This Cars & Coffee event was extra special for the Morrie’s Automotive Group, The Make-A-Wish Foundation and Matthew. Early in January we partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Minnesota to help grant Matthew’s wish of having his 1968 Dodge Charger restored. We were thrilled to be able to get involved with the foundation to help with the restoration. After 5 long months Matthew’s car is finally complete and we surprised him with it on Friday. He brought the vehicle out to Cars and Coffee on Saturday and it was quite the hit. Spectators flocked to the vehicle to take a peek under the hood and get the chance to meet Matthew.

We were so happy that Matthew was able to bring his Charger out for a full house to see at the automotorplex. Check out some of our photos and video below to check out some of the other great cars that were at the event. Make sure to head out to the Automotorplex for MN C&C next month, historically July has the largest turnout of the season! For more information visit www.mncandc.com.

Check out our photo album below…

After almost 5-months of hard work, the 68′ Dodge Charger is finally complete! We are very excited to unveil the vehicle tonight and can’t wait for Matthew’s reaction when he see’s the finished product. If you have been following our blog you know that we teamed up with The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Minnesota to help grant Matthew’s wish of having his 1968 Dodge Charger restored. We were happy to be able to work together as a group to make Matthew’s wish come true. Stay tuned for coverage of the reveal. If you would like to see the car in person join us bright and early at the Automotorplex tomorrow for MN Cars & Coffee!

Photo Credit: http://stefgarage.free.fr

If you grew up in Minnesota between 1950 and 1990 there is a strong chance you played with at least one Tonka Truck.   Tonka built trucks that left a lasting impression on many kids both literally and figuratively.

From its start in 1947 Tonka built two toys, a metal crane and steam shovel.  These two toys dug the foundation for many successful decades of production.  The factory, located in Mound, spanned nearly one third of a mile and at its peak built over 13 million trucks a year.  To put this number in perspective, just north of three million automobiles are expected to be built domestically this year.   Needless to say, the Tonka Toys building in Mound was a west metro landmark.

Undoubtedly, the most successful Tonka Truck was the Mighty Dump.  Constructed entirely of metal the Mighty Dump was virtually indestructible, and I can attest having beat on mine regularly in my sandbox as a kid.   The Mighty line of Tonka Trucks saw heavy duty in the hands of children worldwide through the 1980s.

Faced with high labor costs and tax rates, Tonka moved production to Texas in 1982.  In 1991 Hasbro purchased the company prompting the closing of the Minnesota office.  Despite a limited Minnesota presence in decades things will soon change.

As a tribute to the millions of Tonka Trucks created locally, the Mound Westonka Historical Society will be opening the Tonka Toy Museum on June 15.  The museum, located on the second floor of Mound City Hall, will showcase the many toys amassed over the years as well as donated private collections.  If you’re looking to stroll down memory lane this summer be sure to check out the museum.

The Mazda2 racecar build is complete and TCLA Service Manager, Michael Ashby has been working closely with McCarthy and the Miracles of Mitch Foundation to raise money for children in need. Ashby and McCarthy became aware of the Miracles of Mitch Foundation when they participated in an event sponsored by our Mazda and TCLA stores. The event allowed us, as well as our customers to donate a bike to the Miracles of Mitch Foundation for each car that was sold in April. McCarthy and Ashby felt inspired to continue a partnership with the Miracles of Mitch Foundation. To them, the foundation carries a message that everyone needs to hear and they decided to embrace the idea of helping the foundation to raise funds.

McCarthy, Ashby and other members of the Morrie’s Automotive Group and Twin Cities Luxury Auto recently brought the Mazda2 Racecar to the people who would likely appreciate it the most, the children of the Miracles of Mitch Foundation. During a recent event, children were able to trace their handprints and sign a decal in the color of their choosing before if was transferred onto the racecar. The kids loved the idea that their handprints would be with the drivers on the car during the race competitions it will be competing in.

We all had a great time meeting the children, we gave out coloring sheets and a model car for them to play with and they selected the spot on the Mazda2 where they wanted their handprints to go. The next event will be held at the University of Minnesota Amplatz Hospital where we hope to get more handprints to fill the other half of the car.

The idea for the signing came from Michael Ashby, who is a father of two. He believes that parents will appreciate the Miracles of Mitch Foundation’s message for many reasons. We here at Morrie’s and TCLA believe that helping children with illness is a benefit for many, but it also gives parents an opportunity to teach their children about Mitch’s message and his desire to help others and give back.

At the end of the year the Mazda2 is prepared to compete in the 25 hours of Thunderhill Endurance Race and we hope to get sponsorships for each hour we compete, with all the proceeds going to the Miracles of Mitch Foundation. The car is also prepared to compete in the Pirelli World Challenge, which has venues across the United States and the Regional and National Sports Car Club of America. You will be seeing the Mazda2 much closer to home in Brainerd Minnesota over Memorial Day as well. We are very excited to see the Mazda2 compete at some of America’s most celebrated and historic racetracks all while helping give back to the foundation.

Racing is important to the people that compete, however, the Miracles of Mitch Foundation has helped everybody involved with a focus on the things that are really important. As Ashby and McCarthy say, “that is Mitch’s gift to us all”. Mitch is an inspiration, his desire to give back and help others has set all the wheels in motion for this partnership and we are so proud to be able to give back to such a wonderful community organization.

The interior in the ATS is also a step above the BMW. With a hand cut and sewn interior, the driver is able to see every single stitch in the leather giving it a beautiful appearance. The ATS also comes in 7 different interior combinations and many standard features that BMW doesn’t even offer. Some of these include remote vehicle start, active noise cancellation, and illuminated outside door handles. The ATS also comes with Cadillac’s signature touch screen infotainment system, CUE, which is designed to look and feel like personal electronics already on the market. Different features on the infotainment system include 3-D navigation, weather updates, Pandora, and phone pairing through Bluetooth. CUE can be accessed through the touch screen, steering wheel controls, and through natural voice recognition. With the purchase of any cue equipped ATS the driver also gets a free iPad 2, loaded with applications for the CUE system that helps to give the driver a feel for the system off the road.

The ATS’ versatility is unmatched.  With three different engines and four different trims levels, the driver can customize the driving characteristics of the ATS to exactly how they want it.  Three different engine options include a 2.5L four cylinder, 2.0L turbo four cylinder, and a 3.6L v6. The four different trim levels are Base, Luxury, Performance and Premium.

We directly compared the BMW 328i to the 2.0L Turbo Premium ATS and after driving both, the choice is obvious. Not only is the ATS faster, it also handles extraordinarily well and comes with more features than a similar equipped 328i.  Sweetening the deal, it all costs $5,000 less than the BMW. Although premium fuel is recommended, the ATS can also still use regular unleaded fuel so the vehicle will save you money on gas as well.

The ATS was named the North American Car of the Year for 2013 and with all the features and characteristics; we think the award is well deserved.

Stop by Morrie’s Cadillac today to test drive the 2013 ATS.

Up until recently visible progress on the Charger could be seen on a daily basis, but recently our team has been working diligently on the details you cannot see.   We’ve reached the stage where the hunt for small and seldom noticed trim pieces slows down the restoration process.  Despite a healthy aftermarket for vintage muscle car parts, we’ve run into a couple of “needle in the haystack” situations.

The good news is that we’ve been able to track down all the outstanding parts.  The not so good news is that some of these parts aren’t scheduled to arrive until the middle of June.  Needless to say we won’t hit our May completion target and it’s looking like late-June is a more reasonable completion target.  Fortunately, like the aging of a fine wine,  the extra time will give us time to get everything dialed in perfectly for when Matthew takes the wheel this summer.

Check out the update photos below and be sure to check back often for updates.

As always, our free hot coffee was a huge hit and helped to keep spectators warm during the rainy cold weather that we experienced this past Saturday. Along with coffee, we are giving away free Morrie’s sunglasses so make sure to stop by our booth throughout the summer and grab a pair!

We look forward to the rest of the MN C&C season and warm weather, which is sure to bring out more eye catching vehicles from various different owners throughout the metro.

Check out some of our photos below from last weekends event.

The Mother Baby Center opened earlier this year and was designed to care for all deliveries and bring patients the best mother and baby care possible. Abbott Northwestern delivers more babies than any other hospital in Minnesota, making this the perfect place for this birthing center. The center is equipped with state of the art technology and highly trained staff. One of the goals of the Mother Baby Center is to keep the mother and her child together as much as possible, even post-birth. They have created a space that caters to all different types of birthing situations making it one of the most versatile birthing centers today.

We were happy to be able to provide a 2013 Crystal Red Cadillac SRX and $1,000 worth of gas that helped raise over $13,000 for this event. We were so thankful to be able to support such a wonderful cause. Check out some of our photos from the event below.