Hey all,

I’ve been talking with “Charles R. Hill” and discovered that he’s still in the Detroit area. If you have read much of the club website, you’ve seen his name often (he has more than 2,686 posts) and know that he is moving to Arizona to start his automotive shop, Paradox Performance (A/T and M/T Radiators and 800+ h.p. axles, clutch pedal brackets, alcohol injection kits, nitrous accessories, PPFs and ignition coils are on the project board, etc.). Thought we should have an opportunity to hear from him before he moves from the area next Spring. Here’s what I have in mind.

If you are in the area – so all Michigan drivers and those from Ohio and Indiana that want to make the drive – we will meet Saturday, December 1, from noon till 4:00 pm. We’ll have an RX8 “Open House.” You can come anytime during those hours. (There’s no U-M football game that weekend.) You can meet other drivers, see their cars, meet “Charles R. Hill,” and talk with him about all that he does on the RX8.

He's hoping to have his Nitrous System with him (it's partially removed now) and will bring his laptop and Harrison Scan Tool if people wanna gather data or look at their engine operations. The biggest thing is that he can tell tales of his experiences while driving across the country and at SSX, answer tech questions, help others to develop strategies for modding their cars in a more affordable manner, etc.

The Open House will be at my location – 1265 Harwood Circle, 48176 – which is just south of Ann Arbor and I-94 along US 12 one mile from US 23. There’s plenty of parking out front on the cul-de-sac and we’ll have hot drinks, donuts, and some other light refreshments. Dress warm as we will be in the garage and outside talking cars. “Charles R. Hill” can see your car and talk with you about what you might be interested in doing. Or, if you just wanna learn more about your RX8.

Let me know if you can come. Should be a good time to meet others and see their RX8's. If the weather is really crummy, like a snow-storm, check this thread in the club website for an update from me. You might subscribe to this thread to find it again easily.

1. Kors-jan (me)
2. Charles R. Hill
3. PhreakdOut
4. jungleagent
5. MI_Family Man (till 1 pm)
6. Puch96
7. lone_wolfe025 ("likely")
8. casedogg (if he is well enough to drive)
9. chetrickerman ("try")
10. Al Czervik
11. XcelR8 (will try)
12. Alnielsen ("will try")
13.
14.
15.

Aaaaaaaaaaaa.................I fly out to England on business on the 1st. Guess you'll have to just let me know how it goes.

Aaaaaaaaaaaa.................I fly out to England on business on the 1st. Guess you'll have to just let me know how it goes.

So sad to hear that you will be gone. One of these times I'd like to meet you and see your yellow RX8 up close instead of just passing on the highway.

maybe, how far away is that from milwaukee?

maybe, how far away is that from milwaukee?

Well, MapQuest says 5-1/2 hours from Milwaukk to Ann Arbor. Of course, going through Chicago may slow you down considerably. The Skyway will cut the trip time a bit, too. If it's nice weather, could be a great dive. Just take I-94 all the way (or take the Skyway to drop some time in Chicago). Maybe we'll see you then? Kors-jan

You may see a couple of Chicago peeps there.

i will have to see what the weather is like closer to the date, and reaserch the way to get there

I'll be tossing on a set of Pirelli Winter tires soon, so I'll be there. (Unless I get sent to China again)

That would be cool. See if LoneWolf25 can make it. I owe him dinner.

Bah! You owe me squat!

Hmm Dec 1 huh... I could do that. Its looking like a 4hr drive, but for refreshments and to see a bunch more 8's... At this point I'd say its quite likely I'll make the trek out there, so long as nobody minds a Pontiac in their midst...

Hey guys! Count me in as long as there isn't snow on the ground.

Oh don't sweat it. Are you back from NYC yet?

I would really like to attend this event! However, I would probably have to leave by 1:00PM?!
Hope that will still make it worth my while... not sure when everyone will be showing up.

That would be nice.... I'll try to make it!!

Hey all -- numbers are growing for the "OPEN HOUSE" with Charles R. Hill. How about you? Would love to have all 28 of the drivers from the Michigan RX8 Drivers List attend. This will be the last Meet of the year and probably the last time we can gather to hear from Charles R. Hill before he moves to Arizona. It would be great to meet you and see your car. My location is an easy drive and you can come anytime between noon and 4 pm -- and stay as long as you want. Let me know if you can make it so we can plan appropriately, especially with food. Any questions can be directed to me. Kors-jan

1. Kors-jan (me)
2. Charles R. Hill
3. PhreakdOut
4. jungleagent
5. MI_Family Man (till 1 pm)
6. Puch96
7. lone_wolfe025 ("likely")
8. casedogg (if he is well enough to drive)
9. chetrickerman ("try")
10. Al Czervik
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

i will try

very true. hopefully my items will sell on ebay, and i will have $450 for the spending!!

I should be able to make it.

^BUMP

Hope more can make the "Open House" next week Saturday. Let us know if you can come so we can plan. Come between noon and 4pm and leave when you want. Should be a fun time.

could you give me a full location so i can mapquest it? thanks

1265 Harwood Circle, Saline, MI 48176 (along U.S. 12 four miles east of Saline and one mile west of U.S. 23)

ok, wow, its 350 miles, thats a little too far. sorry, i wont be able to make it

Yeah, from Milwaukee it's a 5-6 hour drive in good weather and without slowdowns going through Chicago. It's a bit further to go to Arizona, however. :)

i would love to, but yea, its too far

No problem. Unless you really want nitrous -- then it would be well worth it!

true, but i probably wont get nitrous til the spring, so i can do a lot of research and find out where i would even get a refill

Hey all,

I'll post an update early Friday morning and then again Saturday morning to give you the latest information. Looks like it will be a clear day, but chilly.

You can MapQuest directions: 1265 Harwood Circle, Saline, MI 48176.

Hoping even more will be able to come.

1. Kors-jan (me)
2. Charles R. Hill
3. PhreakdOut
4. jungleagent
5. MI_Family Man (till 1 pm)
6. Puch96
7. lone_wolfe025 ("likely")
8. casedogg (if he is well enough to drive)
9. chetrickerman ("try")
10. Al Czervik
11. XcelR8 ("will try")
12. alnielsen ("will try")
13.
14.
15.

Put me down as a "will try". From there I can go north and visit my mother.

would have considered it.. but with the snow that is coming down today and what is supposed to come down thursday (worse than today), dont think ill be getting the 8 out the garage... bummer :(

Don't give up just yet. The snow may be here today, but also will be gone tomorrow. Forecast is 38 degrees and sunny on Tuesday. Maybe there will be snow on Thursday, but easily could be gone by Saturday. Forecastfox weather says Friday and Saturday are going to be sunny, though chilly. Check back to this thread on Friday and then Saturday morning. Michigan weather ALWAYS changes fast -- so Saturday easily could be a great day to get together for a few hours.

No fair ... ... my flight gets arrives in Toronto Saturday evening 6:30pm from Phoenix!

Only a 5 hour drive from my house I would have love to come down.

GGRRRRRRRrrrrrrr
:)

Send out a live web cast for those of us who can't make it.

Anyone else thinking about coming on Saturday? Would appreciate letting us know.

Weather forecast for Saturday is sunny -- buy chilly. Dress warm and come for a couple hours.

I wish I could be there to hear that ported engine again but I have to take my son to visit Santa on Saturday morning and it would take the rest of the day to get up there. Have fun Ray! And everybody else, too!

Here's my first update about the weather. Acuweather.com and the weather guy on the radio says today (Friday) will be partly sunny/cloudy and chilly, with the high in the mid to upper 30's. Saturday should be much of the same, though a bit colder. The weather will change to rain and maybe snow later Saturday evening and continue on Sunday. So, I think unless it changes significantly that Saturday early afternoon (noon to 4 pm) will be a good window for us to meet. Dress warm (gloves, hat) cuz you know we'll be outside looking at everyone's cars and talking modifications, etc. Hope you can come by for a few hours. I'll leave another email about the weather Saturday morning. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone. There will be donuts and hot coffee, hot chocolate, etc.

where in AA is this going down.. if weather stays nice i make an appearance. noon-4 you say?

Best thing to do is MapQuest the location.

1265 Harwood Circle, Saline, MI 48176

We are south of Ann Arbor. Even though the mailing address is Saline, we are not in Saline, but four miles east of Saline along Michigan Avenue (U.S. 12) and one mile west of U.S. 23. The subdivision is Warner Creek.

As I said, the best thing to do is MapQuest. It's easy to find.

(Right now, at this moment, the sun is shining, but it's chilly and there's a bit of wind. Dress warm and it would be fine to be outside. We'll see what Saturday is like.)

Believe it or not, as of now I am still planning on being out tomorrow. I bet that I will be one of the first arrivals, as I have to scoot no later than 1:00PM, especially if the weather looks like it might take a turn for the worse. Hope that I will still get to meet some great people&cars.

Unfortunately I had to put my snows on last night because I was worried about the weather which will probably pay off in the end. So my Enkei's are already wiped down and stored in the basement.

See everyone tomorrow!

I'll be leaving at 6am here to get there at noon. See y'all then.

There had BETTER be pics....

You have been warned. :lol:

Have fun guys.

Hey now! As a former Michigander I am offended.....

Not really - eat snow SUCKAAAAAS!

dont make me come over there kane!!

You guys kill me - come on chet; fly on out and then talk tough!!!

By talking tough; I mean drink beer and surf.

hell yea, how bout i PM you when i take my week of vacation

:werd:

just gonna have to look up flight prices, or get a credit card with good rewards

SO SORRY ... no hot tub! Sure do wish I had one. I think it will be sunny and COLD. Dress warm, have a cup of coffee, and you'll be fine. See ya tomorrow.

Ray, if you want to bring anything for snacks, you are welcome to do so. I'll have donuts and coffee. I tried to find an outdoor area heater, one of those propane gadgets, but none of my friends around here has one. Nephew on the west side of Michigan has two -- but I don't feel like making a 5 hour round trip.

My mother got 5 inches of snow last nite. An other 4-5 inches is forcast for Saturday night hitting about 5pm.

Thank god for global warming.

i second the global warming thanks

i wonder how much it would cost to fly there?

I won't be able to make it. Too much stuff going on tomorrow for me.

did you know that a cigarette buzz is actually nicotine poisoning?

Hey all, It's COLD this morning -- only 15 degrees here now. But I can see blue sky (why it's cold). Clouds are beginning to come in and it's supposed to get into the upper 20's in the afternoon. Yes, about an inch of snow is forecast and then turning to rain -- but that isn't supposed to happen till Saturday evening and then into Sunday. So, I think from noon to 4 pm we'll be OK. No doubt it will be cold, so dress in layers and bring gloves, hat, etc. Besides, seeing all these RX8's together will warm your heart! We'll have hot coffee and donuts, too.

It's a few minutes before people begin arriving and it's SUNNY, but cold. Donuts and hot coffee. Will try to post so photos early next week. Kors-jan

sorry for the late notice, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it... I have quite a few things to do around the house today..... :(

We had a great time meeting each other. Sure was COLD, but no snow or rain. Started out sunny, but then clouded over. Was good meeting "Charles R Hill" -- hope we can talk more and have another meet with him before he movies to Arizona. Maybe in early Spring after the snow melts and it warms up? Took a few photos.


http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd176/cjroeper/PC010001.jpg

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd176/cjroeper/PC010003.jpg

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd176/cjroeper/PC010007.jpg

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd176/cjroeper/PC010002.jpg

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd176/cjroeper/PC010006.jpg

nice. wheres charles?

nice. wheres charles?


He's on the right with the beanie to keep his head warm. Don't know who's car they are looking at. Seen one, you've seen them all. LOL

Don't they look cold?
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd176/cjroeper/PC010007.jpg

That is Ray's car. He must have taken the stickers off from under the hood. I recognized the grounding box.

nice. wheres charles?

The guy in the beanie looking at the black RX8. I'd say something smart but he'd just get even.

wow, thats him. its like looking at a god, haha

You folks are tougher than me - I am getting cold just looking at the pictures!

In case your all wondering, I hit snow on the way out. It was clear until I hit Ionia, then I had snow covered roads for the rest of the way north.
Why is the right lane the fast lane in eastern Michigan?

In case your all wondering, I hit snow on the way out. It was clear until I hit Ionia, then I had snow covered roads for the rest of the way north.
Why is the right lane the fast lane in eastern Michigan?

Al, how did those all-seasons work out up North?? Must have been a true exercise in car control!

Thanks to Kors-Jan for setting up the meet. It was nice to meet some 8 owners. Hopefully it will be warmer next time...

Yeah, MI Family man -- I enjoyed meeting you. Next time it will be warmer and we'll have more time to talk. Enjoyed seeing your car.

Al, how did those all-seasons work out up North?? Must have been a true exercise in car control!

Thanks to Kors-Jan for setting up the meet. It was nice to meet some 8 owners. Hopefully it will be warmer next time...
They were a little twitchy on the ice packed snow. MDOT hadn't gotten out to take care of the roads yet. M66 was lightly traveled and wasn't too bad. M57 was much worse. Not as bad as I hear the Chicago area was, I hear. Coming back south, on Sunday afternoon, I had lots of rain in western Michigan.

maybe when its warmer, i will attend the meet

after the weather they called for decided to leave the baby garaged.. hopefully make the one in the spring.

who's car in the silver one with the tints?

I'm really sorry to have missed this one. I got silly drunk the night before in Detroit. (The "after company XMas party" bar hopping with coworkers.) It was good that we stayed downtown. I was pretty green the morning you guys met up.

Pics look great although everyone looks frozen! LOL. I'm sure I'll see you guys when you thaw out in the spring. :)