[V8] 2012 Audi meet

[Roger M. Woodbury]

I confess I have thought a bit about the idea of having an Audi meet of some
sort this year too.  I seldom see a Type 44 of any sort any more, and I have
not seen another V8 on the road in at least one and perhaps almost two
years.  In truth this past year I drove very little comparatively as I spent
all my spring summer and fall working on this old farm house trying to get
it habitable first, and to look less like a wreck, second.  The only older
Audi that I know about lives about 1/4 mile from me right in the village,
and that one is a fairly early Audi (non-turbo) coupe, about 1982-4 vintage.
I fear the older Audi's are dropping like flies.
 
But my V8 is young in miles still, and unless we get four feet of snow this
month, I will get it to the wrench first, and then to the body shop and it
will be spruced up and ready for duty again.  I live three hours from Lars
Andersen, so I might well make German Car day this year.  It's a dooable one
day trip and I'll do it if the forecast isn't for a deluge.
 
It appears I may have to give up on my fantasy for a three day low key
vintage car rally here in Maine.  The reason is I don't think there will be
enough cars that actually will show up and run it to make the hours and
miles of stage preparation worth it, and from my attempts at attracting a
few hardy souls to help put the thing on, the response at the end of my
efforts indicates a big fat zero.  I know of one fellow with a 70's Fiat
roadster who gets togehter with a small group of people all of whom drive
roadsters of various types. When I tried to interest him, he described what
they do.  They meet on some Sunday in the summer or two, and go for a ride,
home safely by dark.  A three day event?  With OVERNIGHT?  Gasp!   The
reaction was, "WHY? would we do that?".  I think four buck a gallon for gas
is going to kill off auto touring in general, and any sort of "sport" or
"fun" may be long gone.
 
Still the idea of starting out someplace easy to get to, say, Augusta and
ending up in Bar Harbor three days and nine hundred miles later amid the
fall colors of Maine seems like it might attract a few hardy rally type
souls.  Not this year, though.  But if anyone wants to venture up into the
wilds of Maine, I'd love to travel around for a day, and perhaps end up for
a lobster at Young's wharf in Belfast.
 
We'll pick a day when it doesn't snow.
 
Roger