About me and my passion for cars

I've been a car nut almost since birth. I grew up in Northern Iowa which in most cases makes you a Ford or Chevy (or Mopar) guy but I never really got into them too much. I've always had a weird attraction to German cars... and even better if it is a somewhat rare or interesting model.

I blame my somewhat obscure taste in cars on my parents. They were not really into exotic cars per se but they did tend to go for the somewhat unusual cars. The first oddball they had was a 1984 Lincoln Mark VII Bill Blass with the BMW turbo diesel engine. They bought the car in early '85 and I remember the car getting lots of compliments at gas stations etc. I also remember it not starting during cold northern Iowa winters... that ultimately led to its demise in 1991 when it was traded for a Lincoln Continental which I hated with an absolute passion. Blech!

In early 1987 my father got the 1986 Merkur XR4ti that I would later 'inherit' as my first car. I remember wanting a Pontiac Fiero instead of the Merkur at the time but thankfully my parents ingored my advice at that time... heck, the Fiero would have probably burnt to the ground by now anyhow right? ;-)

In 1992 when I was still in high school my dad bought a 1987 Audi 4000 CS quattro as an all weather driver. Much to our surprise, the simple little car was a lot of fun to drive and proved to be very reliable. To top things off, it could assault a mountain of snow and just laugh... great little car that opened the door to lots of future German machinery.

In July of 1995 a 1993 Audi S4 quattro joined the family stable and it was the begining of the end. It was literally a four door hot rod super sedan and they (the parents) have been hooked on them ever since.... heck, I was hooked too and it led me to create S-CARS.ORG which is an enthusiast organization catering to Audi's high performance S and RS models.

I'm also the former webmaster for Audi Club North America (aka Quattro Club USA) and have been involved in a number of automotive sites online including Total Audi Performance, Anderson Motorsport, European Rally School, Total Subaru Performance, Total Focus Performance, German Auto Works, Singing Camel Land Rovers, The New York to Paris Race, and more.

While it is true that I really 'get into' German cars I really like all sorts of cars. It really is an illness isn't it? ;-)

I'm currently a Service Manager for German Auto Works in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

My first car

1986 Merkur XR4ti I got in high school back in 1992. I still own it.

Car I wish I still had

Several actually... my 1988 Porsche 928 S4, 1987 Porsche 944 turbo, or my 1990 Audi Coupe quattro 20V

My dream car

1995 Porsche 928 GTS (manual)
1990 Ferrari F40

Car clubs I’m in

Audi Club North America
Porsche Club of America
S-CARS.ORG

Favorites

• Type of racing: ALMS, IMSA GTO, Group B rally, WRC
• Driver: Han Stuck / Hurley Haywood
• Driving song: In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins
• Car movie: Le Mans
• Car book: The Gold Plated Porsche
• Car magazine: Hemmings Sports & Exotic
• Car game: Forza Motorsport, GT Legends, GTR

— Profile last updated: Jun 12, 2012