Category: For Enthusiasts - Page 6 - Northeast Region, Porsche Club of America

South of Boston (SoBo) Porsches and Coffee 21 August 2022

Sunday morning was busy, preparing for the Porsches and Coffee and saying goodbye to our two sons and their families. Along with beach time, going out to dinners and lunches, attending polo matches and visiting Newport’s attractions such as the aquarium, tea at Marble House, and then “the shopping”, my 4 year old grandson and our 13 year old granddaughter were thoroughly engaged throughout their stay with us.

Also, these past couple of weeks, working from a bicycle map provided by Paul Soares, Rosemary and I have spent numerous hours in the car verifying the route for the Bob Dow memorial run in October. Little Compton was the most challenging because of the lack of posted street signs. In Portsmouth a street became a rutted path that was posted “Not a Thruway”.

We had a great turnout, about 60 Porsches, along with many new faces and interesting cars and stories.

The first owner I interviewed was Denise Marcello, along with her husband Michael. Most enthusiastic, this was her first Porsche; previously she wheeled Audie’s and Hummers. Asked why a Porsche, she relied “because I love them”. On her first drive she said “It’s mine!” She has safely driven 120 MPH and loves the sound, especially when in sport mode. I encouraged her to join the PCA to gain more of the Porsche experience. I discussed the orientation of the Porsche logo, pointing to the valve stem, saying that I use a snap ring removal tool (the two pins at around 90 degrees, which fit into the two holes in the cap for easy rotation.

Jarett Hurteau really got my attention when he arrived in a Leaf Green 1983 911, outfitted with “mudder” tires. With the exception of the very fine paint work, Jarrett has prepared this car for off the road racing. Working under the banner of Revenant Motorsports, he began in 2019 and just completed all the work for a customer. The engine is a two plug, short stroke 3.2, along with all elephant suspension components. Located in North Kingstown, this seems to be a guy for you to complete your Porsche wish list.

Elizabeth Henderson seemed excited to show her Dad’s 1992 964 Red Targa Carrera 2, which he bought new. With just 44 k miles it sat in a barn in Ontario for seven years until she recently retrieved it. Since she had it refreshed she has logged about 300 miles. She said that when she drove it for the first time she felt like a teenager. She has become a Porsche enthusiast, joining the PCA in March.

Troy Demelo parked his recently completed two-year restoration of his Tangerine 1973 911T. With the exception of the extraordinary paint work, all new rubber seals properly installed, refurbished window frames,, and interior, this old timer is a show winner. About 10 years ago Troy purchased his first Porsche, a 944. He may have said that he also currently owns a 991 and a 997. I overheard him discussing the restoration when he tore down the seats to the springs when he refurbished the interior. Unless I can get another opportunity to compare Jarett and Troy’s work; it is my opinion that they are tied for quality work. Asked why Porsches, Troy replied “I like the people”. From our discussion about the restoration, he said that he will ask the painter if the bottom corner window drains were cleaned out.

Saving the fastest for last is John Buckley’s metallic silver 2019 GT3 RS. Heavily optioned this GT3 has carbon fiber brakes, sport bucket seats and front lift. This is his fourth 911. His first Porsche was a new 1987 911. John likes Porsches because of the fun factor. So far the fastest he has gone in a Porsche was about 150 MPH in a 91 Carrera 4. When I approach that speed in my 996 the nose gets light.

Just a reminder: Due to a conflict with Sweet Berry in September due to their very busy apple picking month, our September SoBo will take place on September 11, off of route 24 at the LongPlex Family & Sports Center, 300 Industrial Way, Tiverton, RI 02878. Our designated parking lot is past the entrance on the right and up a slight hill located on the left. No fee required and food and coffee is available, as well as games and clean restrooms.

And, as always, for any SoBo related questions, please email me at: [email protected]

Rog Slocum

127 Center Ave.

Middletown, RI 02842

e-mail: [email protected]

August 23, 2022/by Roger Slocum

For Enthusiasts

Southern Roads & Museums: Long Day’s Journey Home

Since it took us multiple days to travel from our home in the Boston Metro West area to Asheville, NC, Linda and I knew that the return trip was never going to be a single day-long grind. Remember this is a vacation and we are almost 1000 miles from home.

We don’t have to get home right away. We don’t need to get up for work the next day. Oh, the joys of being older. And retired. So, our plan was to take our time and “meander” home at a leisurely pace. Three days ought to do it. However, if something catches our fancy on the way, well…. let’s pull over and give it a shot.

The keeper of the reservations (Linda) had NOT secured any accommodations for the return trip. We would take things as they came, working one day at a time. So, as we begin heading back on Friday the 18th. the general goal is to return to Roanoke by about 2pm. A distance of about 245 miles if we take the Interstates. We still wanted to visit the Virginia Museum of Transportation, so if we arrived by 2pm we would have 3 hours and then we could check into a room.

Looking back on it now, this was a mistake. A long spell of highway driving in a modern era Porsche 911, while comfortable is certainly not challenging. Interstates 26 North and then 81 North from Asheville to Roanoke are your typical multi-lane divided roads. Smooth, wide and somewhat boring.

Only 2 things stood out for me during this 245-mile trek.

One was the hills of West Virginia, which is called the Mountain State for good reason. We were in WV for perhaps 50 miles and most of it was up and down some rather steep inclines. As we would be coming DOWN a grade, I would look across the divide and see the big 18 wheelers with black smoke belching from their exhaust stacks as they lumbered UP the rising road ahead. Since Linda and I manage a bit of towing with our motorhome and race car trailer I could sympathize with the drivers of those big rigs as they struggled to make the crest of the next hill.

The second thing that impressed me was the efficiency of the Porsche vis a vi-gas mileage… MPG. Most of today we were cruising at about 75-80 MPH and we averaged 30.9 Miles per Gallon in our trusty Miss P. Here is a car that can probably top 130 MPH and yet if one treats it with a certain amount of restraint it can rival the mileage of many econo-box machines. Pretty amazing if you ask me.

So why was this day of travel a mistake?

Because once again my bone headed decision to hurry back to Roanoke was silly. What we SHOULD have done is take advantage of the nice weather (it was a beautiful day) and retrace our path on the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway. We had not been able to see ANYTHING on our south bound journey from Roanoke to Asheville due to the rain, sleet and fog. (Refer to Part 7). Here was an opportunity to correct that error.

Instead, we invested 4.5 hours blasting up the Interstate to Roanoke to visit another museum that in retrospect was not worth the effort. Granted, we DID NOT know this when we headed out. But still, had I stopped to think (and perhaps consulted the other half of this traveling duo) maybe we would have (should have) altered our plans. If we had changed things up, the time… and driving pleasure… would have been spent cruising northbound on the Blue Ridge, enjoying the mountain vistas and crossing the Lynn Cove Viaduct. Rather than that we drove 245 miles on the Interstate.

Not a very smart decision. Sometimes my stubborn streak gets the better of me. And yes, the old saying “hindsight is 20-20” certainly applies in this case.

After a night at the most expensive Hilton Hotel we encountered on the trip (a result of NOT booking rooms well in advance by the way) we were back on the road Saturday morning heading for our next way point of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Refer back now to paragraph 2 above… “If something catches our fancy along the way….” So it was to be.

We are cruising at about 70 MPH today on Interstate 81 North. Our average MPG is 31.5… a direct result of traveling at 70 MPH as opposed to yesterday’s 75-80 MPH. Along the way we see a sign for the George C. Marshall Museum & Library which is in Lexington, VA. I am a big World War II buff so immediately pipe up… “Linda, what do you think about that place? George Marshall was Chief of Staff of the Army during World War II and later was Secretary of State. He was the author of the Marshall Plan after the war. That might be interesting. We have time to stop. Any thoughts?”

The exit is maybe 2 miles ahead. Linda has to act fast! Out comes the handy I-Phone (what did we ever do without GPS and i-Phones???). She looks it up. “It’s closed for renovations. Will not open till sometime in the fall.” I think “Bummer”. Yet I have a sense Linda is thinking “well I certainly dodged a bullet on that one.” (Pun intended).

Continuing on for no more than 15 minutes we see another sign. This one is for the Woodrow Wilson birthplace in Staunton, Virginia. Linda sees the sign first and I can tell she is somewhat excited. The phone is in her hand instantly and she begins reading out the features of the site. “It’s open today. $15 admission. There is a museum and a gift shop and they have a house tour. It’s only about 7 miles off the highway at the next exit. The pictures on the website are really stunning. I think we should do it”.

Without a moment’s hesitation the decision is made. When you have no set plan for the day and only 300 or so miles to cover, you can take things as they come. And today what has come up was the Woodrow Wilson Museum.

Staunton, Virginia is a quaint, quiet, well-kept small southern town. It is the home of Mary Baldwin University but more importantly Staunton is the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States.

Linda opted for the house tour as well as the museum. I was attracted to the museum and spent a good deal of time studying Mr. Wilson’s early years and his rise to political prominence. Also, since I am always attracted to any type of automobile, I invest a decent chunk of time studying the 1919 Pierce Arrow Presidential Limousine. This vehicle was built in Buffalo NY, yet the driver sits on the RIGHT side of the car. For an American car this is rather weird for sure.

All in all we spent almost 3 hours exploring this well thought out homage to a man who tried, unsuccessfully, to change the world. In our opinion it was time well spent.

Our final day was just a matter of ‘putting in the miles’. Eventually you always have to get back home. Traveling north through eastern Pennsylvania (along some very rough concrete sections of roads), into New Jersey and then finally retracing our tracks across the Tappan Zee (now Mario Como) Bridge and up through Connecticut. Day 13 was the longest day, distance wise, at 420 total miles.

Linda keeps rather accurate records. We traveled a total of 2,289 miles, passed through 11 states and collected 43 of 50 license plates.

The only tags we did NOT see were Hawaii (understandable) Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming and North Dakota. By the way Linda and I refer to that last state as GFND (God Forsaken North Dakota) because in all the years we have been playing the license plate game we have only seen North Dakota once. We both surmise that the people of North Dakota really LOVE their state and thus they don’t venture far from their borders.

Maybe one day we will take another road trip out that way and perhaps prove that our theory is wrong. If we ever do make such a journey, we hope that it will be in our trusty Miss. P. Our most recent exploits have shown that a 911 Porsche really is a great vehicle for exploring Southern Roads and Museums.

By Ray Boyer

August 6, 2022/1 Comment/by Luis

For Enthusiasts, Porsche Events

Everyone Loves A Parade

PCA Parades have been held every year since 1956, the year after the club began. It is a gathering of Porsche owners held to use, compare and talk about their cars. That would include a Concours, an autocross, tech sessions and a rally. Like the Club itself (now 150k members) that has been expanded over the years to include driving tours, Golf tournaments, 5k Runs, RC car Races, Sim racing, an art show and activities for kids. There are now two types of rallys, TSD (time speed distance) and a gimmick rally. What used to be a long weekend has expanded into a week long event. At least a week is needed just to catch up with all the Porsche friends that haven’t been seen for a year from all over the US.

This year’s gathering in the Poconos drew over 1200 cars and was the largest ever. Many local members attended and four of us met on the Mass Pike and went down as a group. Brother, Bill, drove up from MD to put the Speedsters together again.

Because of the size of the gathering it is tough to find a location that can accommodate that many people since lots of dinners and banquets are always planned. The Kalahari Resort Convention Center includes a waterpark and did a great job taking care of everyone.

The first event that we participated in was the Concours that was held in the parking lot of the resort as rain the week before had made the beautiful surrounding fields too soft to drive on. Many of the judged cars were left inside in the prep room on a first come first serve basis. It only had room for half the field of over 130 entrants. We intended to put our Tubs in the street class since they were driven over 250 miles to get there (no enclosed trailers for us) but we wound up in a Full class that had the judges climbing all over them.

Bills car came out ahead of Blackie but both of us were at the bottom of the page in the 356 class. We faired better the next day at the Autocross held at Pocono Raceway, where I took First place and Bill was second

The next event for us was the TSD Rally which was done using a phone app (of course) that didn’t require any checkpoints along the route. There were 20 virtual checkpoints and they gave us immediate results when we passed by them on the route. Some of the instructions were pretty far apart and in a couple of cases just when we were wondering if we were still on course the phone would ding and tell us that we had just passed a checkpoint. It was amazing. We did get off course a couple of times but the system allowed us to add (or reduce) the time without a penalty and that saved us. Points are added for each second early or late at a checkpoint and we did get some 1’s and 3’s which inspired us to really pay attention to instructions. The odometer in Blackie isn’t exactly high tech but is was a perfect day for a drive over some great roads in the Ponoco mountains. Neither of us have done a Rally in years but this format will certainly make those events more attractive. I could do a rally with grandkids.

With the exception of the Concours, it was a pretty thin field of 356s at Parade. Lots of SUV’s and late model 911’s. As the week went along we realized we were the only two Tubs still there as the show cars had all gone home in their sealed trailers. Whenever we parked it seemed that a lot of other owners were taking our picture. Many of the younger members weren’t born when our Tubs were built but they certainly had their iphone 13’s handy.

We took a brewery tour at the oldest beer producer in the US, Yuengling, in business since 1829. The beer was great (free samples to old guys). They have been in the same building since 1831 and a lot of the brewing equipment looked to be original, including the break room that would make a great bar today.

It wouldn’t be Parade without a Tech Quiz and Bill and I had both signed up for the 356 test. The main body (60 out of 100 questions) of the test was made up of general questions about Porsche (What’s the displacement of a 2020 Boxster Spyder? – 4.0 liter) and things like their racing history over the years (How many times did Derek Bell win LeMans in a Porsche? – 4 times). The smaller section covered questions about the model selected. Choices were 356, 911, 914, 944, Macan, etc. There were some really tricky questions ( When were disc brakes first used on a 356 ?– 1962 Carrera2) and Bill did it best with a second place and I was behind him in 4^th.

The last drive was on Saturday afternoon called the Parade of Porsches that drove the 11 miles to Ponoco Raceway with a police escort. 300 Porsches were lined up and stopped traffic in a number of small towns along the way. We got a lap in on the 2.5 mile track looking down onto the infield where the autocross had been held. By the time we headed back to the Kalahari Resort folks along the route were in their front yards with their phones in hand. Great fun.

Our day wasn’t over when we got back because one of the lots had been emptied so that we cound spell out the 70^th anniversary logo with Porsches. Vu Nguyen, Executive Director of PCA, who covers everything Porsche and was everywhere at Parade, had one last trick set up for us before the final dinner. He had called for red cars before the drive to make up the center of the logo as the rest of us were the border. It came out great.

A sponsor new to PCA, was Princess Cruises who gave away a 7 day cruise. The winner could pick from any of the destinations on their list and they seem to be everywhere there’s water. Door prize drawings were done at every dinner with all sorts of great gifts including sets of tires (Michelin), Coco Mats and Porsche hats. The best part was when a members son, about 13 years old, was pressed into service by the MC to draw all the tickets for the prizes at the Autocross Awards Dinner. Boredom was written across his face drawing tickets to give away hats and window cleaner until he drew his fathers name for the set of tires. His feet never reached the stage for 10 minutes.

Additional vendor support included wine glasses (Leland West), car wash area supplies (Griot’s Garage), and Volunteer shirts (Pelican Parts). Goodie bags were filled with all sorts of car stuff that we find useful. Even free stickers suitable for grandkids were everywhere. I even snagged a nice desk clock from Porsche with the Martini logo and another NER member won a Porsche watch.

The Victory Awards Banquet on the last night had a great program from long time supporter, Reliable Carriers, Inc who raffled off a free ride to next years Parade in Palm Springs, CA in one of their covered carriers. That is too far for Blackie to drive so we’re shooting for the 2024 Parade in Birmingham, AL (think Barber Motorsport Park). East coast owners should put that on their to do list now.

Any time a PCA Parade gets to this side of the Mississippi river and you can drive there, do it. You’ll have a great week.

KTF

August 6, 2022/by Luis

For Enthusiasts

Southern Roads & Museums: Part 8

Asheville at Last …

Asheville, North Carolina was always going to be the terminus of our multi-day road trip in Miss P. For over a decade or more Linda and I had been talking about going to Asheville, specifically to visit the world-famous Biltmore Estate. When we began planning this adventure, we both knew that this “museum” would be the highlight of the journey.

Our overall plan is to spend 3 days in and around Asheville, with the last day being the BIG DAY and our tour of the Biltmore. Our thought process was that by waiting until our last day in the city, if something went haywire during our travels and we were delayed while on the road, we could eliminate some plans and still be able to sample the house and the surrounding grounds.

Linda began researching purchasing tickets to the Estate back in February and even then, we could not just “pick a time” on say Thursday, April 18. We really wanted to reserve a slot around 10am or so. But even 2 months in advance the best time we could get was about 3:45pm on our chosen day. We were rather disappointed with this time because we knew the building “closed” at 5:30pm. Thus, we felt we would be rather rushed trying to squeeze in everything we wanted to see. Yet beggars can’t be choosers so Linda took what she could get.

We arrived in Asheville late on Monday the 16^th and spent the next 2 days exploring the city and surrounding areas. Basically, we were just “marking time” until Thursday. In retrospect my idea of “doubling up” the travel distance on the Blue Ridge was ill advised. We should have invested an extra day driving in the mountains (hopefully not in the rain and fog). Live and learn, I guess.

Since our scheduled tour time was rather late in the day, we had a leisurely breakfast and headed out. By 10:30 we were in the vast parking lots of the estate, looking for a safe place to store Miss P so she would not get any door dings. We Porsche drives can be rather anal about things like this, don’t you agree.

Walking through the wooded parking areas, you come around a bend and there it is… this huge imposing structure that can only be described as SPECTACULAR! (Reminds me of that Seinfeld episode … “Yes Jerry, they are real and they are SPECTACULAR!!)

Kind of like that only much bigger.

This 250 room French Renaissance chateau is said to be the largest private home in the United States. It was built between 1890 and 1895 for George Vanderbilt. The contractors had to “rush” during the last year of construction to finish the work as Mr. Vanderbilt insisted on celebrating Christmas of 1895 in his new abode. Talk about time pressure.

With our 3:45 tour more than 5 hours away Linda and I began to explore the surrounding gardens and grounds. Now I must admit that personally I am not much of a garden person. Thus, walking around multiple flower beds for what could potentially be several hours holds no allure for me.

The overall estate contains more than 125,000 acres. Looking at the printed guide we were given I could see that another section of the estate was called Antler Hill Village & Winery. “Hey Linda, lets go over to this Antler Hill thing. It’s only 11:45, we should have plenty of time to get there and be back by 3:45. That’s 4 hours from now, how long can it take to get to Antler Hill? Let’s go.”

We scoot back to Miss P and head out. Most of the roads are one way and traffic is surprisingly light. We drive and drive and drive. And then drive some more. It takes almost 15 minutes to get to our next destination. All this time I am thinking “we are still INSIDE the boundaries of this estate. Vanderbilt owned all this land. Talk about being rich!” It turns out the Village is 5 miles from the main house.

We find two important things at Antler Hill. First is a small snack bar with short lines and great ice cream. Second is a neat museum with an exhibit entitled “The Vanderbilts… At Home & Abroad”. The theme here explores all the globe-trotting that George and Edith experienced during their lifetime. They trekked around the world together and collected items from almost every continent on the globe.

Linda and I invested more than 2 hours in this well thought out museum. While not overly large (just 5 rooms and a small theatre) it was filled with so many interesting old photos and objects. There was so much to see and so many placards to read that we could have spent the remainder of the day here. Yet time marches on. Since I could not determine how long it would take to return to the “big house” we pulled ourselves away at 3pm and headed back.

The actual Biltmore Estate structure is certainly an imposing building.

On the main floor some rooms had ceilings that must have been at least 20 to 25 feet high, while others featured a more modest height. One interesting fact that was mentioned during our tour was that during World War II the National Gallery of Art sent many priceless art objects to Asheville to be stored in the Music Room at the Biltmore Estate. Famous works by Botticelli, Donatello, Rembrandt and others were kept here under 24-hour guard until all were returned to Washington at the end of the war.

On the second floor of the house were 15 separate bedrooms, each with its own theme. The Vanderbilts often invited guest to stay for many days and sometimes weeks. Each guest had their own room (naturally) and servants to wait on them. Back in the day it’s amazing how the very rich lived. It’s probably the same today, but I could not even venture a guess.

Linda was very impressed with the fact that almost all of the furniture is original to the house. Since the Vanderbilt family has always owned the property (unlike many other large homes … think of Newport, Rhode Island … where many properties have been sold to outside interests) most of the furniture has remained as it was when the Biltmore was first constructed. So, as we toured the building what we were seeing was furniture that was there during the early years of 1895 to 1930 or so. Pretty impressive indeed.

Another intriguing aspect, for me at least, was the very last part of the tour. The basement section of the house gives one an up-close sense of the construction techniques of this impressive structure. It took almost 2 years just to complete all the foundations, with some footings extend down almost 29 feet. I love examining how a building is put together and this part of the tour did not disappoint.

One final area that struck home was a large display area with photographs depicting the various “stages” of the house under construction. The amount of manpower and material that was required to build this edifice is just mind blowing. Hundreds of skilled workers were required every day. Carpenters, stone masons, plasterers, painters, plus laborers of all kind were needed. One photo showed a steam engine pulling about 10 rail cars filled with workers being transported to the job site from Asheville. I would estimate that there were 40 men in each car. That’s 400 laborers. My guess is that these men were just one portion of the total workforce employed on a daily basis for almost 5 years. It sure is nice to have a healthy budget when you are building a house of this magnitude.

All too soon our time was running out. As much as we wanted to linger and ask more questions (the docent staff was very knowledgeable and willing to answer any question) the clocks were chiming 5:30 as we exited back into the sunshine. The house was closed but we could wonder the grounds until 7pm. This we did, hoping in some way to prolong a day which had been a long-held vision of ours for oh so many years.

For Linda and I our long-held dream was more than matched by the reality of the beautiful, impressive Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.

Next Time

Long 3 Day Journey

– Ray Boyer

July 29, 2022/by Luis

For Enthusiasts, Porsche Events, Social

South of Boston (SoBo) Porsches and Coffee 10 July 2022

Warm and sunny with a low humidity, Sweet Berry’s freshly cut lawn was inviting. I would like to thank Dave Mechler and Bob Hinrichs for arriving early to help with the parking. I was a bit surprised by the turnout; more than 90 by last count.

Forbes “Toby” Anderson parked his Black 1958 Porsche Super Speedster, with red leather interior. Purchased in the Bay area from a 40-year owner; it is one of 8 Black Supers made and, unless Forbes was misquoted, it came with a hardtop. Although running on drum brakes and 6 Volts, it has a 912 based bored engine with estimated 130 HP, running a 741 transmission. Honestly, as a previous owner of a 356C, it was eye candy for me.

At 14 years, Toby’s first Porsche was a 1958 sun roof coupe with no engine. Never had the money to fix it so it was sold as is. At 16 he bought a 55 Speedster for $500. Currently he owns three Porsches, the current speedster, a Euro 86 911 Cab, and a 2015 6 speed Boxster S, saying all three are fun to drive. The 58 is for sale and you can contact Toby at: 508 259 9933.

Driving unto the lawn with the top down was Kymberly Foss in her stunning Meissen Blue w/Bordeaux interior 2021 992 4S with PDK. Her husband Karl parked her other Porsche, a White earlier model 911 that just had an interior seating update in a blue tartan. Previously Kimberly owned a 2012 45 Cab with manual transmission, then a 2017 GTS 4S. Before Porsches she drove muscle cars. Asked what gives her pleasure driving a Porsche, she replied “everything”. Having interesting stories, she related being in Sweden during the 70s driving on the frozen fiords in a Porsche fitted with metal studded tires at speeds of 100 MPH.

Jesse and Brenda Mackowl entered unto the grass in their Black 2014 Cayman S. Their first Porsche was a 1979 928, followed by a 2015 diesel Cayenne, then a 2014 Panorama GTS. Jesse said that his dad always had Porsches (who can argue about that). Brenda has the same Porsche in white. Jesse got the Cayman because he wanted a track car. On his first track experience his rear brakes were completely worn out. Jesse explained that the stabilization system prioritizes using the rear brakes.

Ceileidh Siegel and daughter Dorothey in baby seat strapped in the rear jump seat parked her Meteor Grey 2007 997.1 C4S with manual transmission. This is her first Porsche and has owned it for 6 years. Purchased used in California she drove it back to the east coast. Previously she drove Audi and VW GTIs, saying that she was surprised that all the cars were similar to drive. Fastest she has driven was in a rental on the Autobahn at 175 , with her current Porsche 130, saying that once in a while she goes on the track. Ceileidh also has had articles in the Panorama magazine.

Jon and Nicole Smith parked their very original Sand Beige 1966 912 five speed. Jon was looking for an older Porsche being sold by original owner and was lucky to find this car in South Carolina. Jon showed me a three-ring binder, about two inches thick, holding all the service and documentation. The original owner was an officer in the military who seemed to drive everywhere. The front became badly pitted and the officer had it painted; unfortunately, it was a poor paint job that delaminated. Jon’s plan is to only preserve it, not restore it. Jon said that the pan is solid, no rust showing.

It seems that Jon’s first experience with Porsches was in 1996 at the Boston Auto Show when he sat in one. He proposed to his future wife in his first Porsche, a 1998 Boxster. Jon has had seven Porsches, a 96 911 coupe, 06 Cayenne S, 2010 Cayman, 2004 C4S, 2001 C4S, and 99 C2. Presently Jon and Nicole have a garage that holds their four Porsches, and several times they have each driven one of their cars to SoBo.

Jon’s proposal reminded me that I dated my future wife (Rosemary) in my 65 356 C in San Diego; shown is our first child, Joshua on that Porsche in Groton, CT in 1970.

The next SoBo is scheduled for 21 August (10-Noon) at Sweet Berry Farm, 915 Mitchell’s Ln, Middletown, RI. The event as always is FREE, and no pre-registration is necessary. The only requirement to park on the grass is your Porsche. A Porsche logo sign should be in place directing you to the parking area. Sweet Berry Farm is child friendly, encouraging small children to enjoy a working farm, so when entering and exiting, drive carefully. And, as always, for any SoBo related questions, please email me at: [email protected]

Just a reminder: Due to a conflict with Sweet Berry in September due to their very busy apple picking month, our September SoBo will take place on September 11, off of route 24 at the LongPlex Family & Sports Center, 300 Industrial Way, Tiverton, RI 02878. Our designated parking lot is past the entrance on the right and up a slight hill located on the left. No fee required and food and coffee is available, as well as games and clean restrooms.

Rog Slocum
127 Center Ave.
Middletown, RI 02842
e-mail: [email protected]

July 20, 2022/by Roger Slocum

For Enthusiasts, News Update, Porsche Events, Uncategorized

8/7: NER’s Annual Summer Party is Back!

Join NER and Porsche Norwell on Sunday August 7^st for the 5^th Annual Summer Party!

If you are already a member, thinking about joining or simply want to know why all these people are crazy about about Porsches, this is one of our best events of the year and you should come hang with your friends or make new ones!

Date/Time
Date(s) – 08/07/2022
11:00 am – 4:00 pm

Learn more and sign up here!

Summer Party Sign Up

We’ll have

An eclectic Porsche car show of course ( expecting 75-100 cars, and more when you sign up and bring yours!)
A deliciously catered lunch accompanied by an awesome live band
A full outdoor bar serving locally crafted beverages (try the Blueberry ale while you’re there)
The world famous NER cornhole tournament (try your skill to take the crown from the region’s reigning champ and 1970’s legend, Bill Seymour!) Bonds have been made and rivals have been born at this tournament so be sure to sign up!
SIM racing machine try outs and learn from our SIM pro Anker. While you are there also check out the rad Robotics exhibit put on by Mechanical Advantage

See you there and thank you to our sponsor Porsche Norwell!

July 14, 2022/by Luis

For Enthusiasts

7/10: SoBo @ Sweet Berry Farm

Date/Time
Date(s) – 07/10/2022
10:00 am – 12:00 pm

The July 2022 SoBo event will be on Sunday the10th from 10am to 12pm at Sweet Berry Farm, 915 Mitchell’s Lane, Middletown, RI 02842.

More info here: https://porschenet.com/events/sobo-at-sweet-berry-farm-jul22/

July 7, 2022/by Luis

Drivers Education, For Enthusiasts, Monthly Columns

DE Crier: DE #2 Report – Palmer CW in June

NER’s Second DE of the Year – Palmer CW in June

A few days before the event the weather report didn’t look good but your faithful DE Crier called in a few favors and the weather was darn near perfect all three days. You can thank me later. As with Thompson, turnout was a bit on the low side – 95 drivers in total. The positive aspect of this was that run groups were combined which allowed longer run sessions. Plenty of drive time and still not too much traffic. Everyone behaved nicely and the only incident of the weekend was the idiot DE Crier crashing Kristin Larson’s electric scooter. Ouch. Thanks for not laughing, Adam.

As is my usual practice I looked for a new driver and found a very good story. Steven DiCato, a nice fellow who I had instructed last year at Tamworth (and whose dog was previously featured!), convinced his cousin Chris Costain to attend. Chris, not wanting to abuse his street ride (an Acura I think – you can see it in the picture), rented one of the Palmer Miatas. (Note: these are nicely prepared race cars with a full cage that are a blast to drive. You can rent them and have an instructor provided with Palmer’s “Arrive and Drive” program.) Chris had a blast and was one of the fastest in the Green run group. Steven immediately went to work on convincing him to buy a Miata that they could share. But perhaps that will have to wait until Chris’ wedding in September to Tara Gambardella – she was in attendance and probably dismayed as she watched her husband-to-be start the slide down the slippery slope.

I had another nice conversation (at the Saturday night BBQ social) with Jeff Zern of the Riesentoter Region (that’s Eastern Pennsylvania and, yes, there is supposed to be an umlaut over the “o.” According to Google Translate that means “Giant Dead” but they claim it means “Giant Killer” in reference to Porsche slaying cars with greater displacement on the racetrack). Anyway, Jeff had heard good things about Palmer and wanted to drive it in his Cayman. He was exceptionally grateful for the help he got from Stan Corbett in registering, getting correctly placed in the White run group and even getting advice on hotels and routes. He also was very complimentary about the event organization and the driver etiquette on track. Nice to have some other region visitors!

As to the BBQ social, thanks to Judy Mansing and Pam Mascetta for setting it up and, once again, having a nice variety of beers to drink (and I presume wines but I can’t speak to that – I enjoyed some Lagunitas IPA and detect the influence of the NCR track chair in that selection). Note to self: talk less and line up sooner for BBQ so you get more than two ribs.

Here are the run groups advancements from the Palmer weekend…

Green to Yellow: Stefan Vondran, Derrick Hedley

Yellow to Blue: Jim Devol, Arun Ramamurthy, Ray Young, Prakash Iyer, Christopher Necchi, John Januszewski, Scott Stawas

Blue to White: Thorsten Becker, Richard Pyatt, Todd Shilman

White to Black: Michael Beers, Brian Nett, James Cooper, Torsten Gross (Note – this is a placement, not an advancement), Mark Hutker

And finally, enjoy the pictures of some notable Palmer Pups!

-Bill Seymour

June 20, 2022/by Luis

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