Audi Tradition x Audi Club Mobile Museum Part 1: Audi Greenville

Editor’s Note: This feature story originally ran in the Q2_2204 issue of Audi Club’s quattro Magazine. For your own subscription, join Audi Club North America today by clicking the Join/Renew button above.

Components working together in harmony are something to behold, and this sort of cross-channel teamwork was on display with the first two Mobile Museum events. Between Audi Tradition, Audi Club North America and two great dealerships including Audi Greenville and Audi Jacksonville, a concept was formed to display and demonstrate two iconic and legendary Audi racecars in places located far away from the sprawling museum mobile facility in Audi’s hometown of Ingolstadt.

Not everyone gets to go to Germany and see the museum, which is why Audi Tradition has been prioritizing bringing its cars into the field these last few years. It began with the filming of Electrikhana and continued this year with a 1989 90 IMSA GTO racecar and Michèle Mouton’s 1985 Pike’s Peak winning / record-setting S1 Sport quattro coming over for The F.A.T. Ice Race (p. 53) and The Amelia Concours (p.50).

Learning of the domestic presence of these truly historic cars, Audi Club began working with Audi Tradition to see how this might be expanded. As it turns out, German staff would be in country days before The Amelia, an opportunity that allowed for expansion of both display and even live demonstration of the cars at select dealerships along with way. The team conceptualizing the Mobile Museum stops turned to two dealerships very familiar to Audi Club for their enthusiasm and appreciation and Audi’s history.

The first stop was Audi Greenville that is perhaps a smaller market store, but one that punches well above its weight class for sales of RS and performance models. Greenville’s own Torah Speach and Roger Labas embraced the proposal and improved upon it, having the sweeping road in front of the store closed for the event, and inviting local owner Dale Whitney to display his museum quality ur quattro in the showroom alongside the dealership owner’s R8 GT and the two Audi Tradition cars.

The night of the event, Greenville estimates over 200 guests packed their showroom to enjoy the presence of these two historic cars. Following food and a technical presentation, guests filled in the areas along the road and watched the racecars scream past… almost like a rally stage back in the day, albeit with fans standing at a safe distance.

Next the transport truck headed south for Amelia Island, going just a bit further south to Audi Jacksonville. Jacksonville’s proximity to the concours event made it a perfect stop too for those attending The Amelia weekend and seeking just a bit more exposure to these cars.

The night of the event was raining, but that neither stopped the guests from coming out nor the cars from being demonstrated amidst the rain. Following food and the historical presentation, Jacksonville’s Stephan Grönberg ushered guests outside to watch the display. Off-and-on showers didn’t douse the spectacle of the S1 and the 90 GTO lapping the dealership as their exhaust note pierced the rain and thrilled the assembled guests.