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September 18, 2011
EURO Auto Festival – Last minute signups
Less than a month to go before the 16th annual EURO Auto Festival fills the fall air with the sounds of classic European cars driving through the countryside. Be one of those drivers that spends a great weekend in Greenville at Embassy Suites and Resort.
Our room block is just about full and the banquet and reception reservations are filling up nicely. As an incentive to join us for these events, we will be having multiple drawings for some special prizes donated by our sponsors.
Since our dedicated charity is the American Red Cross Local Disaster Relief we will be accepting donations for some of the raffle tickets while others will be free to all. Some of the prizes include:
a set of Cocomats ($250 value)
one year SCCA membership ($80 value)
a complete race package including racing gear – drive like a pro ($1200 value)
set of four premium Michelin Tires ($1000)
Use of a new BMW X5 for a weekend and 2-night stay at Embassy Suites-Verdae
Join us at the banquet for a chance to win one of these great prizes!
Some things that differ from previous years shows are all pre-registered cars will have assigned parking spaces and we will begin loading the show field at 8 am with pre-registered cars being place first. If we have same day registration, these cars will be filled in at the end of the classification, space available with all cars to be on the show field by 10 am.
We will open the show field to the general public at 10 am with awards beginning at 3 pm.
The Best of the Best will be featured again as well as a special Competition Class with European cars that compete in organized racing events.
Barry Harms, EURO 2011 Chairman
August 18, 2011
EURO Auto Festival – More good news
Less than two month’s are left to get signed up for EURO and your suite at the Embassy Suites and Resort. The hotel will be full for this weekend so make sure that you get your room while EURO has a block of rooms left at the special rate. These are suite rooms with a full breakfast in the morning. All registered guests can take part in the happy hour as well as our hospitality are for EURO. Remember that badges will have to be worn for admission to any EURO event, so make sure to pick up your packages Friday at the hotel lobby.
Just a quick rundown of the events:
Friday, October 14: early credential pickup for the folks that signed up for the Friday tours from 9 -11 am, The technical sessions start at 3 PM and run for about an hour. Simultaneously, the spouse program will be taking place for those wanting avoid the technical jargon! The EURO hospitality room will be open from 3 PM until 7 PM when the reception starts. We have a fun, casual menu planned in the outdoor pavilion so that you can catch up on all of the news from the past year with your car friends. After the reception, the hospitality will open up again till 11 PM.
Saturday, October 15: starts with a great breakfast for those of you rooming at the Embassy and then you will head out to the BMW Zentrum to begin the lineup for your designated parking space. This year will be the first time each attendee will have their own space within their Marque and class. EURO hopes that this eases up the pressure to get there early to obtain the best spot on the field. All cars MUST be on the field by 10 AM. This doesn’t mean that you can arrive late because you have a space. Measure your preparation time and travel time so that you can enjoy the morning and the great atmosphere of EURO.
This year EURO has established a Competition Class that will featured cars from various race sanctioned organizations such as SCCA, NASA, HSR. SVRA, Chump Car Series, etc. These cars will be located on the asphalt area near the entrance to the show field, must have roll cages, racing numbers and a visual indication of sanctioning body. Cars must run and can be trailered to the drop off area, trailers will be parked in a designated area off site. A corporate award will be issued by SCCA for their chosen car and a People’s Choice award selected by the attendees.
Sunday morning, October 16: have a leisurely breakfast and join us for a fun rally to continue your weekend. The rally will be a casual paced event searching for visual signs while roaming through the beautiful upstate. The rally will end up in a historic plantation setting with a delicious box lunch. Sign ups will be at the hospitality suite and the cost of the event and lunch will be $30. Also on Sunday, if you choose to continue on foot and still enjoy automobile racing: the South Carolina Region of the SCCA will be hosting an points based autocross at the BMW Manufacturing site. The admission for spectators is free and the excitement is priceless.
Stay tuned for more information on the “Valve Cover Race”, Special door prizes at the banquet (must be present to win)and other door prizes available throughout the show event.
Even though you have registered, check in weekly to stay up with EURO Auto Festival – See you in October.
If you have not registered yet----remember that after October 1, registration will be increased to $70 per entrant.
You must register to take part in any of EURO’s event.
Barry Harms, EURO 2011 Chairman
August 1, 2011
EURO Auto Festival Guest Speaker Announcement
WOW, the EURO Board has scored a real coup in capturing the talents of Matt Stone, editor of Motor Trend magazine and TV automotive personality as our honorary guest and featured speaker at Saturday night’s banquet. Be sure to sign up for the banquet to get good seats with your automotive friends. You have seen Matt recently as a member of the Barrett-Jackson auction team. Matt’s passion for the automobile runs the gamut from sports cars, muscle cars and premier car show judging in places like Pebble Beach and Amelia Island. I am sure that his presentation will be interesting for all in attendance. Take the opportunity to catch up with Matt while he observes or Saturday event.
Some other changes since the last news article includes the tweaking of the web site to allow a download of the registration forms for those of you that are fond of snail mail. Our mailing address in case you want to send us letters, money, praise or your unwanted political advertisement is EURO Auto Festival, 3620 Pelham RD – PMB 243, Greenville, SC 29615.
All of the past participants of the show for the last 10 years that have submitted their email addresses will be sent an email blast announcing the registration form and the EURO Auto Festival event. Some of changes in this year’s show are the change in host hotel to the Embassy Suites and Golf Resort in Greenville, SC. This year’s attendance at the show will be limited to 400 registered cars and over the past few years – this number has been reached without same day registration. This means that in order to insure your designated spot on the show field, register early. Our goal is to designate a numbered spot on the show field for all pre-registered cars. Parking will begin at 8 am and be completed by 10 am; the show field will be open to the public at 10 am. This arrangement will allow for a less hectic loading of the show field and a safer environment for all in attendance.
Remember to sign up for the Friday road tours and the technical sessions on Friday afternoon and the welcome reception Friday Evening. Rumor has it that there may be a band and casual food at our new outdoor pavilion location, a great chance to catch up with your automotive friends from last year. There will be additional sign-up slots for factory tours and Spouse activities in the coming days, check the web site frequently. Saturday Performance Driving events slots fill up fast, so sign up to experience the thrills and chills of the ultimate driving machines. EURO apparel is available on the link from Foothills British Car Club, our founding club. Don’t forget the great awards banquet and guest speaker, Matt Stone on Saturday night – sign up early and make plans to have your club sit together! We are planning on having a drawing at the banquet for all of those in attendance to win some super prizes, sign up now. There are no plans for a silent auction this year.
Even though you have registered, check in weekly to stay up with EURO Auto Festival – See you in October.
Barry Harms, EURO 2011 Chairman
June 16, 2011
EURO Auto Festival Announces Registration Form:
It has been a while in the making but the new EURO 2011 online Registration Link is now up and ready for your completion.
This year it is important to register early since we will be limiting the number of attendees to provide better field loading and overall parking conditions. Once this limit is reached, registration will be closed and there may not be any same day registration.
Our goal is to assign each attendee a designated parking space and limit your time getting on and off the show field. With your cooperation this will allow you to experience the many features we have assembled this year.
Some of the new features of the registration form are the sign-ups for the Friday road tours and the technical sessions on Friday afternoon. There will be additional sign-up slots for factory tours and Spouse activities in the coming weeks.
Saturday Performance Driving events slots fill up fast, so sign up to experience the thrills and chills of the ultimate driving machines.
EURO apparel and posters are available to be included in your registration payable by secure credit card payment for your security and convenience. Please make sure that when you are signing up for any of the events or apparel, be sure to click on the details tab for more information.
Stay tuned to this site for more news about the reception party and banquet menu, guest speaker and other developing features of the weekend. Even though you have registered, check in weekly to stay up with EURO Auto Festival – See you in October.
Barry Harms,
EURO 2011 Chairman
May 6, 2011
EURO Auto Festival Announces New Web Site:
The new web site makes its debut on May 6, 2011 celebrating the featured Marques of Austin Healey Sprite and MG Midget (Spridgets) and the honorary Marque Jaguar XKE all being introduced 50 years ago this year.
There were some questions arising around the thought that the EURO board would begin limiting the age of the car entries this year and that has been resolved. All European Marques of all ages are welcomed and invited.
Our web site is still being massaged and we will provide an update on this "SITE NEWS" page each time the site is modified. Stay tuned for the registration tab that will allow online event registration to include car registration, driving event, special tour signups and apparel ordering.
We encourage all activities to be enacted online to assist our staff in being more efficient.
There will also be a Car Club link that will allow each registrant to access the web sites of our many participating Car Clubs for information such as membership forms, club news letters and others valuable information related to that club's represented Marques.
The "FAQ" link will grow with Frequently Asked Questions we receive from our attendees and some that the EURO Board posts for all to view.
The "Past Events" tab has some photos of the event and winners lists dating back five years. We look forward to expanding the web site to include a blog section so that we can better communicate with our members. I use the term “members” because after scanning through our database of attendees, it is clear that “many” of you are repeat attendees year after year and I want to personally thank you for your loyalty.
Our plans are to keep the event fresh and interesting to keep you coming.
4/19/2011
For the 16th anniversary of the EURO Auto Festival (EURO), we are excited to announce our featured and honorary marque. I has been 50 years since these models crossed the waters of the Atlantic and changed the definition of “sports Car” forever. The Austin Healey Sprite and MG Midget, affectionately know in racing circles as "Spridgets" will be featured in their pure form as well as their racing gear. Our honorary marque will be the celebrated Jaguar XKE with some very early examples on display. 2010 featured the Volkswagen Beetle and as calculated they swarmed all over the Zentrum's grassy setting. With flowered vans, California low riders, "Rat Rods (short for rodents?) and racy Jettas galore, totaling 147 in all, setting the individual record for a featured marque. The same day registration for the show again presented some obstacles for the EURO organizers to manage. More on that to come in a later announcement.
3/22/2011
The 2011 event is being subtitled EURO "Reinvent" with some new and interesting changes to the format that we have followed the past five years. Our major change is the host hotel is back to the Embassy Suites (670 Verdae Boulevard in Greenville, SC). This site offers many opportunities for our participants to enjoy one of the most exciting "Main Streets" in America including the scenic Liberty Bridge overlooking the historic Reedy River. Another new event is being added this year - a spouse's program for the other half to enjoy while the motor head half is taking in one of our technical sessions.
After receiving great response from the fun rally/tour of 2010, we have decided to add another tour and provide options for your driving pleasure in our beautiful Piedmont region. Another favorite event making its return after three years absence is the BMW plant tours, now that there are two plants to visit, we have been assured that one will be available to visit. And finally, the BMW Performance center will be available to test your driving skills. The schedule for all events is still being developed, as you can see the EURO organizers are busy reinventing your Euro Auto Festival experience.
We apologize for the past web site condition, that is being reinvented to make the web pages more usable and informative. Various links will be available for the regional car clubs, hotel links, event apparel and frequently asked questions (FAQ's) about the event. Stay tuned and log in frequently for updates. Early registration and sign up for the individual events will be very important this year.
