Announcing Bosch Iridium Edition Mustang RTR Sweepstakes

Robert Bosch LLC has just announced the exciting new Bosch Iridium Edition Mustang RTR Sweepstakes in which the Grand Prize is a one-of-a-kind 2011 Ford Mustang RTR custom-built by drifting champion Vaughn Gittin, Jr. and powered by new-generation Bosch Iridium Spark Plugs.

Everyone with a Facebook account is invited to enter this sweepstakes online through Bosch’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/boschautoparts. A simple entry form is available, along with full details on both the sweepstakes and the Grand Prize Mustang RTR. No purchase is necessary to enter.

A winner will be drawn from all entries submitted, and will receive transportation for two to Las Vegas, a two-night hotel stay, and admission to the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) event where the grand prize vehicle will be on display and presented to the lucky winner on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011.

“This exciting new Sweepstakes was developed to promote our recently-introduced, new-generation Bosch Iridium spark plugs,” said Pam Krebs, Director of Advertising and Sales Promotion for Bosch. “Our new Bosch Iridium, a fine-wire Iridium spark plug, brings the best in OE technology to the aftermarket, including a 360-degree laser welded high-content iridium center electrode and the industry’s only laser welded, iridium-platinum alloy ground electrode. We’re so confident about the new Bosch Iridium’s performance and durability that we stand behind it with a 7-year satisfaction guarantee and a professional technician warranty, also an industry best,” she said.

“Drifting is a sport that places extreme demands on engines in a very short period of time, so spark plugs and other engine components must be rugged enough to withstand such abuse, and at the same time, be able to provide tens of thousands of miles of everyday use in normal street cars. Our new Bosch Iridium spark plugs are up to both tasks,” added Krebs.

The Bosch Iridium sparked Iridium Edition Mustang RTR is a one-of-a-kind 2011 Ford Mustang designed by Vaughn Gittin, Jr., who is one of the best-known and most successful competitors in the Formula Drift Championship. After competing in motocross as a teen, he started his drifting career in 2004, placed first in the D1 Grand Prix America versus Japan competition the following year, won the 2007 World Championship and continued his successes, ultimately winning the 2010 Formula Drift Championship.

Gittin has partnered with Bosch, using Bosch spark plugs, fuel injectors, alternators, and even wiper blades on his competition cars as well as the custom cars he designs and builds. So he was a natural choice to develop and oversee production of the Bosch Iridium Edition Mustang RTR, built off the extraordinary Mustang RTR platform that is available at select Ford dealers.

The one-off Bosch Iridium Mustang RTR, valued at $50,000, will include the Mustang RTR appearance and performance package consisting of the RTR front splitter, rocker splitters, RTR rear diffuser and stamped aluminum rear spoiler, Ford Racing shocks, Ford Racing calibration, Ford Racing mufflers, and cross-drilled/slotted rotors.

The one-of-a-kind Bosch Iridium Edition Mustang RTR will include custom HRE P40S wheels wrapped in Falken tires, some carbon fiber body panels, custom BASF paint, custom one-off badging inside and out and, of course, Bosch Iridium spark plugs which offer the fire power needed to keep the tires lit up!

Gittin explained, “My success in drifting depends on performance and reliability, and I make sure we have both in all the cars I compete in and build, whether they’re race cars for me or street cars for my customers. I insist on the same quality in all the parts I choose. While I have the option to choose products from virtually any supplier worldwide, I choose to use Bosch Iridium spark plugs and other Bosch products in my cars because I know they can stand up to the abuse of competition, while delivering strong, reliable performance in everyday driving. I’m lucky to have them as a partner, and appreciate the help the company and their products provide in achieving my championships.”

For sweepstakes rules and entry into the Bosch Iridium Edition Mustang RTR Sweepstakes check out www.facebook.com/boschautoparts or log on to the Bosch spark plug microsite, www.lightemup.com.

Bosch is a proud supporter of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association’s Know Your Parts education and awareness campaign. This initiative promotes the importance of quality brand name aftermarket parts backed by full service suppliers, and its impact on delivering reliable products to today’s motorists. For more information visit: www.AASAKnowYourParts.org.

For more information on Bosch Automotive Products, visit www.boschautoparts.com.

When Your Shop Is Worth Much More Than You Thought

Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.

Case Study: Owner of San Francisco-based Import Service Shop Delighted to Discover Just How Valuable His Business is to Qualified Buyers
I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
In the case of Cowden Automotive, Inc., I acted in a consulting capacity assisting the owner and his broker in valuing the business, creating a marketing plan, finding a qualified buyer, and arranging financing for the sale.
Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.
Needless to say, delivering that kind of good news to a shop owner is a rewarding experience. Discovering that the sale of his business would result in his retirement nest-egg being substantially larger than he had ever thought was a fitting tribute to someone who had spent his entire working career as a busy automotive service shop owner.

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