Winter is coming. How are you planning to store your vehicle?
Oct 13th
October is Car Care month and with winter just around the corner, now is the time to start planning out how you’re going to be storing your pride and joy to protect it from the elements. To help, we’ve come up with a helpful checklist of what you can do to make sure your vehicle is ready for hibernation and will be ready to drive once the snow melts next spring.
First, there are a few maintenance items you’ll want to take care of before you store your car. We recommend that you do the following.
- Change the oil – this will keep any debris or sediment in your oil from settling over the winter
- Wash and wax your car – to ensure there aren’t any contaminants on the paint that could leave marks
- Make sure it has a full tank of gas – we would also recommend adding some fuel stabilizer such as STA-BIL
- Increase the tire pressures by 10 PSI – tires naturally lose air pressure over time so over-inflating your tires will prevent flat spotting
There are a few other things you can do to protect your car while it’s in storage.
- Leave a few dryer sheets and dry packs (silica gel) in the car – the dryer sheets will deter bugs and rodents while making your car smell fresh, while the dry packs will absorb any moisture
- Put a handful of steel wool into the exhaust tip – again, this is to keep rodents from climbing into your exhaust system and making a nest
- Park the car with carpet (or a yoga mat) under each of the tires – this will also help resist flat spotting and will avoid the tires making marks on your garage floor over the winter
- Hook up a battery tender to the battery – this will keep the battery from losing its charge over the winter and help ensure the car will be up and running right away in the spring
- Get a car cover – covering your car for the winter will keep dust from settling on the car and will help protect it from the elements, scrapes, scratches, and door dings while it’s in storage
- Don’t start or run the car until spring – firing up the car and not getting all of the components up to operating temperature is worse than just letting it sit
Just like you, we’re not looking forward to taking our fun cars off the road for the winter but by following these steps, you and your car will both be better prepared for next spring!
Morrie’s Luxury Auto Grand Opening
Oct 9th
With much build-up and anticipation, we are excited to announce the grand opening of the new Morrie’s Luxury Auto store at 7300 Wayzata Blvd in Golden Valley. To celebrate the occasion, we welcomed 300 of our clients, friends and neighbors to our new location with food, drinks, music and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. We rolled out the red carpet for our guests and also had representatives from Aston Martin, Bentley, and Maserati to check out our new store.
Highlights from the event included the Hairstream trailer (where we had two hair stylists from Jon Charles Pure Salon on hand), a cigar lounge with hand-rolled cigars, 3 signature cocktails (the “Alfieri”, the “Azure”, and the “Vulcan”), as well as Chris Dyson’s actual Bentley GT3-R race car from the Pirelli World Challenge that we saw win at Road America this summer.
This new location in Golden Valley has been in the works for almost 5 years, and we’re thrilled to have the new Luxury Autos store sitting alongside our Cadillac building. The new building offers 3 distinct show floors to showcase Maserati, Bentley, and Aston Martin and we have the largest elevator in the Midwest to move vehicles up to the 2nd floor.
Our event was a wild success but we couldn’t have done any of this without the support of our customers. Thank all of you who have supported us over the years as we strive to provide the ultimate in luxury experiences in Minneapolis.
Keep an eye on our Instagram for more photos from the event.
We’re open for business at 7300 Wayzata Blvd!
Aug 5th
We’re proud to announce that we recently transitioned from our showroom in Minnetonka to our brand new, state of the art facility at 7300 Wayzata Blvd in Golden Valley. We now have separate show floors for Maserati, Bentley, and Aston Martin, and the dealership features on of the largest elevators in the Midwest! Stop by during business hours (Monday through Thursday: 8:00AM to 9:00PM, Friday and Saturday: 8:00AM to 6:00PM) and check out the new space.
UPDATE: New Morrie’s Luxury Autos building progress
Jul 16th
With the new Morrie’s Luxury Auto location opening in just 11 short days (July 27th), we’re excited to share some photos of the progress being made!
New signage is up for Maserati and hopefully Bentley and Aston Martin logos will grace the building soon as well.
We can’t wait for customers to start using our new service drive.
The show floor is coming along nicely as well. Being two stories tall, the new Morrie’s Luxury Autos facility features one of the largest elevators in the midwest.
This is part of the Maserati lounge area where customers can find various Maserati accessories.
And this is the Bentley side of the show floor. The various displays are used to immerse customers in luxury, showcase vehicles, and allow customers to configure their own Bentley while looking at every available color, leather, wood, and stitching sample.
We hope to see you in our new store soon!
Bentley Trip to Road America for the Pirelli World Challenge
Jun 30th
Dyson Racing, Bentley’s factory backed race team in the Pirelli World Challenge series, took to the track at Road America in Plymouth, WI this past weekend with two of their Continental GT3-R race cars. Bentley was also kind enough to extend an offer to some of our clients to join them for the weekend at the track to watch the race. We booked a private plane and luxury lodging and Bentley handled the rest, providing cars for us to drive to and from the track, a catered hospitality suite to watch the race from, as well as integrating us with the crew and drivers in the paddock.
For those that missed out, VIP accommodations for this trip included:
- Private airfare
- 2 nights at The American Club in Kohler, WI
- All food and beverages
- A round of golf on the famous Whistling Straits course, home of the 2015 PGA Championship
- Bentley vehicles, including a Continental GTC Speed, a Flying Spur V8s, a Mulsanne Speed, and a Continental GT3-R
- Complimentary tickets to the Pirelli World Challenge race at Road America
- VIP parking and access to the Bentley hospitality suite
- Private paddock tours and meet and greets with the crew and drivers
Everyone on the trip had a great time and we look forward to planning similar trips alongside Bentley for our customers in the future.
Artful Living Magazine’s Kentucky Derby Party presented Morrie’s Luxury Auto
Apr 9th
Join Artful Living Magazine for their first annual Kentucky Derby Party, presented by Morrie’s Luxury Auto. Sip on traditional cocktails, savor Southern fare, and enjoy great company while watching the live races. We’ll be there with a selection of Aston Martins, Bentleys, and Maseratis available for test drives. For tickets click here.
http://www.eventbrite.com/o/artful-living-magazine-8038693698
Aston Martin Racing unveils ambitious 2015 WEC Race Programme
Mar 20th
Aston Martin has set out to take on the FIA World Endurance Championship for the 2015 season. This includes the expansion of the team to a fleet of now 5 cars hitting the field, three of which will run in the GTE-Pro class and two in the GTE-Am class. With an astonishing tally of 19 race wins and three total championship titles, Aston Martin Racing looks to go for the coveted GT Manufacturer’s title as well as gaining the GT title during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The field of Aston’s running will be derived from the road going Vantage and will feature different liveries including three of the classic blue and orange Gulf colors. The other two vehicles will feature the most recent partnerships with Hanergy and Valero with a different style of livery. The 2015 season kicks off with The Prologue, the official WEC test session at Circuit Paul Richard next weekend followed by the opening championship round, the Six Hours of Silverstone on the 12th of April.
Make sure to stay in tune with our twitter feed for up-to-date highlights and in race coverage from tomorrows 12 hours of Sebring at https://twitter.com/MLuxAuto
Driver line-ups: World Endurance Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans
- 95: Marco Sorensen, Christoffer Nygaard, Nicki Thiim
- 96: Francesco Castellaccia, Roald Goethe, Stuart Hall
- 97: Darren Turner, Stefan Mucke, Rob Bell (Six Hours of Spa and Le Mans)
- 98: Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy, Mathais Lauda
- 99: Alex MacDowall, Fernando Rees, Richie Stanawa
Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept is a smaller, sportier Bentley
Mar 3rd
After teasing the Bentayga SUV for so long, many speculated that Bentley would finally reveal the production model in Geneva this week. Instead, they surprised everyone with a new concept car: the 2-seater EXP 10 Speed 6. While the name is a little long-winded, its sleek styling and elegant detailing are stunning. While Bentley has not yet confirmed any details regarding production, cost, or specs, speculation indicates this will be targeted at the Ferrari F12 and Aston Martin Vanquish.
Aston Martin Unveils DBX Concept Coupe
Mar 3rd
Aston Martin has certainly been busy making headlines in recent weeks with the unveiling of new models such as the Vantage GT3 and the ultra-exclusive Vulcan, but apparently they had one more trick up their sleeve. Meet the first of its kind, all-electric, all-wheel-drive, Aston Martin DBX Concept Coupe. Making its debut at the 85th Annual Geneva International Motor Show yesterday, this is certainly a departure from what we typically associate with Aston Martin. Powered by electric, in-wheel motors, the DBX features drive-by-wire electric steering, carbon ceramic brakes, a KERS energy recovery system, and cameras where one would typically find actual mirrors.
In terms of design, there’s no doubt this is the brain-child of the engineers at Aston Martin. Featuring the signature wide-mouth grille, sleek, yet aggressive, body lines, and taillights similar to those found on Aston’s current line-up of luxury grand tourers one could argue that this is ready to join the current line-up as-is. Though we’d love to see this concept hit the road in all of its raw, concept glory, Aston Martin CEO, Andy Palmer, made it clear that this vehicle is far from production ready: “This is, clearly, not a production-ready sports GT car, but it is a piece of fresh, bold thinking about what Aston Martin GT customers around the world could request of us in the future.”
We’ll be keeping a close eye on the evolution of this beauty and we can only hope to see something street-ready in the near future. For all of the details surrounding the DBX’s debut, read the full press release below.
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:
ASTON MARTIN DBX CONCEPT CHALLENGES CONVENTION
3 March 2015, Gaydon: Aston Martin today challenges the nature of luxury GT travel in the 21st Century with the debut at the 85th Geneva International Motor Show of the innovative DBX Concept.
Created to defy conventional thinking about the luxury GT segment, the DBX Concept widens the appeal of the iconic British luxury brand and reaches out to a more diverse global audience than ever before.
Unveiling the concept, Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer said: “The DBX Concept is a challenge to the existing status quo in the high luxury GT segment. It envisages a world, perhaps a world not too far away, when luxury GT travel is not only stylish and luxurious but also more practical, more family-friendly and more environmentally responsible.
“I asked my team at Aston Martin to expand their thinking beyond conventions, to explore what the future of luxury GT motoring would look like in years ahead, and the DBX Concept you see before you is the result.”
Dr Palmer added: “This is, clearly, not a production-ready sports GT car, but it is a piece of fresh, bold thinking about what Aston Martin GT customers around the world could request of us in the future.
“The DBX Concept is more than a thought starter for us and for our customers, though. We will, in due course, be entering a car into the new DBX space and I am very much looking forward to seeing how this concept is received not only here today, but also by our legion of existing loyal customers and by those potential customers around the world who have, to this point, yet to consider one of our cars.”
Harmonious design
Imagined by Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman and his team at the brand’s global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, the all-electric DBX Concept showcases not only cutting edge engineering but also a major evolution of the British brand’s world-renowned and highly-regarded design language.
Clearly signalling an extension to the brand’s existing model lines in the future, the all-wheel drive DBX Concept seamlessly combines traditional Aston Martin beauty with elegant new engineering that gracefully aligns form and function.
Capable of accommodating four adults in comfort, the DBX Concept also majors on day-to-day practicality. It offers generous luggage capacity by virtue of the fact that its rear trunk and forward load bay can both accept passengers’ belongings.
Opulence and cutting edge style go hand-in-hand in the DBX Concept thanks to a unique fusion of high luxury and advanced technology. These characteristics, allied to the ingenious use of unconventional materials and finishes inside and out, are calculated to further broaden the appeal of Aston Martin.
The concept’s exterior bright work emphasises the brand’s approach to the use of authentic materials, and is made up of machined billet aluminium with visible milling lines in a piece of exquisite craftsmanship intended to be seen as the car’s jewellery. The DBX Concept’s unique paint finish – Black Pearl Chromium – has been specially created to mimic the look of a genuine black pearl, and comprises a micro-fine layer of chrome to deliver a level of reflectivity that cannot be obtained through normal paint finishes.
Inside, the deliberate use of non-automotive standard materials generates a uniquely soft, cocooning ambience. The extensive application of velvet-like Nubuck leather contrasts with the concept’s hard, hi-tech equipment. The exposed leather reveals a sandwiched accent layer, more akin to high-end furniture, while the car’s interior bright ware matches that of the exterior with the addition of a gold ‘pin striping’ element on the edging.
Marek Reichman explained: “The exceptional craftsmanship, with detailing more typically seen on luxury consumer goods or fine jewellery, gives the DBX Concept genuinely global appeal.”
Experimental engineering
Embracing the very latest engineering techniques and theories, the DBX Concept needs no engine compartment thanks to its use of electric, inboard-of-wheel, motors powered by lithium sulphur cells.
Drive-by-wire electric steering, toughened glass with an auto-dimming ‘smart glass’ inter-layer, and bespoke driver and passenger head-up displays are further examples of its cutting edge technology.
Active LED exterior lights, carbon ceramic brakes with a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) and rear view cameras in place of conventional mirrors also underline the mould-breaking nature of this luxury GT concept.
Dr Palmer explained: “A concept car such as this should, in my view, challenge conventional thinking and explore the art of the possible. In the DBX Concept, I believe we have created a new type of luxury car that can not only broaden the appeal of Aston Martin to a whole new generation of customers, but sit with pride alongside the rest of our range.”