After a quarter-century of good times and growth, this annual gathering of Fiat and Lancia auto enthusiasts returns to its roots in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, USA. The very first Fiat FreakOut was held at Pocono International Raceway in 1983, and after its first five years at that venue, the celebrated event grew to be the largest of its kind in North America at venues in North Carolina, West Virginia, Missouri, and New York.

The original Fiat Club of America was nothing more than a loosely-organized correspondence club, but a number of its members wanted to go beyond mere letter-writing and “rub elbows” with fellow Fiat and Lancia enthusiasts. Twenty-five years ago, FCOA members Bobb Rayner and Dwight Varnes obtained a mailing list from the now-defunct club. Using money out of their own pockets and making photocopies after hours at their places of employment, these two Fiat fans created flyers and mailed them to Fiat Club of America members in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York…quite an accomplishment back in the days when there was no such thing as e-mail and the internet!

The very first national gathering of Fiat and Lancia automobile enthusiasts was held on the infield of Pocono International Raceway during a special double-national race weekend conducted by the Sports Car Club of America. The event and venue were chosen so as to offer potential Fiat and Lancia fans the chance to witness sports car racing along with the opportunity to meet and greet fellow Italian car enthusiasts. The formula worked, and within the next few years, Fiat FreakOut took on a life of its own, leading to the creation of Club Fiat-Lancia Unlimited (FLU), which itself has grown to be the largest enthusiast club in North America dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of these famous Italian marques.

Past Fiat FreakOut events were held in places such as...

• Pocono International Raceway, Pennsylvania
• Summit Point Raceway, West Virginia
• Poughkeepsie, New York
• Great Smokey Mountains, N. Carolina & Tennessee
• Canaan Valley in West Virginia
• Asheville/Biltmore Mansion, North Carolina
• Niagara Falls, New York/Canada
• Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
• Metro Detroit, Michigan

For its 25th anniversary, Fiat FreakOut returns to its birthplace in the beautiful vacation paradise of the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, less than a two-hour drive from New York, Philadelphia, and other major urban centers of the eastern United States. The venue: The Inn at Pocono Manor!

Providing gracious hospitality for more than 100 years, The Inn at Pocono Manor – know forever to local folks as “The Grand Lady of the Mountains” – has earned a coveted designation on the National Registry of Historic Places. In the past two decades, Pocono Manor has hosted numerous major exotic motorcar gatherings, making it a natural venue for the 25th anniversary celebration of Fiat Freak Out. With a huge variety of recreational activities, Pocono Manor provides something for everyone on hundreds of acres of lush mountain greenery, surround by the beautiful forests for which the Pocono Mountains are famous.

The highlight of each year’s Fiat FreakOut is the Saturday afternoon Concorso d’Eleganza, when attendees and visitors thrill to the sight of nearly 200 splendid Italian cars assembled on the show field. In addition to the Concorso d’Eleganza, a variety of motoring activities are scheduled for the Fiat FreakOut event weekend, including several well-planned and spirited drives over the entertaining and challenging roadways that snake through the Pocono Mountains, providing scenic vistas as a backdrop to the symphonic sounds and gorgeous curves of Italian automotive machinery.

The Details, Demographics, and Statistics for FFO2008

Anticipated Attendance: 250 to 300 registered participants, plus hundreds of local & Regional Visitors

Attendance at past Fiat FreakOuts has exceeded 250, so the quarter-century anniversary event is sure to draw even more participants.

Demographically, members of club FLU and their families span all ranges of age, income levels, and social backgrounds. With very rare exception, most FLU members and FFO attendees are owners and operators of multiple vehicles.

Anticipated Number of Automobiles: 200+

Past Fiat Freak Outs have seen as many as 150+ cars in attendance, but since this year marks the event’s 25th anniversary, many more are anticipated. Those who’ve been absent in past years have vowed to return to reunite with old friends, while an entirely new crop of interested Italian car enthusiasts have pledged to participate for the very first time.

Anticipated Marques: Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, and other Italian marques

Note that, while the majority of the cars appearing will be Fiat and Lancia sports cars and their derivatives, Club FLU has a tradition of welcoming all Italian marques to Fiat Freak Out, especially Ferrari and Alfa Romeo, which are under the Fiat Auto corporate banner. Several Ferraris and many Alfa Romeos have regularly attended past Freak Out events, and 2008 will be no exception.

Special Automobile Appearances:

Fiat FreakOuts have always attracted a fascinating array of Italian automotive art, including appearances of the famed and extremely rare Lancia Stratos, vintage Fiat 500s, Autobianchis, vintage Alfa Romeo Spiders and sedans, just to name a few. Among the unusual and intriguing Fiats and Lancias, this year’s FreakOut will be featuring two very special automobiles...

The New Fiat 500

The new Fiat 500 is the sensation of Europe, and visitors to FFO 2008 will be able to see and quite likely ride in what will likely be one of the very few, if any, examples of this car to be seen on North American soil. This particular Fiat 500 is being shipped across the Atlantic to embark on a cross-continent adventure as part of a fund-raising effort on behalf of a charity in Northern Ireland, and will be receiving international press coverage during its trek to the Pacific Ocean and back, beginning with its appearance at Fiat FreakOut 2008!

Early 1950s Fiat 8V

Fiat produced just 114 of these extraordinary cars developed by Dante Giacosa, with various bodywork fabricated by a number of famous Italian coachbuilders. The name “8V” had been chosen because it was though that the Ford Motor Company had trademarked the name “V8.” Built between 1952 and 1954, the Fiat 8V is surely going to be one of the stars of the show at FFO 2008. Few Italian cars are as rare and as interesting, and thanks to the generosity of an 8V owner, an example of this unusual car will be seen at FFO 2008!

Media Coverage: Regional, National, and International

Regional Television

American television network affiliates have been invited to attend and cover the activities of Fiat FreakOut 2008, including northeastern television stations WNEP-TV (ABC), WYOU-TV (CBS), and WBRE-TV (NBC). One planned event includes a drive to and a massive display in the center of downtown Scranton, PA, which is the largest city in the region and the center of county government.

National Television

Invitations have been issued to several nationally-syndicated automobile enthusiast television programs, including “My Classic Car” and “Car Crazy,” both seen all across the USA on the SpeedTV television network. Commitments from the producers of these shows are anticipated.

International Media

Several international media organizations have been invited to FFO 2008, including crews from RAI, the Italian national network. An RAI crew is planning to come from New York City to cover the event for Italian television, which will also be carried by satellite to countries outside of Italy.

Invitations have been sent to the editors and publishers of major auto enthusiast magazines in both North America and Europe, including CarAndDriver, Road & Track, AutoWeek, Automobile, and Motor Trend magazines. In fact, one of the major contributing editors to these magazines is an owner of a vintage Fiat 500, and has expressed interest in bringing her car to the show.

National Print Media

In addition to newspapers in the Pocono region that have expressed interest in covering FFO 2008, newspapers from New York City, Philadelphia, and as far away as Virginia Beach have also expressed interest in covering the event.

Prior to the start of FFO 2008, Club Fiat-Lancia Unlimited’s full-color bi-monthly magazine RICAMBI will be promoting the event in the issues leading up to the weekend of July 11 – 13. Afterwards, and giant issue devoted to Freak Out 2008 will be sent to thousands of readers worldwide.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR FIAT FREAKOUT 2008!

A wide variety of sponsorship opportunities are available in support of this major international automotive event. Possible sponsor participation ranges from the donation of merchandise which will be used as raffle prizes to raise money to cover incidental event expenses, all the way up to covered vendor space in tents on the car show field. Fiat FreakOut 2008 will be the only event of its kind in North America, and will likely be one of the largest Italian car happenings in the world in 2008. It’s a perfect opportunity to showcase products and services that will appeal to the ardent automobile enthusiasts in attendance, with the added benefit of product and brand exposure on a national and international scale.

NOTE: Club Fiat-Lancia Unlimited (FLU) is a non-profit organization registered in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, USA. Sponsorship support may be tax deductible!

CONTACT INFORMATION

Club Fiat-Lancia Unlimited www.flu.org

John Montgomery, FLU President prez@flu.org

Bobb Rayner, Fiat FreakOut Chairperson bobbrayner1@cs.com

Shaun Folkerts, Event Registrar FiatLancia2@yahoo.com

Brett Melancon, RICAMBI Magazine Editor ricambi@flu.org

Pocono Manor www.poconomanor.com

Pocono Mountains Vacation Bureau www.800poconos.com

Fiat Auto Spa www.fiat.com