Audi Beginnings: A boy and his VW

April 21, 2025

Audi Club Eastern Canada (ACEC) reached out recently to see if I would share some stories for the membership. I haven’t written anything longer than a quick email since I stepped away from dealership life some three years ago. I’m Perry Mason, chronic gearhead, former Audi dealer master technician, and shop foreman, husband, father. Now, a full-time race driver.

I’ve been in the automotive world since I was born. My Father was a well-known technician and driver back in his day, had a couple of shops, and had people lining up to get their muscle tuned and repaired.

American muscle...what the…and why am I writing for Audi Club?  Dad was GM, period. He would later note that a day came when:  “I went a little sideways from the family GM tradition". My first car, a German 1967 VW Beetle (I was 13), was all mine.  I used it as a field car (and wish I still had it). I learned so much from that car, driving, and repairing, and was motivated to make money to buy parts.

One day, my Dad, who raced an L88 427 Corvette in regional races, picked up a major sponsor and teammates with the Bytzek brothers, Harry and Klaus. These fellows raced Porsches very successfully. During a closed test session at MOSPORT (now CTMP), Harry took me for half a dozen hot laps in his new, race-prepped 911 Carrera. I was hooked. I loved the car, the speed, and the German car smell. 

Ten years later, my father stepped away from racing due to rising costs and scarce sponsors. He concentrated on his new venture in the auto recycling business. I was doing metal fabrication and repairing vehicles on the side.

I had not owned another German car other than the Beetle, which I reluctantly sold in the mid-70s. Fate dropped another car in my lap, a 1976 Audi 100 LS. This was Audi’s first modern sedan to land in North America, the '76 being the last produced. Mine was six years old and wasn’t running correctly. I think I bought it for a thousand bucks. I learned about Bosch CIS fuel injection in a hurry. Luckily, my brother-in-law was a master Audi tech from Europe and became a great mentor to me. I loved that car, the sound, the performance, and yes, the smell. Audi used a variant of the Porsche 924 engine in it. Damned thing would go 180 without even thinking about it!

From the 1980s to the present, I've owned many Audis: 4000s, 5000s, Coupes, even a very rare 1978 Audi Fox GT. Today, including our current A8 and Q5, the count is over 30. My all-time favourite, which I still own after 38 years, is a 1981 Audi Coupe GT FIA Gruppe 2 race car. More on that in another blog.

So, we all started with this brand somehow. What was your Audi experience or model that got you hooked?  Tell us at blog@audiclubna.ca.

Perry