Automotive Enthusiasts Share Why Their Passion for Automobiles Makes Them the Ultimate Enthusiast

HOUSTON, Sept. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the last four weeks, as part of the Shell V-Power^® "Ultimate Enthusiast" Contest, automotive enthusiasts around the nation have shared their passion for the auto world with Shell. The contest provides a unique platform for enthusiasts to explain when their passion for automobiles first began and how that developed into them being the ultimate automotive enthusiast today. Enthusiasts are also asked to illustrate their automotive dreams through their formula for excitement, their personal combination of time, place, destination and companion that would create their dream automotive experience.

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Throughout the contest so far, enthusiasts have illustrated their wide-ranging stories of how their passion for automobiles began: attending their first car show and spotting a rare car breed, saving up through childhood to buy their very first car or restoring their dream classic car. Enthusiasts have also shared how their passion for everything automotive has developed and grown over the years. From growing up with all brothers and watching them fix up cars to then learning how to refurbish cars on their own or attending racing events as a child to then attending ones with their own family, our entrants' love of automobiles has only grown.

"Our enthusiasts have shared some amazing and interesting stories over the past few weeks," said Elizabeth Hudson, fuel category manager at Shell Oil Products US. "The care these enthusiasts put into their vehicles and the importance they place on performance reminds us why we're dedicated to developing high-quality fuels like Shell V-Power. We are looking forward to reading all of the entries to come!"

The Ultimate Enthusiast Contest aims to find the best of the best among enthusiasts, the person whose automotive passion plays a central and meaningful role in his or her life. Now through September 17, enthusiasts can continue to share the stories of why they are the Ultimate Enthusiast at www.shell.us/ultimateenthusiast for a chance to win the ultimate automotive experience.

"After launching the Ultimate Enthusiast Contest at Hot August Nights in Reno this year, we have once again seen how excited enthusiasts are to share their passion for automotives," said Ultimate Enthusiast judge Alan Taylor, who is also host of The Drive with Alan Taylor. "From dreaming about driving a rare vintage car down Route 66 to driving a Formula 1 race car for a few laps around the track, our enthusiasts have shown no shortage of imagination when it comes to imagining their ultimate automotive experience."

Shell has once again teamed up with a panel of long-standing automotive insiders and experts to crown the next grand prize winner, the one person that best represents the Ultimate Enthusiast. In addition to Taylor, this year's judges include Roger Penske, founder and chairman of Penske Corporation; Craig Jackson, CEO of Barrett-Jackson Auction Company; Eddie Alterman, editor-in-chief of Car and Driver; Larry Webster, editor-in-chief of Road & Track; Tony Marini, executive director of Hot August Nights; and Don Prudhomme, American drag car racer. In addition, 2012's Ultimate Enthusiast, Harold Craige, will also join the esteemed panel of judges to help select this year's winner.

This year, all photos will be judged by the Joey Logano Foundation and one lucky winner could have his or her photo featured in its 2014 calendar and will receive a $100 Shell V-Power Gift Card.

The top three contest finalists will be flown to Scottsdale, Arizona, for a three-day, VIP experience at the 43^rd Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction to be held January 12-19, 2014, including access to the world famous car auction and an invitation to Barrett-Jackson's opening night gala on January 13, 2014 where the grand prize winner will be announced. The grand prize winner and a guest will receive a once-in-a-lifetime Ultimate Enthusiast week in Italy, including an exclusive experience with Ferrari in its hometown of Maranello, Italy. This year, enthusiasts also have the opportunity to win $5,000 of Shell V-Power Gift Cards for his or her car club.

To pamper their beloved vehicles, all finalists will also receive a year's worth* of Shell V-Power Premium Gasoline. Should the grand prize winner be unable to redeem the grand prize they will be offered $10,000 in Shell V-Power Premium Gasoline. The Ultimate Enthusiast deserves the ultimate experience and the ultimate gasoline – Shell V-Power Premium Gasoline helps deliver maximum protection for optimal performance of their most prized possession.

For more information on the Shell "Ultimate Enthusiast" Contest and official rules and Shell V-Power, visit www.shell.us/ultimateenthusiast.  

*For the purposes of this Prize, "a year's worth of Shell V-Power Premium Gasoline®" is calculated as the average consumer's yearly gasoline consumption of 636 gallons (4.5 fuel purchases per month x 11.77 gallons of gasoline per purchase x 12 months) at an average July 3, 2013 cost of $3.819 / gallon consistent with the Oil Price Information Services national average released on July 3, 2013 (636 x $3.819 = $2,428.88).

About Shell Oil Company

Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the Royal Dutch Shell plc, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with approximately 90,000 employees in more than 80 countries. We deliver a diverse range of energy solutions and petrochemicals to customers worldwide. These include transporting and trading oil and gas, marketing natural gas, producing and selling fuel for ships and planes, generating electricity and providing energy efficiency advice. We also produce and sell petrochemical building blocks to industrial customers globally, and we are investing in making renewable and lower-carbon energy sources competitive for large-scale use. In the U.S., we operate in 50 states and employ more than 20,000 people delivering energy in a responsible manner.

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SOURCE Shell Oil Company