recap: season 8

As we watched hundreds of cars arriving for our Season 8 finale, it was clear that this was a major growth year for us.

This recap will reflect on some of the highlights of the season as well as give us a chance to thank some of the people who made it possible.

We won't mention every one of our 13 events in this post, but you can find recap posts for them on the Schedule page. We also won't be able to acknowledge every person who contributed to the season, but we appreciate everyone who is a part of our schedule.

The first meet of Season 8 was the coldest in our history. Despite the 18 degree weather and a fresh coat of snow and ice on the roadways, a sizable group of diehard enthusiasts made their way to Byers Imports. The weather certainly affected the turnout, but it was a great start the year, and a chance to get the cars warmed up and out of the garage.

Season Opener Party 2016 was held at the newly-renovated Columbus Museum of Art. The evening was a phenomenal mix of art, cars, fashion, music, dance, and fun. One of our members proposed to his girlfriend at the party which helped to set the tone for a truly great evening.

To put the exclamation point on the evening, Lubna Designs debuted their spring fashion line with a catwalk-style fashion show DJ'd by Garrison Ball from Elite DJ and Entertainment.

​The entire evening was a great success and reminded us how much our community looks forward to this signature event every season.

We were proud to include ESOTERIC Fine Auto Finishing in our season as a new sponsor. ESOTERIC is the authority on detailing, coatings, HRE wheels, Akrapovic exhausts, and other accessories and services for all vehicles.

​Our next meet was held in conjunction with their annual open house at their headquarters in New Albany. Despite the rain, we enjoyed seeing perhaps one of the best detailed Ferrari F40s in the world, in addition to a new Lamborghini Aventador SV, and other amazing cars inside the shop and outside in the parking lot.

Thanks again to Todd and his team at ESOTERIC for their support this year! 

Another new sponsor for Season 8 was Huntington Bank. Huntington and their Private Banking Group hosted us for a meet at their Easton operations center. This was the first event of the year with perfect weather and we enjoyed every minute of it. 

Thanks again to Andy Livingston, Patricia Barton, Cary Hager, Marcellus Upshaw, and the rest of the Huntington organization for their support! 

Diamond Cellar has been a sponsor of our seasons for years and our annual event at their Sawmill Road store is always a highlight of the year. This year was no exception as we completely filled their parking lot for a beautiful morning of cars, coffee, watches, and more.

Thanks to Andy Johnson, Nick Licata, and the rest of the Diamond Cellar team for their support.

Nationwide Insurance became a huge part of Season 8 from the very beginning. Their drive to elevate our experience as a community brought many improvements and enhancements to the year, from branded tents for our meets, to one of the most successful and well-attended events we've ever hosted in the Arena District.

​The Nationwide Meet in the Arena District became a street festival, complete with a live band, closed streets along McFerson Commons Park, and a family-friendly experience that took over a large portion of the Arena District. 

A huge thank you to Mark Pizzi, Terrance Williams, Catherine Lanning, Jeff Ruetty, John Aman, and the rest of the Nationwide organization for their support!

Any time we can partner directly with a manufacturer to bring our members an exclusive experience, we jump at the chance. In the past, we've been fortunate to work with Aston Martin and Tesla Motors on special events, and this year we were excited to add Honda to the list.

Honda's new Acura NSX is a marvel of engineering and technology and we heard directly from the engineers who developed the car. We also got to see the Pike's Peak NSX. Additionally, Honda opened their Technical Center and Heritage Center for us to tour and explore.

​Thank you Honda for your hospitality! Special thanks to Nick Lehner, Kyle Crouso, Heather Moller, and the rest of the Honda organization.

Byers Imports has been the primary host of our meets for more than four seasons and this year took this concept to another level.

In particular, the Season 8 finale, which brought nearly 1,000 car owners and enthusiasts together, showed the world that Columbus, Ohio has a car scene equally as vibrant as many of the largest cities in the county. In addition to being a leading dealer for brands like Porsche, Audi, and Jaguar, Byers Imports is an organization of real car people. Their employees own, race, drive, and enjoy these cars just as much as we do and we appreciate their belief in us.

Special thanks to George Kauffman, Kevin King, Bill Reilly, Lindsey Tinsley, and the rest of the Byers Imports organization. We truly couldn't do it without them!

Season 8 wouldn't have been possible without our outstanding CC&C Crew. These volunteers show up to every meet ready to help with setup, parking, directions, clean-up, and all of the behind-the-scenes elements that make our meets great.

THANK YOU to Brian Shaw, Adrian Shellabarger, Josh Conison, Jack Ringer, Tak Ip, Alec Stripe, Alfredo Jimenez, and Austin Bohman for their hard work and dedication.

We also want to acknowledge some additional friends for their role in Season 8. For their help with things from photography to planning drives, inviting friends, and spreading the word about our community, thanks to;

"The Squad"
Ed Hofmann
Mike Warvel
Joe Fondriest
Matt Leach
Van Shuff
Jeff Thurston
Jay Thurston
Giorgio Bittoni
Ron Cooper

Others:
Rachel Levine
Austin Yochus
AJ Salls
Noah Stein
Julie Zwayer
Rick Kaplan

There are hundreds, probably thousands, of people involved in every season and we can't possibly thank them all individually. If we missed you in our acknowledgements, please know that we appreciate your involvement!

Season 9 begins in early 2017. Until then, stay tuned to our website and e-mails for the latest news and updates. Thanks for a great season!

Photo credit for the images used in this post: Lionworks, RPM Imaging, Mutualistic