PCA National has taken the wraps off of the 70th Anniversary Club Coupe, a special edition of the 992.2 Carrera T designed to commemorate 70 years of Porsche Club of America.
70 lucky PCA members will be chosen from a raffle drawing to purchase this exclusive 911, and one of those members could be you!
For full details and raffle entry instructions, check out the advertisement from PCA National below, or click the link here!
You’re Invited to a VIP NER PCA membership appreciation event!
🎉NER MEMBER APPRECIATION Social 🎉
Date: May 4, 2025
Time: 3:30 pm- 6pm
Location: KINGS, Burlington, MA
Join us for an unforgettable experience at KINGS in Burlington. Enjoy an exclusive VIP experience, a private entrance, outdoor patio viewing, and luxury indoor viewing on two massive video screens!
Pricing: $40
🍽 Food and Bowling
Their will be a replenishing apps buffet for this event
A full Cash bar and food menu is available as well
🎳 2-Hour Free Bowling Tournament starts at 4pm
– Highest score wins a Free Full Car Detail from BRAVO AUTO SPA
This is the event you don’t want to miss! REGISTRATION OPENS FRIDAY April 4,2025 for your chance to enjoy VIP treatment and mingle with other members and enjoy a Miami race day in style!
🚨 Hurry – THIS WILL SELL OUT FAST 🚨
The first 50 members to register will receive the NER VIP treatment!
Don’t miss out – registration opens Friday, April 4, 2025 and secure your spot.
Normally on this web site we expect to see the latest adventures of Tom Tate. This article is a little different. Instead of a story by Tom, this is a story about Tom. This past Thursday Tom presented his latest adventure to a packed house at the Lars Andersen Museum entitled “The Forgotten Porsche”.
This was the story of the restoration of the “Puddle Jumper”. Tom’s black 356A sunroof coupe. If you are a regular reader of Tom’s work, you have read of this car before as Tom went thru the tribulations of the restoration process and wondered just how did it get that name? I’d assumed it probably had something to do with the water filled pothole riddled streets of New England combined with the rust prone floor pans of an old 356. But no, the “Puddle” referred to is rather larger than that. There is a placard on the dash installed by the original owner’s son that explains the origin of the name. Look for the car at the next Concours or Cars and Coffee where Tom brings the car. ( Tom has a number of Porsches to select from so it’s always a surprise which one he shows up with.) I guess you’ll just have to attend some upcoming events to learn more of the origin story.
The physical restoration of the car from the engineless non-drivable car with front end body damage to show ready condition that was done over a period of 15 years is only half the story. As with any classic car or antique, a large part of the value is in “The Provenance” – The history and the story of the car. As only the second owner of the Car, Tom had the advantage of talking with the family of the original owner so, over time he was able to document the entire history of the car, right down to a photo of the original hand written in German Porsche Factory “Cardex” ( Build sheet) .
Another element of the story was the effort to find parts for a 60 year old car that had a total world wide yearly production was only 600 + examples, Parts for the original optional hand windup clock that was part of the Glove Box door or the 2nd cable drive for the Halda SpeedPilot Rally clock that was added by the first owner. The number of 356’s built that were Black Sunroof Coupes (an unpopular color and expensive option in the period) dwindles the total examples down to just a handful. Tom’s car is remarkably complete with the original engine back in it’s place, missing only the electric auto-retractable radio antenna that still is on the “needed to find” list. If you know of one, I’m sure Tom wants to hear from you.
Ted Shaw
Ok — I get it – Print Media is dead. Things that were required back then, or at least expected, when I first Joined PCA in 1971 are just no longer available, Everyone had a subscription to Road and Track and Car and Driver. ( and a dozen others depending on your various passions) Those of us who followed racing and wanted our news that was only 10 days or less old subscribed to a weekly newspaper, Competition Press / Autoweek. On Sundays Cameron Dewer ( yes – as in the Scotch ) had an automotive column in the Boston Globe Automotive section. Most of it is now gone. Who needs 6 week old reports on races like the 24 hours of Le Mans when you can watch them live on TV with things like in car cameras and see more than if you actually attended the race in person. I can personally attest that being a Crew Member for a 935 Team at 3 AM at a cold rainy 24 Hours of Daytona is not really quite as much fun as you might imagine.
But there is Print Media that is still hanging on. Panorama for one, Not quite the same as when Betty-Jo ran it with Len doing the principal Photography, but Pano is now a much more refined and Professional publication that deserves your full attention every month.
All of which brings me to the point of this column. At this years Winter Warmer I picked up a copy of Christophorus. For those of you unfamiliar with Christophorus , It is the official Porsche Publication published quarterly. In ten different Languages. It’s available by subscription. 24 Euros a year payable by credit card on the Porsche web site. Subscription | Porsche Christophorus
…… which is a whole lot easier than when I first subscribed. Then you sent a check payable in Deutschmarks in one those thin Blue overseas airmail envelopes to an address written in German, hopefully spelled and formatted correctly. Somewhere along the line I allowed My subscription to lapse. I just resubscribed.
The current issue ( # 413 Q4 2024) includes a driving report of a trip from Vietnam to Mongolia in a 911 Dakar, a story on 25 years of GT3’s, a fascinating and candid interview with Oliver Blume the Chairman of the Board of Porsche AG. Another road trip story driving 4 difference Taycans 2,700 miles Stuttgart to Istanbul with details on charging times, energy use using the Porsche charging Planner
If you’re not quite ready for the full Christophorus experience in glorious print on premium paper you just go to the web site Porsche Christophorus for the web version of the same content. But, trust me. the print version is the better choice.
More random Things
Here a link to t an interesting You Tube Porsche adventure I Bought a Half Price Used Porsche Taycan and Drove it 2,300 Miles Home In Winter! – TheSmokingTIre . Matt purchases a used Taycan Cross Turismo – a 2 year old – under 20,000 Porsche for 50% off the Original MSRP! In Detroit And then proceeses to immediately drive it home to LA in the middle of Winter. What could possibly Go wrong with that plan as the old saying goes. Well — amazingly nothing did. Instead he spends most of the time praiseing the performance of the Built-in Travel Planner app to minimize recharging times.
And here’s another You Tube series along the Same lines. Racing From Seattle To Boston In The Best Road Tripping EVs! The Cross Country I-90 Surge – Pt. 1/4 A four part series of 8 different EV’s on a cross country Trip. You can probably guess which one came out as the best of the bunch.
Ted Shaw
Back in the early ’70’s I worked at a Porsche dealership in Boston and watched as the price of German cars was headed north due to the rising value of the German mark against the US dollar and changes required by the EPA. Big bumpers, door guards and emission requirements added to the costs of every car everywhere. The new 914 quickly went from a starting price of $3995 to $6995 in just 5 years. New 911’s that had a base price of $8600 in 1970 but started at $15,000 by 1977.
Compare those numbers with Pony cars that started the period with Mustangs at $3800 and Camaros at $3500. By 1977 they were only higher by about 15% ($4300 and $4000 respectively). For a driver looking for a sporty car it was a tough sell unless they could be educated in a hurry.
I remember when the first new 911 arrived that had a MSRP (base price before shipping and any options) of $9995, we thought the game was over. A Z-28 was half that amount and the goal of most buyers was to keep their car payment under $100, tough to do using those numbers.
Cars have never been cheap but over the years while we haven’t been paying attention they have really become a major expense for every family, not just rich single guys looking for a super car.
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal prompted the above review. Edmunds.com, as quoted, reported that the average monthly car payment in the US is a record $754 per month. The report went on to say that 18.9% of all buyers pay over $1000 per month to put that car in the driveway, plus the cost of insurance and various taxes. What happened?
Data shows that the average auto loan today is $42,113 compared to $39,977 a year ago and that’s just the average, some are higher. Interest rates on auto loans have declined in the last year from 7.4% to 6.8% but those zero interest loans from a few years ago are long gone. Used car loans start at 11% so it looks like cash is king nowadays.
Six year loans are common now, while we couldn’t go beyond 48 months back in the day. Most cars then wouldn’t last that long.
Those kinds of numbers are causing drivers to keep their cars longer than ever before with the average age of cars on the road at 12.6 years. Even with high parts and higher labor rates, $700 per month will cover a lot of repair bills, so used cars look like great value. Just keep throwing money at it and keep it on the road.
With the higher costs of cars everyone needs more insurance to cover the risk of accidents. As I reported last year a slight bumper cover scuff is no longer $1000, it’s $10k and four weeks to repair. Insurance rates are up over 32% in the last two years and that’s if you haven’t crashed or been caught speeding. Do I have to mention the annual car excise tax in Mass?
Excise taxes are based upon the original cost of each car without any options. The tax is $25 per $1000 of value but that value is reduced in the first 5 years to 10%of original base price. For old cars like a couple in my garage I pay the $5 minimum. For newer cars like the Audi RS4 (2001) the bill is less than $70 per year. When I get those bills I can’t get the check mailed fast enough.
A new Porsche, like a 992 ,even after the 5 year depreciation window, would carry a $330 per year excise tax bill into the future. No wonder there are so many expensive cars driving around with NH plates on them.
The price to play has never been cheap but it’s always been worth it. As they say, ” you can’t take it with you”. We made it this far, now’s the time to drive fast and take chances.
-KTF
Rosemary and I left our house shortly after 8:30 AM for our short drive to Sweet Berry Farm, arriving shortly before 9AM. Organizers for the Charlie and Martha Dow Memorial Drive were already separating the Porsches that were participating in the drive from those attending the coffee. The temperature was a bit brisk, but sunny and clear.
We had 40 Porsches for the drive and at least 30 additional cars for the coffee. Because my wife and I signed on for the drive, we were parked in the third of about six rows. For those going on the drive, egress from the lot was staggered by roughly 30 seconds. Launch time was 10 AM.
Because (weeks prior) we initially verified the first half of the of the route; we were confidant with the drive beginning on Aquidneck Island. However, we became dependent on following someone when we crossed over the bridge and entered Little Compton.
Little Compton, for the most part, has minimal street signs, and we lost our GPS signal for much of the area during our initial map verification. Therefore, we successfully followed a silver 911 that must have loaded the drive app because they never got lost.
Rachel’s Lakeside banquet room was bright, sunny and roomy. A buffet of mixed vegetables, stuffed chicken, fish, pasta, mashed potatoes, and rolls were offered. Certainly, no complaints about the food.
Because we went on the drive I had a brief opportunity to interview Porsche people. In the first row behind the wheel of his son’s 2015 Turbo S. was Tom Tate, “getting into the 21st century”. Driving his son’s Porsche, Tom has recently been doing auto cross and participating in track nights. Tom says that the car did great.
Also in line were Fred and Judy Michel with their red 914. As a youth Fred raced go carts and later, his seemingly fondness for 914s and Porsches. He has owned seven; his first was a 71 914. He was attracted by the Porsche’s mechanicals, style and performance. He has had this 914 for three years. Found on-line in Maryland, the car doesn’t seem to have any major issue. Initially Fred had to do some restoration to the passenger side of the pan because of corrosion, saying that the inside of the fenders are solid. It appears to be a great driver and that’s what it is all about.
The next car was the flying yellow 2012 Carrera previously driven by Charlie Dow. Pictured is Charlie and Martha’s son Eric and children (Daryn and Hannah) and daughter Kristen (Allen) with Eric and Drew. The Dow’s first Porsche was a 98 Boxster purchased in 2003.
Across the field was a glimmering white 928 that caught my eye. Matthew Boday is the owner of this 1981, with manual transmission, showing just 81k miles, and it is his first Porsche. Looking for a Porsche for a long time, he drove by a dealer in Massachusetts and ended up purchasing the 928 this past June. Commenting that the dealer didn’t know what he had, Matthew implied that it was selling at a good price. Other than performing service components (seals and gaskets), no major parts needed to be repaired or replacd. Although not up to show standards, the resprayed 928 shows no dents or blemishes and the interior appears very good. I am looking forward to seeing this car again next Spring.
Once again Larry Levin was one of the first to arrive but this time in his new red Cayman GTS, and unfortunately I was not aware of his new purchase until we left. PCA Northeast Region is so lucky to have such an enthusiastic volunteer photographer who seems to be at every event. Larry will be the first one selected to be interviewed in April.
Rosemary and I are looking forward to seeing you all in April 2023.
Rog Slocum
127 Center Ave.
Middletown, RI 02842
e-mail: [email protected]
Open your garage and experience the summer through the July NER events. There is something for everyone to enjoy whether it’s the adrenaline of autocross or relaxing at one of the cars and coffee events.
Photo Credits: Owen Coonahan
With many attending other events scheduled today (DE and Porsche Parade at the Poconos) I was surprised that we had nearly 60 Porsches on the freshly cut lawn at Sweet Berry Farm. The guy helping to park the cars was my younger brother Lou, a California PCA member owning (since new) a 2008 Cayman S. Lou and his friend Sandi dropped in for about a week after a month in Europe (5 days at the races in Monte Carlo).
Don Baily got my attention (liked the stance) with his 1982 911 SC. This Porsche has an 87 3.2 Dual Plug with DTS engine Management, and Elephant Racing suspension. Kind of a “sleeper”. This is a euro version export and is Don’s first and only Porsche found on Craig’s List and purchased from a dealer in Boston area about five years ago. His first Porsche sensation was the feel of driving. Don has lightened the car by removing some items such as the large whale tail and the A/C unit.
Another first-time owner of a Porsche was Shanay Patel (known as Sunney) parking his 1983 Guards Red 944. Purchased from Luis Rivera, he has done substantial wrenching, including clutch, top end rebuild and lots of small stuff. When I asked, “why a Porsche”, he replied, “its Iconic”. His first impression was the drive; “it handles perfectly”. With 167k on the odometer the original paint shows wear. Looking at the interior, all the gauges appear to be a pale yellow.
Marilyn Shan Scott Krick received her 2022 911 Carrera in December 2021, although it was scheduled to arrive in February (sinking of the freighter). Fortunate her order arrived early; this is her first Porsche. Her husband had first drive; she followed the next day. The driving experience is excellent, getting, so far, to 80-90 mph. The interior’s dash gauges are in red, as well as the seat belts.
John Barros parked his awesome 2022 agate grey GT3 touring with carbon roof and mirrors. Additionally, it has PCCB brakes and Neodyme wheels, with a Mojave Beige and exclusive manufacturer interior with deviated stitching. This is John’s second Porsche; his first was a chalk 2017 GT3 with a manual transmission. Asked why a Porsche, he replied, “ the engineering and the way it drives”. Driven near the edge, John has come close to bending the needle at 165 MPH.
Haley Dantas and family arrived in their Charcoal 2022 Cayenne Hybrid with black interior. Previously, they purchased a new Taycan Turbo S that did not have much range (just 165 miles) and had to press a button to lower car to load and off load the four kids. Also, the Taycan was too quiet and fast, causing undesirable speeds of 140 MPH. And today, with high gas prices, they are pleased getting 46 MPG in this 3.5L Hybrid.
Mel and Patty Cowher parked their Aventurine Green 2021 Carrera S. This Porsche is highly optioned with Sport Package, Tek seats, stripe package, red gauges (Patty said the red seat belt option was too much), walnut interior with aluminum trim and retro mag wheels. Mel’s first Porsche was a 1973 911 S when he was just 18 years old that he restored himself.. Later he owned a grey market 85 Carrera 3.0, followed by a 2011 Boxster, and then Patty’s 2016 Macan. Currently Patty drives a 2017 Cayenne. Mel says that the fastest he has driven a Porsche is about 160 MPH.
How Mel obtained his current Porsche is quite a tale: He entered a diabetes sponsored raffle and won a new Porsche. Then he traded in the new Porsche and his 2013 Carrera S to the upgraded 2021 Porsche that was parked on the lawn.
The next SoBo is scheduled for 10 July (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]
Rog Slocum
127 Center Ave.
Middletown, RI 02842
e-mail: [email protected]