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April 2014 Grapevine Newsletter from the Golden Empire Region of the Porsche Club of America
Citation preview
2
Hear it through the Grapevine
Featured Stories Pages
A Very Special Thank You from our MARE family 8
Porsche announces Boxster and Cayman GTS 10
Porsche to Replace Engines that caused GT3 Fires 24
Top Gear’s James May on Vintage Porsches 30
Social Outings & Members Page
GEM Social Meeting Dinners 4
Meet new members, Jeff and Tracy Allen 4
Another Exciting Drive to Beautiful Parkfield 6
Event Calendars & Schedules
Our GEM Event Calendar 16
California Festival of Speed 2014 Preview 18
Registration is open for Porsche Parade in Monterey 28
Members Project Pages
My Vintage 911 Targa Finally come Home 26
Out of Town Events
Autocross at Shafter’s Minter Field 11
Autocross at Santa Maria Airport 10
Concours in the Canyon, Cal Inland 13
Buttonwillow Raceway Driver’s Ed Meet 25
Miscellaneous Out of Town Events 31
Our cover photo
this month come
from a MARE photo
shoot.
Pictured here we
have Dave and Voni
Bratcher standing beside their gorgeous
yellow 911. Also standing with them,
looking pretty in pink is young MARE volun-
teer Kaitlyn Coburn.
3
Porsche Club of America
Golden Empire Region
Board Members and Chair Persons
Social Coordinator
Tammy Harris
Webmaster
Anton Khatsanovich
Newsletter Editor
Michael Thomas
gemgrapevine@gmail.com
Autocross Co-Chairs
Greg Fullmer and
Charles Rook
Safety Chair &
Insurance Coordinator
Mike McGregor
Membership Co-Chairs &
Communication Co-Chairs
Loren Stumbaugh and
Anna Stumbaugh
PCA Membership While our cars are very exclusive, our club is not.
Did you know that you can add a family member
or other interested person as an affiliate member,
at no additional cost? The family or affiliate mem-
ber must also be 18 years of age or older.
For all of the details contact our Membership
Chair:
Loren Stumbaugh
Porsche Club of America
Golden Empire Region
Membership Chairman
Loren7025@gmail.com
(661) 747-4416
Please join us online at our newly remodeled
Website and on our Facebook Group page:
http://gem.pca.org/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/
PCA.GoldenEmpireRegion/
And please send any Newsletter comments
or content contributions to :
gemgrapevine@gmail.com
Secretary
Spencer Harris
President
Omar Olivas
Vice President
Linn Christopher
Treasurer
Betsy Wadman
Past President
Pat Wadman
Secretary
Spencer Harris
President
Omar Olivas
Vice President
Linn Christopher
4
A Good Time was had by all at the March Social Meeting
at Tony’s Pizza on Coffee Rd. What’s Tammy up to now?
Turns out that the owner of Tony’s drives a Porsche
Panamera himself. Did anyone get that man a PCA app?
The third Tuesday evening of each month is all about good friends and good food. Everyone is invited to come
out and join us, member or not. Come be part of the Porsche lifestyle with us each month. Our next Social
Meeting for the Month of April, will be Tuesday the 15th, 6:30 pm at the Chef’s Choice, Noodle Bar, in
Downtown Bakersfield. Check for other dates and locations online at GEM.PCA.ORG
Stopping for grub in Tehachapi on their maiden club run Jeff and Tracy on Highway 58 in the Carrizo Plains
The Golden Empire Region PCA Introduces New Members
GEM Monthly Social Meetings
GEM is excited to introduce new members, Jeff and Tracy Allen. The Allens drive this
beautiful deep blue Boxster. They have accompanied us on two driving tours already. And
I’m happy to report that Tracy has no problem with motion sickness when driving
“spiritedly” through the curves. Welcome Jeff and Tracy, it’s great to have you with us !!
5
Not even pouring rain can keep determined Porsche owner’s away from here
The first month of each year Southern California holds it’s multi-day affairs for everything Porsche.
Starting off Saturday morning with the L.A. Literature Show at the the LAX Hilton. This venue has an
incredible selection of Porsche parts, souvenirs, and course Porsche related brochures and manuals.
The following Sunday is the All Porsche Swap meet at Anaheim's Phoenix Club. It too offered an
amazing selection of all things Porsche. Many of the dealers and items from the Lit Show were here
as well. However, a lot of the larger items such as Porsche engines, transmissions, and even cars
themselves were for sale at this event. Pelican Parts and Stoddgard parts were on hand with huge
selections of Porsche parts for cars new and old. I went home with an owner’s manual and a new
Porsche hood crest for my newly acquired 1971 911 Targa! Next year I’m bringing a shopping cart :)
6
Moving and Shaking in Parkfield, CA
GEM enjoyed a great Hwy 58 drive and joins the Central Coast Region for a wonderful Parkfield BBQ
Thanks you California Central Coast Region for your hospitality !!
10
The two most powerful and fastest mid-
engine sports models from Porsche are
ready and raring to go: with uprated en-
gines and excellent PASM chassis the Box-
ster GTS and Cayman GTS set new bench-
marks for sportiness in their segment. The
independent front and a modified rear end,
blackened bi-xenon headlights - with the
Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS) as
standard - and exterior lettering in silky
black gloss are subtle yet unmistakable fea-
tures of the new top models. The name says
it all: at Porsche "GTS" stands for Gran Tur-
ismo Sport and has promised outstanding
Porsche performance ever since the legend-
ary 904 Carrera GTS dating back to 1963.
With the new two-seaters Porsche is renew-
ing its commitment to authentic sports cars
for both the racetrack and everyday use.
The six-cylinder boxer engines fitted in the
new top models are based on the 3.4-litre
engines from the Boxster S and Cayman S
respectively. Thanks to optimised fine tun-
ing they now deliver an additional 15 hp (11
kW). This means that the Boxster GTS now
has an output of 330 hp (243 kW), whilst
the Cayman GTS delivers 340 hp (250 kW).
The torque has also increased by ten new-
ton metres in each model. What's more, the
Sport Chrono package is a standard feature
in both mid-engine sports cars. This means
that in conjunction with the optional Dop-
pelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) and the active
Sport Plus button, the Boxster GTS sprints
from 0-100 km/h in 4.7 seconds, whilst the
Cayman GTS is even a tenth of a second
faster. Both vehicles therefore set new ref-
erence values.
As regards the maximum speed - measured
with the standard manual six-speed trans-
mission - the Boxster is the first of the new
premium roadsters to top the 280 km/h
mark, achieving a speed of 281 km/h. At 285
km/h the sports coupé is even faster. The
new top models are the first mid-engine
two-seaters from Porsche to be certified
according to the Euro 6 standard, and with
this measuring method they achieve an
overall fuel consumption with PDK of 8.2
l/100 km (9.0 l/100 km with manual trans-
mission).
The Boxster GTS and Cayman GTS combine
top driving dynamics with the typical Por-
sche spread with undiminished ride comfort
and exclusive features. For example, the
combination of PASM and the Sport Chrono
package as standard enables the driver to
switch between progressive sportiness on
the one hand and long-distance comfort on
the other hand at the press of a button. The
tyres measuring 235/35 at the front and
265/35 at the rear on 20-inch Carrera S-
wheels provide the perfect setup for both.
Both two-seaters come with sports seats
and leather interiors as standard. Like other
GTS models from Porsche they are refined
with Alcantara elements.
With the new models Porsche is now ex-
tending the GTS principle to the Boxster and
Cayman. Like the Cayenne GTS and
Panamera GTS, these are extremely sporty
top models that stand for superior driving
dynamics in their segment. The combination
of letters originates from the 904 Carrera
GTS, a race car dating back to 1963 that
could also be registered for use on public
roads. In the 1980s and 1990s the 924 GTS
and 928 GTS cultivated this principle. It was
reborn in 2007 in the form of the Cayenne
GTS, and was subsequently also implement-
ed in the 911 series and the Panamera.
The new models will be launched from May
2014.
In Germany, the the Boxster GTS costs
€69,949 ($97,289) while the Cayman GTS
makes you €73,757 ($102,586) lighter. Don't
worry though, cars are much cheaper in
America. In fact, while Porsche doesn't have
the info on their website, they do have it in
the configurator. The Boxster GTS starts at
$74,495 and the Cayman GTS is $76,195.
Not too bad.
Porsche Announces the new Cayman GTS and Boxster GTS
14
Porsche has released some new details about their Los Angeles Experience Center
Currently under construction, the 53-acre site is located in Carson,
California and will enable visitors to hit the track in everything from
a Boxster to a 911. As Porsche North America CEO Detlev von Plat-
en toldAutomotive News, “It will be a high-performance training
center, where enthusiasts can experience and drive the car in all
the conditions you normally couldn’t get in the real world."
The track will have a modular design which will enable the compa-
ny to create a variety of courses ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 miles. The
company will also allow visitors to drive their own car on the track
and then compare it to a Porsche.
Besides the track, the complex will have a Human Performance
Center that offers "customized programs to maximize personal fit-
ness and wellness for race car drivers and endurance athletes."
There will also be a family-friendly cafe, an upscale restaurant and
a conference center that can be used for business or motorsport
events.
The facility will also be the home to Porsche Motorsport North
America and have a factory-backed maintenance and restora-
tion area.
The Los Angeles Experience Center is expected to open in late
2014.
PCNA will bring a preview of The Los Angeles Experience Center to Festival of Speed April 5&6
15
Get ready for Southern California’s
biggest Porsche Event of 2014 !
Registration is now open.
It can be done online
MotorSportReg.com
16
April 2014
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5 Fontana, CA
Festival of Speed
6 Fontana, Ca
Festival of Speed
7 8 9 10 11
Long Beach Grand
Prix Weekend
12 Breakfast
Long Beach Grand
Prix Weekend
13 Cal-Inland
Concours
Long Beach Grand
14 15 Social Meeting
and Dinner at the
Noodle Factory in
Downtown Bako
16 17 18 19 Bakersfield
Breakfast and
Drive to Parkfield
For BBQ
20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Autocross
in Santa Maria on
Airport Runway
27 28 29 30
May 2014
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3
4
GEM Autocross at
Minter Field
5 6 7 8 9 Buttonwillow
Drive’s Education
10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Wild Flowers
and Picnic
Porsche and LA
Yacht Club Event
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
17
June 2014
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 White Glove
Porsche Concours
in Dana Point
2 3 4 5 6 7 San Luis Obispo
Drivers Ralley
8 San Luis Obispo
Concours d’
Elelgannce
9 10 11 12 13 14
15
Porsche Parade
Monterey Calif
16
Porsche Parade
Monterey Calif
17
Porsche Parade
Monterey Calif
18
Porsche Parade
Monterey Calif
19
Porsche Parade
Monterey Calif
20
Porsche Parade
Monterey Calif
21
Porsche Parade
Monterey Calif
22
Porsche Parade
Monterey Calif
23 24 25 26 27 28 Drive to
Murphy’s Auto
Museum
29 30
July 2014
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 Whale Watching in
Santa Barbara
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 Los Angeles
Porsche Concours
at Museum Flying
in Santa Monica
21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31
18
Get ready for Southern California’s biggest
Porsche Event of 2014 !
Registration is now open.
It can be done online
MotorSportReg.com
Visit the Auto Club Speedway Website
Visit PCA Zone8 / Festival of Speed Website
19
The Largest Porsche Event in the Southwest
April 4-6, 2014 9 AM - 5 PM
Auto Club Speedway 9300 Cherry Avenue, Fontana, CA 92335
Sponsors & Vendors: Look here to see why you won't want to miss this!
The California Festival of Speed is the Porsche enthusiasts dream weekend. Club Race, Time Trial, Swap meet, Porsche Corral, Porsche For Sale Platz, Porsche Timeline Display, Vendor Row, Concours, Taste of Autocross, Parade Laps, Friends, Fun and all things Porsche. Need I say more? This event has race cars, show cars, it can even have your car! See the cars, meet the drivers and experience the excitement!
Enter an event, or just come for the experience!!
Free Admission Just show up and enjoy the fun! Don't forget to bring your Porsche and $10 Parking fee!
Stay the Weekend Take advantage of our discounted hotel rates!
Click Arrow to Preview last years event
24
Josh Barnett of Total 911 Maga-
zine reports that the pair of en-
gine failures that caused two
brand new Porsche 991 GT3s to
ignite were the result of a prob-
lem with a piston connecting rod
bolt. Speaking to Total 911,
Porsche GB Product Affairs Man-
ager, Nick Perry, explained that
“the broken connecting rod bolt
caused damage to the crank-
case” of the burnt out GT3s.
After a ‘stop driving’ notice was
issued by Porsche four weeks
ago, Zuffenhausen has been flat
out in an attempt to diagnose
the cause of the two cata-
strophic failures. Just last
week, we reported that there
had been little further news from
Porsche regarding the issue.
However, today’s news (which
991 GT3 owners will be receiving
in letter form imminently) signals
the major breakthrough that all
785 owners have been hoping
for during the past month.
Porsche have not confirmed if
the two bolt failures happened
at the big- or small-end of the
conrod but, rather than replace
the offending items, Stuttgart
will now embark on the process
of replacing the engines in every
991 GT3 produced so far.
Perry did not want to put a time-
scale on this process as many of
the 100-odd GT3s delivered so
far in the UK will need to be
recovered to an OPC, and the
engines need to be built and
transited from Germany, before
the motor switch can be per-
formed.
The new engines, which will fea-
ture an improved connecting rod
bolt, will also feature on any new
991 GT3 rolling off the produc-
tion line as of today.
Porsche responds to the 991 GTS fire issue
with new engines for all 785 GTSs sold
26
It’s a pretty special day for your news-
letter editor. This little ‘71 Targa has
drifted from one garage to another for
the last 5 years. But today she has final-
ly come home to mine. George and the
Boyz at German Dreams have done a
wonderful job of bringing her back to
life. A good wash and a little elbow
grease on her original Tangerine/23
paint has this little Porsche jewel shining
once again.
Pretty baby and a delight to drive
Your Newsletter Editor’s 1971 911t Targa is finally home !
She shines up pretty well, and makes my driveway look Good !!
The way she sat the day found her, parked for 5 years
The story begins several years ago when a family from the
coast moved into my community. Oddly enough it wasn't the
Porsche that first caught my eye. It was the white ’88 560SL
Mercedes parked in his garage next to it.
I’ve always been a fan to the majestic SL styling that Mercedes
produced years ago. And as some of you may know, I finally
found and bought an old
1975 450SL. Which I have
put more money into
than I will ever see re-
turned :(
She’s now an excellent
driver with a freshly
refurbished interior. It’s for sale now, Hint Hint !!
After I retired in December I thought it would nice to have an-
other vintage car project to occupy some newly found time.
While riding my bicycle throughout the community I became
more interested in the small tangerine colored 911 parked next
to the white Mercedes in this man’s garage.
At a Golden Ox breakfast meeting one Saturday morning in early
January, Loren commented that someone had suggested to him
the vintage 911s were going to be the next Porsche models to
see a run up in value after the 356 value explosion.
Ken Kenan who was sitting there made a comment to me.
“Mike, you need to focus. Stop collecting these old Mercedes
and get another Porsche now that you’re retired.”
That little ‘throw away’ comment that Ken made was all the in-
spiration I needed to walk up my neighbor’s door, ring the door
bell, and ask if he was interested in selling his Porsche.
He through out a price, I looked over the car, and arranged for a
repurchase inspection at German Dreams, with sales contingent
on the outcome of the inspection.
Thank you Loren and Ken, you two were the catalysis for this purchase
27
The previous owner standing in the doorway watching her leave Her first direct sunlight in over 5 years
Off to German Dreams. Please guys, tell me she’s healthy Outside of George and Eddie’s German Dreams shop
Funny story here. Told wife I was buying another Porsche. A
vintage air-cooled this time. She asked how much did you
pay? I said Seventeen, but showed her how much they are
selling for nicely restored, upwards of $30K. Her comment
was Oh, that will be a nice retirement project.
A couple of days later I stated that I wish I was a better nego-
tiator, I may have been able to pick this up for a couple grand
less. “A couple grand less, she asked? I thought you paid
$1,700 for the car.” I said umm no, rather sheepishly. It was
$17,000. OMG, wrong thing to say! “You paid $17,000 for an
old car that doesn’t even run? What’s wrong with you?”
Well, there really IS a lot wrong with me, but buying this car is
not one of them. After she returned to plant Earth I, with
the help of several others convinced her the car really was
well bought, with lots of upside potential in value.
Hope their right :))
The little 2.2 engine pulls strong. Lots more power than I
anticipated. The car has sat for 5 years with fuel in system.
Lots of varnish that had to be cleaned out. Fuel pump and
filter replaced. 5 speed, but pulls 8O mph in 4th with ease
The interior turns out to be in much better condition that I original
thought. A good wash and vacuum inside made her look fresh.
The headliner on the Targa top needs to be replaced. However,
the outside of the Targa top shined up nicely. There’s a crack in
the dash. And some new carpet is in the works. Wished I shined
up this well when I turned 43 years old …...
28
Monterey is the site of our 59th Porsche Parade, to be held this June 15 through 21, 2014. This is PCA’s annual extrava-
ganza of competitive and social events. Only minutes away from the beautiful Pacific Ocean, we’ll be treated to drives on
the famous Pacific Coastal Highway, to some of California’s legendary vineyards, and through the hills and valleys of
northern California. Of course, Parade has a long history of friendly competition and that will continue this year with the
always challenging Concours d’Elegance, TSD rally, autocross, and the tech-quiz.
Registration
Registration will open on April 1st (new date!), and there will be a link to register on pca.org and parade2014.pca.org.
This Parade will be very popular, but we will accept ALL entries. We can accommodate all entrants for each of the ban-
quets and all competitive events, as well as most activities. Tours on some days will sell out, however.
Registration for Porsche Parade is finally open Sign up soon for the driving events, they fill up quickly. Lodging in the Monterey/Salinas area is
filling up quickly as well. If your considering on attending start planning now!
Click on graphic below for full information on details and scheduling. Or review the March issue
of the Grapevine for the complete schedule.
Top Gear’s James May on the Vintage Porsche 911
For the first time in my life as a motoring journalist, I'd like to dis-pense some genuine and heartfelt consumer advice. Here it comes: buy yourself an old 911.
Regular readers will know that I've spent much of the last year driving a selection of supercars. I'm now ready to record my con-clusion to the exercise, and it's this. They're all a bit of a waste of money, really. Buy an old 911 instead.
In all honesty, I'd rather have the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, which I thought was one of the finest cars I'd ever driven. But it costs £213,000, and you could save two hundred of them by buying an old 911. Even a new 911 Carrera 2S will set you back about £75k once you've paid for all the bits that should have come with the car in the first place, so, rather than doing without the options, why not do without the car and spend the saving on an old one instead?
This is in no way a preamble to some tiresome rant about how cars were better in the olden days. All old cars are terrible, which is why they're not made any more, but the exception is the 911. The basic premise of the 911 is an idea that goes back to before the war anyway, so in that sense they're all old.
I'm on my second old 911, both of them 3.2 Carrera coupes from the Eighties. This is the one I'd go for, because it's the one I've got and I know what I'm talking about. It's also one of the cheaper and most plentiful versions out there, thanks to the explosion of 911 enthusiasm during the yuppie era, so there are loads around. Mine cost £15,300 with 48,000 miles on the clock, a complete service history, and in perfect condition save for a stone chip in the bonnet. It's the best thing I've ever bought.
The first thing to check when considering a 3.2 911 is: does the roof come off? If it does, it's one of the cabrio versions, and they're for pussies. Having satisfied yourself that the roof is made of proper metal, make all the checks you would on any car - does it actually belong to the bloke selling it? Do the documents exist and match up? Is it in fact just a Beetle with a Porsche badge stuck on? Actually, it is, but you know what I mean.
Now the bodywork. All post-'75 cars were galvanised, but that's no guarantee against rot. Weak areas are around the headlights, the trailing edges of the front wings, inside the door pillars and around the rear windows. Underneath, the ‘kidney bowl' around the rear wheel arches gets a bit of a beating, and replacing it is a sort of rib-expander surgery job, and expensive.
While you're poking around, check for crash damage, since 911s have always been easy to crash and have often been owned by people who were likely to. Look for uneven welding - the original
stuff is always excellent, because it was done by Germans - and signs of replacement panels or indeed of another 911 of different provenance lurking within the one you think you're buying. Body repairs on 911s can be pretty expensive, largely because the pan-els are pricey.
The engine, on the other hand, is easy to maintain and very ro-bust. I have met owners who have covered a quarter of a million miles without a rebuild, so don't be put off by 100,000+ on the clock. Providing the oil has been changed regularly, it will be fine. Even a little smoking is not too much to worry about. Air-cooled 911 engines make some terrifying gurgling and chuffing noises, but this is normal. Clatters, on the other hand, spell trouble.
Any pre-'95 car will be fitted with the ancient and notoriously cussed 915 gearbox. Changing down into first will normally need some extra clutchwork and, when cold, second might not seem to be there at all. This is as it should be, but any kerrang noises dur-ing fast shifts are bad news. Richard Hammond's ‘favourite gearchange' is fourth to fifth in a 915 box.
The interior will probably be pretty good, whereas that of a con-temporary Ferrari will probably be in the footwell by now. Things like the door bins can become a bit warped and saggy, but all these bits are available for a reasonable price and it all screws together with the toolkit you got for £4.99 with 20 litres of diesel. Make sure everything works. It usually does.
I don't believe you need to spend more than £15,000 on a very good 2.3-litre 911. It is the most characterful and engaging car for the cash and probably for twice as much.
This is the only bit of car buying advice I will ever dispense. I'm
usually hopeless at it. But this is so easy, even I got it right.
31
Upcoming Activities Out of Town
San Luis Concours, Sunday, June 8
Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo, CA with Corral Parking
San Luis Rally on the Beautiful Central Coast, June 7
A brisk timed drive of about 100 miles of breathtaking scenery on the
San Luis Obispo County's most challenging and fun to drive roads.
Recommended