July 13, 2010 MPG Event
MPG July Meeting: Motorsports Panel
MPG followed the suggestion of its members from a survey conducted earlier this year and began rotating locations as of the July meeting. We were hosted by AARWBA and the Automobile Club of Southern California at the Auto Club's Costa Mesa location.
The presentation was a motorsports panel that covered a broad spectrum (from left in photo): moderator Greg Gill, Haymarket; Bob Patison, Lucas Oil; Gary Darcy, NHRA; Bob De Fazio, Toyota Speedway at Irwindale; Ryan Flaherty, NASA; Chris Norris, Swift Engineering; John McQueen, Automobile Club of Southern California; and Steve Sanders, MAZDASPEED Motorsports. To hear the audio and see more photos of the luncheon, go to MilePost Online.
For previous luncheon speaker information, see MilePost Online
For more information on MPG Luncheon Meetings, click here
-photos by Pete Lyons for MPG
June 8, 2010 Luncheon
MINI's Jim McDowell
"Year by year, the world is becoming more MINI," said Jim McDowell, Vice President - MINI at this month's luncheon. Responsible for all aspects of MINI Marketing, Sales and Aftersales in the United States, Jim conveyed a sense of fun by beginning his presentation with a slide that identified him as "Chief Motorer, MINI USA." To hear the audio and see more photos of the luncheon, go to MilePost Online.
For previous luncheon speaker information, see MilePost Online
For more information on MPG Luncheon Meetings, click here
-photos by Pete Lyons for MPG
May 11, 2010 Luncheon
Maserati's Jeffrey Ehoodin
Our speaker this month, Maserati North America, Inc. Public Relations Manager Jeffrey Ehoodin, brought us a 2010 Maserati GranTurismo Convertible, the first four-seat convertible from Maserati. MPG members proved you can fit four comfortably into the vehicle. For more photos, the complete audio, and the complete transcript see MilePost Online.
For previous luncheon speaker information, see MilePost Online
For more information on MPG Luncheon Meetings, click here
-photos by Pete Lyons for MPG
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pril 13, 2010 Luncheon
Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Panel Updates the Progress
The fuel infrastructure panel was moderated by Greg Gill, VP and Group Publisher, Haymarket Media, Inc. and included (left to right) Paul Glenney, Director Marketing Development, AeroVironment (AV); Steve Anthony, The Gas Company; and Tim Brown, UC Irvine National Fuel Cell Research Center (NFCRC). For complete audio and the full transcript, click here.
For previous luncheon speaker information, see MilePost Online
For more information on MPG Luncheon Meetings, click here
-photos by Pete Lyons for MPG
April 8, 2010 Special Event
MPG Joined Auto Club for Technical Issues Forum
MPG members and guests attended an automotive technical issues forum hosted by the Automobile Club of Southern California at its Los Angeles offices on Thursday, April 8.
Panelists included from left: John Tomerlin (not shown in photo), former highway affairs editor at Road & Track; S.M. Shahed, Former SAE President & Corporate Fellow, Honeywell Turbo Technologies; Richard Schmidt, Porfessor emeritus of Psychology at UCLA Human Performance Research; Bill Bergen, National Dealer Education Manager, Technical Training and Toyota Customer Services for the University of Toyota; Steven Mazor, Chief Automotive Engineer, Automobile Club of Southern California; Don Fuller, automotive authority and expert witness; and Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing, Edmunds.com The discussion included issues (real and imaginary) that might be affecting the control and safety of today’s modern vehicle.
MPG President James Bell comments, "As leading members of the Automotive Community, we are often looked to for guiding commentary and perspectives on this very newsworthy subject. Thanks to our friends at the Auto Club, this discussion provided many relevant facts and figures and is the sort of 'insider' event that makes the MPG great."
-photo by Albert Wong for MPG
March 9, 2010 Luncheon
Design Panel Packs the House
The design panel packed the Proud Bird restaurant on Tuesday: (from left below) Eric Noble of The Car Lab moderated; Ralph Gilles, CEO Dodge; Clay Dean, Executive Director Advance Design GM; and Franz von Holzhausen, Senior Design Executive, Tesla. John Grafman of AutoDesignO organized the event.
Vehicles presented included a Dodge Challenger, a Tesla Roadster, a Tesla Model S (concept), from Petersen Automobile Museum a 1953 Ghia Cadillac (Rita Hayworth owned) and a 1953 Bosley GT Mark I, and the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe. Confederate Motors brought two motor bikes, the Wraith and the P120 Fighter Combat. Bunkspeed provided design images during the panel presentation.
For more photos and the full audio, see the Audio page at MilePost online.
For a short video clip, click here.
For previous luncheon speaker information, see MilePost Online
For more information on MPG Luncheon Meetings, click here
-photos by Pete Lyons for MPG
February 23, 2010 Exclusive Event
MPG Members Only: Breakfast With Bob Lutz
MPG members attended a special breakfast meeting with Bob Lutz, Vice-Chairman of General Motors on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010. This meeting was exclusively for MPG members, and was sponsored by GM. The event was held at the Ayres Hotel, 14400 Hindry Avenue, Hawthorne, CA, 90250, just south of LAX.
For the complete audio of the speech, click here.
-photo by Albert Wong for MPG
February 9, 2010 Luncheon
Amy Boylan, President of Shelby American
Amy Boylan spoke to the February 9 luncheon crowd at the Proud Bird, and addressed some of the ways a specialty manufacturer has survived in tough economic times. For the whole presentation, listen to the complete audio on the MilePost online page.
For previous luncheon speaker information, see MilePost Online
For more information on MPG Luncheon Meetings, click here
-photos by Pete Lyons for MPG
MPG Board Elects Officers for 2010
New board members were seated and officers elected at the board meeting Tuesday, January 26. The three members winning the election are Laura Burstein, Charlie Vogelheim, and Greg Whale. The board elected officers as follows: President, James Bell; Vice-President, Laura Burstein; Secretary, Dean Case; and Treasurer, Carl Sheffer.
The board now consists of James Bell, Laura Burstein, Dean Case, Carl Sheffer, Aaron Robinson, Jeff Holland, Jessica Tullman, Charlie Vogelheim, and Greg Whale.
Friday, January 22, 2010
MPG Media Guide Cover Contest: Winner Announced
MPG announces the winner of the cover photo contest is Tim Considine for his shot he titles "Speed." The photo is of an '04 chain drive 70hp Mercedes, being driven with great aggression by Paul Foulkes-Halbard at Filching Manor, his home in England. In Tim's words, "The cover photo is a cropped version of one of several that day and was quite thrilling to shoot, as one had to climb up and over the seat in the wind, just hanging on as Foulkes-Halbard legged that old Mercedes, which he claimed was timed at 89.7mph by the Filching police (near Brighton)."
We thank all of you who submitted photos for this year's contest, 43 photos in all. That's a record, and we hope we have even more submitted next year.
January 12, 2010 Luncheon
Craig Jackson, CEO of Barrett-Jackson Auction Company
Craig Jackson presented a positive view of the collector car industry at the MPG Luncheon on Tuesday, Jan. 12. He opened with a short video, spoke for a short time on the state of his industry, and opened the floor to questions.
For the complete audio, click here to go to MilePost Online and click on Audio.
For previous luncheon speaker information, see MilePost Online
For more information on MPG Luncheon Meetings, click here
-photos by Pete Lyons for MPG
In its 14th year, Track Day is an opportunity for a wide cross section of automotive media to interact with the vehicles and representatives from more than 30 automotive manufacturers and aftermarket tuners over two days of diverse driving activities, networking, and static displays. Last year, the event drew more than 290 journalists, public relations professionals and invited guests and motoring dignitaries, and featured more than 90 new vehicles on site for test-drives.
MPG August Meeting: Porsche Celebrates 60th
