Home From Nationals

[oldopelguy]

Rather than pollute the photo thread with check-ins and home safe reports, I thought it best to start a new one.

I made it back without incident, despite some concerns about a minor surging and steadily worsening idle. Swapped in the Comp-u-fire points eliminator I should have put on before the trip, along with a new cap and rotor, and the rusty Kadett is running much better. Many thanks the Georgia Opel contingient for their always awesome support, knowing they were only a few miles back and would be looking for me took all the load off my mind.

Saturday was hot in Charlotte, but Hanna contributed a nice breeze every once in a while and the day turned out to be nearly perfect. Great turnout at the event, all the old regulars we know and love and a few new faces too, great attitude and high spirits the whole weekend. Lots of positive comments from spectators and other clubs throughout the day. We only had to push two Opels, so I'd call that a win.

Hats off to Roy and the entire Carolina Opel club, they threw a great event, one of best planned and most well thought out events I've ever attended. If you didn't make it you need to work harder at trying for next year, it's well worth the effort.

[BQS4]

I will post pictures later as I get them sorted out, but, I first want to say that all who did attend make it home safely. I got back myself, just a while ago and am trying to cool down. Second, I would to thank Roy and the Carolina Club for doing an EXCELLENT job of making this event a truly awesome event. The hotel was great, we got an excellent spot on the field, and the resturant Saturday was GREAT! The Southern Caravan had a couple of glitches getting started, as there was two accidents we had to wade through getting up I-85. The first we had Matt Newman (newman27) had his GT shut down on him but, got it started quickly and was able to continue. We picked up Stephen (oldopelguy) just before Greenville, SC. Oliver Siebert (Halo-effect) got a late start and had to dolly his Manta Rallye solo. Bear in Alabama did a solo run too, but, we arrived at the hotel with no other delays. I'm pretty sure we cause a little exceiment with all the Opels running up I-85. Hanna? Who's Hanna? She dropped a VERY small amount of rain on us Friday night, but, Saturday morning, even though a bit cloudy, never threatend rain, in fact by Saturday night all were fairly cooked from all the sun.Friday night was spent gathering at the hotel, meeting old friends, and new ones. Baz is an amazing character, with what he knows and with what he has done in his life. Mary was a very charming lady, and really fit into the group. You two have a great rest of your trip and let us know when you get back to the UK. Friday night in the conference room, raffle and 50/50 tickets were sold as well as pizza and "adult" beverages. Saturday morning was an early affair, with breakfast in the hotel (good, but, doesn't begin to compare with the Middlesex Diner) and a HUGE Opel caravan from the hotel to the track. We regrouped just outside the track and lined up GTs, Mantas, Asconas, Kadetts, and one Bitter and paraded into the track. "Hotrodder" was johnny-on-the-spot with his videocam and caught us all coming through the tunnel into the track. He'll post it later. We were lined up and the the polishing and shining began. Most did tour the track to look at the various vendors and cars for sale, taking all kinds of pictures and answering questions about Opels. We even got to watch a commercial being made with Carroll Shelby right behind us! Then he took someone's supercharged Shelby GT Mustang for a short drive on the grass. We all gathered at the main tent and pulled raffle tickets for the various Opel parts donated by OGTS. Then the awards were handed out for the judging. Our judges were Baz Williams, Keith Lundholm, Elmer O'Boyle, Harold Collins, and Mike Preble. I'll let Roy tell who won what. Then we headed for the resturant for heaps of real good cooking. One mishap there was Craig Robert's beautiful Targa developed a problem and wouldn't start, but, in true Opel Community tradition, there were 5 or 6 "mechanics" who jumped right in and try to solve the problem. Only it was not resolved, but, Bud Joyner did loan the use of his easy on trailer to pick up the Targa, and brought it back to the hotel where it was transferred to Craig's trailer. Tom Cavataio (did I spell it right Tom?) had extra parts with him to try to see if it could be started, but, to no avail. Craig, keep us posted as to what happened, and what needs to get it fixed. All ended up back at the hotel conference room for more Opel stories, raffled off more parts and 50/50 tickets. Sunday morning started later with some headed back home, or some going back to the track, but, most had breakfast at the hotel. As part of our Southern Group, Matt Newman's problem was found to be a missing screw on the dist, and since Oliver Siebert was dolling his Manta Rallye back, donated a screw off his to get Matt on the road. This is what the Opel Community is about. Our trip home was uneventful, but, the weather was hot and beautiful. I had a great time and look forward to the next event. Again, EXCELLENT job by Roy and Carolina Club... Take a bow guys and gals.

[heimue]

I left the show field at around 2pm, after a slow round around the track . I made it home safe and sound at 7pm, with everything working fine, just my ears are deaf, and with all the burnt skin you can officially call me a redneck.
Thank you very much to the Carolina Opelers, you were the stars of the show! We are all proud of you!!! It was an absolutely great meet !

Dieter

[opelspyder]

Long day driving in the sun to get the family home. Really bad with sunburn driving in the heat-but all is well. Nice to meet a few from over the ocean!!
Keith

[newman27]

Great summary Gene! I really can't add much except to say thank you to Roy and the Carolina Opel Club for a great event - it really was awesome! Also thanks to Oliver for helping me secure the vacuum advance on my car - solved my problem and the trip home was without incident. We drove the cars "hard" I think on the way home - blistering heat, averaging 75 - 80 MPH (sometimes getting into the 90 - 95 MPH range to take up slack in the line), and only one stop to refuel along the way! We can all be proud of our 35+ year old Opels and their ability to "hang" on the open road with modern cars. Great event - thanks again Carolina Opel Club and thank you to all the other Opelers in attendance for a great time!

Matt

P.S. I have to mention that as I passed the rest of the Georgia caravan to wave and take my exit (I was the first to exit) I noticed I was doing 108 MPH according to the speedometer and she had plenty more to give before redline. I didn't get a GPS confirmation but this was a nice ending to the trip - the fastest I've ever gone in my car in the 22 years I've had her!

P.P.S. I forgot a thank you - the judges really worked hard, putting in what seemed like at least a couple hours or more to get down the line of ~30 cars!

[hrcollinsjr]

I'll probably post more later but I would like to commend the other judges on their thoroughness. We split the judging duties up to make it simpler and hopefully more uniform and fair. IMHO, Keith and Baz had the toughest category, the exterior. I don't think we could have picked any better judges from our group to judge this area in particular.

Harold

[saxybiker]

All I can say is WOW! What a fantastic Opel Nationals. Thank, you to Roy, Yvonne and the Carolina Opel Group. And to think I even considered missing it because of some little ole bitty hurricane... what was I thinking! If you haven't gone to a Charlotte Auto Fair....you should. It is huge with lots and lots of cars and vendors to see

We towed the v8 down and had no problems whatsoever. The SUV with the new weight-distributing hitch did fine. On the way down, we left Tallmadge with our car on the trailer and Don McLean driving his Manta. About an hour and a half south we were joined by Tom Cavataio in his 72GT. Then in Charleston, WVA we joined up from John & Connie Dickerson in their 72 GT and Steve and Annie Daniels towing their chartreuse 71 GT. It was a great caravan down. We caravaned home with Steve and Annie Daniels. It was a very pleasant day and a wonderful drive. Lots of thumbs up to us from other drivers.

Most importantly, it was great to catch up with old Opel friends, met new ones and finally meet some we have chatted with here on line for several years! It was commented on to me several times this weekend by new and prospective Opel owners about the closeness and commaradarie they observed in the Opel group as well as the welcome they were given. It reminded me again of what makes our Opel Community such a great place to be.

We are looking forward to seeing many of you in a few weeks in Springfield.

Allen and Vickie

[saxybiker]

Originally Posted by hrcollinsjr I'll probably post more later but I would like to commend the other judges on their throughness. We split the judging duties up to make it simpler and hopefully more uniform and fair. IMHO, Keith and Baz had the toughest category, the exterior. I don't think we could have picked any better judges from our group to judge this area in particular. Harold

Agreed... I think this was the most thorough and fair judging I've seen at an Opel event so far. The idea of splitting up the duties into categories was great. I think it allowed the judging to be much more impartial. Thank you to all those who judged. It is a very difficult and often unappreciated job and you did it well.

[hotrodder1969]

just wanted to thank everybody for being so nice i know im new here but yall treated me like family cant wait to see everybody again oh and im still tring to cool my neck and head off from the sun but it was worth it just to meet everybody

[crliwa]

I echo the Thank You's to Roy (and Yvonne) and the other members of the Carolina OPEL club that made us all feel welcome. The Targa is Resting with Roy While I visit my brother Doug in W. Palm Beach.. I'm in Melbourne Fla. as we speak .. at The La Quinta.. The Florida welcome center had a $29 coupon for a Sunday night only stay so I jumped on it.. I don't think I've spent $29 for a hotel in many years. I'll p/u the Targa in a few days and hope to be able to have it fixed and hope to attend the Route 66 show.
Hoping all other attendees make it to their destination safely and w/o incident.

[bear's GT]

Many, many thanks to Roy and the Carolina Opel Club for a great weekend. It was really something to see all the Opels there. Several people that I talked with said they did not think there were that many Opel still on the road. My Wife and I had a great time. We even took a side trip on the way home to Cheaha State Park, got to play some on the winding roads. It was my very first car show and I think I'm hooked.

bear

[Gary]

Roy, Yvonne and the Carolina Opel Group really raised the bar for an Opel meet. Very well organized. It was great to meet old and new friends. I had a great time and my 2 hour flight home was uneventful.

The Autofair organizers also do a first class job. It's amazing how smoothly an event of that size went.

[Aardvaark]

Aardvaark got home after a 15 hr drive straight through. the Opel performed flawlessly for a trip total of 2233 miles. What a great time meeting several new opelers and their cars.
I'll be posting several pics in the next couple of days as soon as I get a chance.
And ditto the thanks to Roy, Yvonne and the rest of the Carolina Opelers for a great event.
It looks like I've got 142 photos to resize and post over the next few days.

[timemachine]

Gene said it well and I send the same thanks to Roy, Yvonne and the Carolina Opel crowd for their wonderful hospitality and attention to so many details. It was great to meet Baz and Mary and I wish I'd had more time with Hallgeir. Otherwise it was great to catch up with the crowd and see Dieter in his element with his new ride. Lots of cars I had never seen, mostly some fine GTs, but the Manta gang was well represented too. Oliver's is just like my first and I covet it though it sounds like his wife wants to keep it for her own.

My trip home was slightly eventful, traffic was fast even through Northern Virginia where it always turns into a parking lot, 75-90 all the way and the four speed was singing a happy song with what felt like a fair bit left if needed. Whatever time may bring, this particular Solex still sucks a lot of air and gives 28 mpg.

Once in Virginia, I saw the alternator light start to flicker and knew where that was headed. Eventually I saw a voltage drop that told me I was running on battery and with night coming on couldn't chance the rest of the trip. At a Maryland rest stop I swapped in a new regulator, and, that not being the fix, pulled my rebuilt alternator I had cleverly packed in my spares. Bright and shiny from the shop, yes, rebuilt, NOT, as a short immediately appeared after I popped it in. I paid the snakes at the Maryland House $20 to recharge my battery, pulled in tight behind a Greyhound bus, left the headlights off for long chunks of the next 90 miles and got home on battery power with some to spare (and Greyhound oil all over my hood). I'd say I put in 300 miles with no alternator. Just over 1,200 miles for the trip, no match for Kevin or Mark or Bill or Don etc. but a fun run.

Once again, never drove an Opel that needed to be towed in 34 years. That's why we drive 'em!

Hope everyone else gets home safe and thanks again.

Jim

[Ooooner]

I just want to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who participated with or without an Opel. Without you, the show would not have been what it turned out to be!
I will be posting more later, (Award Winners) once I figure out who they are. With all the planning that went into this, I forgot to write down who won what! I will get this straightened out and post the winners. But, I think we all can say that everyone was a winner for just being at the 2008 Opel Nationals!
A big thank you also goes to Floyd and Laurie with the Carolina Opel Club for their hard work, too. Without working with them as a team effort, we could not have pulled this off.
Also, thank you to the judges for their hard work. They did a fantastic job in how good they went through judging the cars. It's a job that everyone should get the chance to do sometime!
More later...

[baz]

not home but arrived in titusville in good order great to finally put some faces to so many names i thought we were being followed coming down and it turns out craig is 30 min drive from us my photos will be up on the site in a few weeks great show roy well done to all in your club who worked on it and can we have the meets in baby dolls next year

[Ooooner]

Originally Posted by baz can we have the meet in baby dolls next year

Hee Hee Hee... Sounds good to me!

[hrcollinsjr]

Home safe in Chapel Hill, TN. I understand I beat Mach 1 by about 10 mins!!!

Harold

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by baz can we have the meets in baby dolls next year

I'd rather not see you in a Baby Doll Baz.

At any rate, great meet. Very well organized with the judging. We looked organized with all of the models lined up together. I have to say that I liked the Certificate of Participation. It was a nice touch. Great turnout. We showed up in force and made a good spectacle of our selves. Opel convoys always are. Roy, thank-you for you hopitality, Hotel Ooooner is a great place to stay. Even if Tom and Harold talk so much that I can't get any sleep. I thought that the food at the Concorde Family Restraunt was excellent. THe Imperial Chicken and Fried Mushrooms were very good. Wanted to try one of the desserts but was WAAAYYY too full. The "Basket" raffle was a different and interesting was to go. And how lucky were we to right there when Carrol Shelby was filming and presenting that guy with his Super Snake/ signing the back louver.

Great to meet a few new people, see some all faces and get to know a few people a little bit better. I feel like I'm getting to the point where I can finally make a 2 sided discussion about Opels. Hallgier- somehow I missed you at the show.

The Southern convoy was pretty uneventful, which was a good thing. Matt had afew minor problems in traffic going up that didn't pose a big problem. Thanks for telling me that you guys weren't stopping to eat but just getting gas. I thought for sure that Dieter wouldn't be able to make the trip and would have died of hunger starvation. I went on to Jack in the Box and it took me about 40 miles to catch up doing 90 and 95. Blew the doors off a C3 Corvette, though. Super suprised to see both Edwin and Stephen with Opels. Glad Bear and Oliver were able to join us on the way back even if Dieter and Stephen decided to stay for Sunday's events. One scary situation for me, when we were changing lanes and my path lead me right into some road debris. Fortunately, I was quick enough to dodge it safely even at 80.

We got a great group of people on this site and I see that every time we get together.

[greenopelgt]

Great Opel meet and GREATER Opel people.

Thanks to everyone for making my son Ian feel a part of the Opel Community.

Two flat tires on the way home due to a scrap hauler who lost his load on I65 North betwwen Nashville and Louisville, KY.

See ya all.

I'm having lung surgery next Monday so all prayers appreciated.

Tom Adkins

[dcm013]

I got home this afternoon after spending Sun. night in West VA. Bailed the dog out of the kennel after I got home - she must have really missed me because they had to wake her up from her nap to bring her out. Maybe I should have let her stay another night .

The Manta ran fine all the way. I put 1500 miles on over the weekend. Got a number of thumbs up on the road and "what's that car/who made it" along the way.

I had a great time. Great to see old friends and meet some new ones. Many thanks to Roy and the others who put on this great event .

Don McLean

[heimue]

Originally Posted by greenopelgt I'm having lung surgery next Monday so all prayers appreciated.

Holy smoke, I certainly hope you'll be alright! All the best wishes!

Dieter

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by greenopelgt Great Opel meet and GREATER Opel people. Thanks to everyone for making my son Ian feel a part of the Opel Community. Two flat tires on the way home due to a scrap hauler who lost his load on I65 North betwwen Nashville and Louisville, KY. See ya all. I'm having lung surgery next Monday so all prayers appreciated. Tom Adkins

I talk to Ian some. Good guy. You take it easy now and heal up so you can drive that GT to the next get together.

[markandson]

Mike and I flew low all the way home and made it in 10 hours including stops, had a good time playing with the M3 since the break in mileage was taken care of on the ride down. Didn't tell most people but when I pulled in to park in the lot at the track I was greeted by a guy from the local BMW club and invited to park on the grass with them. They were voting on cars when Mike and I went out to put some swap meet stuff in the trunk, I took the first place trophy for the sweetest M3. Seemed rather ridiculous since I had done nothing but buy a new car but what the heck. I look forward to seeing everyone at Carlisle with my OPEL GT this coming May. Thanks to everyone in NC for a great time with good friends.

[kevinfier]

Hi All,

BIG THANKS to Roy, Yvonne, and the Carolina Opel Club. The Nationals were great, and Chris and I had a ball.
Made it home a few hrs ago. Made it as far as Lexington, KY last night.
Rolled up 2700mi on the Kadett w/ no problems .
Next show- Rt 66...

Kevin