For Labor Day weekend I went back to home (Ohio), and was lucky enough to head over to Put-in-Bay island on Labor Day for the weekly classic car parade. Put-in-Bay is a small yet really fun island, and every Sunday there is a car parade that goes through downtown. According to their website, there are more vintage antique and classic vehicles per capita on Put-in-Bay Island than anywhere else in the world! Check out this locally owned 1915 Ford Model T, for instance.

The Labor Day car parade is special; however, because it is the last of the summer season -because of this, it is usually the biggest and also probably one of the most fun ones. Last year there was 98 cars and this year they were hoping to break 100!

We brought our 1954 Packard Convertible over to the island to join in on the fun, and I got to drive for most of it which was particularly cool. A police escort both led the parade as it made stops through local venues such as Heineman’s Winery, GOAT, the Boat House, Mossback’s and then ending at the Crew’s Nest near the Put-in-Bay yacht club. The police blocked the roads for us which made it a very nice parade and allowed everyone to stay together and organized, which was super nice to have.

There was a wide variety of cars in attendance, from truly antique cars such as the Model T to more “modern” classics such as Corvettes, Mustangs and a few Cadillacs. There were even two amphibious vehicles! While I typically cover cars from the Euro car scene, I really enjoy the classic car scene and hope one day to have a few classics myself. One of my favorite cars was this Cadillac which was just oozing in style & grace:

Here are a few more cars I really enjoyed, then I’ll take you to the full photo gallery to see the rest. I tried to photograph as many cars as I could, but there was a lot going on and so I just did my best with what I could!

Mustang & mini-me Mustang, haha:

A sexy Triumph convertible:

Amphibious vehicle:

Nice vette:

I have a soft spot for Land Rover Defenders:

Speaking of cool 4×4 trucks, this Toyota FJ was extra cool with an umbrella and all:

And last but not least, a little VW/Audi love: A very nice Karmann Ghia:

And here are the rest of the pictures:

The FRRG Team Posing For the Cameras!

I recently returned from Wuste 2011 with my car club, FRRG, and wanted to share some pics I took at the show. It was an awesome event filled with over 1,000 cars in attendance, the vast majority of which were Audi or VWs. As you can imagine, for an Audi lover like me this is paradise. Wuste occurs every year in Las Vegas, NV, typically filling up an entire garage full of modified cars of all shapes, sizes and styles. The organizers describe the event as:

Originally called “Wustefest” (German for “Desert Gathering”), Wuste has quickly become one of the largest gathering of Volkswagen, Audi, and other European enthusiasts in the United States. Wuste2011, the fifth year of the event, is on pace to have more than 3,000 attendees with over 1,000 cars registered for the People’s Choice Show & Shine… where all eligible, everyone can vote, and anyone can win!

One thing is for sure – it’s an awesome time. Compared to other shows I’ve been to, this is definitely the most laid back – people are drinking beers, introducing themselves to complete strangers, and admiring & giving props to each others rides. Far from being competitive, Wuste is about having a good time – sure there are awards at the end, but over half the attendees didn’t even bother to go to the awards ceremony anyway, because it was all about the experience of the show that counts (either that, or they were too hungover, lol).

Here are some of my favorite rides at the show, in no particular order:

A Noggy Blue B5 S4 with RS4 Conversion at the 034 Motorsport booth:

An A7 on bronze HREs at the OEMpl.us booth:

A nicely modded B7 A4 at the OEMpl.us booth with 3 piece Rotiform BLQs:

A super clean GTI sitting on color matched Rotiform NUE wheels:

A super unique Jetta Wagon:

An A3 on air ride with beautifully finished BBS LM wheels:

Old school VW on BBS RS wheels:

My friend John’s B7 S4 with epic stretch and poke on a set of CCW Classics:

The Eurotuner GTI aka Project Silverstone on BBS LMs and air ride:

My friend Blakes RS4 – which you may recognize as a former Featured Ride here:

A few more clean DTM Edition B7 S4s:

My friend Randy’s nicely modded A4:

The cleanest Passat I’ve ever seen:

A really nice GTI on bronze CCW wheels:

A nicely modded C5 RS6:

The famous & just as beautiful in real life “ROTORS8″ on DPE wheels and Air Ride by Adam’s Rotors:

And last but not least – the Rotiform Porsche:

There are a ton more – check out my Flickr Gallery for the rest, or click on the thumbnails below!

Lamborghini Diablo GT

Today I visited the Scottsdale Cars & Coffee event at Gainey Village (Scottsdale Rd. & Doubletree Ranch Rd.) to check out some exotics. I had heard of Cars & Coffee in SoCal, but I wasn’t sure what to expect here in Arizona – man am I impressed. It was exotics galore, including some super rare cars such as the Lamborghini Diablo GT above, as well as a Saleen S7, Tesla Roadster, Porsche 959, a Jaguar XK120, and a few others. There were so many nice cars there that the Bentley Continental GTs seemed pedestrian and parked out of the spotlight, knowing they couldn’t compete with the likes of the Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches in attendance. Needless to say my A4 was parked far out of the main parking area too

The Scottsdale Cars & Coffee usually occurs the first Saturday of each month at the same location, starting at 9 am and running until about 11. I’ll definitely be back – it’s a car lovers paradise, and an awesome way to start your day. The people are generally nice there and it was super casual – as long as you don’t park your non-exotic car in a prime spot, you won’t have any trouble blending in or getting along with the others present.

I took a ton of pictures as the lighting was pretty decent, although sometimes challenging to get a clean shot of the car without others getting in the way. Enjoy!

Saleen S7

Ferrari 458 Italia

Porsche 959

Porsche GT3RS

A little Audi Love

A row of exotic cars

Jaguar XK120

Check out all of my pictures (approx. 50 of them) at my Flickr account:

I just came back from Willcox, AZ, after a dream car weekend at Inde Motorsport Ranch. Myself and 10 others brought their Audi’s and consumed all the track time we could handle – it was awesome!

The staff at Inde was great, everyone was super nice and the place was super well ran and incredibly well done. CJ, one of the owners, even went for a ride-along with me to give me pointers and advice – what better instructor than an owner?

We ran sessions of 3 cars at a time for 20 minutes each. The track was super technical and pretty challenging – I don’t think I really had it down until my third or fourth session (and even then, still learning new tricks each lap). The track is 2.75 miles long with quite a few turns – it was by far the best track I’ve ever had the pleasure of driving on.

Enough with the jabbering – on with the pics! Our group consisted of a B6 S4 (CaptainDistraction), a B7 S4 DTM Edition (Whatset), a B7 S4 Avant (Jung), an Ibis White RS4 (Koolaide), a black RS4 (MrPerfect), an A5 (TSFI), an Ibis White B7 S4 (J the W), an APR Stage 3 B7 Audi A4 (Starr_kitten), and my APR Stage 2 B7 Audi A4 – that’s 2 RS4s, 4 S4s, 2 A4s, and an A5!

Photo Credits to MattLQX and CW Race Photography.

Cooling off the engines between runs:

Parked outside the Holiday Inn Express:

Having some fun!

Blake’s beastly Ibis White RS4 on Orange Enkei Wheels:

Jung’s Venetian Violet S4 Avant, aka the Violet Riot.

Me sparring it out with an A5 and S4, actually a pretty good match!

Another group shot at the end of the day:

The RS4 again – love this shot:

Cooling off…

Power slide in MrPerfect’s RS4

The RS4 coolng down – he had 4 GoPro Hero Cameras on it, looking forward to the footage.

Awesome brakes and track wheels – 18×9 CCW C14s and Alcon brakes by STaSIS:

J the W having some fun in his S4 before the tires gave way.

From L to R: B6 S4, TT, GTI, B7 S4, B6 A4, B8 A5, B6 A4, B7 A4, B7 RS4, A3

Spring time means one thing to gearheads like me: time to drive! One of my favorite routes, from Phoenix to Cottonwood, through Jerome, Prescott, Wickenberg and back to Phoenix again along the scenic 89A, is no longer covered in snow, so we went ahead and organized a group drive to celebrate. What makes this drive so fun is the very twisty roads going up and down the mountains, so this route had to be avoided during the winter, and I haven’t driven it since last November.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one itching for a nice springtime drive, as about 13 other Audi drivers (and a few passengers even!) tagged along for the ride. Everything from a big turbo Audi TT to a B6 Audi A4 Avant, as well S4s, an A5 and S5, and even a BMW(!).

Another group shot (L to R): B6 S4, TT, 2010 VW GTI, B7 S4, B6 A4, B8 A5

Jim’s heavily modified, big turbo Audi TT. I’m trying to convince him to pick up one of these Audi convertible tops in bright red to match the paint – I think it’d look sick!

Another shot of the TT and Craigs B8 A5:

Rafe’s B6 Audi A4 Avant rolling in – the sickest station wagon on the planet! The 20″ wheels with color matched barrels are the most unique, stunning wheels I’ve ever witnessed, and the gigantic Brembos behind them don’t look to bad either

Letting his big turbo upgrade cool off after a fun day of driving.

Everyone checking out Matt’s A4, also featuring a big turbo upgrade. I’m starting to feel like the only person rocking a stock turbo!

Chris’ B6 Audi S4 with RS4 wheels a nice drop. He let me drive his car a bit, it’s a thrill to drive.

Craig’s Audi A5.

And last but certainly not least, Matt’s RS4 (which is still for sale, BTW):

From VividRacing.com:

Vivid Racing is holding a charity car meet for all amazing JDM, Euro, and Domestic vehicles to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. Pull out your change and donate at least $1 at the door to these brave heroes as we kick back at the Vivid Racing Headquarters in Gilbert, Arizona March 5th from 7:30pm to 10:00pm. All donations will be matched 100% by VR and donors of $20 or more will receive the all new Vivid Racing T-Shirt. Bring your good spirits and checkout gear from our sponsors: DC Shoes, Brembo Brakes, KSport Coilovers, HRE Wheels, and Sound Xpression. Vivid Racing’s Project 997TT, CLS55, and 135I will be on display along with other vehicles. See you there! View more about the WWP here - www.woundedwarriorproject.org

To RSVP click here. Hope to see you there! I’ve got a few minor mods I hope to have finished up before the event, mostly minor detail-oriented stuff but I hope to take some good pictures to post on here for later

Oh, and if you’re looking for any performance parts for your car, I suggest you check ‘em out. They have great service and will usually match or beat any posted price you can find. Click the link below to view their catalog: