A conversation with the Keller family.

Running a virtual monthly meeting can certainly be a challenge. There are numerous things that one has to worry about, the most important of which is the proper functioning of the technical equipment and the Wi-Fi connection. On top of that you have the presentation itself but this month there was little cause for concern because we were visiting the Keller’s and they made the event a breeze.

When I arrived at the Keller’s home I was met by Rob and Lynn, as well as Mike and his wife Jackie. We had gone over how things were going to work when I had visited their home the week before to test things out and they had everything ready. The reason for our visit was to treat the CVR membership to a fascinating tour of their newly restored 1961 Super 356B Super 90 coupe. The Keller’s had picked up the project two years earlier and had worked with Jim Newton and the crew at Automobile Associates of Canton on the restoration and were excited to share the results with the virtual audience.

The Keller’s had everything ready when I got there. Their other cars were outside and the garage was set up with chairs and a table as well as lighting and display. Once the 7 pm bell rang we kicked off our meeting.

After introductions, Rob shared with us the family’s intention to get into a project and the need to find the right candidate. Having known about their dream car for years they had to move quickly when it became available. The good news was the car was in great shape. The bad news, it had been taken apart years ago and parts were everywhere, so they set to work on the task. Once acquired, the car was sent to AAOC where the restoration was performed. Lynn put together a PowerPoint presentation that highlighted their journey with the car including the many challenges and milestones.

As the restoration moved forward, an interesting thing happened – the Keller’s made a directional change. Originally they intended to do a concours “stock” restoration on the 356 but after some consideration, they made the decision to go in the direction of a modified “outlaw” version. An outlaw is a modified version of the original car with a number of modern improvements and a new “attitude” compared to the original configuration. It results in a car that is more enjoyable to drive having these improvements. This change allowed the Kellers to build the vehicle in a way that truly reflected THEIR vision of the perfect 356B. Personal choices abound on the car, everything from grills on the trunk to a color change to a period-correct Fashion grey paint scheme. We were certainly viewing the ideal 356B from the Keller’s perspective.

Once we had made our way through the PowerPoint slide show it was time to see the car. Rob, Mike, and Lynn all took part in guiding the virtual audience through the many special features of the car and restoration. Some of the coolest traits on the vehicle are the uber-rare air-horns. This is a factory option, residing on the car since it was new. The horn apparatus was interesting to look at and Rob demonstrated them for us. You could certainly see them clearing the road back in the sixties when the car resided in Germany.

While the tour was going on, Jackie was handling the camera duties and it was amazing to watch her navigate the obstacles around the garage bay while balancing the camera and focusing on the subject matter. Kudos to Jackie.
Once we made our way around the body, interior and powertrain of the 356, the Keller’s took the time to explain the interesting story behind the Outlaw badge that the car proudly displays. The original artwork was done by Rob’s dad years ago and was utilized to make the badge. Very neat.

With the tour complete, the Keller’s took questions from the virtual audience before wrapping up the evening.
A big thanks to Rob, Lynn, Mike, and Jackie for hosting the September virtual monthly meeting. It was great fun and all the CVRers out there will look forward to seeing this fantastic machine in person.

And speaking of “in person”, as long as we don’t get any Covid curveballs, you can look forward to the return of “in-person” monthly meetings in January 2022. We will convene at our usual January location, The Trailer depot, so keep an eye out for an invite to that event.

The weather is starting to get cooler so enjoy those fall drives and that beautiful Connecticut foliage and we’ll see you next time.

Your CVR programs crew.