Benvenuti amici!
Anyone following the CC5C Facebook page and this blog is aware I've been working with a team of local club members, a "planning committee", to organize a national FIAT aficionado convention. This blog entry captures some of the automobiles trailered and/or driven to Milwaukee and the activities attendees took part in. Consider this your reward for putting up with all the "hype" entries published since August 2016. Also, this is a THANK YOU to the local committee, the Board of Directors, FCA North America and our long list of sponsors.
Now, one of my favorite things to do at any car event... small or large... is to hang around waiting to see what will show up. The hanging out happens in the parking during an FIAT FreakOut (FFO). Wednesday & early Thursday I took advantage of less crowding around the arrivals in order to get the cleanest shots possible. This helped build up my excitement for the of activities.
We also managed to secure track time on the legendary Road America race track - "Sportivo" alternative to the "Normale" Pizza Bus Tour. Both happened Friday. It began to rain lightly as we exited the Milwaukee Metro Area, but that did not stop the group of over 70 cars from making the trek to Elkhart Lake, enjoying the final [vintage car race] practice sessions and purchasing mementos from the paddock shops & kiosks. 'Not many images to share for this activity... we were too busy having fun. But I'm sure there will be many images & video clips posted online in the coming weeks. Thanks to Tyler Whitty and Mark Beckmann for their help making this "anchor event" a roaring success.
Quiet time with Nonna.
Eurocompulsion Represent!
Pep : Adding Global Depth
From Yugoslavia with Love!
Activities. Yes, let's spend some time covering FFO activities. We staged the inaugural FIAT GeoDash Thursday. (It played the "Normale" alternative to the backroads trip to the ultra-popular "Sportivo" Holy Hill & the WI Auto Museum run.) Think "The Amazing Race" in FIATs and ABARTHs. It seemed Duane Hand, the activity point person, had just as much or more fun than the participants. We thought this was a deeper way of getting to know our city. Why bother hosting an event in a particular place if no one gets to experience said place on their own terms? Am I right?
I'll remind you we divided the entire week of events into "Normale", low-key and family-oriented, and "Sportivo", high-speed and gearhead-oriented, activities. I always thought all FeakOuts should be organized in this way. Thanks to Duane Hand, Joe Noto, the Reiners family and Willie Carter (the unsung heroes of FFO2017) for adding their ideas and/or hard work to the mix.
An Industrial Tribute : Allen Bradley
Victorian Gothic : Cream City
Style : Milwaukee Art Museum
500 Topolino Leads FIAT Future!
The week of fun was punctuated with the most richly diverse show field in FFO history staged [Saturday] at a the Mitchell Park "Domes". The overcast skies helped keep most of the day very comfortable. 'No rain for the first time in 3-4 years. The sun burned through said cloudy skies during the final hour or so of the event. I consider it a sign we did good.
Spectators came in from outside the national club and they were certainly welcomed to do so. What use is a Concorso if only the owners/drivers get to enjoy? Most FFO activities are strictly members-only. This is the one portion the general public can enjoy. That general public represents future FIATisti and ABARTHisti. That general public is whom we & FCA-North America need to win via the ultra coolness of our cars. It should be our expressed mission to include and court our non-FIAT driving neighbors. And, so, we did.
Sombrita at The Domes
Dolce : Grant's 500 Lounge
Check...
This...
Out!
Beautiful Back Row!
Coupes + Spiders
500s, 124s + X1/9s
IT, MX, PL, YU + RU
Born In Different Countries...
... All Bound with the Same Soul
500X, 500L and Alfa Romeo
Coach Building Relatives
Local Eastern Block represent!
Grilles for Days...
Return of the Spiders!
3/4 Generations of 500 attended!
Local FIAT racing heritage!
ABARTH 750 Zagato!
Local Delta Love!
The perennial Awards Banquet happened later Saturday night and a Sunday Brunch and raffle followed (not pictured). Well, the convention, called FIAT FreakOut, is in the history books and attendees are on the road or already home. Submitting an itinerary proposal, enlisting a willing planning committee, reworking and refining the plan over the course of nearly two years, gaining the confidence/support of the Board of Directors and running around throughout the week was quite the adventure. On behalf of my team, thanks to all the sponsors as well as the event volunteers for partnering with us and the national club to put on the best FreakOut in recent memory. This leaves us with one more, and quite possibly the most, important activity of all.
Think about what you can... or are willing... to do in your area to support our greater FIAT community. Maybe your area doesn't have the numbers to sustain a chapter of one of the two larger clubs, but you consistently roll with a smaller number of passionate owners/drivers. Consider pooling your collective talents and sharing your adventures online. FIAT wants & needs to hear/read about the new breed of enthusiasts and that our numbers are growing. This creates a more [fiscally] relevant balance to the equally [to us] relevant old breed.
Finally, CC5C and Mighty Mouse Militia (M3), phonetically stylized MYT MAUS Militia, are entering a new era. You read about the early beginnings of CC5C on this very blog. You also read about the expanded MYT MAUS MILITIA (M3) idea. I modified the CC5C and M3 logos in order to mark the new era and recognize the global mission of FIAT as well as the multinational (Austria, Italy, Slovenia) roots of ABARTH. The Italian tricolor is, now, replaced with a racing-inspired checkered pattern to match the stylized racing wreath. You many have taken note of the change months ago - the CC5C blog icon/avatar. The ABARTH & GIANNINI versions of the M3 logo may continue to bear the Italian colors, but the RECORD version, along with the CC5C logo, will no longer bear them.
Think about what you can... or are willing... to do in your area to support our greater FIAT community. Maybe your area doesn't have the numbers to sustain a chapter of one of the two larger clubs, but you consistently roll with a smaller number of passionate owners/drivers. Consider pooling your collective talents and sharing your adventures online. FIAT wants & needs to hear/read about the new breed of enthusiasts and that our numbers are growing. This creates a more [fiscally] relevant balance to the equally [to us] relevant old breed.
Finally, CC5C and Mighty Mouse Militia (M3), phonetically stylized MYT MAUS Militia, are entering a new era. You read about the early beginnings of CC5C on this very blog. You also read about the expanded MYT MAUS MILITIA (M3) idea. I modified the CC5C and M3 logos in order to mark the new era and recognize the global mission of FIAT as well as the multinational (Austria, Italy, Slovenia) roots of ABARTH. The Italian tricolor is, now, replaced with a racing-inspired checkered pattern to match the stylized racing wreath. You many have taken note of the change months ago - the CC5C blog icon/avatar. The ABARTH & GIANNINI versions of the M3 logo may continue to bear the Italian colors, but the RECORD version, along with the CC5C logo, will no longer bear them.
Individuals who purchased the first (and extremely limited) MYT MAUS MILITIA BE ABOUT THE LEGEND t-shirt are already sporting the new look. The idea came to me after our November 2016 event with "Pep Zastava". The missus has asked me to design a more global logo for some time. Modifying the existing logos made more sense. You will find, in addition to these aesthetic changes, I will continue to write stories about non-Italian FIATs as M3 mayhem continues to claim more parking space in the local and national scene/s.
Vivere.Amare.Guidare.
Ciao!
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