrential showers
that subsided by the time we left.
Accelerate Your Driving Skills at Heimatfest
October 3-5 | Birmingham, Alabama
• Helmet-upforhighspeedthrillsandtechnicaldriving
withTracksUnlimitedatBarberMotorsportsPark—one
ofthemostchallengingandbeautifulracecoursesin
theworld!(2.4miles,17-turns,FormulaOne-certified)*
• OnFridaymorning,October3,beoneofthefirsttosee
theproductionoftheNEWC-ClassatMercedes-Benz
USInternational—theonlyMercedes-Benzproduction
factoryinNorthAmerica(includeslunchinthe
MBUSIemployeelunchroom)
• TourtheBarberMotorsportsMuseum—siteofthe
world’slargestcollectionofMotorcyclesandLotus
RaceCars.TourtheMuseum’s(normallyoff-limits)
vehiclerestorationfacilitiesonFriday,October3
• Visitwitholdandnewenthusiastsatsocialevents
Friday&Saturdaynights
*IncludesMBCAin-carinstructors.Classroominstructionfornoviceandbeginner
drivers;tailoredtodriverexperience.ThiswillNOTbeatimedorracingevent;
thereforeallMercedes-Benzmakes/modelsareencouragedtoparticipate
2014!
Warning:
This Experience will
be Habit-Forming!
MBUSIFactory
BarberMotorsportsMuseum
Registration Fee: RegistrationforOctober4&5AdvancedDrivingSkillsontheBarbertrack$589
Rentalhelmetsavailable
Register by 09.12.14: Atwww.msreg.com/TUBarber2014.Usediscountcode“MBCA”
RegisterwiththeAlabamaSectionforMBUSIFactory&Barberrestorationtoursplus
Friday&Saturdaysocialevents
Good to Know:
$89/night@HamptonInn,Leeds,AL.Breakfastincluded.
Mentioncode“MBCA”@205.702.4141
FMI: ContactJimRobertsjertoothsaver@bellsouth.net
205.933.9333|www.alabama.mbca.org
Huntsville Membership Meeting
Monthly Membership Meeting
Where: Hildegard’s German Cuisine
2357 Whitesburg Dr.
256-512-9776
Where: Dale’s Southern Grill, Hoover
1843 Montgomery Hwy S. #107
205-987-4757
When: 4th Wednesday of every
odd numbered month
When: 3rd Tuesday of every month
Time: 6pm dinner, 7pm meeting
Time:
6:30pm
Directions from I-565 towards Huntsville: Take S. Memorial
Parkway (exit 19A), turn left on Governors Drive, turn right on
Whitesburg Drive. Hildegard’s is approximately 1/2 mile on
left at the corner of Bob Wallace and Whitesburg Dr.
Dale’s Southern Grill in Hoover is south of I-459 and 1/4 mile
south of the AL 150-US 31 intersection on the left.
Mercedes-Benz Club of America
Alabama Section
2301 Arlington Ave S.
Suite 200
Birmingham, AL 35205