15th Annual Detroit Veterans Day Parade
This year the theme is “SALUTING OUR WOMEN VETERANS”

The Metropolitan Detroit Veterans Coalition (MDVC) exists to give veterans a platform to continue to serve their communities.  They seek to inspire patriotism through civic, patriotic events and community initiatives, bringing citizens, our youth, active military and veterans together for a common cause.

To keep our community safe, the Veterans Coalition held a virtual parade, which MCVO participated in.

The parade will be broadcast/streamed this Wednesday, allowing veterans and spectators to watch from the safety of their homes.

It was an honor for MCVO to have been invited.  We had 7 Vipers following the MCVO/Veterans Day banner, which was carried by Lori Emerling and Susan Andring.

We encourage all our members to watch the stream from the comfort of their homes.  The parade will be shown on November 11th, starting at 11am.
You may click here to be taken to the broadcast.

We also want to take this opportunity to thank our members and their families who have served, or are currently serving, in the armed forces for their sacrifice to our country.

(Note: To view all photos for this event, move your mouse or cursor toward the picture, then click on the directional arrows that will appear.)   You may also click on a photo where you’ll be sent to Flickr and can download your favorite.

On November 7th, our Motorsports Director, Mike Sutton arranged for us to visit PMD Garage, in Pontiac.

The weather has been unusually warm for the last few days, with highs around 70’s.  Unfortunately, some of our members had already placed their cars in hibernation, prior to the warmer weather, but a few diehards were looking for a good reason to drive to another event.  We had a good turnout with 19 in attendance and 9 Vipers.

Our host, Gordon Heidacker, who was a former Executive with Chrysler, and involved in the original development of the Viper.  Gordon introduced his team and gave us a very informative talk on what PMD is doing today and working on for the future.  From advanced Viper engine development to building state of the art electric karts for M1 Concourse, PMD Garage has fascinating development projects that you will never see anywhere else.  Gordon also mentioned that they are investigating creating Viper parts that are no longer available to the public.  Our members loved the idea and were quick to make suggestions of parts they are unable to find.

After Gordon’s talk, members roamed around their very unusual building to see the various classic cars being stored or projects underway.

We want to thank Mike for coordinating this fun event and Gordon for taking the time to host our group.

(Note: To view all photos for this event, move your mouse or cursor toward the picture, then click on the directional arrows that will appear.)  You may also click on a photo where you’ll be sent to Flickr and can download your favorite.

We’ve now settled into cooler days, as the month of October comes to a close. The morning of the 21st, saw rain in the early hours but dried up by mid-day.  It actually turned out to be a beautiful day with sun and temps in the hi-50’s.

Our Cruise Director, Rick Jakacki, found us a new venue on the west side, called Luigi’s Trattoria Pizzeria, in Livonia.  In addition, our Cruise-Maestro, Bob Swartz, created a mini fall cruise to the restaurant from Waterford.

Luigi’s was very accommodating for our group with parking in the rear, our own waitstaff and tables outdoors.  Members were given the choice of inside or outside dining.  Most opted for dining alfresco.  We had 12 Vipers and 23 in attendance.

While the sun was still out, it was quite pleasant dining outside.  Once the sun set, it got a little chilly, but everyone braved the cold and had a great time, enjoying great food and great company.

Our beloved Diane Cipponeri got a little chilled and our very debonair Tony Smith jumped in to save a damsel in distress.

Traditionally there are no Cruise Nights in November or December, so it was good to see everyone for our last Cruise Night of the year.  Hopefully for the new year, we’ll have some new options for getting together.

(Note: To view all photos for this event, move your mouse or cursor toward the picture, then click on the directional arrows that will appear.)  You may also click on a photo where you’ll be sent to Flickr and can download your favorite.

As Michigan heads in fall, the weather in October can be a gamble, but on Saturday the 10th, it turned out to be spectacular.  The morning started out on the cool side but the temps quickly rose, and headed to a high of about 75 degrees.

Our Coordinator, Jon Block, came up with a event, that beat almost all of our attendance records.  In addition to a fall cruise, Jon was able to have our club go to the Lutz Farm (as in Bob), and meet the legend himself.  As you can imagine, the event registration was off the charts.  There were over a 130 in attendance with 66 Vipers.

The attendees met in the morning at a central location, and headed off in their respective groups, arranged by Viper “generations”.  Each group left at 10 minute intervals, and enjoyed a scenic ride thru Michigan’s fall colors.  Eventually each group rolled into the Lutz Farm in order of production.  We were in awe of the beautiful sprawling grounds which included swans in their scenic pond, endless green pastures to park the cars, an all purpose “garage” now used for events and a soon to be finished “addition” to a barn.  Our members and their guest enjoyed lunch, salad, cake and beverages, courtesy of MCVO.

One of our invited guests, Jean Mallebay-Vacqueur, former Director of Chrysler’s Scientific Lab and General Manager of Special Projects was able to attend and enjoy this special day honoring Bob.  Our Coordinator, Jon, presented Bob with a personal gift of a Gen 1 Viper model, with all 130 names that attended that day, written on the car.  MCVO also presented Bob with a few mementos and gifts from our club.

Bob Lutz graciously autographed everything that was placed in front of him, including all manner of car parts.  With his cigar in hand, each of us will remember meeting this man who did so much for the auto industry, and our historic visit.

We want to thank Jon Block who spent countless hours and sleepless nights preparing for this event.  We also want to thank the small army of volunteers who helped with every aspect and made sure nothing was overlooked.  This is only a small list, but we need to make sure these people are recognized for their efforts.  Many were working behind the scenes and never got a chance to enjoy the cruise or gatherings.  They are: Mike/Diane Cipponeri, Bob Swartz, Mike Sutton, Susan Andring, Rick Jakacki, and Marianne Peggie.

Lastly, our sincere thanks go to Bob Lutz and his wife Terri, who let us come to their farm and entertain well over a hundred people.  Years from now, our members will still be talking about this day.

(Note: To view all photos for this event, move your mouse or cursor toward the picture, then click on the directional arrows that will appear.)  You may also click on a photo where you’ll be sent to Flickr and can download your favorite.

Mike Doljevic consistently takes some beautiful photos and this event was no exception.  You may click here to be taken, to his collection.