Photo taken at the Audi B8 / B8.5 hosted by our Prestige Partner UroTuning in Helen, GA in May.
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This past month Audi Club Florida had luncheons in Jacksonville, Gainesville, and Pensacola. In addition, the Gold Coast and Gulf Coast regions, attended Cars and Coffees, which had each region with leadership active. This month there will be luncheons in St Petersburg, Jacksonville, Gainesville, and Pensacola as well as groups attending Cars and Coffees in their respective areas. It is awesome seeing all these regions having activities, and it was great to meet the folks at the Emerald Coast Luncheon and visit the dealership afterwards. Audi of Jacksonville hosted the regional Quattro Cup Qualifier and a Test Drive event demonstrating the e-tron on a closed track, and a few other cars to test drive as well.
Key West Drive Registration is Open!
The planning for the Annual Key West Drive has gone well. This year will be an ACNA member’s only event. With that said if you join the ACNA to participate in this event as a new first time member, the board of directors would waive your registration fee as your welcome to the ACFL and ACNA. You get the members privileges and registration for $49, ourinitial plan was $40 for non-member of ACNA. This is a onetime deal, so if you have ever thought about joining, now is the time. You can call the main office at 262-567-5476, or join on-line at https://audiclubna.org/join-2/. If you join ACNA to participate, please email me your membership number so I can verify and add you to the registration.
I have to have verifiable membership with ACNA no later than 8 August. Registration fee for existing and renewing members will be $30 per car due in by 9 August. Due to safety reasons, we will be limiting the registration to 25 cars total for the event. You can send your registration fee to me one of two ways right now. In order that we enter the digital age, you can send it PayPal friends and family to avoid fees to [email protected], or snail mail at the following address so I can make the bank deposits, and verify membership. Please include a short note with your name, address, ACNA member number, make, model and year of your Audi, number of adults and children, along with your email address for registration confirmation.
Checks will need to be payable to Audi Club of Florida and addressed to:
Audi Club of Florida
C/O Gerald Simms
207 Muskogee Court
Saint Mary’s, GA 31558
We were not able to get a group rate in Pompano Beach, FL, but there are several reasonable priced hotels nearby if you drive in the night before. We have secured a group rate in Key West thanks to Andreas Regalado, for August 22rd-26th at the Key West Marriott your Beachside. The hotel extended the group rate to two nights before just in case anyone desires to go on down and meet us there, and one night after if anyone wants an extra day in Key West to explore. We plan to drive down from E3 Customs 4100 N Powerline Rd, Suite E3 Pompano Beach, FL 33073 to the Key West Marriott Beachside Hotel on August 24th departing approximately 9:30 am. Our plan is to gather for dinner that evening at 6:30 pm at the hotel restaurant. Get a roommate or mates if you are single and split room or better yet a suite. The suites are huge, have a balcony and sofa bed also. The room rate is $189; the one bedroom suite is $259. The hotel restaurant has an awesome dinner menu, and an excellent breakfast. You can call (305) 296-8100 or use the link below.
| Book your group rate for the Audi Room BlockYou will find the information for your on-line reservation link below. If you have questions or need help with the link, please do not hesitate to ask. You can call (305) 296-8100 and mention Audi Room Block. We appreciate your business and look forward to a successful event. |
| Event Summary: |
| Audi Room Block |
| Start Date: Thursday, August 22, 2019 |
| End Date: Monday, August 26, 2019 |
| Last Day to Book: Friday, July 26, 2019 |
| Hotel(s) offering your special group rate: |
- Key West Marriott Beachside Hotel for 189 USD – 259 USD per night
In my efforts to get the Space Coast Region going again, I am looking for someone who would like to head up the area. It would take a few hours a month, roughly a couple hours hosting a luncheon, an hour to find a place and arrange the luncheon, and keeping me informed of what you are doing so I can add it to this newsletter, and the website calendar. You can contact me for further details.
Gerry Simms
President and BoD Member
[email protected]
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July Audi Club Special:
10% off across the board Audi branded parts and accessories, and with any purchase over $20 the club members get a limited edition AJX Hat and Audi sunglasses.
There are some significant savings available based on availability at their two local Audi dealerships. If you are looking for something, call it may be on the lot, being inspected and prepped prior to being listed for sale. Visit our Prestige Partner for your automotive needs.
2019 TT RS and RS 3’s get them while they are hot! 2020s on the way.
2 e-trons available – an Edition One is available in Daytona Grey
2020 R8 arriving any day.
New Q3 should be arriving soon.
$10K off 2018 RS 5 – White and that beast looks great
2019 RS 5s in Solar Orange, Miami Blue, on the way that are not spoken for, and Merlin Purple is in the showroom.
Loyalty Incentives that can be paired with ACNA Member discount if you own an Audi:
Buy:
2019 A4- Buy A4 or S4 you get $3K plus ACNA club price
2019 A6- Buy A6 you get $8k plus ACNA club price
2019 A7- Buy A7 you get $6K plus ACNA club price
July Luncheon
The First Coast Region July Monthly Luncheon after the Automotive Addict Cars and Coffee at The Amelia’s Cars & Coffee at the Avenues Mall will be Saturday, July 13th, 2019 at 11 AM At Millers Ale House 10334 Southside Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32256 at the Avenues Mall. RSVP to the JaxRings Facebook page or email me by Thursday 11 July if you are planning to attend.
First Coast Region (Jacksonville)
Leslie de la Serna First Coast Region Lead
[email protected]
Gulf Coast Region – Tampa Bay
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Unfortunately, I have not seen many A3 e-trons called the e-tron Sportback (are they still selling them?) on the roads lately nor are Q5 Hybrids in the mix. I think that Cadillac no longer sells its EV sports Coupe and I believe the Bowtie has stopped production of the Volt and Cruz hybrids, nevertheless Tesla continues to sell cars, lots of them. I have just read that the recently departed President of Audi stated that by 2025, a third of their volume will be electrified. Audi plans to add the above pictured car, continue with the A3 e-tron Sportback, e-tron SUV and add a new Q4 e-tron. In 18 months there will be A7, A8, and Q5 plug in hybrids. Wow, lots of electrics, I am not sure if the forays into electric so far, e-trons and hybrids and the reading of tea leaves foretell of a great future. “What’s past is prologue” a lot is on the line with the new e-tron SUV, time will tell.
Of course, much can change in the next six years. The infrastructure, especially for charging may become a totally different landscape and the issues regarding range hopefully a non-issue. One thought, if Volkswagen ever joins forces with Ford on a corporate level that may really multiply the number of charging stations available should they work something out for Audi owners. One could now drive cross country with their EV Audi through North Dakota and Montana where Audi dealerships are rather sparse but Ford dealerships are situated in almost every small county seat. One would be able to charge their electric Audi at the nearest Ford dealership and check out the latest Ford F250 Diesel Super Duty pickup while having a cup of Joe talking to a local rancher.
UroTuning Report
Recently, I received notice of some really good deals on upgrading turbo chargers and retro style wheels from UroTuning. Meanwhile the team from UroTuning has been on the road supporting the Alpine VAG Fair show in Helen Georgia and then the European Experience Show in Savannah as Title sponsors. This is all part of their continuing commitment to the enthusiast and supporting events, which allow those dedicated car enthusiasts an opportunity to get together and share their common interest. Now, as Justin states “it’s time to start really digging in and planning for FixxFest, which will be here before we know it”. As we look forward to FixxFest in November, it is also not too soon to pick up a few of those special carbon fiber items to not only enhance and personalize the look of your Audi for the Audi Corral “Show and Shine” competition and possibly bring home some honors but also tuner parts to improve its performance with some go faster item for a few runs down the strip. Remember the July 1907 discount code when you stop to order and to obtain the additional up to an extra 5% discount on certain items. So check out our Prestige Partner, UroTuning at https://www.urotuning.com/, register your Audi and start having fun browsing even if you are not behind the wheel of your Audi. Justin and his team at UroTuning are looking forward to exceeding your expectations in Product, Price, Knowledge, and Service.
Audi Clearwater Report
Audi S and RS models are in abundance at our Prestige Partner,Audi Clearwater. At present they have one TTS, one TT RS, one RS 5 Coupe and 4 RS 5 Sportbacks with a good selection of colors. JB’s stock of RS 5s has been replenished and if you are in the market for one of these go fast Audis, it would be worth your while to give him a call on his personal line at 407-470-3718. JB is dealing and frankly, one cannot but help but have a smirk on ones face after driving one of these RS 5 Audi cars. They are simply that much fun and the do make almost any day a great day after even just a little time in dynamic mode behind the wheel. It may just be the time to call JB, check it out and possibly to get behind the wheel of one of these beautiful pieces of machinery from Ingolstadt. Actually, I believe the RS 5 is made in Neckarsulm. Should you decide to make a decision on one of these vehicles, the juice is well worth the squeeze for sure.
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Up to ten thousand dollars off of MSRP, yup, 10 Grand on 2019 A6s. That is a lot of discount if you purchase or finance only, unfortunately no lease deals. Once again to get this deal you will need to call JB directly at 407-470-3718. Our 6% ACNA discount will only get you $4,200 on a $70,000 A6. If you lease there is a $5K discount.
1.99% financing is available on the following models A3, S3, A4, S4, A6, Q5, SQ5, and Q7.
So figure out which Audi of the many available will meet your needs, give JB who is the Sales Manager at Audi Clearwater a call at 407-470-3718 and you will be on you way to an excellent experience in the procurement of your new Audi. Once again, the above are quite frankly some exceptional deals from our Prestige Partner, Audi Clearwater and especially for recipients of the ACFL newsletter. To ensure you receive these specific savings when you purchase your next new Audi, make sure to contact JB directly at 407-470-3718 and he will get you squared away. In addition, if there is a special Audi your local dealership does not seem able to locate, contact JB, he will find it and get it delivered to you at an exceptional price.
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Finally, Todd Emery who manages the operations, service, and parts departments at Audi Clearwater is offering a 15% discount to all readers of this newsletter on parts and service for their Audis. This discount cannot be combined with any other discounts or offers but is available and all that is required is that when you are writing up you service order that you mention the ACFL newsletter the code 1907 for the month of July to your service writer. It is that simple to start saving money on needed service and parts.
Down the Road
Cars and Coffee Saturday July 6th 6:30-8:00 AM
Reeves Motorsports 11333 N Florida Ave, Tampa, FL 33612
Come early for a good parking space up front
Luncheon Meet Saturday July 13th11:15 AM Big Storm Brewing Co 12707 49thstreet, Clearwater, FL 33762
https://www.bigstormbrewery.com/
Please RSVP to [email protected] by noon July 12 with the number in your party if you plan to attend. We will be discussing plans for the Drive to Key West, Gainesville and FixxFest plus possible meet up at the Nationals in October. We may even have some of our new ACFL license plate holders on sale by then.
It has been about 10 years ago now……
Audi of America was preparing to roll out their new TDIs, many ACFL members were enrolled as test drivers at the Audi Test Center in Clearwater under the direction of Andreas Beansch and were regularly receiving new test cars. The ACFL was periodically having meets at the Test Center, drawing members from Jacksonville, Fort Myers, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Cape Canaveral and points in between. Ian Bolin was in charge of Audi area 81, actively supporting the club in its endeavors and our membership was growing. We had recently come off of a very successful Audi Corral at Sebring, were planning an MPG run to Orlando and the 100thBirthday party for Audi at the Tampa Bay Auto Museum. A lot has changed during the intervening ten years, diesels have come and unfortunately gone; Ian is still in the auto industry as a corporate recruiter (head hunter) after a stint Germany and as the Regional Director of Audi in South Africa, Andreas is back in Ingolstadt and remains with Audi AG, Audi sales are no longer growing, the test center is shuttered as a result of Diesel Gate and sadly, no more test cars for members but most importantly the ACFL has continued to grow in membership and active regions. We now have five regions, Emerald Coast, First Coast, Gainesville, Gulf Coast and Gold Coast Regions all with planned activities. We have a drive to Key West planned in less than two months, along with an Oktoberfest in October and the FixxFest in November. We remain as active as ever.
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The Eisvogel just outside Cherokee Georgia on the way to QDM, Photo: Bob Greving
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At that time, one of newest test mules in the AoA Test Center’s fleet during the spring of 2009 was a blue A3 TDI Sportback. It became affectionately called the Eisevogel which is the name of a bird in Germany of a similar color blue. Audi’s color designation for the car was Eisvogel blau. If you click on the link you will be brought to the write up that I did for the ACFL newsletter of the over 4,000 miles I put on that A3 during my two weeks test drive.
https://audiclubna.org/florida/2019/06/21/memories-on-the-road-in-an-a3-tdi-sportback/
I hope you enjoy the read as much as I enjoyed my adventures behind the wheel and the places visited with that car over ten years ago.
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The Eisvogel TDI test mule on the Tail of the Dragon QDM 2009, Photo: Ted Dannemiller
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Cheers and Safe Motoring
Bob Greving
Gulf Coast Region Lead and BoD member
[email protected]
Gator Region – Gainesville
Audi Gainesville – Cars and ‘Que
Saturday July 20thth at 11:00 am join us, the 3rd Saturday of each month we host a friendly gathering of automotive enthusiasts! We will have free brats, drinks and plenty of great music.
Oktoberfest has been rescheduled to Saturday October 19th
Gator Region (Gainesville)
Derek Hill Region Lead
[email protected]
Emerald Coast Region – Panhandle
July 13 @ 9am– 12pm Gas N’ Carry – KickAss Coffee 4497 State Highway 20w, Freeport, Florida
A Car Meet Open to All Makes & Models of Cars/Bikes! Coffee and Treats on-site in addition to an all-new Beer Brewery. Event is Pet Friendly and we will be bumping some old school tunes! After the luncheon will be held at The Bay 24215 Hwy. 331 Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459.
https://baysouthwalton.com/
Emerald Coast Region – Audi Club Florida
Bobby Hopp and Melisa Wilcox Region Leads
[email protected]
[email protected]
Gold Coast Region (Key West to WPB)
July 13 @ 8:00am-10:30 AM Cars and Coffee – Miami @ Casavana 8202 Mills Drive Miami, FL
Andreas Regalado the Gold Coast Region Lead will be attending the Cars and coffee Miami, July 13th 8202 Mills Drive Miami, FL 33183 at Casavana Cuban Cuisine. He will be there as well as other Audi owners also. He would be glad to see you there. Get together with people with similar interests, for tech talk, ideas or just get inspiration from each other’s rides.
Gold Coast Region (Key West to WPB)
Andreas Regalado Region Lead and BoD Member
[email protected]
Also please thank our Prestige Partners below by visiting their places of business or website and see what they have for you. That does it for now, looking forward to seeing and meeting as many of you as possible.
Gerry Simms President and BoD Member
[email protected]
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