On Sunday, October 22, members of the club congregated at University Place, the new retail property in Westwood MA for a cars-and-coffee-and-car-show event to benefit our club charity, Homes For Our Troops. The weather was spectacular (due, of course, to Glenn!) and the turnout was tremendous. It was great fun to see families stroll through and check out the cars. Boxsters seemed to be big this year and took home half of the trophies! Check out the second video below for the awards ceremony with David G and his wife, Amy, taking home top honors. Thanks to everyone for coming out to the show!
And a special huge thanks to Betty, Glenn’s wife, for working the entry all day, handing out the car tags and ballots, counting the ballots, for setup and takedown – and for generally being awesome!
The kid’s choice award – the most coveted of the day.
https://porschenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/PA220044-jpg.webp6701200Sterling Vernonhttps://porschenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/NERegionVectorLogo-siteicon.pngSterling Vernon2017-10-24 05:56:162017-10-25 12:46:30University Station Was A Fun Stop
I truly love driver-focused Porsches. My cars wear scars from the road proudly. I love patina. It’s funny to have to make a distinction between Porsches because most people might say that all Porsches are driver-focused. And I wouldn’t completely disagree.
But the legends in the Porsche world still raise their heads above and beyond the others. There is a reason, beyond just scarcity, that the 2.7 RS commands so much attention and investment. It’s about distilling the Porsche DNA down to it’s essence. While I’m not comparing the new 911T to the 2.7 RS – or any of the RS models, frankly – it still warms the cockles to see Porsche put out a model that is supposed to evoke the simpler, lightweight ethos of the 911T. First introduced in 1968, the 911T was the entry-level model. No frills. Just drive.
A dirty 911 is a beautiful thing
How does this model evoke that history? Well, it has the engine from the base 911 – and at 370 hp, it’s certainly not going to feel slow. And from there, many things are removed. It has lightweight glass for the side and rear windows, fabric interior door straps (door handles must be really heavy?), a deleted infotainment system, and removed rear seats (you can have the radio and back seats back if you want to add weight back). To make it sporting and justify a bump in price over the base car, it gets PASM (Porsche’s active suspension system), the sports exhaust (which all the turbo cars needs, it seems), and Sport Chrono package. The suspension is reported to be lower than the basic Carrera by 0.8 inches. And it comes with a manual, of course. You can have a PDK as an option, too, I suppose.
Is it a baby 911R? Not really, but I’d have this one over an R. It’s a car that you can use all the time and not worry about as much. Your Hagerty bill will be way cheaper as well. I like the interior back-to-basics look. It is definitely aping a bit of the classic look that everyone is fawning over right now, due in no small part to Singer’s influence, not to mention our friends behind Luftgekuhlt.
And I was expecting houndstooth…
Personally I like the thinking behind the car and would love to see it slim down even more. But the cost of magnesium roofs and unobtanium wiper stalks to get there is probably pushing things back toward 911R prices. This might be the most distilled version we’ll see for now. And, generally, I like what I see.
https://porschenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/t-is-for-touring.png7701704Sterling Vernonhttps://porschenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/NERegionVectorLogo-siteicon.pngSterling Vernon2017-10-24 04:54:072017-10-24 04:54:07T is for Touring
October 14, 2017 – story: Chris Ryan – photos: Richard Viard (unless otherwise noted)
SPONSORED BY
PORSCHE NORWELL
NER’s fifth and final Autocross event of the 2017 season was run on Saturday October 14that Moore Airfield at Devens (results). The event was sponsored by Porsche Norwell to whom we extend our thanks for their support! Seventy-one drivers came out to enjoy what turned out to be a gorgeous fall day after a bit of a damp start to the morning. With heavy mist and light rain engulfing the field as we were setting up, it was looking bleak and the first run group did have to endure a wet track. Fortunately, things cleared up as the morning went on and as the track dried, the times for all the drivers started decreasing significantly. By the end of that first heat, the track was dry, the sun was out, and the rest of the day was much more enjoyable for everyone.
At the start of the event, several season championships (final championship standings) were still on the line to be decided. But first, congratulations go out to Tom Tate, Nick Durham, Bill Aubin, Noah Eckhouse, Chris Ryan, Aaron Walker, Ed Moschella, Suzy Kelley, Scruffy, and Rob MacAlpine for clinching season wins in their respective classes prior to the day’s runs.
Class 2S had a particularly interesting finish to the season with all three qualifying contenders having an opportunity to take the class as the day began with Adam Blauer, Georges Rouhart, and Neil Halbert all within 3 points of each other on the season. At the end of the morning heat, Georges was firmly in first place by about a second and he held that position into the afternoon. But on Run 7, Adam posted a 68.430 vs. Georges’ 68.558. All three drivers both posted their best times in Run 9, but with Adam ahead of Georges by .318 seconds and Neil meeting up with a cone, the race was Adam’s for the season. Congratulations, Adam!
Class 4S also saw two drivers, both relative newcomers to our Club in a position to take the season championship. At the start of the day, Charlie Sayers held the lead over Gareth Peters by 6 points. Gareth needed to take first place to overcome Charlie, which he managed to do by posting a decisive 67.384 for his 9th run of the day besting Charlie by a little over 1.8 seconds. Congratulations go to both drivers for running a very competitive season and to Gareth on the win!
Class 6S had Rachel Baker and Nigel Fenwick within 2 points of each other at the start of the day, and Nigel gave it a good run but, in the end, fell short of Rachel’s best time of 64.726 by just over a second … maybe next year? Congratulations, Rachel!
And finally, with 3 points separating Jeremy Mazzariello and Rob Galejs, Class 7S was technically up for grabs although it would have taken quite an upset for Jeremy to lose, although stranger things have been known to happen …. Congratulations go out to Jeremy for securing the championship once again!
So ends another exciting NER Autocross Season at Devens. In our first season as AX Registrar and AX Chair, I think Jeff Johnson and I managed to keep things running without getting into too much trouble (thank you, Jeff!) and we certainly hope you all enjoyed yourselves as much as we did!
Following the event, we held our now annual end-of-season AX Party over at Billiards Café in Ayer where we enjoyed a buffet dinner, beverages, and announced the season winners. Season trophies will be awarded at NER’s annual banquet to be held once again at the Museum of Science in Boston. We hope to see all of you there as well as back at Devens for next year’s NER’s 2018 Autocross Series.
Photo by Anker Berg-Sonne
Photo: Anker Berg-Sonne
As always – questions, comments, and suggestions can be sent to AX Chair, Chris Ryan, at [email protected] or AX Registrar, Jeff Johnson, at [email protected].
https://porschenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/2017-10-14_7327-jpg.webp8001200Sterling Vernonhttps://porschenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/NERegionVectorLogo-siteicon.pngSterling Vernon2017-10-21 07:36:582017-10-24 05:00:27NER Autocross Season Finale
NER had a big weekend this past Saturday and Sunday. Sunday was strong in Rhode Island. Sweet Berry Farm in Middletown hosted the SoBo (South of Boston) contingent of our club for a cars and coffee event. It was a bit misty and foggy but spirits were high and there was a strong turnout. The Newport Car Museum in Portsmouth hosted German Car Day all day as well. Many folks hit both events. Gunther and Maggie Buerman, owners of the Newport Car Museum, mentioned that they had a great crowd for their event with over 50 Porsches and a sizable number of Mercedes, BMW, Audi, and VWs on hand. Maggie was pleased to report that over 12,000 people have visited the museum since it opened earlier this year and that they are excited to host more events with our region in the coming year.
Many thanks once again to Roger Slocum for organizing all the great SoBo events this year. And thanks to the Newport Car Museum for the fun we’ve had there this season, too!
On Saturday, October 7th, some impressive cars gathered in Northboro to enjoy each other’s company and also to collect food supplies for the Worcester Veteran’s Inc. Food Bank. Our NER Treasurer, Robert Jacobsen, was the driving force behind this event and many local businesses came together to make it happen. This instance capped off a great season of cars and coffee event at LalaJava in Northboro, MA this season. 182 pounds of food was donated to the food bank which is especially important as we move into the holiday season. Many thanks to Robert and to all who attended the event and donated food to a great cause.
Our last tech session of the 2017 season was hosted by NER member, master technician, and driving instructor Justin Becker of South Shore Autoworks of Kingston, MA. Comprised of 36 NER and a few NCR members, the meeting room was standing-room-only. For over two hours, Justin fielded questions from the group and never wavered or was stumped. Thanks to Justin and his team and to all who attended.
Here is the story from fellow NER member Kevin Joeckel:
It was a standing-room-only crowd at the October 7th PCA NER Tech Session graciously hosted by South Shore Autoworks of Kingston, MA. Following some club notes and an event schedule update from Glenn Champagne, owner and Master Technician Justin Becker took the floor and expertly fielded over two hours of questions that covered a wide range of subjects, to include:
The Infamous IMS Bearing
The “silent killer” of Porsche’s first water-cooled engine was an early topic of discussion. Justin discussed multiple approaches to confronting the issue, from magnetic oil drain plugs to oil-fed replacement bearings. Note: South Shore Autoworks is an LN Engineering Preferred Replacement Shop.
M96 Cam Chain Wear Pads
The M96 has another silent killer, but this issue is easily diagnosed with Porsche compatible test equipment. Porsche used hard plastic wear pads to cushion the chains controlling the variable timing assembly in these engines. These pads will gradually wear through and should be replaced before the chain tears into the fragile and expensive timing solenoid. The good news: the chain pads themselves are inexpensive. The bad news: replacement requires partially dropping the engine. It’s a big job…around 20 hours of labor, but once completed, you’re home free for many, many carefree miles. The key takeaway: drive it hard folks. The solenoid “unlocks” above 4,000 rpm and relieves chain pressure on the pads, so don’t be afraid to keep those revs high.
Oil
Questions and discussion included preferred oils for heavy track use, viscosity, synthetic vs. regular, and preferred oil change frequency.
Tim Lahey and his son, Kyle, a future PCA club racer!
The New MA State Inspection
Few things inspire as much horror in the heart of a Porsche owner than drilling holes in a pristine front bumper. Sadly, the dreaded front license plate is now a requirement, and there was some great discussion on plate mounting options and a flurry of questions concerning test procedures. After careful consideration, South Shore Autoworks has elected to opt out of providing MA state inspections so they can better focus on their customers repair, upgrade, and track prep needs.
Alignment and Corner Balancing
South Shore’s massive Hunter alignment rig served as the backdrop for the question and answer session, and Justin provided a guided tour of this technological marvel, as well as a description of the process of corner-balancing a vehicle to optimize track performance. South Shore specializes in track preps, and as a PCA DE Instructor, Justin can tap a wealth of experience to help you build your very own track-day weapon.
Following the question and answer session, guests were invited to wander the shop floor which allowed an opportunity to view a truly extraordinary range of Porsche hardware, from a gorgeous deep red 356 to an awe-inspiring 991 Turbo in Graphite Blue on the Hunter alignment rack. Porsche’s of all flavors occupied every bay of this busy shop. The sheer variety offered a testament to the skill and knowledge of Justin and his dedicated team of technicians. Many thanks to Justin and everyone at South Shore Autoworks for a fantastic PCA Tech Session!
And thank you, Kevin, for helping us get this information to the rest of the membership!!
https://porschenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/IMG_4744-jpg.webp7861200Sterling Vernonhttps://porschenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/NERegionVectorLogo-siteicon.pngSterling Vernon2017-10-10 10:17:192017-10-10 10:49:53Getting Technical At South Shore Autoworks
On Sunday, October 8, it all came together. Over 500 people converged on the track at Palmer Motorsports Park to enjoy a really fun day with great cars, awesome parade laps on the track, and great people – “Porsche On The Mountain” sponsored by Porsche of Norwell. All this despite a sudden downpour and major winds at 8:30 am that morning threatening everything that many people had worked hard to arrange.
By all measures, especially considering this was the first time this event has been held, it was a huge success. It isn’t just about the numbers – which easily beat our conservative estimates. It was the smiles of the people at the event. It was the general happiness that was clearly on display. Those are the real measures of success.
Spectacular race car – top notch restoration
It’s funny to reflect on the fact that we didn’t have long to pull all this together. The first materials started coming together in late July. That’s barely more than two months to get the word out, figure out the logistics of the event, what we would be doing, and how it would all work. Al Sandy from Palmer worked tirelessly to promote the event, gather sponsors, create custom trophies, herd us NER cats so that we lived up to our end of the bargain, and generally create something far bigger than most of us could have imagined at first.
It is a true testament to the intestinal fortitude of Al and folks like John Dunkle and Glenn Champagne that this event not only came together, but defied the weather to become something people will remember. It sure helps to have an amazing track to drive on all day. Even at parade lap speeds, it is a very exciting ride. I was in my 1973 Porsche 914 on stock-sized skinny tires and I’ll tell you that coming down through Turn 7 at full throttle – and this car is often full-throttle due to lack of grunt – was a very exciting place to be! And yet another very special moment where I had my son by my side – this time for his first ride on a major race track.
Another amazing father-son-bonding-moment: first time for him on the track! (thanks, John Dunkle!)
Palmer, and Al, specifically, were incredibly generous to invite Homes For Our Troops, our club charity, to be the beneficiaries of a big portion of the entry fees [update: this event raised $3,000 for Homes For Our Troops!! – an absolutely outstanding performance!]. Melanie, their representative, had her son, Dillon, with her at the event. It was a very happy moment for me to offer the 914 to Dick Anderson, our president, to give Dillon a ride on the track, likely his first time on a race track as well. This was perhaps the best way I can think of to use a Porsche.
I also greatly enjoyed seeing the number of kids who climbed into the shiny, new Porsche GT3 Powerwheels car that we brought to the track with generous help from Ron Savenor. Many kids had a blast spinning the tires and getting hands on with a vehicle at a type of event where they typically can look but can’t touch – a very hard thing for kids. Ron didn’t miss a beat agreeing to help facilitate this as soon as he heard the idea.
I met Tom who introduced me to Abby, his daughter. Abby only has her learner’s permit. But she has already purchased her first Porsche 944 and is doing all the work on it herself! I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to see young people get into this brand, 944’s specifically (great cars), and join our family. It’s an absolute pleasure to be in a family like this. Abby, you are phenomenal!
Abby bought this car before she has her full driving license. And she’s doing the work herself to fix it up and keep it going. Abby is awesome.
Al even thought of our furry visitors and had biscuits available for them. My daughter loved being able to facilitate the process of helping dogs make those biscuits disappear.
The staff at Palmer worked really hard in ways that most of us will never see. Porsche of Norwell embraced this event from the outset and very generously provided a huge amount of advertising support – not to mention bringing new Porsches to the event – for participants to try out!! Imagine your first Porsche test drive happens on a race track (at reasonable speeds and safely, of course)!! Our NER volunteers also put in great effort to bring this event to fruition. All of our regions in Zone 1 helped to promote the event as well as many of our regional sponsors and friends in the business. The fun that everyone had made every bit of it worthwhile.
Yet another fast Anderson!
We’re already looking forward to next year and will soon be learning from our missteps and building upon our successes. We thank all of you who braved the weather and came out to enjoy the day. Your smiles and your happiness are what all of this is about. We’ll see you there next year. If not before. [visit the 2018 event page to learn more and sign up for the 2nd annual event!]
https://porschenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/633FED85-5DEE-4975-9C54-DD60FBD6EEF8-jpeg.webp6001200Sterling Vernonhttps://porschenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/NERegionVectorLogo-siteicon.pngSterling Vernon2017-10-09 23:34:082018-05-04 11:09:18Camaraderie on the Mountain
I’m sure you’ve heard of Max Hoffman, legendary Austrian-American initial importer of Porsche cars to the United States, successful agitator for the Speedster concept directly with Porsche, for the Gullwing Mercedes 300SL concept with Mercedes, and primary importer of many other automotive brands to the US. Oddly, aside from his induction in the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2003, of course, his legacy has been largely uncelebrated. Until now.
Max Hoffman memorabilia display
On Sunday, October 1, 2017, organizers created an event called “Driven to America”, held at the Max Hoffman Center in Muttontown, NY to celebrate Mr. Hoffman’s mark on Porsche, specifically via the air-cooled rendition of our iconic marque. Being the first event of this sort, it was hard to know what to expect. Would it be the East Coast Luftgekuhlt? Or would it be a history-oriented cars-and-coffee type of event that required some of us to buy hotel rooms? Would it be a mind-blowing assembly of automotive hardware or a tepid collection of familiar models? There were no reliable predictions. But hopes were high.
I had a family event in CT Saturday evening, so I knew I’d be at least headed in the right direction to make it to Long Island. But it was still going to be a logistical challenge. Josh P., who you know from his stellar Luftgekuhlt article, was headed down to experience this and I desperately wanted to join him this time, after castigating myself for missing the big trip to LA. I cleared my plan with my better half – I would attend the event with my 10yo son while she attended to our daughter back in RI (no mean feat due to the iron will of my 7yo). I booked a room in Syosset, NY so we could roll in Saturday night from CT and be up early for Sunday’s show.
When I went to register for the show, I had to select the car I was bringing to secure a spot – but the selections allowed only cars from between 1953 and 1998 – the air-cooled cars – to be chosen. I had planned to bring my water-cooled 997. Suddenly that was not an option. I’d have to dig deeper into my automotive bag of tricks. My only air-cooled car, a ‘73 914 1.7 in Phoenix Rally Red (orange, with German humor applied), had been in storage for almost a full year. I had no idea what state it would be in after that. But, of course, I’d pull it out and drive it 350 miles in a weekend. Why wouldn’t I? I called my car storage facility and they got my car sprung and ready, meaning they started it and put some air in the tires. I decided an oil change and general look-over at German Motors in Providence would be prudent. Dennis, the lead mechanic there, was a huge help as usual. Overall the car didn’t need much – a miraculous thing in a 44-year-old car.
The drive to CT was pleasant enough. Not much foliage yet, but the rolling hills of northeastern CT are fun enough as is. The party at my sister’s house in West Hartford was lovely. My 17yo nephew drove his ‘68 Dodge – good guy. So we got a good picture with him and my stepfather, who formerly owned a lovely little Jaguar E-type in British racing green.
My son and I calculated a 10pm ETA in Syosset and hit the road from CT. Traffic was pretty light and soon enough we crossed the Throg’s Neck (we called it “Frog’s Breath” as kids) Bridge and soon were on the LIE. Just before 10pm we rolled into the lovely Comfort Inn.
The morning alarm was unwelcome but we got moving along and packed up. After a quick bite at the hotel, we fired up the cold, sleepy 914 again. No problem. Wow. It was 11 minutes to get to the site according to Waze. Only, Waze actually took us to a golf course nearby first. A lovely early 911 targa was just as lost with us there and we worked together to get the correct extra mile down the road to the Max Hoffman Center. As we rolled in, we got into a line of phenomenal cars, mostly old 911’s. In an early taste of NY attitude, the guy in front of us couldn’t be bothered to wait in line and waved insistently that he should be let through immediately even though there was no room for him to get by. Gotta love NY.
We quickly got parked up on the “promenade” next to a green 914-6 and remained one of two 914’s at the event for some time. Two more eventually showed up but one quickly left, seemingly after not getting an instant offer for the full $97k asking price posted in it’s window.
It was not even 8am yet and there were a decent number of show cars on display. The weather was a bit chilly and stiff in the shadows. But the DJ was squeezing as many decibels out of his system as it seemingly would allow, perhaps in an attempt to heighten the festive feeling. It was difficult to converse at first. My son and I surveyed the cars near us – many of the G-bodied cars and 993s in every imaginable hue, Josh and Nicole’s among them. Then we moved closer to the house and found an odd pairing of a lovely 930 in silver in front of a Porsche Diesel Junior tractor in red. Both were pristine and highly visual feasts for the eyes. I struggled to conceptualize the juxtaposition but enjoyed the view just the same. After passing a few lovely 356’s standing at attention guarding the rear “great lawn” we found the heart of the show.
There was an oddly-bright, blue pool set in the center of the “great lawn” with two plastic swans swimming on the light breezes. Around this pool were the treasures. A row of silver and chalk and red 356s of all sorts. Speedsters in abundance. A couple of Continentals. Racing cars – a 917, 910-014 which came third overall in the 1967 Targa Florio with Vic Elford and Jochen Neerpasch at the helm, , 908, 993’s and 964s. Sprinkled among them was a red 959, Singer re-imagined 911, g-Programm 911s, brightly colored 70’s Carreras, and a lawn of 993 Turbo S’s, flachblau’s, and simply lovely air cooled machines. Two purple ones. Different shades of purple even.
With the spectacular house behind them, the funny, oval pool inhabited by faux fowl, and the variegated car colors, it was a picture of marketing triumph.
How to travel in style
As the day wound on, we made our way to the “Porsche parking” right in front of the house to see the Metro NY Martini-livery motorhome surrounded by 997 GT2 RS’s, 997 GT3 RS’s, and plenty of 991’s, GT4’s, some 944’s, and Caymans, Boxsters, and even some 718s. This area filled quickly. Parked right outside the entry to the house was a 991 GT3, a 918 Spyder, and a Maclaren. That area soon swapped the Maclaren for another 918 that then again traded spots for a different Maclaren. Lamborghini Huracan’s had to go park in the cheap seats as there was no room for their types.
There was a nice display of pictures of the Max Hoffman showroom in Manhattan and of Mr. Hoffman himself. He was very successful but had no children to pass his legacy on. He left his estate to his wife. When she passed, the money went to his secretary. She decided to buy and restore the estate that is now known as the Max Hoffman Estate, even though he really had nothing to do with the property in his lifetime.
As we planned our route home and made final preparations for the drive, we ran across Magnus Walker who had just arrived at the show. I showed him the way to “the good ones” and he wisely replied, “they are all good ones.” True, that. I let him know that if he saw a humble, little 914 that it was ours and said our goodbyes. After use of the facilities we made it back toward our car and Magnus hadn’t made it too far, so we asked him for a photo and again thanked him. We packed our items and Magnus again was near. He came by to check out our car and we had a good chat. My son showed Magnus his picture with Jay Leno and Magnus was shocked that Jay wasn’t in his usual denim uniform enough to ask where the photo was taken. It was fun to tell him about the Audrain Museum in Newport and their unique preservation mission. You might think celebrities to be moving all too quickly through life, but Magnus even noticed my Racemark steering wheel and commented on my Porsche Design watch as we parted. His eye is very astute, indeed. My brief encounter with him was a strong indication to me that he’s good people.
My son gets “Turbo Fever” with Magnus Walker
We checked the ferry schedule and realized it was a no-go based on timing, so we again trundled down the LIE and over the Throg’s Neck, basking in a perfect fall New England day. The traffic on 95 all the way up the CT shore and into RI was pleasantly merciful most of the way. Traveling in an open (or targa-topped car, in our case) is a special way to travel. You get to use a sense that usually lies dormant – smell. Olfactory awareness is a highly underrated enjoyment in life. As we passed through New Haven, first we smelled the salt of the ocean as it crept up close to the highway. Then we got a good dose of the cooking meats and frying dough from the food trucks lining the waterfront park. It ended with a chemical and sharp smell of propane before we could even visually spot the large, white cylindrical storage tanks at the east end of the city. Many towns offered interesting scents for us to analyze, comment on, and laugh about. My son napped for a bit of the ride with the lulling sound of a flat-four, wind, and road noise ensuring a constantly soothing thrum in his ears. I looked over hoping to remember that image for the rest of my life.
We made it home just before dinner after three and a half hours of driving and two hundred miles. All that from a car that sat, waiting patiently for a full year just to feel the fall sunlight upon her bonnet. She isn’t fast. She isn’t easy to drive. But she is the only thing worth driving on days like that. Hat’s off to you, Max, for a job well done.
We wholeheartedly thank David Jacobson, owner of Collector Car Showcase and organizer of this whole event. Special thanks too to our neighbor region – Metro NY PCA – for staffing the event with a small army of friendly volunteers. I met Dan, the president of Metro NY, just after he had met Magnus and he was very friendly and helpful. And thanks to Chuck Bernstein, VP of Metro NY, for letting us know who helped pull it all together!
https://porschenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/driven-to-america-2017_L1020593-jpg.webp6451200Sterling Vernonhttps://porschenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/NERegionVectorLogo-siteicon.pngSterling Vernon2017-10-02 18:18:372018-06-11 18:23:24Driven To America – A Roll of the Dice
Halloween boo -boo?
Josh Perrault and Greg Newbert
Steve Ramponi’s F77
