at full throttle!elizabeth irvine 2001 silver carrera 4 cab reno, nv tim & nancy pinkerton 2000...

• 2012 Planning Party

• Mid-Winter Dinner

• AX Competition 2012

MAY 2012

• Dust Off Tour Wrap Up

New Member Breakfast

Porsche 914 — My Affliction

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chesr R o acP in ng oSeas

At Full Throttle!

Porsche of Reno11555 S. Virginia StreetReno, NV 89511775-826-2100www.reno.porschedealer.comShowroom hours M–F 7:30 AM–7 PM,Sa 8:30 AM–7 PM, Su 9 AM–6 PM

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NEW MEMBERS By Karen O’Larey. On behalf of all of the Sierra Nevada members, welcome to the region!

New Members Gary Buyle 1990 White 944 S2 South Lake Tahoe, CA Elizabeth Irvine 2001 Silver Carrera 4 Cab Reno, NV Tim & Nancy Pinkerton 2000 Black Boxster S Reno, NV

For the latest club news, event information, articles and pictures check out our website at: www.snr-pca.org.

Sierra Nevada Region - Porsche Club of America PO Box 19689, Reno, NV 89511

CLASSIFIEDS

The “Classifieds” are a free, PCA member benefit where you can post information about buying or selling Porsche cars and parts. Ads will run up to three (3) editions on a space available basis. Classifieds posted in The Circular also are posted on our Website for viewing by members from all PCA regions. If you want to know more about placing a Classified, contact: [email protected].

FOR SALE: 1976 911S Coupe, 2.7L H-6, 5 Speed Manual, 4 Wheel Disc Brakes, Sunroof, Mileage on rebuilt engine is only 15,000! (I have invoices from rebuild). VIN: 9116201795. Royal Blue exterior and a black interior this Porsche features the original drive-train and fake Fuchs cookie-cutter wheels. Needs some TLC in-side & out. Asking $12,000 OBO. No CA Smog/Emissions equipment; Rebuilt in NV, but registered in CA. Exempt from CA smog certification in 2013. Request photos and more info: Karen at: 530-543-0900 or [email protected]

WANTED: Up-Fixing der Porsche volumes 5, 6, 7 & 8; four steel rims 5.5 x 15 for '76 912E. If the rims have usable tires on it, so much the better. Ragnar Kuehnert, 775.747.2019 or [email protected].

SNR Club Name Badges Available Members interested in obtaining club name badges can order them from Debbie Dell. Badges are $15 each and are the magnet/bar type. Contact Debbie today to order your badge!

FOR SALE: 1997 Boxster, Glacier White with Black Top and interior with Red Spy-der Stripes on rear fenders. Zone 7 and 2007 Parade Concours winner. 6 CD Player, Short Shift Kit. 61k babied miles with all known records since new plus re-cent service and inspection from Reno Rennsport. $13,500. Contact: George Bat-cabe:775.851.2313 or [email protected]

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEPARTMENTS Who’s in Charge 2 President’s Letter 3 From the Editors 3 Dates to Remember 4 Upcoming Events 10 New Members 16 Classified Ads 16

FEATURES

Dust Off Tour Wrap-Up 5 New Member Breakfast 12 Porsche 914 - My Affliction 14

Official Publication of the Sierra Nevada Region, Porsche Club of America

Main Cover Photo:

Flying Lizard GT3 RSR at the Long Beach Grand Prix

ALMS Race. (Photo Courtesy of Porsche AG)

Cover Design by KCJ Creative

2

Please shop our advertisers, and tell ‘em you saw it in

WHO’S IN CHARGE 2012 Sierra Nevada Region, Porsche Club of America

Circular Editors Craig & Mary Lou Kugler eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-771-3256

President Craig Kugler eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-771-3256 Vice President Gilbert Dayao eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-353-4400 Secretary Bob McLaughlin eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-313-3570 Treasurer Debbie Dell eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-856-1765

Activities Co-Chairs Karen Vibe & Karen Goody eMail:[email protected] Tel: 775-220-7297

Competition Chair Rob Sime eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-853-3777 Membership Chair Karen O’Larey eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-273-7370 Tech Chair Gilbert Dayao eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-353-4400 Past President Ken Hollman eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-885-9627 Webmaster Richard Chew eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-831-2286

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PORSCHE 914 - MY AFFLICTION Continued from Page 14

Fast forward to the early 1990s and a military assignment landed me in northern California. In Minnesota where I came from, most cars more than 5 years old were rusted beyond resuscita-tion. Now I found myself gawking at old cars from every manufacturer driving around as if they didn’t realize they were old. It was like a candy store for a car guy like me. I started think-ing about finding that Porsche 914 I had always wondered about. Months later, I noticed an ad for an estate sale. Among the items listed was a 1975 914. The story on the car was that the owner bought the car new from Sierra Porsche-Audi in Riverside, CA and drove it for five years until he retired in 1980. Sadly, he promptly had a stroke and could no longer drive his prized 914. He refused to allow his family to sell that car so it languished in his garage until he finally passed away in 2004. I picked it up for $2,200 from the estate sale and had it shipped back to Sacra-mento. As the transport driver started it and slowly backed it off the transport truck, I wondered what I had done. It had four cylinders but it sounded like it was firing on two. It had one brake that

was almost locked up and luckily, those two cyl-inders were just enough to move the car forward and back against that locked caliper. On the plus side of the ledger, it was absolutely original. The documentation was complete down to the origi-nal window sticker. 72K miles and once it was cleaned it up and polished, it looked new but ran like a geriatric donkey. In the years since then, I have rebuilt everything mechanical and spent probably 10 times that original price on it. I am afflicted. I am a true 914 devotee. I now know why John could come in and apply carnauba to my posterior. It is a go-kart with a license plate. , The 914 is only now getting the respect it always deserved. Prices for fine examples are double the original sticker price and more. 914-6 models command triple and more than their original prices. I have owned many Porsche models since buying that 914, all of them fine cars. But this 914 will always have a spot in my garage. It will even be parked there when I can no longer drive it. My apologies to my wife in advance…

914s in a line at a recent outing . (Photo by C Kugler)

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PORSCHE 914 — MY AFFLICTION By Rob Sime

History records that Porsche and VW have al-ways cooperated with each other. In the late 1960s Porsche had a problem. Their 911 flag-ship model had priced itself out of the market, and the 912 with a VW Type IV motor was only marginally less. Buyers who could afford the 912 needed only stretch a little to buy the 911. The result was poor sales for the 912. Porsche needed an entry level car to capture buyers who could not make that stretch to the 912 or 911. VW also had a problem. Their Karmann Ghia was getting tired. Sales had begun to slow and they needed something fresh for their customers. Ferry Porsche and Heinz Nordhoff were the re-spective heads of Porsche and VW. As it hap-pens, they were also good friends. One of the Porsche daughters was married to one of the Nordhoff sons. Legend has it that the 914 was born over a meal in a restaurant. The two de-cided that they would build a car together. Kar-mann would build the body. VW would tool and assemble the chassis. The cars that were to be Porsche 914s would be shipped to Porsche and fitted with flat six motors. The VW 914 would re-ceive the Type IV motor in the VW factory.

These two were friends, their bond strengthened by the marriage of their children. They needed no contracts. Their word was bond enough. Sadly though, Nordhoff who was to retire in 1970 fell seriously ill and died. His replacement at VW, Kurt Lotz, knew nothing of business without con-tracts. The price of the finished chassis being shipped to Porsche went up. Up enough that a similar problem was created: the price of the Porsche 914 approached that of the 911. Buyers could simply stretch a little more to buy the iconic 911. Porsche ceased production of their version of the 914 after only three model years. My own involvement with the 914 began in the early 1980s. I had already begun my autocross addiction with a 240Z. There was a large group of sports car clubs in the Twin Cities area of Min-nesota and without driving more than 30 miles, one could autocross almost every weekend in the spring, summer and fall. Back then, I was winning my class almost every event. Battling it out with a couple of others for the season cham-pionship in what was called D Street Prepared. Every so often, a young kid would show up. His name was John and his parents owned a mail-order Porsche parts company. John was driving an ivory white 914 2.0 liter. I suppose he had every go-fast part his parent’s company sold. More importantly for me, John would “wax my tail” by almost two seconds a run. Sometimes, he would show up in the morning and leave in the afternoon sessions. I’d spend the day chas-ing his ghost! My ego wouldn’t allow me to give John the credit for being an exceptional driver. It had to be that car. I made a mental note to someday own a 914 and find out what made it so fast.

(Continued on page 15) Rob Sime’s beautiful 914 — note the license plate

(“CONE DGR”). (Photo by C Kugler)

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER By Craig Kugler, President, Sierra Nevada Region

Good weather, great roads and a Porsche — what could be better motivation? Yes, we are finally in the “sweet spot” of our driving year and we have a number of opportu-nities for members to use that driv-ing window to join us and have

some real fun. Our annual kick-off driving event, the Dust Off Tour, was a big success and was blessed with wonderful weather and a great turnout for an early April weekend. My thanks to Debbie and Harry Dell for hosting and Leslie and David Bent-ley for assisting. Our New Member Breakfast was also well at-tended and allowed a number of new members to mix and mingle with longtime members in a great environment. My thanks to Ann and Merlin Simons for hosting this important club event. Our Porsche Saturday Breakfast series met in April at Jack’s (old Austin’s) and will be back there on May 19th but will start at 8 AM to ac-commodate those planning to attend the annual Reno Rennsport Swap Meet. This sounds like a great Saturday morning duo! The Swap Meet gives members a chance to shrink or enlarge their respective collections of Porsche parts and

memorabilia. Besides … it’s great fun. Our first Tech Session of the Spring is now on the calendar for June 2nd at Gilson Autobody. Gilbert continues to expand his business and his team will presenting their program for perform-ance enhancements for you Porsche. You won’t want to miss this event. The Mystery Wine Tour, a new event, is rumored to be fully subscribed already. John and Alice Strom had to set a limit of 12 cars for this event and the response was better than expected. If you still have an interest, I understand they have a wait list in case of cancellations. For those who are going, this should be a fabulous weekend! I also want to recognize a transition in our board. Brian Lowder, Competition Chair, will be devot-ing more time to his Reno Rennsport business. I want to thank Brian for his service to the club and I know he will continue to be involved in the future. Rob Sime will be stepping into this impor-tant slot. Rob has significant experience in AX and DE events and is great addition to our Board. Varied events, new and old friends, and Porsches ready to drive. Need I say more? See you at our next event. Until then, be safe!

FROM THE EDITORS By Mary Lou & Craig Kugler

Members continue to contribute articles and we love it! Not just because it seems to make the job of Newsletter Editor easier (it does by the way), but because it enhances member involvement and hopefully encourages other members to dip

their proverbial “toes” into the water and try con-tributing themselves. We think the vision mem-bers have of an article is only about a club event. While that is an important part of what the news-

(Continued on page 4)

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SIERRA NEVADA REGION Porsche Club of America

2012 DATES TO REMEMBER — MARK YOUR CALENDAR! ** Check our Website at http://snr-pca.org often for additional event information and changes **

Wednesday 5/2, 6/6, 8/1; 5:30 PM–7 PM SNR Board Meetings Bill Pearce Porsche/Porsche of Reno 11555 S. Virginia Street, Reno Contact: Craig Kugler 775.771.3256 Saturday, May 19; 8 AM–10 AM Porsche Saturday Breakfast Jack’s Restaurant 7671 S. Virginia Street, Reno Contact: Rob Sime 775.853.3777 Saturday, May 19; 9 AM–12 PM Reno Rennsport Swap Meet 6 Cal Lane, Sparks Contact: Brian Lowder 775.331.4366

letter is about, we would encourage members to look at other ways to share their Porsche experi-ence: travel, tech, racing, other Porsche related events. All are interesting ways to contribute to our collective experience. If you have an idea, let us know — we’re very open minded! Speaking of articles, we’ve got three good ones this month, starting with Debbie Dell and the Dust Off Tour wrap-up. Debbie highlights our first drive event of the year … and it was a good one from start to finish. Merlin Simons recaps our annual New Member Breakfast, held at the Gold & Silver Inn. In addi-

FROM THE EDITORS Continued from Page 3

tion to the wonderful overview from Merlin, those who attended can testify to the great Porsche stories some of our members shared with new members. It was a wonderful experience for all. Rob Sime shares his memories of his introduc-tion to his love of Porsche 914 in a special way. We think Rob was able to verbalize what many of us have felt and in some cases suffered through — the exhaustive and sometimes obses-sive search for that special Porsche experience. We think many members will identify with Rob. Lots of good stuff with more coming. For now, sit back, relax and enjoy this edition of The Circular.

Saturday June 2; 10 AM–11:30 AM Performance Tech Session Gilson Autobody 2201 Glendale Avenue, Sparks Contact: Craig Kugler 775.771.3256 Saturday & Sunday June 9 & 10; 8 AM Mystery Wine Tour Meet Point: McDonald’s US 395 & Lemmon Drive, Reno Contact: John or Alice Strom: 775.851.3000 or [email protected] Saturday, June 23; 8:30 AM Big Springs Gardens Drive & Dine Meet Point: McDonald’s Mt. Rose Hwy and Wedge Pkwy, Reno Contact: Merlin Simons [email protected]

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For all PCA and Zone 7 events, please see our website at http:/snr-pca.org. On the “tool bar” of the home page, click on the PCA tab for the “Porsche

Club of America” or the “Zone 7” links.

Get “The Circular” Electronically You can elect to receive a copy of The Circular electronically in the form of a PDF document by subscribing to it on our website at http://snr-pca.org. Just hit the “click here” in the left sidebar under Current Newsletter. After subscribing, you will receive a monthly e-mail with the link for downloading the latest edition. Give it a try!

NEW MEMBER BREAKFAST Continued from page 12

one person became enamored with the marquee from hearing the sound of the motor of a neighbor’s car; another became acquainted while serving in the armed forces in Europe. The stories were interesting and in some cases quite heartfelt. Grandma Pat told us of her and her husband owning a 550 Spyder and then on to the 1966 911 that she still owns. Cam Warren, always the car enthusiast, bought his 356 from Max Hoffman in New York and brought it west to become the first 356 to reside in Southern Cali-fornia. John Strom told us how while working for Porsche Cars North America, he had his choice of and drove several different models each year. Of course, that was in lieu of a salary. Just kid-ding, John ... but no one ever said that those Germans aren’t clever! With welcoming new members as the purpose of the breakfast, we had a chance to hear from David & Leslie Bent-ley, Bill Luccetti, Josh & Virginia Hatefi and Peter & Linda Larson and their Porsche stories. I think everyone could identify with the great experi-ences we’ve gained through our association with Porsche and the Porsche Club. Following a very nice breakfast buffet, we had presentations about the activities of our region from several members. John Strom discussed tours and drive-and-dines; Ron Lewis talked about tech sessions; and Rich Chew, our web-

The SNR WEBSTORE is now online!

Check out all the new products available with the SNR logo.

Hats, shirts, jackets, and more! www.snr-pca.org

Click on the “Store” tab on the tool bar on our

Home Page

master, told us about the website including what features it had and how to get information from the site. To end the meeting ,our president, Craig Kugler, spoke about the up and coming Porsche Parade as well as other events on the region calendar. He encouraged new members to get to know the other members as a way to enhance their Porsche experience. As we all know, it really is not just the cars, but the people!

“Grandma Pat” Bauderer shares her Porsche 911 story with the group. (Photo by C Kugler)

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NEW MEMBER BREAKFAST By Merlin Simons

On Saturday, March 24th, there were more Porsches at the Gold & Silver Inn on Fourth Street than have been seen there since a New Member Breakfast was last held there in 2009. As an added bonus it was a beautiful day for March, sunny and relatively warm, and everyone brought their toys out of hibernation. The Porsche product line was well represented as we had quite a variety of Porsches including a cou-ple of Cayennes, Boxsters including a Spyder, a Cayman, at least one 356, a GT3 and a number of 911s. The early start time of 8:30 AM didn’t deter any of the 28 members attending from their

favorite collective pastime — chatting. Knowing there is never any shortage of conversation at a Sierra Nevada Region event, we had to blow the whistle at 8:45 to get everyone to take their seats so that we could get the activities started. To start things off we asked everyone to intro-duce themselves and tell us what got them inter-ested in Porsches. As members rose and told their stories, you sensed the passion they have for Porsche and for the club. Some explained how they had graduated from VWs to Porsches;


Su Kemper & Cam Warren (back left) and Merlin & Ann Simons listen and laugh from the head table during

Porsche “story time.” (Photo by C Kugler)

Harry Dell tells one of his Porsche stories to old and new members alike. (Photo by C Kugler)

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DUST OFF TOUR WRAP-UP By Debbie Dell

After watching the weather all week, there was some concern that our tour might encounter some challenges from Mother Nature. As it turned out, the sun came out and warmed our path for an enjoyable drive for the first club tour of the year. It was a chilly start that morning when we met at the Tamarack Junction Casino. We had 21 cars ranging in all colors and models with 36 partici-pants who were looking forward to our scenic drive through the Eastern Sierra. We were joined by many veteran members as well as several new members including Liz Irvine, John & Kend-all Matina and Lonnie & Jan Lee. A few brave souls even had their tops down but they took precautions and were dressed warmly for the occasion. The tour headed up and over Geiger Grade to Virginia City and then down 6 Mile Canyon to U.S. 50. We hung a right and ended up on U.S. 95 Alt and then motored on to Yerington for a stretch break. While this route is pretty familiar to many members, some folks mentioned that they did not know that the 6 Mile Canyon Road even

existed and they really enjoyed that stretch of the drive. Once we left Yerington we headed south and west through the Mason Valley and then turned south for Bridgeport, CA, where we were able to take some less traveled back roads and let the cars breathe a bit. One fellow we encountered on a twisty portion of the road in his Toyota pickup pulled over to allow our caravan to pass. Just before reaching the town of Bridgeport we stopped at Bridgeport Reservoir to again stretch and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The fellow in the Toyota pickup stopped to visit with some of our members and took the time to look at all the cars. He had owned a Porsche and told us that he really enjoyed hearing the sound of the en-gines as we passed him and was thrilled at the opportunity to see our beautiful cars. He said that this chance meeting had spurred his interest into looking into owning another Porsche. Per-haps he will become a future new member! From Bridgeport we turned right and jumped on U.S. 395 North, driving along the West Walker

(Continued on page 6) Ann Simons gives Gunter a little walk during a break in the

drive. (Photo by D Dell)

Karen Vibe enjoys the views and the chance to stretch at Bridgeport Reservoir. (Photo by K Goody)

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DUST OFF TOUR WRAP-UP Continued from page 5

River through the beautiful Walker River Canyon and past Topaz Lake back into Nevada and on to our lunch destination, Rancho Grande in Gardnerville, NV. The parking lot was full of P-cars as some late arrivals made their way in. The food and service at the restaurant were ex-cellent (and did we mention the great margari-tas?). Everyone enjoyed a great Mexican lunch and, as always, the camaraderie of all our Porsche attendees. We all enjoyed our day, and this was a great beginning for the Porsche driving season in our region. It was also gratifying to have the largest Dust Off Tour turnout yet. I especially want to thank David and Leslie Bentley for assisting us on this tour and, of course, my husband Harry for putting together a great driving route. Ironi-cally, as I prepared this write-up, the snow flur-ries and wind have returned. It was good of Mother Nature to allow one great day to enjoy getting out and doing what we love best: driving our cars and visiting with our Porsche friends. I don’t know about you, but we’re looking forward to more great drive tours this summer. Come out and join us!

PCA Events

5/19: AX School — Sacramento Valley Region Mather Field, Sacramento, CA

5/20: AX — Zone 7 Sacramento Valley Region Mather Field, Sacramento, CA

6/3: Concours — Loma Prieta/Parts Heaven Parts Heaven, Hayward, CA

6/17: AX — Sacramento Valley Region Mather Field, Sacramento, CA

6/23 & 6/24: AX — Zone 7 Redwood Region Charles Schultz Airport, Santa Rosa, CA

For details see: www.snr-pca.org — ”Zone 7” or ”SVR” link

SCCA Driving Events

5/12: AX #2 — Stead Airport 5/13: AX #3 — Stead Airport 6/23: AX #4 — Stead Airport 6/24: AX #5 — Stead Airport

6/30: PDX #2 — Reno Fernley Raceway 7/1: PDX #3 — Reno Fernley Raceway

For details see: www.renoscca.org

Cindy Wyett and Bob Jordan chat about the morning drive while waiting for lunch. (Photo by C Kugler)

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UPCOMING EVENTS Continued from page 12

Big Springs Gardens Drive & Dine Enjoy a beautiful backcountry drive to a place with fabulous flowers, old growth trees, walking paths and true peace and quiet. The best part is there will be first-class buffet under the trees in a setting out of a Monet painting. All this in the middle of the Sierra Nevada. The price is $25 per person for some of the best food around. Get more de-tails at snr-pca.org. On Saturday, June 23rd meet at 8:30 AM at the McDonald’s on Mt. Rose Hwy and Wedge Pkwy. Have a full tank of gas. We’ll depart at 9 AM sharp! RSVP and send your check by June 18th to Merlin Simons, 521 Spirit Ridge Ct., Reno 89511. Contact Merlin if you have any questions at: 775.745.0042 or [email protected].

Mystery Wine Tour We’re going on an overnight tour to wineries you’ve probably never heard of, in a place you’ve probably never been! Sound like fun? We’ll drive great roads, enjoy good food and wine, meet great people including PCA friends from another region and have a great time!!! We’ll meet at 8 AM at McDonald’s off 395 North at Lemmon Drive on Saturday, June 9th. We’ll provide you with the itinerary for the weekend. Have a full tank of gas! Bring a picnic lunch for our first winery stop. Dinner will be a casual affair with friends from another region. We’ve reserved hotel rooms for Saturday night. It’s all pay-as-you-go — we just need your commitment. Tour is limited to 12 cars and may be FULL!. Call or email John Strom at 775-851-3000, [email protected].

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UPCOMING EVENTS Sierra Nevada Region

Reno Rennsport Swap Meet It’s time again to clean out your garage, shop or storage unit and bring your new, old or lightly used Porsche parts and paraphernalia to the Reno Rennsport Swap Meet. This 3rd annual edi-tion follows last year’s successful event so mark May 19th on your calendar because you don’t want to miss that hard-to-find piece for your resto-ration or collection. Exhibitors can set up starting at 8 AM with the “doors” open to members at 9 AM. The event is in the street adjacent to the Reno Rennsport shop. Members can browse until 1 PM so there’s plenty of time to stop by and shop. A light lunch will be available on-site. Reno Rennsport is located at 6 Cal Lane, Sparks. Contact Brian Lowder at 775.331.4366 for details. This is a no-charge event.

Performance Tech Session Are you in the market for a little more horsepower for your Porsche? Always wondered what a cus-tom tuned calibrated ECU upgrade would do for your little beauty? Just looking for a little some-thing extra for your flat 6? Well, our first Tech Session of the year may help answer these and other questions you have for improving the per-formance of your Porsche. Join us at 10 AM on Saturday, June 2nd, at Gil-son Autobody as Gilbert’s team presents their take on Performance Upgrades for your Porsche. Call or email Craig Kugler for event information at 775.771.3256 or [email protected]. Gilson Autobody is located at 2201 Glendale Ave., Sparks. This is a no-charge event.

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Kelly Jordan and Dean Watts relax while they wait for their drinks before lunch at the Rancho Grande.

(Photo by C Kugler)

Linda Krasner and John Davies pose for the camera before lunch at the Rancho Grande. (Photo by C Kugler)

CLUB ROSTERS NOW AVAILABLE! Frequently I am asked by members for a Club Roster for our region. In years past the Club Roster was printed and distributed to the membership once per year. The executive board has approved an electronic Club Roster for member use. Member information is derived from the data you provide to PCA National which includes name, address, email address, phone and description of car owned. If any of this information is not current, please contact me so I can help get it updated. Addi-tionally, the Board would like to give members the opportunity to opt out of any or all of the above information for the Club Roster. If you DO NOT wish to have information about yourself included on an updated roster, please email me at [email protected]. Contact me now to get a copy of the new Club Roster.

Karen O’Larey Membership Chair

Driving Force Open Track Day

Produced by Hooked on Driving

Reno-Fernley Raceway

Saturday, May 12, 2012

$249 Per Driver (includes lunch)

Sign Up at: www.hookedondriving.com/drivingforce5-12

6


River through the beautiful Walker River Canyon and past Topaz Lake back into Nevada and on to our lunch destination, Rancho Grande in Gardnerville, NV. The parking lot was full of P-cars as some late arrivals made their way in. The food and service at the restaurant were ex-cellent (and did we mention the great margari-tas?). Everyone enjoyed a great Mexican lunch and, as always, the camaraderie of all our Porsche attendees. We all enjoyed our day, and this was a great beginning for the Porsche driving season in our region. It was also gratifying to have the largest Dust Off Tour turnout yet. I especially want to thank David and Leslie Bentley for assisting us on this tour and, of course, my husband Harry for putting together a great driving route. Ironi-cally, as I prepared this write-up, the snow flur-ries and wind have returned. It was good of Mother Nature to allow one great day to enjoy getting out and doing what we love best: driving our cars and visiting with our Porsche friends. I don’t know about you, but we’re looking forward to more great drive tours this summer. Come out and join us!

PCA Events

5/19: AX School — Sacramento Valley Region Mather Field, Sacramento, CA

5/20: AX — Zone 7 Sacramento Valley Region Mather Field, Sacramento, CA

6/3: Concours — Loma Prieta/Parts Heaven Parts Heaven, Hayward, CA

6/17: AX — Sacramento Valley Region Mather Field, Sacramento, CA

6/23 & 6/24: AX — Zone 7 Redwood Region Charles Schultz Airport, Santa Rosa, CA

For details see: www.snr-pca.org — ”Zone 7” or ”SVR” link

SCCA Driving Events

5/12: AX #2 — Stead Airport 5/13: AX #3 — Stead Airport 6/23: AX #4 — Stead Airport 6/24: AX #5 — Stead Airport

6/30: PDX #2 — Reno Fernley Raceway 7/1: PDX #3 — Reno Fernley Raceway

For details see: www.renoscca.org

Cindy Wyett and Bob Jordan chat about the morning drive while waiting for lunch. (Photo by C Kugler)

11

UPCOMING EVENTS Continued from page 12

Big Springs Gardens Drive & Dine Enjoy a beautiful backcountry drive to a place with fabulous flowers, old growth trees, walking paths and true peace and quiet. The best part is there will be first-class buffet under the trees in a setting out of a Monet painting. All this in the middle of the Sierra Nevada. The price is $25 per person for some of the best food around. Get more de-tails at snr-pca.org. On Saturday, June 23rd meet at 8:30 AM at the McDonald’s on Mt. Rose Hwy and Wedge Pkwy. Have a full tank of gas. We’ll depart at 9 AM sharp! RSVP and send your check by June 18th to Merlin Simons, 521 Spirit Ridge Ct., Reno 89511. Contact Merlin if you have any questions at: 775.745.0042 or [email protected].

Mystery Wine Tour We’re going on an overnight tour to wineries you’ve probably never heard of, in a place you’ve probably never been! Sound like fun? We’ll drive great roads, enjoy good food and wine, meet great people including PCA friends from another region and have a great time!!! We’ll meet at 8 AM at McDonald’s off 395 North at Lemmon Drive on Saturday, June 9th. We’ll provide you with the itinerary for the weekend. Have a full tank of gas! Bring a picnic lunch for our first winery stop. Dinner will be a casual affair with friends from another region. We’ve reserved hotel rooms for Saturday night. It’s all pay-as-you-go — we just need your commitment. Tour is limited to 12 cars and may be FULL!. Call or email John Strom at 775-851-3000, [email protected].

12

NEW MEMBER BREAKFAST By Merlin Simons

On Saturday, March 24th, there were more Porsches at the Gold & Silver Inn on Fourth Street than have been seen there since a New Member Breakfast was last held there in 2009. As an added bonus it was a beautiful day for March, sunny and relatively warm, and everyone brought their toys out of hibernation. The Porsche product line was well represented as we had quite a variety of Porsches including a cou-ple of Cayennes, Boxsters including a Spyder, a Cayman, at least one 356, a GT3 and a number of 911s. The early start time of 8:30 AM didn’t deter any of the 28 members attending from their

favorite collective pastime — chatting. Knowing there is never any shortage of conversation at a Sierra Nevada Region event, we had to blow the whistle at 8:45 to get everyone to take their seats so that we could get the activities started. To start things off we asked everyone to intro-duce themselves and tell us what got them inter-ested in Porsches. As members rose and told their stories, you sensed the passion they have for Porsche and for the club. Some explained how they had graduated from VWs to Porsches;


Su Kemper & Cam Warren (back left) and Merlin & Ann Simons listen and laugh from the head table during

Porsche “story time.” (Photo by C Kugler)

Harry Dell tells one of his Porsche stories to old and new members alike. (Photo by C Kugler)

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DUST OFF TOUR WRAP-UP By Debbie Dell

After watching the weather all week, there was some concern that our tour might encounter some challenges from Mother Nature. As it turned out, the sun came out and warmed our path for an enjoyable drive for the first club tour of the year. It was a chilly start that morning when we met at the Tamarack Junction Casino. We had 21 cars ranging in all colors and models with 36 partici-pants who were looking forward to our scenic drive through the Eastern Sierra. We were joined by many veteran members as well as several new members including Liz Irvine, John & Kend-all Matina and Lonnie & Jan Lee. A few brave souls even had their tops down but they took precautions and were dressed warmly for the occasion. The tour headed up and over Geiger Grade to Virginia City and then down 6 Mile Canyon to U.S. 50. We hung a right and ended up on U.S. 95 Alt and then motored on to Yerington for a stretch break. While this route is pretty familiar to many members, some folks mentioned that they did not know that the 6 Mile Canyon Road even

existed and they really enjoyed that stretch of the drive. Once we left Yerington we headed south and west through the Mason Valley and then turned south for Bridgeport, CA, where we were able to take some less traveled back roads and let the cars breathe a bit. One fellow we encountered on a twisty portion of the road in his Toyota pickup pulled over to allow our caravan to pass. Just before reaching the town of Bridgeport we stopped at Bridgeport Reservoir to again stretch and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The fellow in the Toyota pickup stopped to visit with some of our members and took the time to look at all the cars. He had owned a Porsche and told us that he really enjoyed hearing the sound of the en-gines as we passed him and was thrilled at the opportunity to see our beautiful cars. He said that this chance meeting had spurred his interest into looking into owning another Porsche. Per-haps he will become a future new member! From Bridgeport we turned right and jumped on U.S. 395 North, driving along the West Walker

(Continued on page 6) Ann Simons gives Gunter a little walk during a break in the

drive. (Photo by D Dell)

Karen Vibe enjoys the views and the chance to stretch at Bridgeport Reservoir. (Photo by K Goody)

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SIERRA NEVADA REGION Porsche Club of America

2012 DATES TO REMEMBER — MARK YOUR CALENDAR! ** Check our Website at http://snr-pca.org often for additional event information and changes **

Wednesday 5/2, 6/6, 8/1; 5:30 PM–7 PM SNR Board Meetings Bill Pearce Porsche/Porsche of Reno 11555 S. Virginia Street, Reno Contact: Craig Kugler 775.771.3256 Saturday, May 19; 8 AM–10 AM Porsche Saturday Breakfast Jack’s Restaurant 7671 S. Virginia Street, Reno Contact: Rob Sime 775.853.3777 Saturday, May 19; 9 AM–12 PM Reno Rennsport Swap Meet 6 Cal Lane, Sparks Contact: Brian Lowder 775.331.4366

letter is about, we would encourage members to look at other ways to share their Porsche experi-ence: travel, tech, racing, other Porsche related events. All are interesting ways to contribute to our collective experience. If you have an idea, let us know — we’re very open minded! Speaking of articles, we’ve got three good ones this month, starting with Debbie Dell and the Dust Off Tour wrap-up. Debbie highlights our first drive event of the year … and it was a good one from start to finish. Merlin Simons recaps our annual New Member Breakfast, held at the Gold & Silver Inn. In addi-

FROM THE EDITORS Continued from Page 3

tion to the wonderful overview from Merlin, those who attended can testify to the great Porsche stories some of our members shared with new members. It was a wonderful experience for all. Rob Sime shares his memories of his introduc-tion to his love of Porsche 914 in a special way. We think Rob was able to verbalize what many of us have felt and in some cases suffered through — the exhaustive and sometimes obses-sive search for that special Porsche experience. We think many members will identify with Rob. Lots of good stuff with more coming. For now, sit back, relax and enjoy this edition of The Circular.

Saturday June 2; 10 AM–11:30 AM Performance Tech Session Gilson Autobody 2201 Glendale Avenue, Sparks Contact: Craig Kugler 775.771.3256 Saturday & Sunday June 9 & 10; 8 AM Mystery Wine Tour Meet Point: McDonald’s US 395 & Lemmon Drive, Reno Contact: John or Alice Strom: 775.851.3000 or [email protected] Saturday, June 23; 8:30 AM Big Springs Gardens Drive & Dine Meet Point: McDonald’s Mt. Rose Hwy and Wedge Pkwy, Reno Contact: Merlin Simons [email protected]

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For all PCA and Zone 7 events, please see our website at http:/snr-pca.org. On the “tool bar” of the home page, click on the PCA tab for the “Porsche

Club of America” or the “Zone 7” links.

Get “The Circular” Electronically You can elect to receive a copy of The Circular electronically in the form of a PDF document by subscribing to it on our website at http://snr-pca.org. Just hit the “click here” in the left sidebar under Current Newsletter. After subscribing, you will receive a monthly e-mail with the link for downloading the latest edition. Give it a try!

NEW MEMBER BREAKFAST Continued from page 12

one person became enamored with the marquee from hearing the sound of the motor of a neighbor’s car; another became acquainted while serving in the armed forces in Europe. The stories were interesting and in some cases quite heartfelt. Grandma Pat told us of her and her husband owning a 550 Spyder and then on to the 1966 911 that she still owns. Cam Warren, always the car enthusiast, bought his 356 from Max Hoffman in New York and brought it west to become the first 356 to reside in Southern Cali-fornia. John Strom told us how while working for Porsche Cars North America, he had his choice of and drove several different models each year. Of course, that was in lieu of a salary. Just kid-ding, John ... but no one ever said that those Germans aren’t clever! With welcoming new members as the purpose of the breakfast, we had a chance to hear from David & Leslie Bent-ley, Bill Luccetti, Josh & Virginia Hatefi and Peter & Linda Larson and their Porsche stories. I think everyone could identify with the great experi-ences we’ve gained through our association with Porsche and the Porsche Club. Following a very nice breakfast buffet, we had presentations about the activities of our region from several members. John Strom discussed tours and drive-and-dines; Ron Lewis talked about tech sessions; and Rich Chew, our web-

The SNR WEBSTORE is now online!

Check out all the new products available with the SNR logo.

Hats, shirts, jackets, and more! www.snr-pca.org

Click on the “Store” tab on the tool bar on our

Home Page

master, told us about the website including what features it had and how to get information from the site. To end the meeting ,our president, Craig Kugler, spoke about the up and coming Porsche Parade as well as other events on the region calendar. He encouraged new members to get to know the other members as a way to enhance their Porsche experience. As we all know, it really is not just the cars, but the people!

“Grandma Pat” Bauderer shares her Porsche 911 story with the group. (Photo by C Kugler)

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PORSCHE 914 — MY AFFLICTION By Rob Sime

History records that Porsche and VW have al-ways cooperated with each other. In the late 1960s Porsche had a problem. Their 911 flag-ship model had priced itself out of the market, and the 912 with a VW Type IV motor was only marginally less. Buyers who could afford the 912 needed only stretch a little to buy the 911. The result was poor sales for the 912. Porsche needed an entry level car to capture buyers who could not make that stretch to the 912 or 911. VW also had a problem. Their Karmann Ghia was getting tired. Sales had begun to slow and they needed something fresh for their customers. Ferry Porsche and Heinz Nordhoff were the re-spective heads of Porsche and VW. As it hap-pens, they were also good friends. One of the Porsche daughters was married to one of the Nordhoff sons. Legend has it that the 914 was born over a meal in a restaurant. The two de-cided that they would build a car together. Kar-mann would build the body. VW would tool and assemble the chassis. The cars that were to be Porsche 914s would be shipped to Porsche and fitted with flat six motors. The VW 914 would re-ceive the Type IV motor in the VW factory.

These two were friends, their bond strengthened by the marriage of their children. They needed no contracts. Their word was bond enough. Sadly though, Nordhoff who was to retire in 1970 fell seriously ill and died. His replacement at VW, Kurt Lotz, knew nothing of business without con-tracts. The price of the finished chassis being shipped to Porsche went up. Up enough that a similar problem was created: the price of the Porsche 914 approached that of the 911. Buyers could simply stretch a little more to buy the iconic 911. Porsche ceased production of their version of the 914 after only three model years. My own involvement with the 914 began in the early 1980s. I had already begun my autocross addiction with a 240Z. There was a large group of sports car clubs in the Twin Cities area of Min-nesota and without driving more than 30 miles, one could autocross almost every weekend in the spring, summer and fall. Back then, I was winning my class almost every event. Battling it out with a couple of others for the season cham-pionship in what was called D Street Prepared. Every so often, a young kid would show up. His name was John and his parents owned a mail-order Porsche parts company. John was driving an ivory white 914 2.0 liter. I suppose he had every go-fast part his parent’s company sold. More importantly for me, John would “wax my tail” by almost two seconds a run. Sometimes, he would show up in the morning and leave in the afternoon sessions. I’d spend the day chas-ing his ghost! My ego wouldn’t allow me to give John the credit for being an exceptional driver. It had to be that car. I made a mental note to someday own a 914 and find out what made it so fast.

(Continued on page 15) Rob Sime’s beautiful 914 — note the license plate

(“CONE DGR”). (Photo by C Kugler)

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER By Craig Kugler, President, Sierra Nevada Region

Good weather, great roads and a Porsche — what could be better motivation? Yes, we are finally in the “sweet spot” of our driving year and we have a number of opportu-nities for members to use that driv-ing window to join us and have

some real fun. Our annual kick-off driving event, the Dust Off Tour, was a big success and was blessed with wonderful weather and a great turnout for an early April weekend. My thanks to Debbie and Harry Dell for hosting and Leslie and David Bent-ley for assisting. Our New Member Breakfast was also well at-tended and allowed a number of new members to mix and mingle with longtime members in a great environment. My thanks to Ann and Merlin Simons for hosting this important club event. Our Porsche Saturday Breakfast series met in April at Jack’s (old Austin’s) and will be back there on May 19th but will start at 8 AM to ac-commodate those planning to attend the annual Reno Rennsport Swap Meet. This sounds like a great Saturday morning duo! The Swap Meet gives members a chance to shrink or enlarge their respective collections of Porsche parts and

memorabilia. Besides … it’s great fun. Our first Tech Session of the Spring is now on the calendar for June 2nd at Gilson Autobody. Gilbert continues to expand his business and his team will presenting their program for perform-ance enhancements for you Porsche. You won’t want to miss this event. The Mystery Wine Tour, a new event, is rumored to be fully subscribed already. John and Alice Strom had to set a limit of 12 cars for this event and the response was better than expected. If you still have an interest, I understand they have a wait list in case of cancellations. For those who are going, this should be a fabulous weekend! I also want to recognize a transition in our board. Brian Lowder, Competition Chair, will be devot-ing more time to his Reno Rennsport business. I want to thank Brian for his service to the club and I know he will continue to be involved in the future. Rob Sime will be stepping into this impor-tant slot. Rob has significant experience in AX and DE events and is great addition to our Board. Varied events, new and old friends, and Porsches ready to drive. Need I say more? See you at our next event. Until then, be safe!

FROM THE EDITORS By Mary Lou & Craig Kugler

Members continue to contribute articles and we love it! Not just because it seems to make the job of Newsletter Editor easier (it does by the way), but because it enhances member involvement and hopefully encourages other members to dip

their proverbial “toes” into the water and try con-tributing themselves. We think the vision mem-bers have of an article is only about a club event. While that is an important part of what the news-


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WHO’S IN CHARGE 2012 Sierra Nevada Region, Porsche Club of America

Circular Editors Craig & Mary Lou Kugler eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-771-3256

President Craig Kugler eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-771-3256 Vice President Gilbert Dayao eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-353-4400 Secretary Bob McLaughlin eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-313-3570 Treasurer Debbie Dell eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-856-1765

Activities Co-Chairs Karen Vibe & Karen Goody eMail:[email protected] Tel: 775-220-7297

Competition Chair Rob Sime eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-853-3777 Membership Chair Karen O’Larey eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-273-7370 Tech Chair Gilbert Dayao eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-353-4400 Past President Ken Hollman eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-885-9627 Webmaster Richard Chew eMail: [email protected] Tel: 775-831-2286

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PORSCHE 914 - MY AFFLICTION Continued from Page 14

Fast forward to the early 1990s and a military assignment landed me in northern California. In Minnesota where I came from, most cars more than 5 years old were rusted beyond resuscita-tion. Now I found myself gawking at old cars from every manufacturer driving around as if they didn’t realize they were old. It was like a candy store for a car guy like me. I started think-ing about finding that Porsche 914 I had always wondered about. Months later, I noticed an ad for an estate sale. Among the items listed was a 1975 914. The story on the car was that the owner bought the car new from Sierra Porsche-Audi in Riverside, CA and drove it for five years until he retired in 1980. Sadly, he promptly had a stroke and could no longer drive his prized 914. He refused to allow his family to sell that car so it languished in his garage until he finally passed away in 2004. I picked it up for $2,200 from the estate sale and had it shipped back to Sacra-mento. As the transport driver started it and slowly backed it off the transport truck, I wondered what I had done. It had four cylinders but it sounded like it was firing on two. It had one brake that

was almost locked up and luckily, those two cyl-inders were just enough to move the car forward and back against that locked caliper. On the plus side of the ledger, it was absolutely original. The documentation was complete down to the origi-nal window sticker. 72K miles and once it was cleaned it up and polished, it looked new but ran like a geriatric donkey. In the years since then, I have rebuilt everything mechanical and spent probably 10 times that original price on it. I am afflicted. I am a true 914 devotee. I now know why John could come in and apply carnauba to my posterior. It is a go-kart with a license plate. , The 914 is only now getting the respect it always deserved. Prices for fine examples are double the original sticker price and more. 914-6 models command triple and more than their original prices. I have owned many Porsche models since buying that 914, all of them fine cars. But this 914 will always have a spot in my garage. It will even be parked there when I can no longer drive it. My apologies to my wife in advance…

914s in a line at a recent outing . (Photo by C Kugler)

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NEW MEMBERS By Karen O’Larey. On behalf of all of the Sierra Nevada members, welcome to the region!

New Members Gary Buyle 1990 White 944 S2 South Lake Tahoe, CA Elizabeth Irvine 2001 Silver Carrera 4 Cab Reno, NV Tim & Nancy Pinkerton 2000 Black Boxster S Reno, NV

For the latest club news, event information, articles and pictures check out our website at: www.snr-pca.org.

Sierra Nevada Region - Porsche Club of America PO Box 19689, Reno, NV 89511

CLASSIFIEDS

The “Classifieds” are a free, PCA member benefit where you can post information about buying or selling Porsche cars and parts. Ads will run up to three (3) editions on a space available basis. Classifieds posted in The Circular also are posted on our Website for viewing by members from all PCA regions. If you want to know more about placing a Classified, contact: [email protected].

FOR SALE: 1976 911S Coupe, 2.7L H-6, 5 Speed Manual, 4 Wheel Disc Brakes, Sunroof, Mileage on rebuilt engine is only 15,000! (I have invoices from rebuild). VIN: 9116201795. Royal Blue exterior and a black interior this Porsche features the original drive-train and fake Fuchs cookie-cutter wheels. Needs some TLC in-side & out. Asking $12,000 OBO. No CA Smog/Emissions equipment; Rebuilt in NV, but registered in CA. Exempt from CA smog certification in 2013. Request photos and more info: Karen at: 530-543-0900 or [email protected]

WANTED: Up-Fixing der Porsche volumes 5, 6, 7 & 8; four steel rims 5.5 x 15 for '76 912E. If the rims have usable tires on it, so much the better. Ragnar Kuehnert, 775.747.2019 or [email protected].

SNR Club Name Badges Available Members interested in obtaining club name badges can order them from Debbie Dell. Badges are $15 each and are the magnet/bar type. Contact Debbie today to order your badge!

FOR SALE: 1997 Boxster, Glacier White with Black Top and interior with Red Spy-der Stripes on rear fenders. Zone 7 and 2007 Parade Concours winner. 6 CD Player, Short Shift Kit. 61k babied miles with all known records since new plus re-cent service and inspection from Reno Rennsport. $13,500. Contact: George Bat-cabe:775.851.2313 or [email protected]

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEPARTMENTS Who’s in Charge 2 President’s Letter 3 From the Editors 3 Dates to Remember 4 Upcoming Events 10 New Members 16 Classified Ads 16

FEATURES

Dust Off Tour Wrap-Up 5 New Member Breakfast 12 Porsche 914 - My Affliction 14

Official Publication of the Sierra Nevada Region, Porsche Club of America

Main Cover Photo:

Flying Lizard GT3 RSR at the Long Beach Grand Prix

ALMS Race. (Photo Courtesy of Porsche AG)

Cover Design by KCJ Creative

Porsche of Reno11555 S. Virginia StreetReno, NV 89511775-826-2100www.reno.porschedealer.comShowroom hours M–F 7:30 AM–7 PM,Sa 8:30 AM–7 PM, Su 9 AM–6 PM

• 2012 Planning Party

• Mid-Winter Dinner

• AX Competition 2012

MAY 2012

• Dust Off Tour Wrap Up

New Member Breakfast

Porsche 914 — My Affliction

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chesr R o acP in ng oSeas

At Full Throttle!

at full throttle!elizabeth irvine 2001 silver carrera 4 cab reno, nv tim & nancy pinkerton 2000...

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