Dixie FiatFest 26-28 June 09

June 26 - 28, 2009
Winston-Salem, NC
Sponsored by the Carolina chapter of FLU

An eventful three day weekend in the western Piedmont of North Carolina.

Itinerary:

Friday June 26, 2009
3-5 pm Event registration (lobby of Hawthorne Inn) Packet pickup for those who preregistered
6 pm Dinner at Old Salem Tavern (Open menu with Entrees $15-$24)
8 pm Go kart racing at Grand Prix Greensboro ($45 per person)

Saturday June 27, 2009
8 am Event registration (lobby of Hawthorne Inn)
9 am Line up for Fiat Mini Miglia rally
9:30 am Driver/navigator meeting
10 am First car off
1 pm Meet at Denise’s house for cookout ($6 per person)
3 pm Tour to Dick Bear’s metalworking shop or Classic Automotive Restoration Specialists
7 pm Italian buffet at Winston’s Eatery

Sunday June 28, 2009
8:30 am Breakfast buffet at Winston’s Eatery
10:00 am Autocross (Wake Forest's BB&T field) ($20 per person)

Autocross pizza lunch ($6 per person, drinks not included)

Sign up Now online
For registration and to purchase prepaid events go to http://www.flu.org/carolinaflu/

APEX Tech Session 5-30-09

New Chrysler Concorde ; )

New Living Will Form

I, __________________________, being of sound mind and body, do not wish to be kept alive indefinitely by artificial means. Under no circumstances should my fate be put in the hands of pinhead politicians who couldn't pass ninth-grade biology if their lives depended on it or lawyers and doctors interested in simply running up the bills.

If a reasonable amount of time passes and I fail to ask for at least one of the following:

 ______a Glass of Chianti

 ______a Glass of Pinot Grigio

 ______Bruschetta

 ______the Keys to my Spider

 ______a Shot of Limoncello

 ______an Adjustable Spanner

 ______Grappa

 ______the Latest Issue of Alfa Owner

 ______a Pizza Margherita 

 ______Pat Braden’s Alfa Romeo Owner’s Bible

 ______a Cappuccino

 ______an eBay Listing of all Alfas For Sale

 ______Tiramisu

 ______Sex

it should be presumed that I won't ever get better.

When such a determination is reached, I hereby instruct my appointed person and attending physicians to pull the plug, reel in the tubes and call it a day. At this point it is time to call the Fat Lady to come do her thing at my memorial service, and ask all of my friends to raise their glasses to toast the good times we have had.

Signature:         ___________________________

Date:                 ___________________________

Fiat to acquire Chrysler assets

Courtesy of the BBC:

US car group Chrysler has secured court approval for a consortium led by Italy's Fiat to take over its assets.

The move, which is backed by both the US and Canadian governments, should enable Chrysler to exit bankruptcy protection in the near future.

Under the terms of the deal, Fiat will control 20% of Chrysler, while 68% will be owned by a union trust, and the two governments will share 12%.

Meanwhile, rival General Motors has also entered bankruptcy protection.

Government loans

Under the terms of the Fiat-led deal, creditors holding $6.9bn (£4.3bn) of Chrysler debt will receive only $2bn. However, 90% of them backed the deal.

BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION 

 US bankruptcy protection is called Chapter 11

 It gives US businesses time to rearrange their finances while continuing to trade, protected from their creditors

 After filing, it is up to the judge to decide who gets paid and how much, balancing the interests of all parties

 The judge holds hearings where all the parties give their views

 His ruling can be appealed 

Meanwhile, the Canadian and US governments have agreed to provide about $8bn in loans to the new Chrysler.

Fiat is not paying anything for its 20% stake, which will give it access to the US car market. It has the option to increase its shareholding in Chrysler in the future.

In return, Chrysler will be able to take advantage of Fiat's expertise in making smaller, more fuel-efficient cars in its existing US factories.

Bankruptcy judge Arthur Gonzalez said in his written ruling that the only alternative to the sale would have been the "immediate liquidation" of Chrysler.

He added that the deal best protected the "public interest", and that the involvement of the two governments was necessary because "the marketplace alone could not offer" an alternative.

Judge Gonzalez turned down hundreds of objections to the deal, including one from a group of Chrysler dealerships who fear they will now be shut down.

US President Barack Obama said the move "paves the way for the new Chrysler to successfully emerge from bankruptcy as a new, stronger, more competitive company for the future".

Chrysler, which is the smallest of the three US carmakers after General Motors (GM) and Ford, filed for bankruptcy protection on 30 April. It could now emerge from bankruptcy protection as early as later this week.