southern california X1/9

We are pleased to extend an invitation to the Italian Auto Club to participate in the “7th Annual Rally in the Valley and Hot-or-Not Bikini Calendar Photoshoot” on Saturday, October 11, 2008. The rally starts at Cars and Coffee, 9500 S. Eastern Avenue at 9:00am with the first car out at 10:00am. This is a strictly for fun rally lasting about 2-3 hours with trophies going to the cars that the bikini models deem the “Hottest”, the “Cutest” and the “Best for Dates”.

At each checkpoint every car will be photographed with a bikini model as you pull in, and as you “check out” the girls, they will be rating your ride. This is not a timed rally, so you can feel free to hangout at each checkpoint as long as the mood suits you. Each driver will get 12 high quality digital pictures of his ride with 12 different professional models in 12 different settings. So if only one member of your club participates, you will still have enough photos to take to Office Max or Office Depot to print out your very own, very hot, 2009 Italian Auto Club Bikini Calendar.

Since our sponsors are paying for all the models, all 100% of the $30.00 registration fees per car will go to the Nevada Diabetes Association. We hope to count on your support and see a lot of your members here! Thanks!!!

Flyer Available Here

Well it is back behind the wheel of my trusty X1/9 again and so I gave her a nice detail, saddled-up and met some of the gang at the Ford Motor Company in Irvine for the weekly Cars and Coffee event. Today we had Jeff, Ricardo, Mark and Eladio attend – 3 X1/9s and 2 Spiders. After the event, we drove over to Panera Bread on Lake Forest and Rockfield for some breakfast and “bench racing”.

We have decided to make this a regular event for the local FLU-SoCal Chapter. The first Saturday of every month will serve as our meeting, from 7am to 9am, with breakfast and a perhaps a drive immediately following the show. If we get enough participatants, we will be able to request a Featured Marque designation and have our own corral for the show – we wil have to build up to that type of attendence level though.

For now, here are the few pictures I took. I’m not so much interested in the cars as I am hanging out with the gang.

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I had registered the 500 into the 2008 Concorso Italiano which takes place in Monterey, however I found myself not being able to go at the last minute and enlisted Jeff Johnson to take the car up where it was an absolute smash. It was selected to drive across the podium with another white 500, this one a 1971, and this easily stole the show.

As Jeff drove across the green, the MC stuck the microphone in the car where he was asked what he liked most about the new 500. Jeff stated: “Chics dig it.” Great job!

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Fresh off the trip from Las Vegas, the 500 headed south to San Diego where we had an invite to attend Euro Car Sunday as the center stage display car. This seemed like it would be a good event to attend, with over 1400 European cars in attendance, but unfortunately, it failed to meet my expectations. The show was more like a new car dealer lot where most of the cars on display were really nothing special, much less classic, just everyday cars for the most part. Also, when I arrived, I was told to park next to a late 90′s Nissan Sentra??? Failed to see how that was center stage….When I asked the lot attendant if I could move the car, I told him I was the guy with the 2008 FIAT 500 to which he said, “Which 500???” ……………………….sigh.

Lost and unoticed in the sea of Audi’s, BMW’s and VW’s was the 2008 European Car of the Year, and best selling car in Europe – our very own FIAT 500

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