President's Message

From the Interim Co-Editor(s)

by Jerry Gladstone, der Riesenbaum Interim Co-Editor

Cheers,  

Jerry 

On a sweltering early summer afternoon, 20 cars and 45 intrepid Redwood Region members gathered under a large tree in the parking lot behind the Sonoma Plaza in preparation for our second annual Dinner Run to the Plaza Bistro.  Last year's event proved to be very popular, and judging from the turnout, this year's event would be too.There may have been a bit less tire-kicking than usual owing to the oppressive heat, but the enthusiasm among the participants was evident. Joe Burroughs and Don Magdanz had planned a challenging loop through the mountains that would lead us back to the parking lot, with but a short walk to the Plaza Bistro restaurant for dinner. It was encouraging to see that several members had joined us for their first Redwood Region event ever.

After the Driver's Meeting, and discussions concerning the route and the regrouping points, our caravan of Porsches ventured out into the crowded streets of Sonoma en route to the upcoming curvy roads. It seemed as if half the cars were Boxster variants, and despite the heat, most of them were motoring top down!  As a former convertible owner myself (a Miata that I owned for 23 years), I knew that judicious use of the air-conditioner can make top-down cruising comfortable, even in 100 degree heat. No such comforts for me in my 911T however, and the slow slog through Sonoma was a bit uncomfortable until the group got up over 30 mph.

Once we reached Arnold Drive, the traffic thinned out a bit and our caravan of Porsches cruised through the picturesque countryside of the Sonoma Valley. A brief stretch of State Highway 12 led the group to the tasty portion of the run:Sonoma County's version of the "tail of the dragon," also known as Trinity Road.Trinity Road carves a steep and narrow path through the Mayacamas Mountains on its way to the Wine Country of the Napa Valley.The road surface can charitably called "uneven," but most people just called it &$%@ bumpy!  I was constantly reminded of that fact as my stiffly-suspended 911T leaped and crashed over the many imperfections in the road. Not that I was complaining, mind you!  The road surface just added to the challenge of the road and made the drive more satisfying. I was glad to finally reach the summit, as the oil temperature in my old flat-6 had climbed to a new record (almost 230 degrees). That temperature is still below the definition of "hot" proposed by the late Bruce Anderson, so I wasn't TOO concerned.

After the steep climb up Trinity Road, the group turned off onto Mount Veeder Road, which clings to the upper slopes of the Mayacamas as it makes its way to Napa.  Like Trinity Road, Mount Veeder Road is a narrow, twisty, bumpy route.  The benefit is that there's very little traffic, which allowed our group to settle into a comfortable pace and enjoy the roller-coaster-like ride into the flatlands of Napa.  All too soon, the road began to straighten out, and we were headed back to Sonoma via the vineyards of the Carneros district.

It was nice to arrive back at our parking lot with reserved parking for the cars (thanks to Joe Burroughs for arranging that little luxury).  A short stroll through the area surrounding the downtown square of Sonoma found us at our restaurant for the evening:  the Plaza Bistro, Sonoma.  Our group filled a large room in the restaurant, and it was apparent that the drive had been enjoyable for all - even those who missed a turn or two and had to find their way back to Sonoma unescorted.  The meal was delicious and the service was excellent, far better than last year!

All in all, the Dinner Run was a rousing success.  The hot weather may have deterred some folks, but as a group, Porsche owners are generally an intrepid bunch.  Those who braved the heat were rewarded with an enjoyable drive through some of the area's best twisty roads, and the event was capped off by an excellent dinner.  My sincere thanks go out to the event organizers, and also to all of the members who made this their first event.  I hope all of the newcomers enjoyed themselves and felt welcomed, and on behalf of the Board, we hope to see all of you soon at another event! 

Kurt's Korner: Porsches on the Plaza, July 13, 2013 

by Kurt Fischer, Past President, Redwood Region

Arose at 5:30am, watched the sunrise, and prepared for a stunning weather day for our fourth Porsches on the Plaza in beautiful Sonoma.  As I pull into the horseshoe in front of City Hall there is my co-host, Joe Burroughs, already there unpacking his Porsche support vehicle (PSV) with the help of Cindy Stockman.  This event was Joe's idea, years ago. Joe works for the City of Sonoma and his office window looks out directly onto the horseshoe.

The Plaza at Sonoma Being Decorated with Porsches                 photo by Ronald Breeze

At about 8:30 am the cars start arriving and I slot them into place, parking on an angle for best viewing.  Our registration table is set up with the help of Simone and Thorsten Kopitzki and Craig Steele. Let the fun begin!

This event is very laid back. We bring our fine Porsches, our chairs, lunches and good bottles of libation. We enjoy the Sonoma Plaza and the throngs of visitors who feast their eyes on our fine German automobiles...tourists galore...little boys drooling and asking their dads if they can have one, etc. I heard them talking: "hey look at all the great cars!" I hope that a new car nut generation is being hatched.

We end up with 32 cars on the horseshoe. After lunch we begin the process of handing out prizes for the "People's Choice" awards. 

Bela Thury's Stunning Gray 356 Cab photo by Ronald Breeze

Jim Hybiske, with his Speedster...wins again!  Mike Burns and his Turbo comes in 2^nd and Bela Thury with his 356 Cab comes in 3^rd!   Thanks to Adobe Road Winery for the bottles of their fine wines that were given to the top three winners. We also had a raffle handing out Porsche calendars, Porsche pins, etc.  Winners all around!

New this year also was the 1^st Redwood Region bike ride set up by Don Magdanz and his 2 wheel buddies. Seven hearty cyclists participated in the bicycle ride. Jerry Gladstone led 4 cyclists on the Cup ride to Cuttings Wharf, about 30 miles total. Don Magdanz led 3 on the 911 ride on a similar course, about 15 miles .The weather was ideal: not too hot and very little wind; fortunately, the tail wind was on the return, which is the best for cycling as it makes you feel really fast at the end of the ride.

Mike DiPaoli's Awesome GT3 RSR         photo by Ronald Breeze

Thanks for this wonderful event go to Joe Burroughs and Cindy Stockman, Simone and Thorsten Kopitzki, Craig Steele, our President Vern Rogers and Ron Breeze for the pictures. Special thanks to Deven Wailes, our sponsor from Hi Tech Automotive, for the great after party.  We will do this again next year as it is one of our favorite events.  You missed out if you were not there.

People's Choice Winner - Jim Hybiske's Speedster      photo by Ronald Breeze

Larry Adams  OldCarNut@aol.com 

Autocross Results

 Paul Czopek  axnut@att.net

  Article reprinted courtesy of PCA Sacramento Valley Region's The Drifter, July 2013

 Registration & Information  www.snr-pca.org/concours

PCA Escape to L.A. October 24 - 27, 2013

(dR) Al, how did you get involved with Porsche cars and Redwood Region?

It was 1969, I was newly married and was saving for a down payment on a house when I was smitten with the new Porsche models. The down payment did not become a house, but rather a new Tangerine 912! I had wanted a Targa, but only a coupe was available. I joined Redwood Region at that time for the camaraderie, friendship and a bit of autocross.

(dR) Is it true that you have more than one Porsche?

Yes, in 1975 I saw a lime green 1961 356 Karmann notchback on a local street with a for sale sign in the window. It was so cheap I could not pass it up -- I bought it. Turns out that it became my primary Porsche after my wife had an autocross accident in the 912. The 356 became and still is my usual Porsche ride; the 912 was set up for concours. Oh, but there is another half Porsche! I have half interest in a 2006 Boxster co-owned with my daughter and her husband -- and I do drive it often. So I am the owner of two and a half Porsches.

(dR) What was Redwood like in the 70's and 80's?

It was a very social and fun group. We of course had parties, tours, autocrosses, BBQs, rallyes and track events. But primarily the car served as a social outlet. We made great friends, had good times and supported each other. We even worked on each other's cars helping keep costs down. Back in those days, when the Cotati Racetrack still existed, the late Emmett Wilder taught us how to really drive our Porsches. But everything was just for fun -- no fancy stuff, just good friendly people. 

(dR) Care to share some of the great stories?

At my first Parade, in Monterey, I was the guy who pushed Dr. Porsche. I was placing cars for concours and this old fellow was in my way. Later I learned who he was and that I had earned the "DummKopff Award" for my diligence. On a Mendocino trip we stole room keys and short sheeted each others' beds. Being of Italian ancestry, I really liked the "Italian Parties". You had to be Italian to come, or you could just bring something Italian like a string of garlic! Then there was the "here today, gone tomorrow winery". We would set up an impromptu "winery" along the tour route to a real winery. It was set up a few minutes before the first arrivals and dismantled immediately afterwards. So for about 20 minutes cheap wine was served with a ladle into a paper cup, sometimes from a toilet bowl!

(dR) How about driving-oriented events?

In addition to those events we already talked about, one stands out in my mind. On the way to Parade in Snowmass, we had a couple of people in new 930 Turbos and they wanted to see how fast they could go. Emmett hit 156 and the other 155 -- it was quite a show.

(dR) What activities would you like to see brought back?

Weekend tours, BBQs and Pool Parties.

(dR) Any last thoughts?

I have not been very active in the club recently, though I had a great time on the One-One-Fun Run. I would go to more events if I knew about them -- I miss the printed der Riesenbaum. [Note: Al does not do email.)

(dR) Thanks Al for the wonderful remembrances.

Redwood History

  Five Years Ago in Redwood Region 

Porsches on  the Plaza

              Shawn Morrison's  - 968 Turbo S  

                     Building the Perfect Clone

Looking at the Porsche 968 turbo S it's difficult to tell if it's some sort of concept car that never got off the ground. Maybe a motor sports driven race car with only one purpose in mind. Or could it be a one-off creation that a fly-by-night speed shop put together. While in reality the latter two are correct, all of these come to mind when anyone unfamiliar with the 968 lineages ask me about he car. I feel that these are due to the timeless lines and aerodynamic curves that make up the 968 and ultimately the thoroughbred turbo S!

It's just breathtaking when under full acceleration up from 2nd to 6th. Yet around town, when not at supersonic speeds, it idles steadily, cruises smoothly, and stays nice and cool just as Porsche designed it to be. With the relatively little expense and huge number of hours devoted to this mechanical masterpiece, just as the factory did, I can honestly say that this is one of the most intriguing, well rung out prototypes that has ever been created for the street. My modifications are both tasteful as they are functional, and kept in tune with innovation and practicalism.

(ultra rare 968 Turbo S with only 15 produced.... http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z770/Porsche_968_Turbo_S.aspx) 

Membership Report

Membership Information

Der Riesenbaum is the official newsletter of the Porsche Club of America, Redwood Region, encompassing Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma Counties. This publication is intended to inform Club members about Club activities and other related matters of interest. The opinions expressed in der Riesenbaum are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Porsche Club of America, Redwood Region, its officers, or its members.

Letters to the editor, feedback, questions, and suggestions about der Riesenbaum and the Redwood Region in general are welcome. We also encourage members to submit photos and/or write-ups about Club events or related activities. Written contributions and photos are welcome and should be emailed to the editor. The submission deadline for publication in der Riesenbaum is the 15th day of the month preceding the month of publication. Material received after the deadline will be considered for publication the following month. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit all material submitted for publication.

All written content and images in this publication are protected by copyright. Permission is granted to reprint any original content herein provided credit is given to the author, to der Riesenbaum, and to the Porsche Club of America, Redwood Region. 

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Thank you all for supporting your Club!

Barbara McCrory & Jerry Gladstone, der Riesenbaum Co-Editors   

Porsche Club of America, Redwood Region