- 10/11/2018
- 2 Min Read
- By: Matthew Spring
Why Avantoberfest Is One Of The Best Automotive Events Of The Year
What do you get when you combine long-roofed Audi Avants, great people, and scenic driving through the backroads of New England? You get Avantoberfest, and it's one the best, most authentic car meets of the year.
Held every fall, Avantoberfest is an automotive gathering that brings together over 100 cars spanning all different makes and models for a two-hour drive beginning at the historic Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut, finishing at Stratton, VT to enjoy the annual Oktoberfest.
My name is Matt Spring, one of FCP Euro’s video producers and, more specifically, an avid Audi enthusiast. High-performance German engineering combined with the practicality of cargo space makes it the perfect adventure vehicle, at least in my eyes.
To cover this year's show, I woke up at 6AM, packed up my 2002 Audi S6 Avant with free FCP Euro swag, and started my hour-long journey to Lime Rock Park. I arrived around 8AM and to my surprise, it was already packed. People were eager to start what some call "the only event they look forward to every year." Every car that showed up was beautiful in their own regard, however, there were some chassis representations that really stood out. There were B5S4 Avants of every color except laser red, as well as a beautiful B6 S4 Avant with a paint-matched cargo carrier to go along with it.
My time was split between interacting with people at the booth, gathering photos and videos for our blog, and just experiencing the event as an enthusiast. It was tough work, but the end result and relationships built were so worth it.
Our first stop was for gas and food about 45 minutes in, and it was insane. Picture 50 cars spread out between two gas stations and a restaurant, moving in and out between the two like organized chaos. While people were mingling, I took the opportunity to grab some more photos and videos of cars that I may have missed at Lime Rock Park.
Once everyone had full tanks & stomachs, we fired up our engines and hit the road for the last leg of the drive into Vermont. Twisty roads, painted fall landscapes and fresh air made for an exhilarating drive, cutting through CT, NY, finally reaching our destination of Stratton Mountain.
As soon as we reached the lot, the party started, and I set up the FCP Euro booth yet again to dish out as much free swag as people would take. The thing that surprised me the most was the amount of people who hadn’t heard of FCP Euro, and wanted to find out more about our lifetime warranty. I hope those of you reading this now know what we have to offer and that we truly live by our mission statement: to help you have a more enjoyable and more enduring European car ownership experience.
The spirit of Avantoberfest is simple: great driving and great times with great people. It shows just how much the automotive community looks forward to celebrating this unique genre of Audi. 2018 proved to be the most successful Avantoberfest yet, and we'll be there to see how much better 2019 will be.
