Sixth Annual 'Car Guy of the Year' Finalists Announced Title Winner to Be Named on April 17 At eAuto World in Detroit

DETROIT, April 15 -- In a salute to the best of auto community talent, camaraderie and past year's achievements, the Car Guy of the Year(TM) advisory committee has announced final nominations for the sixth annual Car Guy of the Year award. The official award winner of the title will be named at 6:00 p.m. on April 17 at the eAuto World grand opening reception to be held at the Ritz-Carlton, Dearborn, Mich.

Previous winners of the Car Guy of the Year title include Tom Gale, executive vice president product strategy, DaimlerChrysler -- 2000; Jacques Nasser, Chairman and CEO, Ford Motor Company -- 1999; Bob Lutz, chairman and CEO Exide Corp. -- 1998; Dick Guldstrand, race car driver and president of Guldstrand Engineering -- 1997, and Bob Sinclair, former president of Saab Cars, USA, and industry consultant -- 1996.

The nominations and pending vote are processed by an award advisory committee comprised of diverse automotive enthusiast and industry representatives from OEMs and the aftermarket, design, engineering, auto racing, service and repair, journalism, marketing and public relations, as well as concours and collector-car hobby areas. The nomination and judging criteria for the annual Car Guy of the Year nominees from this committee are as follows:

* Proven knowledge of both the auto industry and an equal level of understanding about the technical aspects of automobiles

* Noteworthy current or recent contribution to the automotive community

* Active participation in the car enthusiast arena

* Respect and admiration from peers

* A genuine passion for cars

CAR GUY OF THE YEAR NOMINATIONS RAY BROCK -- [Posthumous nomination -- passed away April 2, 2002] -- Race car driver/constructor, veteran and landmark automotive journalist and aftermarket/ performance industry icon; publisher of Hot Rod magazine; founding member of Specialty Equipment Aftermarket Association.

KEITH CRAIN -- Publisher of Automotive News and AutoWeek: Crain is widely known for his passion for cars and for owning a large personal car collection (from Ferraris to hot rods) and he attends car events (concours, auto shows, Woodward Ave. Dream Cruise); he is respected worldwide as an enthusiast and authoritative 'car guy.'

CHRIS ECONOMAKI -- Publisher and columnist of National Speed Sport News and currently contributor in an emeritus role. Legendary automotive motorsports journalist in both print and broadcast; began his career as a crew member for racers in the 1930s and has risen to world-class stature as a role model for the global motorsports industry.

IRMA ELDER -- Automotive mega-dealer principal: One of the greatest dealer success stories in the United States, and certainly one of the most accomplished. Owner of five auto dealer groups with more than $400 million in annual sales.

MICHAEL KOLLINS -- Automotive journalist and historian: At 89 years old and after 22 years of work researching the history of the U.S. automobile industry, the former Packard test driver just completed his four-volume book titled "Pioneers of the U.S. Automobile Industry," published by the Society of Automotive Engineers press.

BOB LUTZ -- [Previous winner in 1998] Automotive executive: In another demonstration of his genuine leadership and solid automotive capabilities, Bob Lutz's actions and influence single-handedly brought a new vigor to General Motors product vision and re-energized the company's morale.

DAVE McLELLAN -- Engineer and automotive executive: McLellan took up the reins at Corvette engineering from Zora-Arkus Duntov and for 17 years lead the Corvette Engineering group through troubled times to some of its most notable successes.

LEON MANDEL -- [Posthumous nomination -- passed away March 5, 2002]: Mandel had been a strong CGOY candidate in 1999 as vice president and publisher of AutoWeek magazine. As a former senior editor of both Car and Driver and Motor Trend magazines, he is widely credited with the current success that AutoWeek has achieved.

ROGER PENSKE -- Auto executive and multiple race-team owner: For Penske, 2001 was a banner year of multiple and long-earned successes. In addition to achieving a rare and record-setting Indianapolis 500/CART victory with Penske drivers in both 1st and 2nd place, 2001 marked his 11th career Indy 500 victory.

BOB PETERSEN: With more than 50 years having elapsed since he began publishing a magazine that helped spawn an entire culture of hot rodding in the automotive world, Bob 'Pete' Petersen has demonstrated a legendary career as a genuine car enthusiast and publishing industry leader. Creator of a publishing empire and a world-class museum.

STEVEN ROSSI -- Auto executive: As one of the most involved, talented and accomplished engineers and marketing professionals in the automotive industry, Rossi has risen through the ranks of several auto companies to have advanced to attaining the level of CEO for McLaren Performance Technologies.

CARROLL SHELBY -- Father of the Shelby Cobra; one of the most influential and respected automotive enthusiast and racing names in the car community; continues to dedicate his life to cars (in spite of health challenges that might have slowed a lesser person's will and spirit of determination); great warm personality; loved by car people.

FRANK STEPHENSON -- Designer: As chief designer of the new MINI from the BMW Group, Stephenson is the recreator of the legendary classic vehicle originally penned by Alec Issigonis in 1948.

THOMAS G. STEPHENS -- Engineer and auto executive: As group vice president of GM Powertrain, Tom Stephens is described as an "ultimate car guy" with a love of cars that dates back to teenage years building muscle cars for street drag racing. His drag racing endeavors actually led to Tom's getting hired by GM back in 1969.

RICK & DON VESCO: In October 2001 Don Vesco became the first person in racing history to hold both the automobile and motorcycle world land speed records. In the process of establishing a land speed record with his car at 458 miles per hour with a wheel-driven car at Bonneville, Don Vesco gave the United States its first FIA record in 37 years.

eAUTO WORLD CONFERENCE

eAuto World is a trade conference and exhibition featuring leading experts and executives in the automotive information technology industry. The conference is focused on building practical and e-business partnerships and solutions. eAuto World provides a forum for automotive manufacturers, distributors parts suppliers and technology partners to discover how they can increase profits and improve core business operations. The conference will be held at the Ritz-Carlton, Dearborn on Wednesday, April 17 -- Thursday, April 18. Show hours are from 8:00 a.m. -- 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday and 8:00 a.m. -- 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. Full conference passes are $595 and Expo Only Passes are free. For more information or to register please visit www.eAutoWorld.com or call 1-800-830-3976.

Additional information about previous award recipients and background of the Car Guy of the Year award is available at www.thecarguy.com .