I invite you to join me for a few moments in a fantastical world.  Imagine that we have finished a great day of driving our cars in late summer and have settled around a campsite at dusk.  A fire of logs and kindling wood warms our faces, a rising moon begins to illuminate the site, and katydids serenade us about the coming frost.  Then, our fellow club members, in no particular order, start to share their real stories with us – – stories about cars and life:

“First love.  Her last name was Porsche.  She was born a 911S Targa in early 1970 at Zuffenhausen Werks 2.  (Zuffenhausen is a borough of Stuttgart.)  She then crossed the Atlantic on her way to the United States, where a new owner impatiently awaited her arrival in Fairfield County, Connecticut.  As fate would have it, a couple of short years later, she headed back to her European roots.  She accompanied her owner to Italy, where I happened to be residing and earning a living upon a company transfer.  I quickly became her not-so-secret admirer.  Following a short courtship under balmy Roman skies and, of course, a quick financial transaction, I happily became her new guardian!  She, with her Targa roof stowed in the boot, my spouse in the front passenger seat, our two children strapped in the back seats, and I enjoyed many carefree kilometers on the autostradas, autobahns, and the various other autoroutes of Europe, showing her off in quaint villages along mountain roads and tiny harbors along the Mediterranean coast.

“Following those wondrous years of la dolce vita, the necessities of life took us north to Paris and then to London for more serious stuff. There, after a careful, partial restoration, she entered the Porsche Club Great Britain Parade’s Annual Concours d’Elegance and, surprise, was awarded the Best in Show.  But she continued, totally unabashed, happily taking us along narrow English country lanes, accepting to drive on the wrong side of the lanes, her steering wheel also on the wrong side, according to her British sisters – – all this while wearing her original Connecticut license plates.  Please bear in mind that she was already very grown up for her age and quite blasé about life on the Continent with its kilometers and expensive petrol liters.  No doubt her British racing green livery helped!

“Once more, fate decided, with help from my employer, that we were to return to Connecticut.  Sadly, several years later, my busy work schedule, mostly in faraway lands, kept interfering with my Porsche infatuation.  So, the Targa and I parted, promising to remain good friends.  I had convinced myself that this was best for her.  So, Carl, should you come upon this love story, please tell me if she’s still happy.

“I currently drive a 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition.”

(Photos of Jean-Francois’ 911S Targa appear on page 184 in CVR’s 50th Anniversary Yearbook.)

“I am the proud guardian of a 1960 356B Roadster (No. 87248).  I’ve been an active PCA and CVR member since December 31, 1981.  My wife and I have attended Parades from Colorado to Maine, Monthly Meetings throughout the region, and even won First Place at the CVR People’s Choice Concours that Jim Newton hosted in September 2003.  I am also a member of the 356 Registry and have attended many of the registry’s East Coast Holidays.  We took the 356 to Pebble Beach for the 356 Speedster’s 50^th Anniversary in 2004.  We had lots of fun driving throughout New England and now driving in Florida.

“When I purchased the 356B, it was a racecar.  I had Gerry McCarthy’s crew at KAM Motorsports in Waterbury restore it to stock, which I enjoy much better.  Jeff Adams at SpeedSport Tuning did engine work for me.  Our daughter was a one-year-old when I purchased the roadster.  I now have a granddaughter who will be a one-year-old soon. It’s been a fun ride.  There is no better way to relieve the stresses of life than to go for a nice, spirited drive.  Keep on driving!”

“I find the saying, “Time flies,” to be so true.  I’m a 40-year member in PCA/CVR!  My Porsche journey started in early 1981 when a coworker gave me a ride in her Porsche 911. Wow!  I was hooked.  I talked with my wife, Marilyn, and she agreed that we should buy one. My neighbor was a parts manager at a Porsche dealership; he gave me pointers. Well, I blew it (sort of) and bought a 1966 911. Little did I know how much work it needed (translate $$$). Over the next four years, the car had to have a new clutch and an engine rebuild.  Then I made the big decision to strip everything down for a complete restoration. The process became more and more involved. I removed the engine, transmission, gas tank, all the glass, and the interior, which was shipped to California. Next, I began to remove the paint, revealing extensive rust and Bondo body filler.  I trailered the car to Automobile Associates of Canton.  Jim Newton, Auto Associates’ owner, looked at the car.  He told me to paint it and put it back together; otherwise, it would cost a lot of money.  I told him all the numbers matched, and the date stamped on the wheels meant they were original to the car.  Well, Jim did his magic, and my 1966 911 won 1^st Place in the Restoration Class at the 1999 PCA Parade in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec.  Marilyn and I were honored to meet Hans Peter Porsche and to have him autograph our trophy.

“Marilyn and I became more involved in CVR activities.  We purchased a 1989 944S2 and began to participate in driver education at Lime Rock and Watkins Glen.  We did autocross, volunteered to run several rallies, and hosted tours in Connecticut, Vermont, and Cape Cod.  We were loyal Monthly Meeting attendees and especially enjoyed the annual CVR banquets.

“In 2001, Marilyn and I were in a head-on collision that took her life. The motto, “It’s not just the cars, it’s the people,” was so very true during this difficult time in my life.  Throughout my recuperation at Gaylord Hospital, I received immense support from fellow club members. It was so amazing – Thank You!  Eighteen months after the accident, I asked club members if they would support me at a car show at Gaylord Hospital.  If 15 cars showed up, I would donate $5,000 to Gaylord. Everyone was to meet at Oakdale Theatre and drive to Gaylord as a group.  My heart skipped a beat or three when I arrived at Oakdale and saw over 30 Porsches.  The man in charge of the car show saw all the cars and waived our entry fees.  Again, it was the people!

“My love of Porsches continued.  I acquired a 1988 944 Turbo, 1988 928S4, and 1989 911C4.  I now drive a 2005 Boxster.  My new wife, whose name is also Marilyn, has caught the “bug” from me.  Together, we recently experienced the thrill of driving on Palmer Motorsports Park’s track during a CVR Coffee Run.  It was exciting!  We are looking forward to enjoying many more rides together in our beautiful Boxster.”

“PCA life began for me in 1977 during my tenure at the U.S. Department of Defense Dependent Schools Teacher Program in Germany.  My car at the time was a 1971 911S that I purchased there.  Fast forward to 1978 when I returned home to California to my 1972 911T.  My wife and I relocated to Connecticut in 1981.  I reignited my PCA involvement in 1999 by volunteering as a corner worker (flagger) at the 1999 Club Race.  I still recall my excitement at the training session conducted at Lime Rock a week before the race.  It brought back fond memories of the many events in which I was involved at the Laguna Seca Raceway during and after my college years.  The track was only 20 minutes from my house!  During the last 23 years, the excitement of returning to the Club Race rekindles in me every spring.  I anxiously await signing up for my annual “Gone Fishing” weekend at the track.

“These days, my ride is split between my 911T and my son’s 1984 944.  I am so proud that I recruited him into PCA.  My PCA-CVR life has been filled not only with great cars but also with wonderful people – – volunteering with them year after year at the Club Race has been a great joy.”

“I joined CVR in 1968 after learning more from other Porsche owners about autocross, rallies, and tours.  I saw my first Porsche 356 Speedster in 1957 and rode in a cabriolet in the early ‘60s.  I purchased a used 1959 356 Super Coupe, with a sunroof and 11,000 miles on it, in 1963.  A photograph of the car was on the cover of the August 1995 issue of Challenge. Because the car was painted in the color of ruby red, I chose “Ruby” as the car’s name.  The license plate on the car was “PORSCH.”  Marriage came in 1970, followed by children and PCA Parades over the years.  I bid farewell to the car in 2020 when it was shipped out West to its new owner.”

(Photos of Ruby are on pages 115 and 184 in CVR’s 50^th Anniversary Yearbook.)

“It all started 48 years ago with a $2,000 Targa.  The various seals never kept water out of the car, but the floor decanted most of it.  Joining CVR opened up a world of information for me that was necessary for proceeding to a better 911 and a 914-6.  I still have the two cars.  I built a career out of car restoration.  It was a good gig; I enjoyed 99% of it. The world of Porsche had me showing client cars at Parades, Pebble Beach, and other venues.  I traveled all over Europe and the United States, examining cars and meeting the people associated with them.

“I was privileged to restore the first Carrera RS in grand prix white and the last 911R in one-off Lance Reventlow Blue.  My favorite project was a 904/6, restored to be a capable vintage race competitor yet driven irregularly into central London.  It was a restoration I itched my way through for two years but was rewarded with the most impressive human/car/road connection I ever experienced.  The restoration of interesting cars is exotic to observers but is really a career making lots of dust. I am retired now; I’m having a business card professionally designed that will read, “Nate Cantwell, Manufacturer of Fine Dust.”

“PCA and CVR have always had lovely people step up in a time of need.  I have looked in more than participated over the years because of time constraints.  Nevertheless, I am amazed by the energy and dedication at all levels of the local club.”

“My family moved to Connecticut from Southern California in 1985.  I didn’t become active in CVR until 1997.  At that time, I was learning to do amateur websites and approached the CVR Board about developing one.  As a result, CVR acquired cvrpca.org in January 1998, and I created its first website. I am not sure when I gave up the website duties but had done so when web technology passed me by.  While I managed the website, I also served as the club’s secretary and program chair.  Dick Strahota and I took over the CVR People’s Choice Concours, succeeding Jim and Mary Ann Newton, who hosted the event for more than 25 years.

“When we lived in Southern California, I purchased my first Porsche, a 1982 911SC Targa that my wife and I picked up at the factory in Stuttgart and drove around Europe. The following year, in 1983, I bought a 1957 356A Speedster after seeing Speedsters at PCA events.  When my family relocated back East, I brought both cars with us.  Since then, I have owned several Porsches.  I currently drive a 2017 991 Targa GTS.  Our family joke is that we only buy two marques:  Porsche and Subaru – – must be the boxer engines!”

“I have many positive memories of my Porsches and my involvement in CVR.  I purchased my first Porsche in 1966; it was a used 1964 356C with white exterior and red interior.  I shipped it to Germany when I was a U.S. Army officer and eventually sold it there to a fellow officer.  I then bought a brand-new 1968 golden-green 912 directly from the Porsche factory in Stuttgart and had it shipped to the United States.  I was not impressed by the 912; it was underpowered.  So, after only a year, I traded it in for a 1969 911 Targa with a beautiful tangerine exterior. It was a family car that my wife, three sons, and our dog enjoyed.  My wife sat in the front passenger seat with our youngest son on her lap.  Our oldest son sat in one of the little back seats, and our middle son sat in a basket on the other little back seat.  The dog, an Afghan hound, curled up on the floor behind the driver’s seat.  People were always amused when they saw all of us disembarking from the car.

“I became a CVR member in 1973 and participated in autocross, DE, and concours events.  I was a DE instructor for approximately 8 – 10 years.  I instructed at Lime Rock, Watkins Glen, and other venues.  I loved the experience of driving my Porsche on the track and instructing fellow club members how to do the same.  I was editor-in-chief of Challenge for approximately eight years.  Paul Kudra, Pam Kudra, Linda Goodman, and Ken Fengler were a great help to me.  We assembled the magazine every month at my house in Hamden.  (I remember fondly some CVR members and me in a train of ten Porsche 911s following Ken and his bride to their wedding reception.)  I succeeded Frank Carrington as club president in 1981; unfortunately, I could not complete my term because work required a departure from Connecticut to Michigan.

“I have had a number of 911s over the years, including a 1980 911SC limited-edition Weissach, which was built to honor the Porsche Motorsport Team working in Weissach, Germany.  Only 468 units of the car were made; half were black metallic and half were platinum metallic.  Mine was platinum metallic. The car’s interior was draped in Doric grey leather with burgundy piping.  I kept it for 28 years.  I now drive a 2008 911 with an aero package, white exterior, and red interior.   Our family’s daily driver is a 2021 Macan GTS.

“I value the many friendships I developed with club members.  I particularly treasure my relationship with Ken Fengler, former CVR president, who now lives in Florida.  I also follow with interest the impressive work Paul Kudra does for the club.  When he owned a 912, I was honored to assist him in preparing the car for concours competition.”

“My PCA membership was a birthday gift from my twin sister, Joan, when we turned 19.  I had hair and a 1965 356C.  It was my first Porsche – – a one-owner, daily driver with 135,000 miles on it that had been maintained by Roger Barr of Chasing Classic Cars fame.  I bought the champagne yellow 356C because it was in my price range.  I drove my recently-restored 1967 Karmen Ghia convertible to West Hartford for the test drive.  During the 10 minutes or so that I was poking around the car, the owner seemed to have endless calls pouring in from the ad he had placed that morning in the Hartford Courant.  After a short drive, I found out the car had disc brakes all around, drove well, and smelled like a Corvair with burning oil.  I checked the suspension through an 8” hole in the top of the driver’s fender.  BUT, it was a Porsche; so I bought it.  The car was $25 less than what I sold the Karmen Ghia for the day before.

“In the few weeks I had between buying the car and starting college, I patched the rust hole in the fender with metal and stripped the paint to get the car ready for a new color. My then-girlfriend and now-wife, Mary Ann, needed a ride to my house.  Because the Porsche was my only car, I drove the five miles down New Britain Avenue to Trinity College to pick her up, with no paint, no doors, no hood, and no bumpers.  It sported headlights, brake lights, and a front license plate strapped under the spare tire.  I passed many amused students and two police officers (Ah, the ‘70s).  No one seemed surprised except for a young student who asked me, ‘Hey man, do you do mescaline?’  I replied, ‘No, I prefer Coca-Cola.’

“I drove the car to campus a few weeks later with most of the body panels on but still no primer.  I had to skip a philosophy class to prime the car before it rained.   Once sanded, I sprayed it with blood-orange lacquer paint.  I painted the car at the tire shop I worked at as a kid from when I was 13 years old through college.  When finished, I had six coats of paint on the car and paint on most of the shop tools and about 100 taxicab tires.  Thanks, Mike!  (Mike was the son of the tire shop’s owner.)

“So, that was the start of my Porsche journey that, to date, has lasted 50 years.  Mary Ann and I made many lifelong friends in the Porsche Club along the way, enjoyed autocross, concours, rally, track, and all the related social events, along with all the other car-centric folks who make me look almost sane!  Thanks for letting us come along with you for the ride.”

“I have so many great memories of CVR.  Probably the best ones are related to track events at Lime Rock Park.  Specifically, I located and purchased a barn find 1973 911RS in Texas back in the ‘80s when, coincidentally, I went to pick up some wheels for a 1967 Porsche TR Rallye.  The RS was originally from Canada; only ten RSs were allowed into the United States – all for race purposes. I had been searching for one of the U.S. cars to no avail when this unmolested RS turned up in Texas.  I had the car restored to original condition and lightweight specifications by Jim Newton’s Automobile Associates of Canton.  I drove it at Lime Rock at CVR driver education events for several years before selling it to obtain a down payment on a house.  In my opinion, it is truly the best road car Porsche ever made.

“Another recollection pertains to my 1982 911SC.  I bought the car new in 1982 and took European Delivery, touring Germany for a week and shipping the car to the United States on Lufthansa Freight.  I sold the car locally in 1987 with 15,000 miles on it to help my mother buy a house.  In 2018, I got a call from Jim Newton.  He said, “I think I have your 1982 911SC here at the shop; it might be for sale.”  I drove to his shop the next day; and, yes, it was my car with the original paint and original condition.  I hesitated at first, but I did buy it back.

“My experiences in CVR have been extensive.  I’ve been blessed to own several Porsches over the years, including one of the 90 iconic 550s made between 1953 and 1956.  I also owned a 1968 910 Bergspyder, which Porsche designed specifically to outdo Ferrari’s new 212E in hillclimb competitions.  The 910, sometimes called the “plastic Porsche,” had a 2.0 liter, 275 hp, flat-eight engine.  Both its chassis and body were lightweight, resulting in its weighing only 849 lbs.  Other Porsches I owned included a 1967 911S, 1973 911T, and 1988 Club Sport.

“Many CVR members have been instrumental in my Porsche life.  Prominent among them is Prescott Kelly.  He and I have much in common: an interest in Porsche posters, literature, and history.  We vintage raced our cars together at venues like the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.  Ken Fengler is another dear friend.  He was a great addition to CVR’s driver education program.  He was active in the ‘80s in Connecticut but eventually moved to Florida.  He founded Palm Beach Motorsports.  I often raced with his club at Moroso Motorsports Park in West Palm Beach.  I was pleasantly surprised when the club presented a prize to me for my driving.  It is a cherished possession: a coffee table with a glass top etched with a Porsche logo and a base made out of a Porsche 956 wheel.  Gerry Sutterfield, another close friend and PCA member, donated the table to the club.  Gerry is well-known in the Porsche community for, among other reasons, buying two Porsche Gulf 917s in the early ‘80s.  (The 917 gave Porsche its first overall wins at 24 Hours of Lemans in 1970 and repeated the feat in 1971.)  Gerry purchased them directly from the factory, where they were parked behind the Weissach facility.  He paid approximately $25,000 for the two of them.  Nice return on investment!  After our years of vintage racing, Gerry moved on to the Veritas marque, and I went back to street Porsches.”

“I was very active in CVR during the ‘70s and ‘80s, including a term as program chair in 1979.  Things went from mostly meetings, reading issues of Challenge, rallies, and talking about cars with fellow club members to the exciting times of the Frank Carrington era.  Things got busy when the club’s driver education program began at Lime Rock.  I would schedule our track days with Jim Haynes, the track manager, as soon as he was back from hibernation in Florida.  It was known that CVR would take any day that any other club could not cover.  DE registration was $75 for a long time.  I remember Chip Hall driving his 356 GS/GT hard there.  It was loud!  Even so, Butch Sherwood, the longtime LRP employee, didn’t hear us and kept busy bulldozing the forest in Paddock B.  Who would track a GS/GT these days?  (The Porsche Factory Museum bought the GS/GT back from Chip.)  I also remember Steve Cohen driving his 908 race car, the design predecessor of the 917, at regular DE events – – that’s a story!  All the DE events at Lime Rock were great, but maybe the best was at the multi-day, tri-region Porscherama, an event that was discontinued years ago when Club Races originated.

“I remember a Porscherama Concours at the Interlaken Inn in Lakeville when a non-Porsche couple asked where the engine was in a 914.  The most exciting event for me was the first 48 Hours of Watkins Glen.  It was beautiful country, challenging track, and spectacular racing – – perfect!  The race was so successful that it resulted in many other similarly ambitious events throughout the country, all this before PCA Club Races.  We all drove our daily drivers or frequent drivers to the races.  Those were simpler days.  Everyone thought they would be like that forever.”

“The note on the bulletin board at Pratt & Whitney engineer’s cafeteria listed a car for sale: a 1964 ruby-red 356C Porsche that “needs engine work.”  I purchased the 356C, which was my first Porsche.  It became my daily driver from Westfield, Massachusetts to East Hartford.  Over the years, I have owned 911s, one 912, and one 914.  Almost always, I did my own maintenance work and repairs.  The one Porsche I should have never sold was a 1955 356A Speedster (#297) in white with a red interior.  My last Porsche was a 1987 Carrera 3.2 Cabriolet.  I sold it last year.  All my cars had manual transmissions only!

“I have many good memories associated with my Porsches and CVR.  My mentor was Richard Carroll, son of Ashley Carroll, who was a PCA charter member.  In the early years, my favorite activities were rallies, picnics, and Monthly Meetings.

“Over the years, I have owned 911s, one 912, and one 914.  I have also owned a couple of 924s.”

“Like many boys, I was bitten by the car bug somewhere between five and ten years old. For me, it was the children’s cartoon, “Speed Racer,” which started airing on television in 1967.  The show ran from 3:00 to 3:30 in the afternoon.  My good friend, Jim, and I loved it.  My family also loved cars – – American cars, like a maroon 1964 Pontiac GTO and a green Chevrolet Camaro.  Our neighbor happened to get a new Porsche in the late ‘60s, so I was exposed to a 911 early on.  Our garages faced each other; even at a young age, I knew it was a fine sports car.

“Fast forward to getting my first car; I looked at a whole bunch of cars and settled on one I thought would be both inexpensive and reliable.  It was a Volkswagen Beetle.  The brakes and exhaust needed renewal, so I started learning car repair.  I was already repairing machines at a job I had during high school, so taking care of the VW was easy.  I had several jobs while in high school and was able to sell the Beetle and buy a three-year-old 1976 VW Scirocco.  It was a special edition model; I had lots of fun with it.  When I was ready to move on, I considered many sports cars and decided to get a 911.  I bought the 911 for the same reason I bought the Beetle – – more reliable than other brands and easier to deal with from an ownership and repair perspective.  It was a 1969 911T in the then-popular color of tangerine.  Shortly after buying the car, I learned about PCA and joined the Metro New York Region when I was 19.  From 1989 until the early ‘90s, I enjoyed track events, autocross, and rallies.  This all was before starting a family and a company.

“In the late ‘90s, I bought a 1986 911 Turbo (930) in original condition.  It was a Porsche dealership owner’s car, so it was very well equipped in dark silver with a black interior.  At this point, I was raising a family but participating in many PCA events.  (I transferred to CVR in 1988.)  Connie, my wife, and I would pack the three kids in the back seat of the Audi A4, and we’d go to Sam Gen’s Rallies, with the kids powered by candy.  Connie drove in the rallies; I navigated.  Week-long vacations to Watkins Glen centered around the track where we would rent a house on Seneca Lake.  I had three-day track events, with the kids all around; the remainder of the time was spent at the lake.  We also participated in CVR weekend tours with the kids; yes, they were very young and very well behaved.

“My current car is a 1999 yellow C4, which I’ve had for 20 years.  It’s my daily driver and occasional track rat.  I updated it years ago with a half cage, GT3 seats, and original Porsche parts.  I have a SouthSport Trailer for my track tires and tools.

“I love cars in many different ways.  Of course, I love driving; that’s a given.  I also love the technical side of cars, being an engineer and a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers since 1985.  Over the years, I have influenced quite a number of people to get a Porsche, as well as other German cars.  I’ve also encouraged them to join PCA.  Over the years, I have considered buying other cars but have always stayed with Porsches.  The reason is PCA, in my case CVR and Metro NY.  I’m very lucky to have found Metro NY 40+ years ago.  As always, I am looking forward to the next event.”

“One of my favorite recollections is about the 2007 Parade in San Diego when I was the PCA president. We had a 2,000-person Victory Banquet on the USS Midway. Pam, my wife, had the stunning idea for me to ask if there were any veterans in attendance who served on the Midway. There were about 40, so I briefly interviewed each one of them. Then the audience recognized all veterans in attendance with applause. It was very moving. There was not a dry eye on the ship.

“Another favorite recollection is about the 1982 Monterey Historics when Porsche was the featured marque for the first time.  Pam and I saw all these old guys having a ball racing old noteworthy Porsches.  I wanted to do that.  I came home and went to my first CVR Monthly Meeting in 11 years so I could go to DE to learn to drive.  I met Linda Goodman and her husband, Eric Grossman; they got me to my first 911, a black 1973 Carrera RS.  Then, Eric was my first and only DE instructor – – and he survived, not sure how, and we’re still friends.  And that launched me into 32 years of racing, the most fun one can have, and began my decades of working for the club.

“I have owned many Porsches over the years, including a 1954 550 Spyder (#550-06), which was a Carrera Panamericana car, and a 1954 550 Spyder (#550-12), which was a factory car that won its class and placed 12^th overall at LeMans.  My first race car was a 1968 911R in Cadillac Gold.  I had a 1972 911ST that was previously owned by Peter Gregg and Jacques Bienvenue.  I won the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association’s 1997 Endurance Championship in it – – thanks solely to my crew of CVRers, Erik Apotheker and Sylvain Lessard.  I bought four ex-Rotheman’s team cars, kept #008 the longest.  And so on…”

“In 1984, Eric Grossman, my husband, and I went on a Fast Lane Travel trip to the factory in Stuttgart to pick up a new car.  We had been on the hunt for a 1973 Carrera RS and had been put in touch with a U.S. serviceman stationed in Munich who had contacts in the area. We took a train early one morning from Stuttgart to Munich and met him and his German girlfriend, both of whom were quite tall.  It became apparent that the four of us would be sharing a late ‘70s 911 for the tour.  As Eric and I squeezed into the back seat, we realized that we’d also be sharing it with their large German Shepherd.  We had a lovely drive through Bavarian countryside and did meet his friend with a 911RS, although we weren’t successful at buying that car.  Nowadays, we can hardly get in and out of a 911, let alone sit in the back seats.

“During the same trip, Fast Lane Travel owner, Peter Sontag, had arranged a boat trip down the Neckar River with the then Porsche AG CEO, Peter Schutz.   Peter was delightful company, but he was promoting his great idea of eliminating Porsche dealerships and creating factory-owned Porsche Centers where customers could go to buy or order their cars.  Although Peter came from the U.S. car industry, we couldn’t convince him of what a non-starter that idea was going to be in the U.S. car industry.  Needless to say, he found out that we were right when he tried to implement that plan the following year.

“In September of 2003, I got a call from then Panorama editor, Betty Jo Turner.  She was going to have some surgery in October and asked if I would be able to cover Porsche’s press introduction of the V-6 Cayenne.  She wasn’t sure where it would be.  (At the time, we had a Toyota Landcruiser, and I guess I impressed Betty Jo and Dr. Leonard Turner, the Panorama photographer, with my SUV prowess when I picked them up from the Hartford Airport in a snow storm to attend Tech Tactics in Springfield.)  So, of course, I said I’d do it.  Then I began thinking about the previous year’s press introduction of the Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo that Leonard had covered in Jerez, Spain.  That would be fun I thought.  But the more I thought about it, I had a feeling that Porsche had something entirely different in mind.  Hmmm.  A less powerful car…where might they want the press testing that out in October?  It came to me – – Finland, where Boxsters were being built at the time.  Within a few days, Betty Jo confirmed that it was going to be held in Rovaniemi, Finland, which is north of Helsinki on the Arctic Circle.  And that, boys and girls, is how I came to spend a weekend in Finland.

“Eric and I have owned several Porsches over the years, including a 1973 Carrera RS Touring, 1974 914 2.0 Can Am Edition, 1987 911 Turbo, 1989 911 Turbo, and 2007 GT3.  We currently have a 2003 Boxster S.”

“Ever since Steve McQueen’s Le Mans planted the Porsche bug in me in 1970, I read everything I could about its cars and racetrack prowess.  Watching the 1973-1974 International Race of Champions events live on TV was magical.  Sadly, I was too young to go to Watkins Glen to see, and hear, the Porsche Can Am 917 race cars run there.  Nonetheless, I talked my dad into bringing me to Lime Rock Park to witness Peter Gregg take an IMSA win. What a day of seeing the sports-car world for myself, sitting in the Camel GT Pantera pace car, watching David Hobbs’ BMW challenge, and realizing how truly special Porsches were. The next day I sketched that scene on my chalkboard, never able to erase it since.

“Two years later in college, I parked my first real car, a 1969 Mustang Mach 1, with a 390-cid engine, next to my new girlfriend, Pam, in her 1970 Mustang convertible.  Karma!  Fresh out of college in 1978, just months into my engineering career, I saw the Hartford Auto Show as my chance to finally test-drive a Porsche.  The Hoffman Porsche salesman was all too happy to accommodate.  I met the salesman a few days later, and he steered me to a cool-looking 1976 912E that was a recent trade-in.  Fitting my 5’10” frame into the back seat, with my high-school-age brother in the other back seat, and my dad in front passenger seat (they wanted a ride in a Porsche too), the salesman headed out onto his well-practiced Rt. 2 test-drive loop. Maybe amplified by my contorted position, I clearly recall “flying” up the curved on-ramp in amazement and equating it in every way to the sensations of my first-ever 911 ride a few years earlier in a 1969 911S soft-window Targa.  After my dad co-signed the loan a few days later, the 912E was mine.

“Less than a year after I purchased the 912E, as Pam and I returned from our honeymoon, I urged the Bradley Airport cab driver to hustle through Friday-evening traffic, directly to the Hoffman Porsche dealership before it closed for the weekend. With the 65K miles worth of road chips from the first owner now erased, the 912E looked stunning.  Life was good.  Little did we know it was about to get even better.  A chance meeting with then CVR treasurer, Steve Theaker, at the dealership resulted in an application to join PCA.  His offering, “How’d you like to drive your car at Lime Rock?” set the hook hard, really hard!

“With the number of CVR members being only in the 200s at the time, word-of-mouth and chance meetings were about the only way to learn that there was a Porsche Club in Connecticut. Now that I was on the Challenge mailing list, it felt like Pam and I had cracked the code.  We discovered that the seemingly secret CVR Monthly Meetings were held right under our noses all along, just a few miles away from our house.  Every month die-hard Porsche enthusiasts filled the rear parking lot of the Glastonbury Ground Round (now called the “99 Restaurants”) and gathered in its 30’ x 30’ backroom.  An explosion of charismatic and friendly members welcomed us and shared their fun adventures, tech tips, general advice, and upcoming CVR events.  Suddenly a whole universe of Porsche-related activities was in our backyard, with a bunch of really nice people running them! Just a few weeks later, we attended our first CVR AutoX at Package Machine in East Longmeadow, MA; and, as they say, “the rest is history.”  That date of August 5, 1979, is forever etched in my memory.

“Pam and I quickly became part of the 15-20% of “very active” CVR members, attending, running, and expanding many CVR events. We remained that way over the following decades. Now, club involvement is essentially my full-time “retirement” job.  We’ve met so many nice, fun, and interesting people over the ensuing 43 years and have become lifelong friends with many of them. The CVR lifestyle has been foundational in raising our family and our enjoying life. We continue to make new CVR friends and try to make them feel as welcomed in the club as we were 43 years ago.

“As far as cars go, while our family of Porsches and related garage space have steadily expanded over the years, the 912E remains with us. Years ago, I wrote a Challenge article decrying that, if I were forced to keep only one Porsche, the 912E would be my choice. People who only read a spec-sheet to measure a car’s merit will likely never understand; however, accomplished drivers know the joy of learning to drive a slow car fast. The 912E allowed me to feel that joy, forcing me to work harder at AutoX and track events. As I learned more, class wins increased and the 912E racked up notable honors for Fastest Time of Day at many local and even large Zone 1 AutoX events. Helping others on a similar journey to feel that joy remains a motivating passion for me.  Thank you, CVR.  Thank you, PCA.”

“I caught the Porsche bug in 1976 when I bought my 1976 912E.  It cost around $12,000.  I could not afford the 911, which was a little over $15,000.  Nevertheless, the 912E was a great car, limited in production to just over 2,000 units and imported only to the United States. It had an air-cooled VW engine with 100 hp.  The following year, my Porsche salesman, John Slimack at Traynor Porsche in Southport, called and offered me a 1977 911 in desert beige with a tan interior. I fell in love with the car. It became my daily driver.

“I bought my first car when I was 16 years old. I saved $100 working part-time and bought a 1949 Ford sedan for $115.  I borrowed the extra $15 from my mother. (She reminded me on her 75^th birthday that I never paid her back.)   Since then, I have owned more than 60 cars, many of which were Porsches.  I did not keep all the cars I purchased; I bought them as my interests evolved.  I am often asked what were some of my favorite Porsches.  I put the 1993 911 RS America at the top of the list.  It was displayed at the 1993 New York Auto Show with an MSRP of $66,000.  As luck would have it, the car showed up in a Porsche dealership in Eastchester, N.Y.  Porsche Cars North America put a $10,000 incentive on the car, so I purchased it for approximately $50,000.  It was very unique – – Ferrari fly yellow with most of the available options. I regrettably sold the car when I retired from IBM in 1996.  During my post-retirement, I went on to sell Saturn cars.  As a sidebar, at that NY Auto Show in 1993, Porsche had a Boxster prototype on display, which was projected to sell for $40,000.  I ordered two Boxsters the next day and waited four years for the cars.  Porsche did a great job on that car as well.

“I am also asked, ‘What was the least expensive car I owned?’  It was a 1948 Plymouth coupe; I paid $35 for it. I drove it back and forth to Fort Dix during basic training.  Another question is, “What is the shortest amount of time I owned a car?’  35 minutes!  The car was a very nice Jaguar sedan.  I took it in trade for my 1967 Pontiac Firebird. I drove the Jaguar to a Triumph dealership in Westchester, New York and traded it in for a 1968 Triumph TR250.

“Pertaining to PCA, I was initially a member of the Metro New York Region.  I transferred to CVR because its events were closer to where I lived.  I’ve been to many club events and met many nice people from all walks of life.  I even met Bob Sharp at one of the meetings. Coincidentally, I bought my first 240Z from him in 1970 at his dealership in Wilton.  I had an opportunity to drive his personal Z at the time, which was modified.  After driving Bob’s car, I told the salesman to put everything Bob had in his car into my car as well.

“At one of the CVR Concours, there was a class, “My Other Car.” I showed my Fiat Primo Edizione, number 146, and took 5^th place.

“I continue to attend CVR get-togethers.  I love talking cars.”

“Over the 50 years I have been a CVR member, a lot has changed both in the Porsches I’ve owned and in the club itself.  Back in 1972, when I officially became a member, I had just purchased my dad’s 1969 911T.  I still have the car today. My association with CVR, however, actually began several years earlier.  In 1965, my father bought a 356C, picked it up at the factory in Stuttgart, and drove it around Europe.  Shortly thereafter, he joined CVR, and I became a “family” member.  Not long afterward, I bought my first Porsche, a 1964 911. As the saying for horses goes, “It’s been ridden hard and put away wet!”  It had some obvious rust issues, but little did I know how bad they were until I started scraping off the undercoating in my dad’s garage – – and there were oil leaks and, even worse, it burned oil as well!

“In those days, CVR had about 200 members, 50 of whom were pretty active. At one of the Monthly Meetings, I mentioned that I was going to take my engine out on Saturday and welcomed anyone who wanted to stop by to watch.  I never expected anyone to show up; but, early Saturday morning, four cars appeared, loaded with jacks, tools, and guys who had done this work before.  I was shocked!  Keep in mind that we were doing this in an unheated garage in December!  It took us, along with several cups of coffee and many donuts, about two hours to remove both the engine and transmission.  It took that long because we had so much fun joking about our other Porsche project cars and misadventures.  They even wrestled the oily engine down into my basement because I naively thought I could rebuild it myself.  I repaid my engine helpers by frequently donating my VW Bus as a moving van.

“CVR in those days was a small but a very hands-on group. Most members worked on their cars themselves. They seldom went to a dealer for service; there were only a few good independent garages around. We felt almost like a family.  We even showed up at one another’s birthday parties!

“In case you wonder what happened to my 911, I bought a used engine from another CVR member, got a used transmission from the PCA Mart, and had as much bodywork and paint done as I could afford.  In 1972, Dad decided to sell the ’69 911T so he could buy a 1972 911T before they put the “crash” bumpers on the new models.  He really liked the long-hood look. Because I offered him $500 more than the dealer, he sold the car to me.  Hence, I bought “Hermann”, the ’69 911T, and still own it. My 1964 911 was sold to a man in Springfield, who drove it cross-country and then sold it to someone in California. You might wonder why I know that much about what happened to it. Well, I have tried, unsuccessfully, several times to find that car. The reason is that its serial number is 300031, the 31^st production 911 built!  In hindsight, I should have kept it.  By the way, I also owned a 928 S4, but the reality of life intervened.”

“After graduating from college and working at the Fafnir Bearing Company in New Britain in the summer of ’69, I became friends with other engineers and car guys. We were all beginning careers and wanting to save for a house or marriage or whatever.  By the spring of 1970, I was ready to get a more reliable and newer car than the 1963 Ford Falcon Futura I was driving at the time. One of my fellow workers told me about a 356 he had seen at Pray Porsche in Greenwich, but the dealership was a good two-hour drive away.  Remember back then, there was no internet or cell phones; communication was only by landlines. I was interested in seeing the car based on my colleague’s description: a 1965 coupe in great condition, just taken in trade by the dealer.  It was dark blue with black standard interior, steel wheels, and quite original. I spoke to a salesman who assured me he would put a hold on the car if I promised I would be at the dealership in the morning.  So, I headed out the next morning in the Falcon.  When I arrived, the car was parked in front of the dealership.  It looked better than I had imagined – – except for the sold tag attached to its windshield wiper.  I found the salesman, who gave me the bad news that another salesman had indeed sold the car the previous evening. I was very disappointed, to say the least.

“On the way home from Greenwich, I remembered seeing some interesting cars on the Berlin Turnpike, so I decided to swing by the area.  Sure enough, Graziano Imports had two 356s on the floor.  One was a 1965 togo-brown 356 coupe with a sunroof and rust showing all over; the other car, a 1964 red 356 coupe, caught my eye.  So, after some negotiation, I bought my car that day. I paid $3,500 at the time; it had 91,000 miles on it.  Looking back, I really didn’t know what to look for or really knew that much about 356s in general. This was going to be a daily driver and cost what a domestic new car would have cost at that time. Good decision?  Bad decision?  I think that 356 is the best car I have ever owned. I have never been stuck with it on the road and have driven it to the far tip of Nova Scotia, across some of Canada, and through the Appalachian Mountains. I have driven it at Lime Rock Park, Thompson Speedway, Pocono Raceway (1974 Parade), the old Riverside Speedway (if anyone remembers that), and Watkins Glen.  It has taken me camping all over, including up Mt. Washington

“During all the years I have been a CVR member, I have met many people, but one friend stands out because we have helped each other with our 356s since 1969. That is Ed Tobolski.  Ed has a 1958 356 coupe that he owned before I bought my car and still has it. He and Darlene, his wife, have moved away and now live in Massachusetts, so we see each other less frequently.  Ed still helps members of the 356 Northeast group. I can’t help but remember when he and I edited Challenge in 1976 and 1977. (My wife, Kim, and I edited it in 1974.)  We would get together and sit on the living room floor every month. The pages had to be pasted up and brought to a printer every month.  Then we collated and stapled the issues. Next, we labeled them and brought them to the post office. I still appreciate the work it takes to run a PCA region. Thank you, all, for that.”

“My first car was almost a Porsche!  I fell in love with a black 356 Speedster in the spring of 1961 while in college, but I couldn’t swing the extra $150.  I ended up with an Austin Healey 100-6 for $1,650.  The Healey was eventually traded for a Lotus Elan.  After 16 months, I realized the Lotus was not a street car or daily driver!  I started looking for a quick and reliable car.  In February of 1966, I acquired a 911 demonstrator at Avon Porsche.  It was black with a white interior – – one of only three 911s available in New England at the time.  It served me well for six years and 130,000 trouble-free miles, eventually retiring to a dry home in Texas.  I purchased my current Porsche on May 1, 1972, at Queensboro Porsche when it was still covered with Cosmoline.  It started life as a 911T.  I will someday sell it as a one-owner car driven only on weekends, which coincidentally has a roll cage, flared fenders, 2.7RS engine, and go-kart suspension.

“The 911T sat in the back of my garage from 1974 until 1981 with what turned out to be a broken disk hub in Porsche’s then new-and-approved clutch pack. My wife finally asked, “Why don’t you do something with that thing or sell it?” That was an offer hard to pass up! Shortly thereafter, I joined the NY Metro Region. I arrived at Lime Rock the next spring with my pristine 911T. I borrowed a helmet and dried out some rubber! I still remember my first instructor, some guy named Nick, who drove his 930 Turbo from Queens to LRP on Goodyear Blue Streaks. When I attempted to take the Right Hander from the right side of the track, he said, “I see you like to go fast, but perhaps you should learn to drive first.” That was an expensive day! No, I didn’t bend the car, but I was bitten by the track bug. The money funnel came out for Fuchs, tires, sway bars, torsion bars, DS11 brake pads, etc. The cost of the upgrades probably exceeded the value of the car. The next track event was at Bridgehampton. By the end of the weekend, my once pristine 911T looked like someone sandblasted it with gravel and hit the windshield with a ball-peen hammer. Then the major decision: repaint the car or declare it a track rat and have fun. It was an easy decision to make.

“Sometime during my first year in DE, I drove with CVR at LRP and discovered that it was better organized, safer, and offered many more track days than Metro.  Since CVRers had priority for CVR DE registration, I immediately became a dual CVR-Metro member.  During this time, being a CVR member was like being part of a family, with people socializing, helping one another, and just having fun.  When I started Club Racing, CVR members were a team working on one another’s cars, even though we would be competing against one another on the track.  After a fairly heavy crash, I remember Jim Newton loaning me an RSR bumper that made my RS look like ET.  Danny Jacobs did an alignment on the car in the paddock.  I recall helping to rebuild other people’s engines and beating sheet metal to make body repairs. The favors were always returned, so we could all play the next day.  After a crash at Pocono when a rookie spun into me, Gary Hansen loaned me his car to drive home, and he gave up his place on Hairy Dog Grrrage’s trailer to transport my mess home.  Back then, many of our race cars were registered and had license plates so we could drive them to the track.

“I have always loved instructing, helping others to enjoy a sport that has been a special part of my life.  I remember many of my students and, hopefully, they remember me.  An example of the reward for my being an instructor started at LRP many years ago and ended at the New Hampshire International Speedway a few years after that.  I slid into the passenger seat of a tired 911S painted John Wyre Blue and Orange with a young lady in the driver’s seat in a brand-new Nomex outfit in the same colors.  I figured her husband bought her the outfit so she would come to the track with him.  I conducted an earlier version of the CVR pre-track interview and asked her why she had come to the track and what she expected to gain from the day.  I was surprised by her answer: “Teach me how to race!” She was one of my best students ever.  It was like pouring information into a sponge. Everything I said was expressed in her hands, feet, and car control.  By the end of the day, we were running faster than everyone else in the Green Group.

“The next time I met her was at the New England International Speedway’s Vintage Festival, where the organizers had invited a group of about 30 PCA racers to provide entertainment for the crowd.  A substantial contingent from CVR was in the group.  I ended up on the track with my former student.  Her car had become a well-prepared RSR, but she was having problems finding the right gears in a couple of corners.  So, I finally caught up to her.  I was tempted to pull an ugly pass, but I decided not to.  I hung back to see if she would figure out the gears.  Finally, the RSR started to pull away from me, so I didn’t have to risk that pass.  My reward? – – being beaten by my student!

“Whatever happened to that black 356 Speedster that I wanted but couldn’t afford?  It sold about a week later, and the new owner quickly discovered the evils of swing axles by totaling it heavy end into a tree – – a sad ending for a beautiful car.  Rumor has it that David Brown of Aston Martin fame once observed, ‘The reason why Porsches have such a propensity to spin is because the engine is trying to get up front where it belonged in the first place!’ ”

“I bought my first Porsche, a 911T, in 1976 by borrowing on a home improvement loan.  It improved my driveway significantly!  It had been in a dealership’s shop longer that one of its service managers.  I joined PCA to find someone else to fix it.

“I was intrigued by the driver education programs at Lime Rock, where I had watched races in the past.  I attended my first CVR DE in the summer of 1977.  I remember being scared to death.  Back then, the events were much less organized than they are today.  There was a mixture of 356s, 911s, and 914s, but no modified cars.  The hot setup was to put Goodyear slicks on a street car.  I had an instructor for a couple of runs and then was driving solo.  There was a time trial at the end of the day.  As I recall, I turned one minute and fifteen seconds, which was mid-pack.  In any case, I was hooked.

“I recall subsequent DE events that included extraordinary Porsches: an IROC 911RSR, 904, 908, 910, and, later, a couple of 935s.  There was a time when there were a number of 911RSs.  When I think about the worth of these cars now, it boggles my mind.

“I became CVR president toward the end of 1982 after serving a couple of years as treasurer.  For a range of reasons, I was the fourth president in a span of 12 months.  I think that job was the cheapest management training I ever got.  Porsche owners who get involved in club activities are mostly Type A personalities, so herding these cats for two years was a priceless experience.  A manager once told me, ‘The hard part of management is not getting people to do what you want them to do.  The hard part is getting them to believe that it was their idea in the first place.’

“The high point of my term as president was at the 1984 Parade in Appleton, Wisconsin.  I was sitting at the Awards Banquet minding my own business when PCA leaders announced that CVR won the Region of the Year Award.  As a friend told me later that it was the first time he saw me speechless.  The award was a huge punch bowl on a tray with cups.  I almost dropped it a couple of times.  The rest of the banquet was a blur.

“I currently drive a 1980 911SC and a 2000 Boxster.”

“I’m 75 years old and have had a passion for Porsches since I was 18.  I worked a summer job between my freshman and sophomore years in college, carrying sheetrock for a local lumberyard.  I was racing dirt bikes at the time and had the great idea of purchasing a street bike to ride to and from college.  I saved up $800 from the sheetrock job and was ready to buy one.  Wisely, my parents killed the idea, but my dad, who was an antique car collector, knew of a “sports car” for sale, coincidentally for $800.  So, I went to see the car and found a 1957 356A T-2 Coupe, rusty but running well.  I bought it and, with help, made it reasonably road worthy.  My then-girlfriend/now-wife and I enjoyed the car for several years, driving back and forth to college, traveling to ski areas in Northern New England, etc.  The car never let us down but gave us some wet feet when water moved in waves on the floor!

“The windshield wipers on the 356 did not work when I bought it in 1965.  Dad suggested that I take it down to Roy Hagedorn, who owned a nearby garage in Manchester.  Because Roy worked on Porsches and VWs, Dad thought he could fix the wipers.  So, with long hair and wearing a sweaty T-shirt from work, I met Roy.  He looked at me and frowned, looked at the car, and climbed under the dash.  His old gas station was typical: two bays, a small office, an apartment above, and pumps out front.  I wandered to the left bay and saw a green 356 roadster parked nose-in – – the first Speedster I had ever seen.  I didn’t know what it was at the time.

“I got to know Roy well over the years.  He purchased the Speedster in a trade with its original owner, giving up an Austin Healy and some cash.  It was around 1959-1960 when he acquired it.  As I “grew up.” I, as well as many others, tried to buy the Speedster from him or his 356A T-5 roadster, factory tools or parts collection.  Roy was not interested in selling anything.  When he passed away, all of his tools and car parts were sold.  His widow kept the Speedster.  She died sometime around 2000.  I kept in touch with the attorney handling her estate, which took a long time to settle.  Finally, in 2006, the attorney decided to let the two of us who expressed interest in the car participate in an informal “auction” to buy it.  I won!

“So, in 2006, after following the car for 41 years, I finally owned the Speedster.  It was fjord green with a tan interior and all the correct stuff, down to the last three digits of the VIN in chalk on the burlap fabric trimming the seat bottoms.  The only weakness:  the original engine went in the ‘70s to a dune buggy owned by a man in Manchester, at least as the story goes.

“Over the years of my Speedster ownership, I refurbished/restored the car to a solid #2 condition and enjoyed driving in Connecticut and in New Hampshire, where I now live.  For a variety of reasons, mostly having to do with owning too many cars, I decided to sell the car in 2019.  It went to North Palm Beach, Florida for the then-current market value.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my “Porsche hobby” during all of my adult life.  I had years of enjoyment doing track days with CVR.  I recently counted the number of Porsches I have owned – – 35 of them over the years.  I currently enjoy a 1962 356B Cabriolet, a 2004 40^th Anniversary Edition 911, and a 2012 Turbo Cabriolet.”

Paul was unable to share a recollection with us, but he sent a photo of himself and his 1964 356SC, which he has owned for 53 years.

I hope you have enjoyed reading the reminiscences.  In many ways, they reflect the passion and empathy that imbue our club.

Yours truly,