The "CRUISER" Newsletter

NOVEMBER 

AS THE WHEEL TURNS! 

BY ROGER BEAUCHAMP, PRESIDENT 

Now reaching the end of October, which is confusing me, because this month the Cars and Coffee occurred before the Dine and Drive. We tried a new location for the Cars and Coffee, the Double L Restaurant on Industrial Dr. I enjoyed my breakfast and the service was less confusing and faster. Plenty of parking space, but not close to a visible traffic area. From that point, I believe the Burger King was a better location. There has been some discussion of trying the River Park again, where we did the Apple Fest Car show. That would require us to brew our own coffee again, not a problem if we can count on power available for the coffee maker. 

Its now the colder season, so I believe the gang will stay with an indoor location until spring. Not much to say about the Drive and Dine coming up just hoping the weather stays dry. Looking at the forecast it could go either way. I have heard nothing but tasty things about Jim’s Smokin’ Que. We tried to do their location before but they were closed on Tuesdays. Be nice to get this one in the books before they close again. 

As for the Apple Fest Car show, for a short-notice event, the turn-out was OK. I met a few new faces and I believe all had a good time. Weather was great, cool and dry. The event started at 8am and by noon the crowd started to thin out, it was done before the 2pm closing with just a few cars left. 

Roger

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR NOV, 2025 

This calendar is dedicated to car events OTP (Outside The Perimeter) covering the North Georgia area. www.ellijaymountaincruisers.com 

---RECURRING EVENTS---

(Some events may be seasonal; always check with the host group) 

Sunday, 2nd -Caffeine and Octane Car Show. Town Center at Cobb -9:00 AM (Recurring event-first Sunday of the month) 

Sunday, 2nd -WORSHIP Vintage and Classic Car Event -1135 Woodstock Rd.,Roswell, GA. Vehicles must be 18 years old or older. 8:00am - 11:00am (Recurring event-first Sunday of the month) 

Friday, 14th - Gilmer Street Rodders - Shane’s Rib Shack, 289 Highland Crossing, E. Ellijay, GA. 5:00 pm -8:00 pm. (Recurring event-second Friday of the month) 

Tuesday, 11th -ELLIJAY MOUNTIAN CRUISERS CLUB SOCIAL DINNER at El Reys Azteca. El Rays Mexican Restaurant -6:00 PM (Second Tuesday) 

Sunday, 9th - Dahlonega Car Club Cruise-In. 140 S.Chestatee St, Dahlonega,GA. 9:00am - 12:00pm (Recurring event-second Sunday of the month) 

Saturday, 15th - Po Boys Cruise-In, Riverstone Plaza, 1447 Riverstone Parkway, Canton, GA. 3:00pm -6:00pm (Recurring event-third Saturday of the month) 

Friday, 28th - Georgia Mountain Classics DQ Cruise-In. 380 Progress Circle, Blue Ridge, GA. Blue Ridge Dairy Queen. 6:00pm - 8:00pm (Recurring event-fourth Friday of the month) 

Saturday, 22rd -Pickens Freedom Crusiers Crusie-In, 104 N. Main St., Jasper, GA., 4pm -8pm (Recurring event-fourth Saturday of the month) 

Saturday, 22th - ELLIJAY MOUNTAIN CRUISERS CARS AND COFFEE Ellijay, BURGER KING - 9:00 AM (Recurring event-fourth Saturday of the month) 

Tuesday, 25th -ELLIJAY MOUNTAIN CRUISERS DRIVE & DINE -Ellijay, GA. Meet at the parking lot next to McDonalds-11:00am (Fourth Tuesday of the month) 

ADDITIONAL EVENTS FOR NOV. 2025 

Saturday, 1st -Jasper Bullets Car Show, Lee Newton Park, 599 Stegal Dr., Jasper, GA. 2:00pm -6:00pm 

Saturday, 1st -Cars On Main Cruise-In, Chattahoochee Tech, 8371 Main St., Woodstock, GA. 6:00pm -9:00pm 

Saturday, 1st -Trunk or Treat Car Show, N. GA Auto, 3112 US 129, Cleveland, GA. 2:00pm -6:00pm 

Saturday, 1st -Bennie Darnell Memorial Car Show, 5310 Hickory Flat Hwy, Canton, GA. 10:00am -2:00pm 

Friday, 7th & Saturday, 8th -Rats, Rust & Horsepower 2025, GA Mountain Fairgrounds, 1311 Music Hall Rd., Hiawassee, GA. 9:00am -4:00pm 

Saturday, 8th -Motor for Meals, NW Whitfield HS, 1651 Tunnel Hill/Varnell Rd., Tunnel Hill, GA. 10:00am -3:00pm 

Saturday, 8th -Whooper Cruise-In Bash, Burger King, 1313 Turner McCall Rd., Rome, GA. 1:00pm -4:00pm 

Saturday, 8th -Salute to Service Veterans Car Show, 575 Molly Lane, Woodstock, GA. 8:00am -12:00pm 

Saturday, 15th -Rumble for the Vets, Rabun County Civic Center, 201 W.Savannah St., Clayton, GA. 10:00am -2:00pm

Ford Mustang GTD Returns to Nürburgring, Hopes to Topple Corvette

By Brandan Gillogly

(Reprinted by permission of Hagerty Media)

Ford was open about its goal to claim the fastest American production car lap time at the famed Nürburgring. The Mustang GTD was built with lap times in mind, and the carbon-bodied pony uses a lot of exotic racing car tricks to make the most of its 815hp V-8. Ford met its goal of a sub-seven-minute lap time on the Green Hell on its first outing, recording a time of 6:57:685 in late 2024, an impressive feat for a car that’s surprisingly easy to drive on track. Ford went back in the spring of 2025 and shaved five seconds off, recording a lap time of 6:52.072.

That achievement, as impressive as it was, ended up being short-lived. Team Corvette rolled into Nürburg earlier this year with a rear-wheel drive ZR1 and an all-wheel drive ZR1X prepped to take on Mustang’s title for fastest American production car around the vaunted circuit. Vehicle dynamics engineer Brian Wallace set a 6:50.763 time in the ZR1, while vehicle dynamics engineer Drew Cattell used the extra acceleration afforded by the electric-driven front axle to bring his Corvette ZR1X to a 6:49.275 lap. Ford’s CEO Jim Farley congratulated the bowtie team and welcomed the challenge.

At the recent first-drive event for the GTD, we asked chief program engineer Greg Goodall about the latest Ford vs. Chevy battle. “If you’re a competitor or a racer, losing a record’s not okay with you, right,” he asked. “You take that seriously. We’re very proud of being the first American car that went under seven minutes, so it didn’t take any time at all for us to rally the troops and decide that we’re going back.”

With another three seconds to shave off, Ford appears to have made a few changes to the GTD this time around. Spy photos reveal aerodisk wheels on the rear axle to help with airflow. Up front, prominent dive planes look to add a bit more downforce for high-speed cornering. Closer examination also reveals new slats in the hood to direct air out of the engine bay.

Spy photographers report that Ford is only able to get a lap or two in each day, as the GTD is running up against noise regulations. The supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 is simply too awesome for its own good.

What are your predictions for the GTD’s lap time? Three seconds sounds like a lot of ground to cover in a single lap, and it normally is, but the Nürburgring is almost 13 miles long. The ZR1X’s lap time averages about 0.75 mph faster than the current GTD record, which makes things seem a lot more achievable. With Ford’s determination and track record (no pun intended), it seems like they won’t rest until they reclaim this symbolic title. If so, how might Chevy respond?

OUR CLUB SPONSORS

Local companies and club Sponsors offer discounts

to Ellijay Mountain Cruisers members for car parts,

service specials and automotive events.

Being a REGULAR member of Ellijay Mountain Cruisers

allows members access to special group discounts for club related events and shows

and other discounts offered by vendors and sponsors!

Visit: www.ellijaymountaincruisers.com

and click CLUB SPONSORS for more details about each sponsor.

link to sponsors