Atlanta Car ClubAtlanta Car Club

Atlanta Motor Speedway

April 25,26,27 2014

If you missed the opportunity to cruise the high banks at Atlanta Motor Speedway and hanging out with your fellow Allante members, you missed an excellent trip. Atlanta Motorama was one of the largest car shows of the year and it showcased anything with a motor in it. This was the first annual event and it was a great success. In fact, two members of our club took home trophy's for their beautiful Allantes, congrats to Sal and Jim.

It was a beautiful weekend for a car show and we had a number of members attending. In total we had Seven(7) Cadillac Allantes and our club was one of 200 car clubs that participated in the event. We all arrived late Friday evening and enjoyed each others company in McDonough GA where we were treated to cold dinner and poor service at The Seasons Bistro. This highly recommended restaurant turned out to be a giant let down for the club, but we made the best of it. Had we known the deserts were going to be so good we could have just started and ended their. It's not often we miss the mark on our group dining experience; but this restaurant just wasn't prepared. On the upside it left us all with a bit of extra time for fellowship and the opportunity to embibe in several pre-dinner drinks of choice.

From that point on, everything went swimmingly well. The group headed back to our hotel for a good nights rest and we were off to the tracks first thing in the morning to locate our clubs place on the inside track. We had a really nice spot on the infield grass (as oppose to the heat laden asphalt) and there was plenty of room so that our cars were not stacked on top of each other. The morning started off bright and sunny and this continued throughout the day. After lining up the cars in the clubs infield most members took the opportunity to pull out some cleaning rags and make certain everything was in place. Along with the clean Allante's many members displayed memorabilla with regards to the history of the Allante, including manuals, original window stickers and a host of other Cadillac Allante related items.

There was a lot to see and do. Cars' for sale, Show Cars and more Show cars. The food was somewhat limited but Chic-Filet, Papa Johns, Sonnys Barbecue and Hamburgers and Hot dogs grilled fresh on the barbie' were enough to cover most appetites.

The club had numerous folks come by, and in typical fashion some were familiar with the car while others were not. It's always fun to see the expression on peoples faces when they see so many Allantes in one place. Its not uncommon for someone to say they've seen one here or seen one there; but never so many in one place. And every car being so well maintained.

Dinner on Saturday night turned out to be a very fun adventure as club members sped to nearby LaParilla Mexican Restarant. The service was excellent, the food was hot and delicious and the margarita's were HUGE. Thank you Sal for turning us on to that interesting drink. To full for desert and after a long hot day in the sun our members retreated to the hotel for a good nights sleep and another day at the track on Sunday.

In keeping with one of the common themes of this club (food) the members decided that the cheap hotel breakfast was not on our Sunday menu and so we all bee-lined to the local Cracker Barrel for hot buttery pancakes and eggs, sausages, bacon, grits and toast. Now this is the way to start your day! After breakfast members returned to the track, lined up their cars and prepared for a second day of fun and sun.

As the afternoon heated up and those members who had long drives home kept their eye on the weather forecast it became evident that a 4:00pm Afternoon Thunderboomer was well on it's way and words like severe started to make the rounds. By 2:00pm everyone decided it was time to call it a day and make their way home. We had members from S. Carolina, Indiana and Florida join us for this trip and each had a bit of drive ahead of them.

It always' amazes me that our club is so blessed not only with great members, but that our activities and gatherings are enough fun that our members will come from so far away. Steve Garrity get's the prize for this trips longest driver coming all the way down from Indianapolis. If you've read any of Steve's articles you'll know that he has put on quite a few miles in the past several years. Sal and his son Vincent drove in from Conway South Carolina, Bill and Kathy Winkler came up from Sarasota though they had to leave early with a family emergency and we hated to see them go but understood the circumstances. We didn't have the usual contingent from Alabama or Tennessee this trip but those members I am certain know that we missed them. Bill Corn made a brief visit on Saturday albeit not in his Allante, nor his Jaguar. He did however bring his camera and left us with some great photo's along with those provided by Steve Garrity, Thomas B and the rest of the crew.

To all members, “Thank you”. It is through your ongoing support and sponsorship that we can continue to grow and expand our club to the enjoyment of yourself and new members alike.

See you next time!

Thomas