2
Hear it through the Grapevine
Featured Stories Pages
A Farewell Profile of Greg Fullmer’s 914/6 GT 6
Development and Evolution of the Porsche 914 13
Social Outings & Members Page
GEM Social Meeting Dinners 4
Farewell to ‘Doc’ Altvatter 4
A New Porsche 930 in the Club ? 5
Event Calendars
Our GEM Event Calendar 14
Porsche Parade in Monterey, Event Schedules 16
Members Project Pages
Anton’s Suspension Upgrade 5
Spencer Harris, The Porsches in the Barn Story 20
Out of Town Events
Festival of Speed 2014 10
Concours in the Canyon, Cal Inland 12
Miscellaneous Out of Town Events 26
Pomona Swap Meet Schedule 28
3
Porsche Club of America
Golden Empire Region
Board Members and Chair Persons
Social Coordinator
Tammy Harris
Webmaster
Anton Khatsanovich
Newsletter Editor
Michael Thomas
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 member 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
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 :
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
Loren Practices his Skateboard skills at PF Changs A Good Time was had by all at the March Social Meeting
at PF Changs on the Patio. Let’s do this venue again !
Our February Social Meet at Senor Pepe’s Mexican
Restaurant. This group is all about the food
Omar and Linn please sit down. There’s more tacos on
the way guys !
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 March, will be Tuesday the 18th, 6:30 pm at Tony’s Pizza , 4750 Coffee Road.
Check for other dates and locations online at GEM.PCA.ORG
Doc’s gorgeous Guards Red 911 SC
And it is with sadness that GEM bids Robert “DOC” Altvatter farewell. Doc and his fami-
ly are moving north to Bend, Oregon. Doc’s move north will allow him to breath some
cleaner air and spend more time with his son who lives there as well. I hear the skiing
is great up there. So Doc can put his Ski Patrol skills back to use. We all wish you the
very best Doc, hope to bump into you at some of PCA events in the future.
Doc is a great example of how “It’s not just the Cars, It’s the People”
5
Omar finds success using the Bigger Hammer
approach. He must read Spencer’s wooden sign
Bang Bang Maxwell’s Silver Hammer ?
Anton showing us the Mods for his 911
Looks like Omar’s house has a Porsche infestation
And you thought all the Golden Empire Region did was eat !
Say Hello to the Golden Empire Region latest GEM !
Ken Keenan is the proud new owner of this magnificent 1987 930 Turbo. He says the car drives completely different
from his 997 and his 944. The 930 has no power steering and has long linkage shifts. But he indicated when that
turbo kicks it, “Damn” !! He states he will have to get use to the “feel” of driving it. State of the Art in it’s day, Ken
says how we take for granted how easy our modern day Porsches are to drive and handle. Congratulations Ken !!
6
The Golden Empire Region has recently lost
an icon. Greg Fullmer’s 1970 Glockler 914/6
GT has found a new home. The love of
Greg’s life, that he has affectionately
referred to as Princess and Baby is now
rumored to live somewhere in Southern
California.
So GEM felt that a finally tribute to the this
unique Porsche is only fitting. Join us for a
journey that begins in Zuffenhausen, crosses
an ocean, and takes us to Bakersfield.
As Greg will quickly tell you, his 914/6 GT
was a truly unique Porsche born to race.
Designed around a modified racing body, a
modified racing engine, and a full sports
suspension, this little GT could go head to
head with anything in it’s class and win.
There is an ever changing personnel staff
within Porsche’s design departments. And
there is never a shortage of fresh ideas
flowing from within it. Greg’s 914 GT is the
story of one such program. Much of the
experimentation done in Zuffenhausen
focused on the constructing race cars. Rac-
ing development programs not only pro-
duced Porsche victories at race tracks
around the world, but also served as the
perfect test bed for designs that were
placed into Porsche’s street car.
In 1969 and 1970 the Porsche racing depart-
ment built 12 Porsche 914/6 GT cars for
factory entered races, or better know as
Werks cars.
In 1970 Porsche entered a 914/6 GT in the
grueling 24-hours of Le Mans race. It
finished 6th overall and won its class.
Which was a remarkable accomplishment
by any standard.
Birth of a 914/6 GT
Some mystery surrounds the production of
Greg’s 914/6 GT. Around ’69 The body and
engine began to take shape in Porsche’s
Zuffenhausen factory, which is located
within the northern district of Stuttgart Ger-
man. However, the car’s complete assembly
may not have taken place at this facility.
Documents show that only a total of 47
914/6 GT were produced at the factory with
the M-471 racing option. And out of those
only 12 factory Werks racers were produced
In addition to these fully assembled, ready
to race Werks cars the factory also offered a
GT kit that was delivered in conjunction
with a regular 914/6 car. The kit was sup-
pose to be installed designated Porsche
dealers. It is unknown exactly how many
GT kits were sold, nor how many kits were
fully adapted to the cars. It is estimated that
around 200 to 250 kits were sold.
So many of the 914/6 where sent out in
pieces to the racing teams that had ordered
them. They would then undergo an exten-
sive build-up into a GT rally/racer at a dedi-
cated dealer’s location. Why would Porsche
do this? Because of a limited workforce and
high production demand at Porsche’s facto-
ry during this time. (Click for Reference)
It is possible that Greg’s car too may have
left the factory as less than a completely
assembled 914/6 GT rally/racer.
The original color of the car was Canary
Yellow. The Glockler shop painted the car
to the Light Blue Metallic that it is now.
Greg has stated that the car received a very
detailed repaint job at the Glockler facility.
He expressed to me that he believed Glock-
ler must have disassembled the car to
repainted it as thoroughly as they did.
However, after some research I believe that
Greg’s 914/6 may have left the Zuffen-
hausen factory in pieces. And once the car
was at the Glockler shop it was repainted
and underwent it’s final assembly into a GT.
However, I need to state that this is purely
conjecture on my part.
Stuttgart to Frankfurt to Munich
But we do know that Porsche filled this GT
order for the German Porsche dealer,
Mahag. As back then, Mahag is still located
in Munich, Germany. The Mahag dealership
was a pipeline that Porsche used to distrib-
ute many of it’s high performance race cars.
As suggested previously, Mahag may have
had the 914/6 GT components for Greg’s car
sent directly to the German auto stylist
Glockler. Glockler was a VW / Porsche
dealer and racing shop located in Frankfurt
Germany. It was owned by race car driver
Walter Glockler.
Walter Glocker was one of the earliest post
war VW dealers. And he is also credited with
many early Porsche racing car modifications.
Glockler may have been one of Porsche’s
designated dealer for the finally assembly of
some of these racing car.
Auf Wiedersehen
Our Little Car’s Birth Certificate
A Farewell Tribute to one of
GEM’s most Unique Porsches
7
Not only was Glockler one of the first to
race Porsche automobiles, he was also one
of the first of all Porsche owners to take a
standard Porsche and make substantial
changes to it in order to make it more com-
petitive on track. The mid-engine Glockler-
Porsche Specials that he built were the
inspiration for Porsche’s mid-engine 550
sports racer. (Click here for Reference)
To improve the 914’s air dynamics, Glockler
replaced the car’s frontend and front hood
with his own unique design.
Note the contrast between the two 914s
above. The 914 GT was to be used to
compete on many of the world’s great
tracks. Often of these racing events were
endurance type races that would run
continuously throughout the day and into
the night. These cars needed a very good
head light system for the high speed night
time driving.
Glockler’s redesigned front-end provided
better lighting for night driving. It also
reduced air flow drag by the redesigned
front hood with no lighting and placing a
large air dam at the bottom front of the car.
Other Clockler style/performance cues
included extended steel wheel arches, 6”
and 7” alloy rims, larger track (wider wheel-
base) limited slip differential, special adjust-
able left and right sports seats, sports
muffler, front oil cooler, roll bars, S-brakes,
and a special European am/fm radio with 8
track tape player. Greg stated that the
radio and volume control knob is located on
the far right side of the car, completely
away from easy access of the driver.
It was also at this time that his car received
it’s beautiful new paint color. Listed as
‘light blue metallic’, this has become the
color that all of us identify Greg’s car with.
Perhaps you may think that I’m forgetting to
mention the very distinctive rear spoiler.
Nope, that’s wasn’t Glockler’s idea. The tail
comes later.
Greg has stated there are only two other
known 914 GTs with the Glockler frontend
beside his. These two highly modified thor-
oughbreds were raced throughout Europe
on such famous tracks and road courses as
Sicily’s Targa Florio, Germany’s Nurburgring,
and even France’s very prestigious Le Mans
circuit. And as illustrated earlier, the 914
GT campaigned very effectively for Porsche.
After the Glockler restyle, the car was
returned to the Mahag dealership. Where
the Mahag CEO would enjoy it as his own
personal toy for the next year.
In July 24th 1970 the car was sold by the
MAHAG dealership to someone in Germany.
Records show it was serviced at the Mahag
dealership for the next year
Greg’s 914/6 GT Engine
All of the unique body redesigns and beefed
up suspension modifications are useless
without something to push the car around
the track.
Greg stated that his 914/6 GT had Porsche’s
2.2 S engine in it. But not your standard 2.2
S engine. This engine was a real hot rod. If I
remember correctly he stated the engine
had all of the components of a 2.2 S but the
engine used carburetors instead of fuel
injection. It also had several other high per-
formance features build into it. Including
racing cams used in the 901-20 engines that
powered the legendary 906. Engines have to
breath and the more air that can pump into
the engine, the more power it can produce.
And that cam is all about pumping major air.
The engine had an 11 to 1 compression
ration. Greg stated that was as high he
could run with gasoline. A higher comp
ratio would require the use of racing fuel,
which he did sometimes use.
The 914 GT crosses the Pond
In 1972 the 914 GT was imported into the
US by the Porsche/Audi dealership Wester
in Monterey, California. A doctor, Marvin
Taves from Reno, Nevada purchased the
car. He raced it at various California tracks
such as Sears Point and Laguna Seca.
In 1977 it showed up for sale on consign-
ment at the Beverly Hills Porsche dealer-
ship.
Greg stated that several potential buyers
passed on buying it because the unfamiliar
Glockler frontend confused people into
thinking it was not a genuine 914/6 GT.
Ron Webb and his wife Barbara, who just
happen to be founding members of the
Golden Empire Region of the PCA,
purchased the 914 GT in 1976 from the
Beverly Hills dealer. Joined by Greg and his
wife, Ron and Barbara trailered the car to
race tracks throughout the state, Arizona
and Nevada for many years to PCA and POC
time trial and autocross events. A clipping from a German newspaper listing
Inside the Glockler VW & Porsche
1952 Glockler-Porsche Roadster
8
Above is a photo the way the car came from
the factory. Note that there was no spoiler
at this time.
Placing the large distinctive rear tail was the
idea of Ron Webb. A company at the time
was producing those. Ron believed it would
make for better handling at the autocross
events. Greg stated that it did, however,
the large rear wing also slowed the car’s
speed on long open tracks such as Fon-
tana’s, Las Vegas, and Phoenix’s Speedways.
Ron and Barbara retired to Richfield, Utah in
1992, where Ron died in 1998. The GT was
stored at his Utah home for five years until
Greg acquired it in November of 2002.
The Greg Years
Greg had been attempting to buy the car
from Barbara after Ron’s death. And about
four years later he was successful. Greg
stated that the car was quite dirty when he
picked it up. But in no time at all Greg and
Rick Higdon had it all shined back to it’s
original luster.
Rick and Greg spent a lot of time tracking
the car through PCA, POC , and SCCA spon-
sored races. Greg spent much time racing
Autocross, Time Trials, and road courses.
And became very competitive in his class
claiming many track victories. Greg and
914 GT became familiar figures at many well
known tracks like; Laguna Seca, Sears Point,
Willow Spring, and Buttonwillow. They
could also be found together at many of the
areas high speed tracks such as Fontana,
Phoenix, and the Las Vegas speedways.
Greg said the car drove wonderfully. The
stiffer suspension that the car was built with
help keep the car from flexing and held it
tight to the road.
The Missing Engine Case
The original engine that shipped with the
car was removed to be protect it. Greg had
found another engine that he felt more
comfortable using for racing. A 911 2.7 S
that was actually more powerful than the
original. And it would have been a less ex-
pensive loss if it were to be damaged from
racing. He also thought it would a good time
to have the original 914/6 engine rebuilt.
The original GT engine was taken to a shop
to be rebuilt. However, Greg had other pro-
jects in the works and decided later to wait
on the engine rebuild. He said he picked up
the original engine from the rebuild shop.
But the engine was now in pieces and
contained within several boxes. The boxes
were all tucked away for a few years in a
storage unit.
Time passed and for what ever reason he
began searching through the boxes,
perhaps planning to rebuild the engine at
this time. That’s when fear struck him.
Within the boxes of parts, the original
engine case was no where to be found.
Greg says Rick Higdon and he looked all over
the storage units again and again. But failed
to find the engine case.
The engine case has never been located and
Greg fears that the engine case may have
accidently been switched for another, with
someone driving around in a Porsche, com-
pletely unaware of how valuable the engine
in their car really is.
The PCA Concours
Racing for top time and speed occupied
much of Greg’s time. However, Time Speed
Distance (TDS) Rallies and Concours were
two other events Greg enjoyed entering his
car into. And of course, anything this car
was entering into it usually won.
Showing a car that has just completed a
race somewhere the prior weekend requires
a lot of repairs, a lot of body work, and a lot
repainting. Rick stated working to repair the
bruised car was sometimes a 24 hour pro-
cess. He said this was how he learned fiber-
glass and body work. With a grin, Rick says
“ya, the cars get pretty messed up racing
around tracks”. Rumor has it that a few
well placed racing stickers can some nasty
paint chips before a concours :))
But in 2004 all of Greg’s and Rick’s hard
work paid off. Greg won the coveted Sam
Wang Award. This award is presented to a
PCA member who has performed the best
in four PCA event categories that year. The
four event categories include; Autocross,
Time Trial, TDS Rallies, and Concours.
Greg, with Rick’s help placed first in all
classes except Rally, in which he placed 3rd
for the entire year of 2003. Way to Go !!
Greg with Ex-Wife & Rick receiving Award
Hey Rick, you missed a spot !
A view of the car without the distinctive rear
The more familiar view of the car with the rear
Greg Piloting the 914/6 GT through
Laguna Seca’s iconic Corkscrew turns
Now Aim for the 2nd tree on the Left :)
9
An Email received by Greg from an acquaintance advertising his car for sell in late
1971. It translates the German sells ad shown on the previous pages.
Thank you Greg for sharing your Magnificent 914/6 GT
racer with all here in the Golden Empire Region of the
Porsche Club of America. It will be missed by all ……
10
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
13
By the late 1960s, both Volkswagen and
Porsche were in need of new models; Por-
sche was looking for a replacement for their
entry-level 912, and Volkswagen wanted a
new range-topping sports coupe to replace
the Karmann Ghia. At the time, the majority
of Volkswagen's developmental work was
handled by Porsche, part of a setup that
dated back to Porsche's founding;
Volkswagen needed to contract out one last
project to Porsche to fulfill the contract, and
decided to make this that project. Ferdinand
Piëch, who was in charge of research and
development at Porsche, was put in charge
of the 914 project.
Originally intending to sell the vehicle with a flat four-cylinder engine as a Volkswagen and with a flat six-cylinder engine as a Por-sche, Porsche decided during development that having Volkswagen and Porsche models sharing the same body would be risky for business in the American market, and con-vinced Volkswagen to allow them to sell both versions as Porsches in North America.
On March 1, 1968, the first 914 prototype was presented. However, development be-came complicated after the death of Volkswagen's chairman, Heinz Nordhoff, on April 12, 1968. His successor, Kurt Lotz, was not connected with the Porsche dynasty and the verbal agreement between Volkswagen and Porsche fell apart.
In Lotz's opinion, Volkswagen had all rights
to the model, and no incentive to share it
with Porsche if they would not share in tool-
ing expenses. With this decision, the price
and marketing concept for the 914 had
failed before series production had begun.
As a result, the price of the chassis went up
considerably, and the 914/6 ended up
costing only a bit less than the 911T, Por-
sche's next lowest price car. The 914/6 sold
quite poorly while the much less expensive
914/4 became Porsche's top seller during its
model run, outselling the Porsche 911 by a
wide margin with over 118,000 units sold
worldwide.
Volkswagen versions originally featured an 80 PS (59 kW) fuel-injected 1.7 L flat-4 en-gine based on the Volkswagen air-cooled engine. Porsche's 914/6 variant featured a carbureted 110 PS (81 kW) 2.0 L flat-6 en-gine from the 1969 911T, placed amidships in front of a version of the 1969 911's "901" gearbox configured for a mid-engine car. Karmann manufactured the rolling chassis at their plant, completing Volkswagen pro-duction in-house or delivering versions to Porsche for their final assembly.
914/6 models used a similar suspension and brakes to the 911, giving superior handling and braking superiority over the 4-cylinder Volkswagen models along with higher pow-er output. A Volkswagen-Porsche joint ven-ture, Volkswagen of America, handled ex-port to the U.S., where both versions were badged and sold as Porsches, except in Cali-fornia, where they were sold in Volkswagen dealerships. The four-cylinder cars were sold as Volkswagen-Porsches at European Volkswagen dealerships.
Slow sales and rising costs prompted Por-sche to discontinue the 914/6 variant in 1972 after producing 3,351 of them; its place in the lineup was filled by a variant powered by a new 100 PS (74 kW) 2.0 L, fuel-injected version of Volkswagen's Type 4 engine in 1973. For 1974, the 1.7 L engine was replaced by a 85 PS (63 kW) 1.8 L, and the new Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection sys-tem was added to American units to help with emissions control. 914 production end-ed in 1976. The 2.0 L flat-4 engine continued to be used in the 912E, which provided an entry-level model until the 924 was intro-duced.
The 914 was Motor Trend's Import Car of
the Year for 1970. A 914/6 GT piloted by
Frenchmen Claude Ballot-Lena and Guy
Chasseuil won the GTS class and finished
sixth overall at the 1970 24 Hours of Le
Mans.[3] Brian Redman used the 914/6 to
scout the course in practice runs of the
1970 Targa Florio circuit.
Two prototype 914s, dubbed 914/8, were
built during 1969. The orange 914/8 was the
first constructed, at the instigation of Ferdi-
nand Piëch (then head of the Racing Dept),
to prove the concept. Powered by the full-
blown, 310 hp (222 kW) 908 [flat-8] racing
engine, it was based on a surplus 914
handbuilt development prototype bodyshell
hence the many differences from the stand-
ard vehicle (e.g., the quad headlights). The
second, silver, road-registered car, powered
by a carburetted and detuned 908 race en-
gine making 260 hp (194 kW) was then pre-
pared as a gift to Ferry Porsche on his 60th
birthday. Also based on a spare prototype
shell (chassis no. 914006), it was much clos-
er to the standard car in detail. By all ac-
counts Ferry didn't like the car very much
and it sits in the Porsche Museum. Neither
car saw a racetrack except for the purposes
of testing. The 914/8 was not considered for
production as a regular model. Another fac-
tory prototype, a 914/6 (chassis no. 914114)
surfaced in the US in 2001. Together with a
surviving prototype Sportomatic 914/6
(chassis no. 914120), reputedly in Southern
Germany, they form a unique and fasci-
nating piece of Porsche history.
Development and Evolution of the Porsche 914
14
February 2014
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 Bakersfield
Golden Ox
Breakfast meet
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bakersfield
Golden Ox
Breakfast meet
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Drive to
Simi Valley, Ronald
Reagan Library
16 17 18 P F Chang’s
Social Meeting and
Dinner 6:30 PM
19 20 21 22 Bakersfield
Golden Ox
Breakfast meet
23 24 25 26 27 28
March 2014
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 Los Angeles
Literature Show &
Restoration Tours
2 Anaheim, Ca
All Porsche Swap
Meet & car Display
3 4 5 6 7 8 Riverside, CA
Walter’s Empire
100 Gimmick Rally
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Bakersfield
Breakfast Meet &
16 17 Willow Springs
Streets of Willow
DE and Autocross
18 Tony’s Pizza,
Social Meeting 6:30
4750 Coffee Rd.
19 20 21 22 Bakersfield
Golden Ox
Breakfast Meet
23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Bakersfield
Golden Ox
Breakfast Meet
30 31
15
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
Long Beach Grand
Prix Weekend
14 15 16 17 18 19 Bakersfield
Breakfast
20 21 22 Social Meeting
and Dinner
Location TBA
Announced
23 24 25 26 Bakersfield
Breakfast
27 28 29 30
May 2014
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 Bakersfield
Breakfast
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Bakersfield
Breakfast
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Bakersfield
Breakfast
18 19 20 Social Meeting
and Dinner
Location TBA
Announced
21 22 23 24 Bakersfield
Breakfast
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Bakersfield
Breakfast
16
Porsche Parade 2014: Monterey, California!
Monterey is the site of our 59th Porsche Parade, to be held this June 15 through 21, 2014. This is PCA’s annual extravagan-
za 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 banquets
and all competitive events, as well as most activities. Tours on some days will sell out, however.
Upon checking out of Parade registration, you will receive an email with the link to our host hotels and discount codes. We have blocked rooms at five area hotels, and we do expect hotel rooms to fill up quickly. Check In
Parade entrants should check in for Parade on Sunday, June 15 between 9 am and 5 pm. This is the only time when all the
event chair-people will be all together in one place to check you in, answer all your questions, and make sure you have the
banquet seats you want, pick up your meal tickets and are classified properly for the competitive events you’ve entered.
That is when you get your Parade goodie-bags and volunteer t-shirts. Late check-in is available throughout the week, but
we recommend getting to Monterey on Sunday.
17
Banquets
We have five banquets, our Welcome Party on Sunday the 15th, the Concours banquet on Tuesday, TSD banquet on
Wednesday, AX on Friday, and our Victory banquet on Saturday. You can sign up for all of them, or individually, through
registration.
Competitive Events
The Porsche Concours d’Elegance is the showcase of the week’s activities and gets started early on Monday, June
16th on the beautiful fairways of the Monterey Hyatt. We have classes for every Porsche and stage of preparation—from
“Full” preparation to “Street” class where only the interior and exterior, including wheels and tires, are judged.
The Mobil TSD Rally on Tuesday June 17th takes us in and around the beautiful vineyards, hills, forests and beaches of
the area in a rally that’s sure to become the stuff of legend. We’ll be offering the TSD Rally School on Monday evening, June
16.
The Michelin Autocross is on Wednesday and Thursday, June 18 and 19 at nearby Marina airport.
Whether you study-up or just show up, the Technical/Historical Quiz on the morning of Friday, June 20 is always a great
way to show what you know about our favorite cars… or to face what you don’t.
Events and Activities
Parade Kids
The Parade Kids program has become a favorite of our family of enthusiasts, with many of the kids forming enduring
friendships and looking forward to Parade each year. The 2014 Parade Kids program will have plenty of fun and adventure,
true to the California spirit of fun, adventure, and learning in Monterey.
Hospitality
The Hospitality area is always one of the best places to hang out at Parade, whether you’re perusing the various vendors,
partaking in the planned Beer or Wine tastings, or just looking to visit with friends before heading out to dinner.
Gimmick Rally
The Gimmick Rally will held Thursday, June 19th, and is designed to provide a scenic and entertaining outing for everyone, children included. The route showcases the 17-Mile Drive, the Lone Cypress, Carmel and its famous Mission, historic John Steinbeck sites and much, much more. The choice of this year's gimmick will be unique, and provide both fun and chal-lenge, along with capturing the amazing scenery and character of the Monterey Bay area. Tours
Throughout the week you will have an opportunity to go on a different driving tour each day. In addition, most driving
tours will run more than once during the week in the event you commit to another activity on a particular day. All tours
include a variety of points of interest and a destination.
18
Michelin Drive and Compare
Another great event at Parade is the Michelin Drive & Compare and this is your chance to take a couple of thrill laps
around the course in two identical Porsches with two different types of tires.
Golf Tournament
Please join us on Wednes- day, June 18 for the annual Porsche Parade Golf Tournament. We will be
playing at the Pacific Grove Golf Links, on the tip of the scenic Monterey Peninsula, overlooking
Point Pinos and the Pacific Ocean, just a short 5 mile drive from the Hyatt.
Parade of Porsches
The final driving event of Porsche Parade will give you an opportunity to Parade your Porsche and take
in the spectacular scenery of Monterey and Pebble Beach. You’ll take in breathtaking views of the coast and hills sur-
rounding Monterey and provide a great view to the locals of all our beautiful Porsches cruising by.
Art Show
The art-show is one of Parade’s “must see” events, providing a great venue for our talented and creative members to show off their vision, creativity, imagination and skill. This Parade event continues with categories in fiber arts, jewelry, painting, crafts and photography (both amateur and professional divisions). All Parade entrants may participate, includ-ing children. We have an expert judging committee as well as our favorite people’s choice award. Take some time during the week just to see the amazing talent of our PCA artists and craftspeople from around the country. Driver Education
One of the most asked questions about this year’s Parade: will there be a High Performance Driver Education event at
nearby Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca. The answer is yes-June 21-22. For more details, be sure to visit the Parade web-
site. Space will be limited!
5K Run/Walk
One of the best ways to finish off your week at Parade is the 5K run/walk. The event will be held the morning of June 21st,
with age classes from 10 years to 80+ years and awards for top male/female in each class, T-Shirts, and a commemorative
item for each participant. Please join us!
R/C Cars
The R/C contest has become a favorite in recent years with kids young and not-so-young. If you have a “ride” get entered.
If not, then come and watch. It’s a blast!
Goodie Store
Everyone who’s ever been to Parade knows this is a must-do on your shopping schedule. Whether it’s for this year’s logo
designed outerwear, special jewelry, Porsche-themed books, or to add to your miniature car collection, the 2014 Porsche
Parade Goodie Store will have a great array of products.
Volunteering
For “normal” people, vacation is the time to relax and be served. Porsche Parade is 99% volunteer supported! That's how all of us from all over the country get to know each other, by working a couple of four hour shifts during the week with other PCA members. As a thank you, you will be eligible to attend the exclusive Volunteer Party Luncheon on Saturday, June 21st—there are numerous door prizes too! Prior to Registering for Parade
Ensure you have an account for the member-only portion of www.pca.org You will need to login to register for Parade.
Check to see that all your information is up-to-date and current, especially your e-mail address. All pre-Parade materials
are sent to you via e-mail, and are posted on the Parade website http://parade2014.pca.org .
19
Tech Academy
The fifth annual Parade Tech Academy will be held Friday, June 20th, immediately following the Tech Quiz. Once again,
we have an exciting mix of our outstanding PCA Technical Committee and outside speakers. By attending more than one
session, you become eligible for "Tech Academy Accreditation" of various levels, depending on the number of sessions
you attend:
Five Sessions equals a "Doctorate"
Four Sessions earns a "Masters"
Three Sessions takes a "Bachelors"
Two Sessions starts you with an "Associate"
Registration Fees
Everyone signing up for Parade must pay an entrant fee of $169, which covers the entrant and co-entrant.
Fees for the four major competitive events are:
Concours -- $30 per car,
Autocross -- $30 per driver,
TSD Rally -- $15 per car, and
Tech/Historical Quiz -- $15 per person.
Entrant fees for guests are as follows:
JPP/CAFP -- $20,
Child age 13-15 -- $15,
Child under age 13 -- $10.
Adult guests -- $40.
Additional fees apply for banquets and for selected other activities.
Advance Registration is mandatory -- there is no on-site registration during Parade. Parade registrations are not trans-
ferable. Fifty percent of your registration fee and 100 percent of your banquet fees will be refunded if your e-mailed can-
cellation request is received on or before June 10. There is no refund for cancellations made after that time. You may
make changes to your registration at any time before June 10.
Questions!
If you have questions regarding Parade, please consult the Parade website at Parade2014.pca.org. If you are unable to find your answer there, email Kathleen Behrens, Parade Registrar at [email protected] or call 503.579.3423 (please leave a message).
20
The Porsches in the Barn
The Find
I first met Bill and Martha at the PCA Golden Empire Region Christ-
mas party my wife & I hosted in 2011. I knew they owned a 1953
and a 1958 cabriolet from looking over the club membership list a
week earlier, but we had never met and I had never seen the cars. I
greeted the couple as they arrived for the get together and immedi-
ately took them to the garage to show off my restored ‘55 Continen-
tal Coupe. Bill offered that he hadn’t driven his 356’s for over 30-
years. Further, he commented “…these old Porsches are worth over
$100,000 all fixed up like this one…” Knowing the time and cost
associated with a bare-metal restoration I agreed and told him that I
would be interested should he ever want to sell one of his cars. He
replied that his daughter would probably want one of them and his
son the other. I remember hoping that my son and daughter would
want one of my Porsches to keep and continue our family tradition of
Porsche ownership, care and restoration.
The Porsches in the Barn By Spencer Harris
Last month here in the Grapevine I started new column which
will, from time to time profile Porsche projects that our GEM
membership is working on. Bringing old Porsches back to life
will be the focus of these columns.
Last month I introduced you to a few of the member’s projects.
As a member’s project progresses I will update the membership
on that progress. Hopefully we can produce a running log
within the Grapevine of member’s cars from the fixer upper
stage to the finished products.
So this month it is a real treat to share an amazing story from
Spencer Harris. Spencer takes us on a journey from discovery
to the beginnings of very detailed restoration projects of two of
his Porsche 356s.
Spencer stated he was motivated to write this article after fin-
ishing the book The Cobra in the Barn, by Tom Cotter. A con-
densed version of the story you are about to read was previous-
ly published in the 356 Registry Magazine.
On a personal note, I would like to thank Spencer very much
for providing this piece all ready written. It make my job so
much easier when I receive a piece that is already written, and
all details are supplied.
And now, on to the Porsches in the Barn …
Michael Thomas
Newsletter Editor
21
When my first cousin finished his dental internship and landed his
first job as a dentist in Sebring, Florida, he bought a brand new, red
’62 sunroof coupe for around $5,000. At the time in the Southeast-
ern US you could buy a pretty nice home for $5-grand, and I remem-
ber my Grandmother remarking that “…Gene has lost his mind
spending that kind of money on a car...” (Mammaw is also fondly
remembered for bragging occasionally that she “…never drove a car;
never wore long breeches and never chewed tobacco…”). Just shy
of my 15th birthday, my Mom, Dad and I visited Gene at his folks’
place in Knoxville, Tennessee, and I was completely mesmerized by
the shiny, new sports car in the driveway. My cousin walked out the
door; tossed me the keys and said “Hey, bud, let’s go for a ride”. We
laughed the whole drive about the expression on my Father’s face as
I navigated the little coupe out the driveway and onto Kingston Pike
(Thunder Road), in West Knoxville. Thankfully, I never got over the
experience. Throughout high school and college, I made my annual
spring-break trip down to Sebring for the 12-hour race. Gene was
always on one or more committees, so I got to see some pretty
unique production and prototype cars over the years. Every couple
years, Gene would trade for another Porsche and I would test-drive
his newest acquisition during my visit. He quit trading after he
bought his 914-6 in 1970, and that model was indeed the most fun to
drive. When I graduated from college in 1971, I sold my VW bus
and bought a topless ’57 speedster. I’ve bought and sold a dozen or
so 356’s over the years always hanging onto my Continental
(acquired in ’72) which now lives in a Car-Capsule bubble in my
garage and does a couple local shows a year.
The following October, I asked my wife Tammy to phone Martha to
say ‘hi’, and casually ask if Bill may have changed his mind about
selling one of his Cabriolets. Martha phoned back a day or two later
and told Tammy that Bill was ready to sell his cars. Bill has a regu-
lar golf game on Mondays and Wednesdays; something going on this
weekend; previous commitment next Tuesday; so Tammy and Mar-
tha set-up a meeting at their place the following Thursday morning to
look at the cars. I was ecstatic. I have to chuckle when I recall grill-
ing Tammy about that phone conversation. “…Cars? Are you sure
she said cars? Did she say wants to sell or ready to sell? Is he going
to advertise the cars? She didn’t say anything about how much?
And multiple times – Don’t mention a word to anyone – especially
to any of our friends in the Porsche Club…”
The previous owners are retired school teachers, both in their eight-
ies. Bill told me he had put both of his kids through college buying,
repairing and selling Volkswagens. The 356 cabriolets were their
personal drivers. Bill drove the ’53 with the “MI XTC” personalized
California blue plate and Martha drove the ’58 with a plate reading
“HR XTC”. I never really pushed the owners about when or where
they acquired the Porsches, as I got the impression that they had
bought and sold many cars over the years and probably didn’t have
any records. When the couple retired from teaching they bought a
ranch in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains with a small two-room
cabin and several out-buildings. They parked the cabriolets in two of
the storage sheds along with a ’58 A-coupe (now beautifully restored
and owned by their daughter, Linda). For the next few years they
lived in the small cabin and built from scratch a handsome two-story
home using an old Chevy one-ton to haul building materials from
Bakersfield (1-hour away) and across the final 4-mile stretch of dirt
roads and cow pastures to their new home. Over time the Porsches
were forgotten and their VW Jetta and Beetle took their place as pri-
mary drivers.
The days ‘til the next Thursday dragged by, but my mind was racing
with dreams, schemes and recollections! I had sold my last open 356
in 1975 (a Convertible-D rolling chassis for $1,000), and watched
along with everyone else as prices went up and up and up. The most
I had ever paid for a 356 was for my first one - $1,200 for a ’57
Speedster – no top, no frame, no side curtains, but the most fun I’d
ever had behind the wheel of a car! I only paid $900 for my Conti-
nental Coupe back in ’72. I bought a Speedster shell listed in the
Pano for $100 in the early ‘70’s, and didn’t even bother picking it up.
A friend ran an E-Production Speedster in SCCA events and I let
him have it for the same $100. I could never make myself pay the
kind of money people were now asking for D’s, Roadsters, Cabs or
OMG-Speedsters! Now, I just might be able to have another 356
convertible!
The Deal Ordeal
I’m in the oil business and enjoyed living and working overseas for a
dozen or so of my 35-years in the industry. I’ve negotiated and exe-
cuted contracts with Americans, British, French, Dutch, Canadian,
Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese, Thais, Malays, Nigerians and Gabo-
nese (W. Africa), so negotiating business deals, while sometimes
challenging, is something I’m accustomed to. I’m normally quite
comfortable preparing for negotiations and putting a deal together –
or knowing when to walk away. Tammy would probably say I was
my usual cool, calm, collected, business-as-usual self, but I readily
admit my excitement was veiling my nervousness. The shock of
seeing a pair of 356 Cabriolets neglected and wasting away also
helped conceal my anxiety.
Spencer’s 1955 356
Continental Coupe
22
Thursday morning, October 11, 2012, we’re loaded and out the gate,
headed for Pozo Flats – about an hour northeast of our Almond ranch
in Shafter, California. I’ve loaded my floor jack, ½ inch ratchet &
socket to turn the engines over, 14v flashlight with extra battery,
floor creeper, hand tools, gloves, coveralls – I’m ready to crawl un-
der a couple of 356’s and check them out. I’ve thought through my
strategy and have a number in mind – if I can buy one of the cabrio-
lets for $40k or less, I’ll do it. I know to the penny how much I put
into the restoration of my ’55 coupe; I’ve calculated a percentage
increase in the cost of parts, labor and machine work; I therefore
know how much I would have in a bare-metal restoration – and I
know how much the restored car is worth in the current market. Eve-
rything after all is relative. I could have bought an A-Cab thirty
years ago for under $4,000; spent $6,000 on a restoration and the car
could’ve sold for $15,000. So, now everything’s just multiplied by
ten. Am I making 10 times more today than I was in 1982? Do I
have ten times more money in my retirement account than I did in
1982? What if he only wants to sell both cars? What if he wants
$40k for each car? Do I want to have that much invested in a couple
of 356’s? What if the 356 market crashes? That’s precisely what
happened to the Enron employees – no diversification! Does Tammy
know how to cook Hamburger Helper & Pork ‘n Beans? Nervous?
Nah, not a bit!
The GPS in my truck showed the route from here to there; mile by
mile; intersection by intersection; turn by turn; and then 4-1/2 miles
of white screen with blue line down the middle. We’re at the little
arrow and they’re at the little star at the end – no names, no roads,
nothing but fields, cow pastures,
horse corrals, gates, cattle guards,
Live-Oak trees and huge granite outcrops every couple hundred feet
threatening the doors and fenders of my F250. We encountered a
couple of forks in the ‘road’ with ranch names on signs pointing left
or right, and had to give them a try just to hear the GPS announce
“recalculating” – kind of a test I like to run on the GPS lady to make
sure she really does know where we are. A couple hundred yards
from Bill & Martha’s place, I spy the silhouette of either a Beetle or
a 356 coupe in an open field next to an upside down ’56 Buick, a
dilapidated water tank and some other junk. A bit closer, I recognize
the twin beehive taillights and announce “this has got to be the
place” followed immediately by “I hope to God that’s not one of the
cars.”
Bill met us in the driveway and directed us to the parking area be-
tween the house and the barn buildings. A dozen laying hens cackle
and flutter about as my diesel engine stirs up the dust near the fenced
coup and hen hutch behind the house. Their home is a beautiful two-
story house nestled between two Live-Oak covered ridges – the view
is breathtaking. Native creatures include deer, boar, coyotes,
jackrabbits, possum, foxes, and bobcats. The terraced vegetable gar-
den off the rear patio would rival the average Albertson’s produce
aisle. Bill’s “driving range” is positioned to the South of the patio
and aimed down the floor of the valley – much further than I can hit.
A bucket of range balls and an assortment of clubs wait nearby – hit
all you want – you pick ‘em up. Tammy wants to talk about the
chickens (she’s always wanted to raise chickens on our place). Then,
she wants Martha to show her the garden. I’m trying to be polite and
dying to have a look at the cars. Finally, after several subtle nudges,
winks and nods we make our way across the acreage toward the three
storage barns.
Now Bill looks as though he’s spent the last few hours on a cotton
combine with an open cab. He explains as we make our way across
the field that he has spent the morning “cleaning the cars up”. Cool,
I’m thinking maybe we can actually start these babies up. On ap-
proach to the first barn, I see a pile of VW & Porsche rims, pieces of
engine tin, an old-style VW/356 tow bar and other assorted German
car components. I have a cursory glance at the 356 coupe shell in the
field (’55 coupe) and take a mental inventory – top crushed beyond
repair; front clip removed; passenger door missing; maybe some sal-
vageable parts. Bill and his son had bought the coupe and used the
front clip to repair his daughter’s ’58 coupe many years ago. After
salvaging what they needed they had left the car where it now sat.
The sliding door was already open and inside the barn we get our
first peek at the ’53 Cabriolet. Looks like Strawberry Red with a
white convertible top. Old VW seats and body panels are stacked
higher than the cabriolet on one side. In front of the 356 are several
pushrod engines and shelves stacked deep with engine tin, cylinder
heads, steering wheels, headlight assemblies, more rims, bumpers,
trim moldings, carbs, etc. Hey, there’s the passenger door off the old
coupe outside. Four flat tires and thirty plus years of dust have ren-
dered the 356 rocker panels to ground level. Debris & critter nests
cover the floor to near seat level – I immediately scrap the notion of
crawling underneath to look at the floor pans – I am genuinely
shocked! I use a broom-stick-handle to poke through the debris on
the floors – sounds like there’s metal underneath. “We drove the
cars in here in 1980” swears Bill. I don’t even want to try to turn the
engine over for fear of causing more damage than thirty years of
neglect. I check the engine serial number to confirm it’s a Porsche
engine, and check the other engine cases in the front of the building –
two more Porsche engines on rotted old wooden pallets. I am amazed
at the collection of stuff and more so at the condition of the car.
First look at the 1953 356 Cabriolet
Bill and Martha, right
Tammy Harris, left
23
The second barn 100 feet down the hillside houses the ’58 Cabriolet.
This building is open on one side exposing the rear of the car to the
elements though; faded paint is the least of my concerns. There’s
much less stuff stored in this barn, so the car is much more accessi-
ble. More piles of debris and evident nests in the floorboard – the
floor jack and coveralls are definitely staying in the pickup today! I
check the floors with the broom handle; confirm the Porsche engine
number and wiggle the steering wheel a bit. Tammy’s busy looking
at old pottery pieces elsewhere in the building and Bill’s in the mood
to chat with her about the old cabin down the way where they lived
while they were building their house. This time she didn’t pick up
on my subtle hints, so I finally gave her a serious glare and made a
sharp, zipper motion across my lips. She got the message and decid-
ed to go look through the garden with Martha, and leave Bill and me
to talk about the cars.
After confirming with Bill that he would sell both cars, I admitted to
him that I was shocked and surprised at the condition of the vehicles.
I truly did not know the value of 356 Porsches in the condition these
were in, and would not for the world insult him or his property. “I
do know how much effort and cost is involved in restoring these
cars, and I’m thinking the cars are worth maybe $10,000 each – may-
be $15,000 apiece.” “I would entertain an offer in that range” Bill
replied immediately.
I thought my knees were going to buckle. My heartbeat was surely
nearing redline. I started looking more closely inside the ’53 interi-
or; I double checked the engine serial number; no need to kick the
tires – they were already flat; “I’m going to buy two 356 Cabriolets
today…” I thought to myself. “How about $25,000 for both cars”
offered Bill? Bingo! More intense poking around looking at stuff
I’d already looked at twice and thinking of a counter offer. Asian
business people customarily practice negotiation for just about any
transaction – large or small. To pay the asking price without trying
to get a better deal is to “lose face” (and oftentimes an insult to the
seller). To haggle a bit and negotiate a price that both parties agree
to is to “save face”. No one is offended; no feelings are hurt; both
parties get what they want; the seller moves the product with some
profit and the buyer gets a discount. Much more fun than walking
into a store having their monthly, going-out-of-business sale where
everything’s already marked down 40%. “OK” I counter, “I’ll give
you $25,000 for everything Porsche; both cabriolets, the old coupe in
the field, the extra engines, parts, everything made by or for Porsches
– plus I want the old wooden sign hanging from the rafters that reads
NOLITE ID COGERE CAPE MALLEUM MAJOREM”. We shook
hands and headed back to the house for lemonade.
After a pleasant visit on the patio, Tammy and I hacked a half-bucket
of golf balls part way down the range and hiked down to gather them
up for the next players. I wrote Bill a check for a deposit and Martha
promised to dig up all the registration and title paperwork on the
cars. We got our calendars out and figured out a day we could return
and pick the cars up in two weeks, October 26. As we’re back in the
pickup and making our way across the dirt track toward the highway,
Tammy asks “You didn’t really buy those cars did you?” “Of course
I did” I replied with confidence, “That was a much better investment
than anything we have in our accounts at Wells Fargo.”
We picked up the Cabriolets on October 26th with the help of a friend
from work and his adopted son. Ronnie and Matt laughed when they
saw the license plates on the cars (MI XTC and HR XTC). They told
Bill & Martha that Ecstasy was the name of the date-rape drug, and
you probably couldn’t get that plate from DMV these days. We had
opted not to take our 7 ft. tall enclosed trailer for the pickup due to
the narrow dirt road access; so we took our open trailer and a second,
rented open trailer for the trip. After airing the tires, the ’53 was
rolled out of the storage shed and onto the trailer with very little ef-
fort. The emergency brake was seized on the ’58, so I had to crawl
underneath and loosen the adjustment nut before winching the car
onto the trailer. Other than finding a jackrabbit asleep in the front
floor of the ’53, there were no surprises. Neither car has the original
engine; the ’53 had a 1956, 1600N and the ’58 a 1962, 1600N. Both
cars were mounted with 15” wheels and there was no sign of the
original 1300N engine or 16” wheels from the ’53. Otherwise the
cars are 99% complete, dry and relatively rust-free.
1958 356 Cabriolet
The Pickups & the Fix-ups
24
We delivered the 1953 cabriolet to a restoration shop in San Diego
on November 26th for a bare-metal restoration expected to take 18-
months. The Certificate of Authenticity from Porsche, NA shows
the ’53 was delivered with Black over Tan leather and a 1300N en-
gine. Though not specified on the COA the serial number confirms
that the car originally had a small “mail-slot” window. I’ve pur-
chased a reproduction European Beech wood frame and acrylic lens
from Ted Capp in Washington, Reinhold Plank shipped me a rubber
seal from Italy and Tony Garcia at Autobahn Interiors in San Diego
will install the tan Connolly leather, black square-weave carpet and
black German canvas top & interior. I will install a period correct
1500N or 1500S engine. I have a spare set of 16” rims which will
be chromed and installed with baby moons. This car will be a full-
on concourse, show-only car with maybe an occasional parade lap
or two. Way too many idiots out there texting & driving to risk a 60
-year old 1 of 389 Porsche (389 ’53 Cabs with mail-slot windows).
Spencer has updated me on the
‘53’s restoration status. The 356
may have been a happy camper
but Spencer was not.
Since Spencer’s original writing
of this article, Spencer and the
San Diego restoration shop has
had a disagreement. And the
‘53 356 was taken back home to
Shafter.
Spencer has stated that he still
plans on providing a concours
quality restoration for the car.
In fact I believe that the ’53 may
already at another shop in the
process of being restored.
Keep us up to date on the pro-
gress of these two Spencer.
I’m restoring the 1958 Cabriolet myself and it is currently stripped,
sealed and waiting for body & paint at Pete Perez’ Paint & Body, a
well-known local hot rod builder (expected start late August). Good
news is there's amazingly, minimal rust, so there’s lots of good met-
al to attach to. Bad news is several signs of front-end and rear-end
collision damage with multiple repairs using brass, bondo and lead.
After checking/straightening the chassis we're going to replace with
NEW panels: entire floor pan, complete front nose panel, front fend-
ers, all panels inside front trunk, all battery compartment panels,
front diagonal member, both longitudinal and rocker panels, both
lower door skins and door bottoms, complete rear end body panel
and all fender braces. The COA shows Silver Metallic over Red
leather with optional silver metallic luggage rack and USA bump-
ers. Tony (Autobahn) is currently working on the top frame and
interior from the ’58 and will install red leather, red square weave
with red cloth binding and black German canvas top. I have an
original luggage rack which I’ve sandblasted and powder coated
metallic silver. Bob Chase (Grey Eagle) is making the over-riders
which were missing from the car when I bought it. Walt (CE) is
building a ’62 1600S motor with 86mm JE pistons, ported 912
heads with 40mm intakes, Carrillo rods, Scat crank, re-ground ‘C’
cam and Solex 40 PII carbs. I plan to drive the ’58 in PCA and
Registry events and probably show in wash ‘n shine.
Recent Developments
After Ten Hours
of Sand Blasting
Click for more 1958 356
Cabriolet restoration pix For more 1953 356 Cabriolet
Restoration Photos Click Here
This Little ‘53 Cab goes to Camp This Little ‘58 Cab stays Home
25
Tammy and I went back two-weeks after picking up the cabriolets
and rescued the ’55 coupe from the field. This shell was not a roller,
so I took half-dozen two-inch round, wooden poles to position under
the shell and winch it onto the trailer. This ordeal took nearly as
long as loading the two cabriolets and all the other parts on our earli-
er trip. As we were making one last trip through the barns and pick-
ing up a few items we had left behind, Bill announced “This coupe
was not part of the original deal, so here’s what I’ll take for it. I paid
$50 for the ’55 when I bought it, but I used the front clip on my other
coupe, so I want $40”. Well, it was part of the original deal, but I’m
certainly not going to argue over $40 and I wouldn’t unload it for
$400. It cost me more than 40-bucks to drive up to his ranch and
back. Two twenties changed hands; another handshake and every-
body saves face! I’ll be using the handbrake assembly from the old
coupe on my ’53; I salvaged the rear clip, deck lid, three beehive
bases, both doors, the complete front suspension, steering box, pedal
and shift assemblies - and hauled the rest to the scrap yard.
I paid 40-bucks for a wooden sign that reads
“don’t force it, get a bigger hammer” in Latin.
Down the Road
I don’t plan on making a hobby or second career out of hunting down
barn finds. I will continue to enjoy watching 356 sales on eBay and
the Registry website. I consider the auction and sale results a market
index equivalent to the Dow Jones Industrial Average - narrow but
indicative of the broader markets. Both indices could imply the dif-
ference between steak and pork ‘n beans. If another ‘find’ drops out
of the sky into my lap, I will definitely pursue it, but I’m too busy
farming and drilling oil wells to look for any more projects to pile on
my plate right now. Tammy & I are looking forward to completing
the restorations, retiring from the oil business and traveling with our
356 collection to PCA and Registry events around the country. Our
daughter Carrera lives in Knoxville, Tennessee where she’s working
on her PhD at my alma mater. Our son Spencer, Jr. lives in New-
foundland, Canada where he builds houses in the summer and freez-
es the other 10-months, so we have plenty of excuses to travel out-
side of California.
Having said all that, if you happen to run across an old 356 Porsche
in someone’s barn – shoot me an email. I still can’t get this silly grin
off my face!
Spencer Harris
Harris Farms, Shafter, CA.
A pretty rough looking ‘55 356 Coupe
Picking up the Pieces
For more pictures of the “Find” Click Here