Cars, Coffee, Candy & Costumes
Our October Cars & Coffee Afterparty was held on Saturday, October 17th. Everyone dressed up in their favorite costume to win hundreds of dollars in prizes. We gave away:
– Top 5 Kids Costumes (under 18) won Fro-Yo Gift Certificates
– Top 2 Adult Costumes (18+) won 2 passes to Busch Gardens “Howl-O-Scream”
We encourage everyone to attend the November Cars & Coffee Afterparty which will benefit the Toys for Tots Charity. RSVP here: www.facebook.com/events/426370550882276
Dancing With The Stars Tampa Bay 2015
Dimmitt Automotive Group would like to congratulate Liz Manes on winning the 2015 Dancing With Stars Tampa Bay. Dimmitt Automotive Group was a proud sponsor of this event which proceeds benefit Julie Weintraub’s Hands Across The Bay.
Hands Across the Bay was developed to positively impact the lives of as many Tampa Bay residents as possible. We assist and mentor hardworking families in need, advocate for change, support other organizations, and spread love with various acts of kindness. Through our work, we hope to inspire our community to become more compassionate, empathetic, and charitable.
For information visit: handsacrossthebay.org
2015 Friends of Raymond James Golf Tournament
On October 16th and 17th, golfers took to the course at the Belleview Biltmore Golf Club in Belleair, Florida for the annual Friends of Raymond James Golf Tournament. Dimmitt Automotive Group is delighted to be apart of this great event. We support Friends of Raymond James and encourage everyone to get involved with this charity.
Friends of Raymond James has been assisting Raymond James associates in coping with unexpected hardships for nearly two decades – from helping with unforeseen medical expenses to covering housing costs after the sudden death of a spouse. Because our nonprofit organization is not affiliated with Raymond James or any of its subsidiaries, we rely on the generosity of private donors to help us provide relief for associates in need.
In 2014, we assisted 30 individuals with contributions totaling over $145,000. Since we began our fundraising efforts in 1997, we have disbursed in excess of $800,000 to over 200 associates.
We would like to thank to thank Friends of Raymond James for all that they do. To learn how you can get involved, visit their website at: http://www.friendsofraymondjames.org/
Bentley Bentayga Unveiled in The Sarasota Studio
On Saturday, November 7th, Dimmitt Automotive Group, home to Bentley Tampa Bay, launched the new Bentley Bentayga in Sarasota, Florida. Dimmitt Automotive Group’s newest addition, The Sarasota Studio, made for an incredible showcase of the new Bentley SUV. The Sarasota Studio will offer luxury preowned vehicles with the same legendary service that Dimmitt Automotive Group is widely known for. Bentley owners were invited to preview the Bentayga and invited to place an order.
The Bentley Bentayga: A New Chapter For Bentley Motors
When first tasked with designing Bentayga, the team at Bentley were faced with more than just creating a new car. Their challenge was to elevate the very concept of the SUV to powerful, luxurious new heights. To create a car that would cause the world to see the SUV sector through entirely new eyes.
The journey of Bentayga’s design, crafting and refinement has been a long one, but it is a process now completed. To see how the story unfolded, read on.
See Light
To create such a revolutionary car, Bentley’s designers were compelled to think in new ways. When you look at a car, you don’t really see it. It’s the same when you look at any solid object. Colours and contours are merely illusions; all our eyes really see is light, bouncing off surfaces in different ways. It is the way our brains process light that gives us our 3D view of the world.
Bentayga’s exterior was designed with this principle in mind and made real with Bentley’s world-famous sculptural prowess.
Strategic design elements like the ultra-sharp power line, signature ‘horseshoe’ at the rear and the muscular haunch, adding volume and power to the taller profile, are complemented by individual and dynamic detailing: the B-shaped wing vent behind the front wheel arch and Bentayga’s signature ‘B’ graphic rear lamps.
From the four round headlamps that flank the matrix grille to Bentley’s trademark ‘double wing’ cockpit design, Bentayga brings the marque’s DNA to the SUV.
See Texture
Nowhere in the world are cars crafted with the same passion and skill as they are in the Bentley factory. Because, when it comes to the way we experience a car, the way it feels matters just as much as the way it looks. Texture is everything.
With the arrival of Bentayga, the world will see craftsmanship of this calibre applied to an SUV for the first time. For those lucky enough to experience it, new heights of luxury will be reached. For the rest of the world, the SUV category will never look the same again.
From the outset, Bentayga was going to be revolutionary. And a revolutionary car warrants a revolutionary approach, in every aspect of its development. When it came to designing the camouflage that would disguise the car during its open-air tests, inspiration was sought in the art world: in particular, the work of 1960s Op Art pioneer Bridget Riley, famous for her use of optical illusions in her paintings.
To truly understand the relationship between the texture of physical materials and the experience of driving Bentayga, you need to see how the two are intertwined; you need to see each aspect through new eyes.
Becoming Bentayga
An extraordinary car demands an extraordinary name.
With the world’s geology at our feet, we searched from a satellite’s eye view for a symbol of nature’s power and beauty. We alighted first on the Taiga – the vast continental snow-forest that crowns the Northern Hemisphere. Then, we focused our lens tighter. And, as ever with Bentley, it was in the meticulous detail that reward lay.
The Roque Bentayga – an iconic, eye-catching standalone peak in the Atlantic Canary Islands, provided further inspiration. A unique feature, one with gravitas and stature. One that draws attention from all directions. Locally and globally.
As Wolfgang Dürheimer, Chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors, said whilst announcing the name in Detroit earlier this year:
“Bentayga is a name that reflects what we know our SUV will do better than any other car in the world – combine the best automotive luxury with outstanding performance to take the Bentley experience to new environments.”
See Technology
Bentayga is leading the way in technological advances at Bentley. And much of that technological development has been focused on perfecting the driving experience. From easy access to a range of driving modes to cutting-edge driver assistance technology to electronic power assisted steering, Bentayga delivers driving pleasure in even the most challenging situations.
Every feature has been perfected as a result of research with Bentley drivers around the world, many of whom also drive at least one SUV. Bentayga is the first Bentley to offer more than two choices of sound system, including the most powerful system available in any SUV.
The interface is remarkably flexible, offering a choice of touch control, rotary dials, gestures or even voice, depending on user preferences or driving conditions.
Meanwhile, rear seat passengers can also enjoy TV and video entertainment, navigation features, games, video calling and media streaming.
In the Bentayga, this technology is applied with subtlety, with the aim of enhancing the experience for everyone inside the car. When not required, its presence is barely perceptible. When needed, the effects can be quite striking.
See Performance
The all-new W12 TSI engine is the most technically advanced 12-cylinder engine in the world, delivering the most power, torque and economy of any car in its class. However, this is too narrow a description of what true performance is. Only when you drive Bentayga over any imaginable terrain, and feel the smooth, balanced distribution of raw yet efficient power, does it become clear. Bentayga’s performance achieves the optimum balance of handling and efficiency – without a hint of compromise.
To put theory into practice, the world’s first genuine luxury SUV tackled some ‘real world’ testing in the demanding and unforgiving mountain terrain of Northern Spain. Bentayga was forced to demonstrate great traction and axel articulation on otherwise impassable routes. A breathtaking challenge, but one undertaken in true Bentley style – with unparalleled ride and cabin comfort.
When Bentayga returns to the tarmac, it achieves a 0-60 mph time of 4.0 seconds (0-100 km/h 4.1 seconds) and a top speed of 187 mph (301 km/h), once again demonstrating true Bentley spirit.
Bentayga and its all-new W12 engine has redefined what an SUV engine is capable of.
Images generously provided by Jason Sha’ul Photography.
For more information or for ordering, please contact Bentley Tampa Bay – Dimmitt Automotive Group at 727.822.2019 or visit www.Dimmitt.com
A group of enthusiastic gearheads gathers in a yurt overlooking a vast Colorado snowfield. During breakfast by a warm, wood-burning stove, there’s a detailed briefing from a squad of expert rally car drivers.
We step outside into a sea of white, ringed by dramatic mountain peaks, and crack open the wing doors on a fleet of 12 Aston Martin sports cars priced from $99,900 for the standard Vantage GT model to $284,995 for the Vanquish coupe. We buckle up, rev the engines to a growl, and soon enough are rocketing across the snow—drifting sideways at disquieting speeds, tires spitting ghostly clouds.
It’s the first day of Aston Martin on Ice, a weekend-long program run by the brand each February, in which adventure seekers are schooled in the art of “winter performance driving.” For $10,000 (there’s also a cheaper, single-day option that runs $2,495), participants zip around a snowy expanse on the outskirts of the little mountain town of Crested Butte, cosseted by the sumptuous comforts of James Bond’s signature ride.
“We’re going to give you a taste of the Aston Martin lifestyle,” says silver-haired, British-accented Julian Jenkins, president of Aston Martin the Americas. Jenkins himself looks like he could ably play a bespoke-suited superspy. “We’re going to share our passion with you,” he promises us. The weekend will include accommodations in privately owned, secluded mountain lodges and elegant meals with a regional focus—seared elk loin, Colorado chardonnay—all prepared on site by a chef who’ll happily take requests. But the time away from the track, however extravagant, is secondary. This weekend, Jenkins assures us, is all about the driving.
The first hours of the school, which has a maximum of 24 pupils, are spent warming up with a slalom exercise, slowly snaking the cars between orange pylons placed in the snow. This alone is humbling. The tires on the Aston Martin Vanquish I’ve chosen are designed expressly for winter conditions, yet they provide only a 10th of the grip tires typically generate on dry pavement. Accelerate at the wrong moment, and my wheels spin furiously on the snow, finding no traction. Steer too loosely, and my car slides off the course.
After a couple of runs, we try swerving into corners. The instructors have us gun it up to 50 miles per hour on a straightaway, gas pedal slammed to the floor, then abruptly hit the brakes. (We’re alone in the cars, but each is equipped with a walkie-talkie, so spotters can issue commands and offer instant feedback.) It feels death wish-y to purposefully skid on snow with my car moving that fast, but with a bit of practice I’m able to maintain decent control. As the curve approaches, with the car already skidding, I nudge the steering wheel to coax the Vanquish into a sideways drift. Once I swivel into the turn and get my tires pointed straight again, I hit the gas to accelerate into the next stretch.
The “skid pad,” a circle marked out on the ice with an orange cone at its center, is where we practice the fine art of ripping doughnuts. We drive in the tightest circles possible at the fastest speeds we’re able to. After a few turns, my car inevitably twirls out of orbit. The resulting disorientation is terrifying, as we’re used to associating a loss of steering control with imminent disaster. The temptation is to panic and steer harder, jamming the wheel in a futile attempt to wrestle the car into submission. But, as instructors demonstrate, the wiser technique is to let the wheel unwind, wait for my tires to regain traction, and ease the car back onto its path with more subtle steering.
The next phase that morning combines these newfound skills in a timed trial—a short slalom followed by three tight right turns to a finish line. I clock the second-quickest finish in my group, just under 40 seconds. Which shocks me. I thought I’d been too cautious, but my humility worked in my favor. Head instructor Paul Gerrard, a professional race-car driver for more than 20 years, praises my smooth, measured approach.
“You weren’t cocky out there,” he says. “You had respect for the surface. Some of the other drivers were overconfident and pushed their cars too hard, which cost them.” Then Gerrard informs me that a pro driver could have shaved at least eight seconds off my time.
Lunch is back inside the yurt, where we’re seated at shared tables with a view of the craggy Crested Butte mountainside beyond the door. We all introduce ourselves and recount our hairiest personal moments out on the track.
“I have a need for speed,” says Dianne Baker, one of my tablemates. She’s a 70-year-old grandmother of four who lives much of the year in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and spent 25 years as a professional pilot flying corporate jets—including 737s—before she retired. In her spare time she flew homemade, experimental aircraft designed to handle advanced rolls and spins. Now she gets her kicks mostly from cars. She owns a 1970 MGB and a Porsche 911 that she bought in 2007. “The acceleration is the fun part,” she says, eyes glimmering after a full morning of high-speed hijinks. “It’s the same feeling you get in a jet.”
Also at my table are Daryl and Scott Mercer, a father-son duo. Daryl, 61 and “in the rare coin business,” seems to view the outing mostly as a bonding experience. Scott, 28, the chief executive officer of a startup in San Francisco that makes electric-car charging stations, is the more dedicated motorhead of the two. He owns a ’71 Alfa Romeo and an ’87 Mercedes-Benz AMG Hammer, among other intriguing vehicles. “I watch too much Top Gear,” he acknowledges with a grin. Out on the course, he had cheekily lowered the top on an Aston Martin DB 9 convertible, even as flurries of snowflakes floated past the windshield.
Myron Goforth, the 60-year-old owner of a Texas oilfield leasing company, brought along two of his workers as a sort of employee thank-you. “They do a lot of driving to meet clients in bad winter weather, in places like Wyoming and Pennsylvania,” Goforth says, “so practicing on this snow and ice also seemed like it could be a good safety course for them.”
In fact, winter driving instruction is more firmly rooted in safety than in goofy, off-duty fun. The Bridgestone Winter Driving School, down the road in Steamboat Springs, Colo., has operated for more than 30 years and was the first of its kind in the U.S. In addition to ordinary folks who want to learn to drive more safely in bad conditions, the school’s clientele includes law enforcement, the military, and fleet drivers for delivery and utility companies. Its tracks host ambulances, fire trucks, and Humvees, all careening around on ice. “Some people need to go fast no matter how slippery it gets,” says Mark Cox, the school’s director, “and we can make that happen.”
Carmakers such as Audi, Bentley, and Porsche host similar courses to burnish their upscale cred—the trips often include luxe accommodations and gourmet feasts—and sometimes snag a few individual sales through low-pressure tactics. “There are no dealers here,” says Aston Martin’s Jenkins. “Instead, people get to engage with the rally car drivers, with company executives, and with like-minded enthusiasts. They experience the cars together and feed off each other’s excitement. There’s an atmosphere of camaraderie.” Jenkins says about 30 percent of customers of the programs already own at least one Aston. Some treat the events as elaborate test drives and end up buying a model they’ve fallen in love with.
Aston Martin, a more than 100-year-old company, has long possessed a certain ineffable cool. It has its British heritage. It’s known for the distinctive roar of its engines. Its cars have been outfitted with rockets and ejector seats in Bond films dating back to 1964’s Goldfinger. Prince Charles received an Aston Martin as a gift from his mother as a young man and passed the vintage model on to his son, Prince William. Yet Aston Martin remains a boutique brand, with global sales of about 4,000 cars a year. Every buyer counts.
After lunch, the instructors prep us to take laps at full speed on the twisting 1.1-mile track. Gerrard first explains how to find the ideal path to take in any curve. An “out-in-out” arc lets a driver enter the turn wide, almost clip the inner edge of the curve at its most acute point, and then exit wide again, minimizing the amount of steering, which creates drag.
Gerrard also gives tips on how to “manage the transitional energy.” Aston Martins are rear-wheel drive but have fairly even front-to-back weight distribution. One of the stated missions of Aston Martin on Ice is to convince potential customers that rear-wheel-drive cars are not ill-suited to winter conditions. “This is not a fair-weather ‘occasion car’ that you need to garage for half the year,” Jenkins says.
When we tap our cars’ brakes at high speed, the weight of the car seems to surge forward. Our goal is to channel this momentum into a controlled, sideways slide. The bigger the Aston Martin we’re riding in—such as the four-door Rapide, which boasts the widest wheelbase—the more exaggerated the weight transition.
The last bit of advice centers on the danger of “target fixation,” which happens when you stare at a spot you’re hoping to avoid (say, the outside bank of a turn) and, because the human brain is wired this way, you’ll steer directly for the hazard. The key is to instead focus up ahead on the track, where you want to go, and not on the obstacle you fear.
Another vital point: We’ll need to recognize where the snow on the track has been already polished into hard-packed ice. The areas with less-trammeled powder provide much better traction, if we can identify them mid-lap and adjust. “Seeking the grip,” as Gerrard terms it, is the winter driver’s constant battle.
As we buckle into the cars and launch back onto the track one at a time, we’re told to begin with a slow lap and then open the throttle a notch with each ensuing go-round. We’re encouraged to see how far we can push the cars, and our own nerves, before reaching a place of discomfort or spinning out in a burst of glory—whichever comes first.
I feel in control on my first couple of leisurely jaunts around the loop. I’m enjoying the soft leather of the car’s cabin, its heated seats, its ergonomic pleasures. I’m tempted to simply sit back and watch a fleet of these 500-horsepower objets d’art flow across the snow. But this is not a day for laid-back leisure. I resolve to drive faster, and then faster, attacking the curves aggressively at 60 mph. I experience what Gerrard calls “the nirvana of four-wheel drift,” in which the entire car shuffles gracefully sideways in a high-speed dance. I’m confident at every tricky point on the course. Except Turn 5.
Aston Martin spent months building this track, and it’s designed to challenge us with shifting elevations. In the particularly nasty fifth turn, the track falls steeply away just before we have to scramble back uphill toward the higher tier at Turn 6. “The camber works against you,” Gerrard explains to us in the yurt, tracing Turn 5 on a course map affixed to the wall.
Again and again, I approach Turn 5 thinking I’ll nail the proper path and compensate for the incline. And every time I find my car sliding hopelessly down the embankment, with me powerless to arrest the descent. Meanwhile, I can hear accolades coming over the walkie-talkie for other drivers who’ve managed to get it right. “Very nicely done!” comes the shout of an instructor complimenting the driver behind me.
Still, after several laps, I begin to fancy myself a pretty decent winter driver. I decide now is the moment to see what will happen if I push myself not merely to the edge but a little beyond. I lunge into turns at 70 mph, which, on the ice, feels like 150. I whip the car around so fast I can feel the rear wheels fishtailing up alongside me.
At one point, I stomp on the gas so hard coming out of a turn that the car erupts in violent, sideways shudders. “That’s a tank slapper!” a spotter laughs into my radio, using a motorcycle racing term to describe the sideways oscillations that cause a bike’s center-mounted gas tank to slap the rider’s crotch.
It’s all delightful fun, but I feel relieved to dial things back on the next lap. Others continue to push further: We’re forced to take a short break when someone “got a little adventurous in a corner,” as Gerrard puts it, which means the car has to be dislodged from a shallow snowbank.
Later we swap cars so each of us can try the various entries in the product line. My unexpected favorite is the $204,995 Rapide S coupe, a hefty, dignified touring car that turns like an aircraft carrier when I slide it around on the snow. Gerrard takes the wheel and brings me along on a “hot lap,” during which he effortlessly drifts the car sideways at 80 mph, instead of the wussy 60 mph I’d managed.
“Are you in the market for one of these?” I ask Baker, the jet pilot grandma, when I notice the mischievous look on her face as she emerges from her car after a maniacal lap.
“Test drives can be very expensive,” she says with a big smile.
Via: http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2015-aston-martin-winter-driving-school/
Shelton Quarles Impact Foundation Dinner
On Friday night, Dimmitt Automotive Group hosted the Shelton Quarles Celebrity Waiter Night with several Tampa Bay Buccaneer players. Guests were greeted personally by Mr. Shelton Quarles as they walked the red carpet into the Dimmitt Automotive Group showroom.
Dinner was served and wine was poured by several Tampa Bay Buccaneer players. Guests also bid on items to raise money for IMPACT Foundation. Overall, it was a great evening with charitable people and talented athletes.
The mission of Shelton Quarles’ IMPACT Foundation is to provide opportunities and resources for at-risk single-parent families throughout the Tampa Bay area. Since its inception in 2004, Shelton Quarles’ IMPACT Foundation has raised over $500,000 and impacted more than 3,000 lives. Visit sheltonquarles.org for more information.
Dimmitt Values Day – October 2015
A few weeks ago, Dimmitt Automotive Group team members volunteered at the St. Petersburg Free Clinic. The Dimmitt family has served the local community for decades and has instilled the ‘servant’s heart’ in the Dimmitt Automotive Group team members. The Team Members had a memorable experience serving those in need. Dimmitt Automotive Group would like thank the organization for all they do to improve our community.
St. Petersburg Free Clinic is a multi-service, independent, not-for-profit human services agency providing our community neighbors assistance with food, shelter and health care. They have been caring for the underserved facing temporary emergency needs throughout Pinellas County since 1970.
The Free Clinic is comprised of eight programs that are a beacon of hope for families and individuals who fall through the crack of existing systems and services. Visit stpetersburgfreeclinic.org to learn how you can get involved.
Last week, the Dimmitt family provided Flu Shots for all associates. As the first part of Dimmitt Automotive Group’s mission statement suggests, the Dimmitt family cares for their associates so that they can care for the guests.
Visit www.dimmittcareers.com to view our current job openings.
Welcome Home Veterans 2015
During the last week of September, Denise Ankenbaur, Matthew Jones and a few other Dimmitt Team Members, welcomed home 80 World War II and Korean War Veterans. Almost 1,000 people joined the celebration. The Veterans were returning from an Honor Flight to D.C.
Dimmitt Automotive Group would like to thank the Veterans for their service and those involved with the Honor Flight. For more information on the Honor Flight visit: http://honorflightwcf.org/
HEP: September Community Values Day
Last week, Dimmitt Team Members volunteered at the Clearwater HEP. Peter Dimmitt and Tom Hassel were the team captains. Mr. Dimmitt led the painters and Mr. Hassel, the mulchers.
HEP is the only social-services agency of its kind in Florida, offering shelter care and supportive services for the entire homeless population. We offer housing and programs specifically designed for single men and women, families with children and US Veterans, including those with mental illness, physical disability and non-violent criminal history.
For more information, visit their website: http://www.hepempowers.org/
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