There is no logo more iconic than the Mercedes-Benz star! It is one of the most recognized brand symbols in the world! The three pointed star represents the drive toward universal motorization with its engines dominating the land, sea, and air. Over the years the logo has incorporated other elements like the laurel wreath for racing heritage, new colors for print and digital publishing and just recently, the Social Distance Star. This star was designed by a fan - @Marcel_lo_loca on Instagram! If you take a look back through the years there have been huge variations. I picked up the red pin above at the Delivery Center in Sindelfingen many years ago and it one of my favorites. While we are all keeping our distance, this might be an excellent time to learn more about the history of the star and of the brand. The Mercedes-Benz Museum has a full digital tour available that will take you through all of the floors as well as the special exhibits that you cannot currently see at the museum in Stuttgart. (They are closed to visitors during Spring 2020.) I have visited several times over the years and ranked it #1 on my Car Museums of Europe Tour! The museum is best enjoyed by taking an elevator to the top and the spiraling down from the first vehicle to the future of the automobile! The race car section is one of my favorites. Here is the link to the Mercedes-Benz Museum website so you can take your tour and decide for yourself! I certainly miss travelling and look forward to getting back to the museum soon! Every time I have visited there have been new exhibits to explore. Maybe with a little peace and quiet there will be a major revamp while we are all kept away.

This summer I will be taking the wagon on a roadtrip with Rally North America through New England! This is a scavenger hunt style rally with checkpoints and track visits along the way. A requirement of participation is raising money for charity. This year the charity is Camp Sunshine, a retreat for children with life threatening illnesses and their families. It will be a great trip for a worthy cause. If you would like to know more about the Rally Series you can visit Rally North America here. We participated in a similar rally two years ago along the Blue Ridge Parkway and had an excellent time! There are still a few opening if you want to sign up! I think the wagon is going to look fantastic with racing stripes and numbers. I went with the classic #722 for this event. If you remember, the C43 AMG went for a classic Bumblebee look with #43. Would you like to help me reach our fundraising goal? You can visit our donations page here! Every penny goes to Camp Sunshine and if we meet the $125,000 event goal that will send 50 kids to camp! I will also accept vehicle sponsorships that come with decals and advertising! You know everyone is going to take pictures of a well-wrapped E63 station wagon traveling through the Northeast! Get some prime real estate for your logo! Also, we do intend to extend our rally past the finishing point in Maine. I have my eye on Nova Scotia! Any recommendations for things to see in that area? I look forward to loading the wagon onto a ferry or two! The rally is in July so I am hoping that Canadian summer is not too cold. While I gre up in western New York I am now a southerner and fear the snow! As always, follow along on Instagram and Facebook for updates. I'm BenzBlogger on both!

One of my clients sent me this picture from a recent Atlanta United Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This is the Mercedes-Benz Loyalty Lot located just steps from Gate 1! She said it looked a lot like the dealership parking lot. Maybe you can do a little shopping for your next car while you are there! Here are the details: The Mercedes-Benz Loyalty Parking Lot is located on Northside Drive between Magnolia and Rhodes Streets and closest to Gate 1 of the stadium. The Mercedes-Benz Lot will be made available for online reservation on a first come, first serve basis starting at 12 noon two days prior to each ticketed event at the stadium, and the reservations will close when all available spots are reserved.  Starting at that time, you can seek to reserve your space on https://parking.mercedesbenzstadium.com.  There is no charge for these spaces.  All vehicles entering the lot to park MUST BE Mercedes-Benz vehicles ONLY. If you are not driving a Mercedes-Benz vehicle you will be asked to park elsewhere.  Only those with a reserved spot, parking pass from Park Mobile and driving a Mercedes-Benz vehicle will be able to park in this lot. Here is another link for all things Mercedes-Benz Stadium. If you happen to park there, send me a picture. I know I'll be reserving my spot the next time I am headed to the Stadium!

In a couple of weeks I will be taking my new 2017 C43 cabriolet on a road trip! I am participating in Rally North America which is a multi-state, scavenger hunt style rally that starts in Virginia and ends in Alabama. My friend Ben Wayne makes excellent car videos and I thought this was a great opportunity to showcase both the C43 and Rally North America. I am raising money for Hope for the Warriors as a part of Rally North America. This organization helps veterans reintegrate into the community. 100% of the funds raised goes to the charity. Chick here if you would like to donate! I will be posting about the Rally on my Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. You can find me as BenzBlogger on all three platforms. Enjoy the video!

I spent the weekend getting my new Mercedes-AMG C43 Cabriolet Rally Ready! I am Participating in the Rally North America - Rally Appalachia 2 July 10th-14th. It is a scavenger hunt style rally with 70 teams. It starts at the Virginia International Raceway and ends at Talladega in Alabama. Along the way we have checkpoints to hit, bonus points to find and scenery to see! It should be amazing! My race wrap was inspired by the C63 coupe Launch Edition that I affectionately called Bumblebee because of the yellow stripe, and a Lego GT that has been all over my Instagram recently. I ordered the Lego car and it should be here today! I can't wait to assemble it! I wanted something that looked like a factory AMG but a little over the top for the rally. I chose the number 43 to reflect the C43, obviously. I also had my eye on 722 for Sir Sterling Moss if the 43 was taken. The matte black is subtle but photographs well. The other decals are metallic silver and a gloss yellow. There is a fundraising component to the rally that benefits Hope For the Warriors, an organization which provides comprehensive support programs for service members, veterans, and military families that are focused on transition, health and wellness, peer engagement, and connections to community resources. If you are interested in contributing there is a link on the left side of the page that will take you to my team fundraising page. Every little bit helps! Also, the higher up I am in the fundraising totals, the closer to the front I start in the rally! Atlanta Classic Cars is sponsoring my team and I think the logo looks fantastic! Look for updates on all of my Social Media Channels - YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - Benzblogger on all. Also, if you live between VIR and Talladega let me know! I will need hints to find all of the check points and bonus points! Countdown - 1 month until the rally!

If you love classic vehicles, this is the gathering for you! Join other collectors and motoring enthusiasts for this monthly event presented by the Atlanta Concours d'Elegance. Crank up your classic automobile or motorcycle (Pre-1960 US or Pre-1970 European) and motor over to enjoy coffee, donuts and plenty of classic motoring eye candy! Let us know what classic beauty you'll be motoring over in. Our May 20th event is graciously sponsored by the great team at Atlanta Classic Cars, 1705 Boggs Road, Duluth, GA 30096. If you have questions or need more information, email lisa.robb@atlantaconcours.org Visit the Facebook Page to check in.

If you watched The Masters Tournament this weekend you might have noticed that Mercedes-Benz is a major sponsor! As a part of that sponsorship, dealerships are sometimes offered spots to send their customers to the tournament for a few days of luxury. A Mercedes-Benz Enthusiast from Massachusetts attended this year and was kind enough to share his Masters Experience with us! The following is in his words. Thank you Mike! The text came from Michael Collins, GM of Mercedes-Benz of Portsmouth, NH. “Do you like golf?” My wife and I have done business with Mike for several years, and we have become friends. It was innocuous enough, although I thought it was still a bit cold to get out for a foursome. Imagine my surprise when I found out we would be going to the 2017 Masters Tournament as guests of Mercedes-Benz. Upon arrival at the Augusta Airport, it was clear that everything would be first class for our 3 days in Augusta. We were brought to the gorgeous community of River Island in a gleaming new GL 450, where all of the guests of MB would be staying in private homes. Our lodging was a gorgeous 7,500 sqft home with 4 other couples. I wasn’t sure what to expect, sharing a home with other people, but we truly had a fantastic time with one another and will be staying in touch! Tuesday morning was a perfect spring Augusta day. We were brought to the Augusta National Golf Club (in a Mercedes Sprinter, of course) and there it was- the iconic Magnolia Lane. From there we were dropped off at the Firethorn Cabin, MB’s hospitality cabin at the course. There we enjoyed breakfast and lunch, sparkling private bathrooms, and the ubiquitous open bar. With flat screen TVs everywhere you looked, there was no reason to go out to the course (yeah, right!) We spent much of Tuesday on the gorgeous green grass of ANGC. There we saw the golfers skipping the ball on the water on 16, Amen Corner, and the Pro Shop (which was well organized chaos). Wednesday was a rainout, so much of the day was spent at Firethorn, hanging with our new friends and enjoying a cigar and drinks on the front porch. Each night had entertainment, but the final night was the cherry on top; a private concert by Lady Antebellum for the MB guests! There are many words to describe the experience- bucket list, once in a lifetime experience, etc. Overall we had a wonderful time with first class service and accommodations, and made many new friends. What a privilege to be able to attend. Thank you MBUSA!

First: Watch this hilarious video by a Rally North America Team from last year!

Next: Visit my team website to donate to Hope For the Warriors and support me on my rally!

  Donation Link - Every dollar helps! My team goal is $2000 and I am about 25% of the way there. Thank you!

Finally: Envision my new car in a Rally Wrap!

Do you have any great ideas for my car? I will use logos from my sponsors, Instagram or Twitter handles from individual donors. I am leaning heavily towards some racing stripes so the car is faster! I am open to your suggestions! Who out there is great with photoshop? Send me an image and I'll try to incorporate your ideas! jcw@atlantaclassiccars.com The event starts at the Virginia International Raceway and ends on the track at Talladega Super Speedway! There are 70 teams registered to participate in Rally Appalachia this July. It is going to be an amazing four days with other enthusiasts on some of the best roads and tracks on the east coast! I can't wait! This is my first ever rally and I want to make it a good one. I'm obviously going to have the perfect car for this kind of thing. I would love to make a good showing on the fundraising side as well. Please consider clicking on the link above to donate online. This event is a scavenger hunt style rally as well so I will be looking for certain checkpoints along the way. I will likely reach out via Instagram, Twitter and Facebook if I need help along the way. Do you live in this area or have knowledge of these mountains? Let me know and I'll make sure we are connected! I'm really good with my navigation system but I have some studying to do on the area. Stay tuned! Just 90 days from the starting line!

It only take two clicks to cast your vote! Day 3! Thank you!

I have signed up to participate in the Rally North America tour of the Appalachians in July 2017! This is my first official rally! Rally North America is a scavenger hunt style multi-state road rally that visits different parts of the country each year. The summer 2017 trip happens to be in my area. Rally Appalachia will take me from Christiansburg, Virginia to Rome, Georgia and visit several racetracks along the way. There are 70 teams signed up and several on the waiting list. Countdown: The start is July 10th, just four months from now! Now, I need help! Rally North America uses this event to raise money for charity. The charity for this event is Hope for the Warriors, a Veteran Service Organization. Hope for the Warriors provides support for veterans, family members and active service members. The focus is health and wellness, community involvement and transition from military to civilian life. Here is a chart about how they use donations. There are a couple of ways you can donate to both help Hope for the Warriors and to help team @BenzBlogger meet our fundraising goals! 1 - You can visit the online donation area a donate as an individual. Click here, choose your amount and you're all set! 2 - E-mail me at jcw@atlantaclassiccars.com to set up a sponsorship. I plan to wrap my car with my donor info! I would be happy to use your Instagram or Twitter handle or a company logo. We can work together on placement and look. The higher the donation the bigger the placement! You'll still donate through the website like a private donation and get the receipt for tax purposes. My team fundraising goal is $2500. Can you help me reach this goal and support a worthy charity? Would you like to see your name on my new convertible and get exposure on all of my social media channels? I hope so! Regular updates to come. Thanks in advance!