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Scott Bonato, 32, a senior client partner with Oracle from Franklin, Mich., on his 2013 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon, as told to A.J. Baime. My wife knew she’d married a car guy. I have a 1979 Trans Am, a 1957 Ford Fairlane, a 1982 DeLorean. We had a kid coming, and we needed a family car. I convinced her that, even though this car I wanted was out of our budget, it made sense. A station wagon with a five-star safety rating! What could be more family-friendly? I promised if we got it, I wouldn’t talk about getting another car for at least two years. That was the deal. What I didn’t tell her: The Cadillac CTS-V Wagon was the most powerful, high-performance American made station wagon money could buy—maybe ever. Not many were built, especially manuals like the one I wanted. In January 2013, I took home the CTS-V. (MSRP was north of $60,000, but there was some discounting and attractive financing.) Soon after, we brought our daughter home from the hospital in the wagon. There’s so much refinement engineered into this vehicle. My wife would drive it and have no idea what it was capable of. She wasn’t sold on the looks, but she liked the heated seats and how smooth and quiet it was. Then my buddies came over, and they were, like, “We can’t believe you let him have this nearly 200-mph car with a 556-horsepower, 6.2-liter, supercharged V8.” She realized she’d been completely fleeced. Now I keep my daughter’s baby seat in the wagon, and there’s room in the back for a pack ’n play. My only complaint: These wagons are hard to find, and if someone rear-ends me, how will I find another one? I guess that’s not really a complaint. I do occasionally drive the car spiritedly with my wife in it. She’s not a big fan of the acceleration capabilities. But she rolls with it pretty well. Contact A.J. Baime at facebook.com/ajbaime. Article via www.Wsj.com

Dimmitt Automotive Group is a proud sponsor of the Dream Ride Experience. This past weekend, Matthew Jones, the McLaren Specialist, showcased a McLaren 650S at the kickoff party in Palm Beach, Florida. The VIP reception was held to recognize the sponsors and the Florida area Special Olympic Athletes. The Athletes had the chance to go for a ride in a McLaren 650S or a Ferrari California, an experience that none of them turned down! Dimmitt Automotive Group would like to thank Michael Bozzuto for his dedication to the athletes. His generosity towards the community serves as an inspiration to us. Thank you. About Dream Ride Founded in 2001, “Dream Ride” started as just that––a dream from Michael A. Bozzuto, CEO of Bozzuto’s Inc. It began as an optimistic vision to help people with intellectual disabilities living in our communities. Fourteen years later––thanks to the passion, hope and dedication of his entire company and the community––“The Dream Ride Experience” has evolved into the largest philanthropic endeavor sponsored by Bozzuto’s Inc. and The Hometown Foundation, Inc. The Dream Ride Experience is a culmination of years’ worth of fundraising events, activities and outreach. It is an event to celebrate the achievements of Special Olympics athletes and to honor these outstanding men, women and children living with intellectual disabilities in our communities. Spanning twelve states along the Eastern Seaboard and three countries, “The Dream Ride Experience” has become one of the most exciting and highly anticipated events for engine enthusiasts, Special Olympians and passionate participants. Currently, over $3,365,000 has been raised for Special Olympics programs in multiple states, with over 100% of the proceeds directly benefiting the charity. Our mission is clear: Using Special Olympics as our cause, raise the awareness and much-needed funds for people living with intellectual disabilities while inspiring our communities to overcome diversity, with all the achievements and accomplishments of Special Olympics athletes’ serving as an example. [gallery link="file" ids="290089,290094,290090,290091,290093,290088"]

Next Saturday, Dimmitt Automotive Group will host the monthly Cars & Coffee Afterparty in St. Petersburg, Florida. Guests are invited to the Aston Martin and ultra-luxury pre-owned showroom at 8:30 am, immediately after the monthly duPont REGISTRY Cars & Coffee event. At our last month's Afterparty, guests and their families enjoyed a light breakfast while they learned about some unique animals from the Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo. Shirts and other items were raffled off to raise money for the zoo. Overall, $270 was raised and the Dimmitt Family matched this amount, bringing the grand total to $540. (Related: 570S Unveiling Party by Dimmitt Automotive & Isleworth Realty) The Dimmitt Automotive Group would like to thank Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo for bringing a few animals to the July Cars & Coffee Afterparty. Please visit their website for more information. We also encourage everyone to attend the August 15th Cars & Coffee Afterparty and join the Tampa Aquarium will have some aquatic creatures on display. To RSVP for the next event, click here. [gallery link="file" ids="288946,288979,288971,288949,288978,288977,288968,288976,288975,288974,288973,288972,288970,288969,288967,288966,288965,288962,288961,288960,288959,288958,288957,288956,288955,288954,288953,288952,288951,288950,288948,288947"]

This past Saturday, Dimmitt Automotive Group hosted their monthly Cars & Coffee Afterparty in St. Petersburg, Florida. Guests arrived at the Aston Martin and Ultra-Luxury Pre-owned Showroom at 8:30AM, immediately after DuPont Registry Car's & Coffee. While enjoying a light breakfast, guests and their families learned about some unique animals from the Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo. Shirts and other items were raffled off to raise money for the Zoo. Overall, $270 was raised and the Dimmitt Family matched this amount bringing the grand total to $540. The Dimmitt Automotive Group would like to thank Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo for bringing a few animals to the July Cars & Coffee Afterparty. Please visit their website for more information: http://www.lowryparkzoo.com/ [gallery link="file" ids="289652,289657,289651,289645,289628,289642,289629,289630,289631,289632,289633,289634,289635,289636,289637,289638,289639,289640,289641,289643,289644,289650,289646,289647,289648,289649,289653,289654,289655,289656,289658,289659,289660,289661,289662,289663"]

On Saturday, May 9th 2015, the 15th annual Monopoly Night was held at the Belleair Country Club. Filled with food, auctions, prizes and more, Monopoly Night proved to be a night to remember. Guest's competed to be named the top player at their table and win some great prizes. This event benefits Charity Works Inc which is a non-profit organization founded in 1996. Charity Works provides purchasing advisory services to numerous charities, schools and nonprofit entities. It also provides wellnes-medical aid packs to benefit at risk children and economically disadvantaged individuals as well as a job skills training program for displaced workers. Dimmitt Automotive Group was proud to be apart of this great event. We would like to thank everyone involved as well as Charity Works Inc for improving our community. We would like to encourage everyone to visit Charity Work's Website and get involved with their mission to help those in need. Visit their website here: http://www.charityworks.org/ [gallery link="file" ids="289554,289553,289552,289551,289550"]

On Thursday, April 23 rd, Dimmitt Automotive Group hosted Take Your Child to Work Day at the Clearwater campus for children of Dimmitt associates and their families. Children ages 8 to 15 were asked to submit an application for employment and were invited to attend the event as a “new hire” for the day. Eleven bright and smiling faces attended and started the day with breakfast and a power meeting with Tom McQueen and Major General Karl Horst. Next, the children participated in a new hire orientation meeting with Human Resources associates: Bobbie Bonavia and Michelle Adkins. Each hire received an official name tag and packet of paperwork similar to what their parent would receive when beginning employment. They also received colorful backpacks filled with Dimmitt branded pens, notebooks, coffee mugs, stress balls and snacks. The children were greeted and taken on a tour of the entire dealership by Peter Dimmitt, who, proudly explained the history, legacy and mission of the company. From there the group was led from department to department by Crista Petruccelli who acted as their supervisor for the day. They started with the Cadillac new car sales department and Product Enthusiast Tim Larson gave them an overview and test drive of the 2015 Escalade. Each child was then assigned an Escalade to “purchase” and headed to F&I where Evelyn Ferguson and Johna Swanson guided them through the paperwork process of financing a vehicle. From there they headed to the accounting department to learn the titling process from Kelly Roman and Gyorgyi Cassidy. The children joined their parents in the Community room for lunch and then spent an hour alongside them to watch their mom or dad in action at work. They closed the day with a visit to the body shop and service department where they evaluated a damaged vehicle with Gabrielle Alexander, observed an oil change performed by Matt Porcoro and received their own tool kit from Service Manager Nick Galida to take home. It was a fun and educational experience for all and each child received a Certificate and a “paycheck” at the end of the workday. Visit www.DimmittCareers.com to view current available positions. [gallery link="file" ids="289443,289444,289446,289442,289439"]

A few weeks ago, Aston Martin TRG-AMR Racing Team held a reception in our Aston Martin Showroom in Pinellas Park, Florida. Clients and friends of Aston Martin were invited to enjoy horderves and wine from the Adobe Road Winery. Guests had an opportunity to mingle with the racing drivers and meet fellow Aston Martin owners who live in the Tampa Bay area. Dimmitt Automotive Group, home to Aston Martin Tampa Bay, had various Aston's on display including the V12 Vantage S Coupe and Roadster, Vanquish Coupe and Volante, DB9, and Rapide S. Aston Martin TRG-AMR Racing is owned and managed by Kevin Buckler and his wife. Buckler has an incredible team that travels with him and races around the country. To learn about TRG-AMR's upcoming races, visit their website: trg-astonmartinracing.com [gallery link="file" ids="288939,288938,288940,288937,288941"]

On April 27 th, several of our associates volunteered to serve food and drink to 120 of Clearwater’s less fortunate at Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church in downtown Clearwater. Our associates enjoyed serving the community and making a difference in someone else's life. Dimmitt Automotive Group would like to thank John Fabriele, Karl Horst, Matt Jones, Angela & George Hennessey, and Ryan Clemens for fulfilling our mission statement by serving our community. [gallery link="file" ids="289367,289364,289368,289363,289361,289362,289369"]

Dimmitt Automotive Group, home to McLaren Tampa Bay, unveiled the newest McLaren a few weeks ago. The McLaren 570S is the first entry in the Sport Series Class. The 570S is made to be driven everyday yet remain a formidable opponent on the track. With 562 horsepower and 443 Ib-ft of torque, the twin turbo V8 in the 570S is powerful enough to launch the car from 0-60mph in 3.1 seconds and 0-100mph in 6.3 seconds. The 570S sips gas with a fuel rating of 25MPG combined. 570S is faster than a Porsche 911 Turbo S and has an amazing infotainment system that connects to your bluetooth cell phone, plays satellite radio, and provides voice guided GPS. Starting at $184,900, the McLaren 570S is the perfect mix of luxury, comfort and performance for the average person. Please call or text McLaren Tampa Bay at 727.797.7070 for more information on the 570S or to reserve a car. www.Dimmitt.com [gallery link="file" ids="288906,288907,288908,288909,288910,288911,288912,288913,288914,288915,288916,288917,288918,288919,288920,288921,288922,288923,288924,288926,288927,288928,288929,288930,288931"]

Dimmitt Automotive Group was a proud sponsor of the 2015 Earth Day Celebration. On April 18th, 2015, St. Petersburg celebrated Earth Day with its second annual festival held in beautiful South Straub Park. The city joined more than 190 countries, over one billion people, to commemorate the birth of the modern environmental movement that began in 1970. The festival was held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the primary goal of educating to create healthy, sustainable communities. Visitors met companies that are leading members of the green/sustainability movement and heard from speakers on current topics affecting our earth. While this is only the second Earth Day St. Pete festival, the city is leading the way in Florida by implementing strategies for a sustainable future. St. Petersburg is the first city in the state to receive the Green Building Coalition's Green City designation, and has been recognized for energy conservation, recycling, water conservation, fuel efficiency, landscaping and preservation of open spaces, and other environmental programs. Proceeds from Earth Day St. Pete 2015 went to support the installation of Solar Panels to provide clean energy to the building shared by the Florida Aquarium and the Blue Ocean Film Festival downtown St. Petersburg. [gallery link="file" ids="288912,288914,288915,288916,288917"]

Aspire Autosports, a division of Dimmitt Automotive Group, has listed for sale the world’s first 2015 Escalade in White Diamond paint in a luxury trim level. It features custom fabricate 7-inch Fabtech lift kit, 22’’x12’ American Force Nightmare rims, custom painted white and black FP series, a black heavy mesh grill, tinted windows, custom black trim accents and a custom slotted rotor big brake kit. Call or text: 727.797.7070 for more information. [gallery link="file" ids="288896,288895,288893,288897,288892,288899,288898,288900,288901,288902"]

The 3rd Dimmitt Rally was held a week ago and had over 30 supercar owners attend. Everyone from Corvette Z06 owners to Maserati Gransport to Ferrari Speciale owners joined the rally. We had a lot of new faces and new cars. Everyone met at McLaren Tampa Bay, part of the Dimmitt Automotive Group, and together we rallied to Andersen Racepark and raced GoCarts! It was a great bonding experience for everyone as well as an opportunity to make new friends. We encourage everyone to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to learn about future events. If you are a supercar owner, please contact us via Facebook or Instagram about the next Dimmitt Rally. [gallery link="file" ids="288889,288888,288887,288886,288885,288884,288883,288882,288881,288880,288879,288878,288877,288876,288875,288874,288873,288872,288871,288870,288869,288868,288867,288866,288865,288864,288863,288862,288861,288860,288859,288858,288857,288856,288855,288854,288853,288852,288851,288850,288849,288848,288847,288846,288845,288844,288843,288842,288841,288840,288839,288838,288837,288836,288835,288834,288833,288832,288831,288830"]