Mid
US 914 Ramble by Jim
Philpot
For an all-too-brief weekend in late October,
1999, beautiful Lake Hamilton Resort, near Hot Springs, AR, was greatly
enhanced when it became the idyllic setting for a gathering of more than
thirty Porsche 914s, a quantity rarely seen in one place. The condition
of the cars was indicative of the care and attention lavished on these
unique autos by their proud owners. With the exceptions of the Limited
Edition, and the very rare 916 and 914-6 GT cars, every version of the
Type 914 was represented, including three all-out racecars and several
highly modified streetcars. There were 45 official entrants, with accompanying
friends and family members increasing the total number of attendees to
60.
Weather was perfect for the event, the
Mid US Ramble, held over the weekend of 22-24 October,1999. It was organized
and hosted by the newly formed PCA 914 Special Interest Group (SIG), with
assistance from the PCA Ozark Region...it would be difficult to find a
more enthusiastic group of "car nuts"! Eleven states were represented,
with one 914 being driven from Iowa, 1300 miles round trip. (One member,
Brad Roberts, drove in from California, but not in a 914!)
Events of the weekend began Friday morning
with a swap meet. (It seems there's always something you need (and something
you need to get rid of) and you can haul a prodigious amount of "stuff"
in the two trunks of a 914!)
On
Friday afternoon, the first of two Tech Sessions was held, dealing with
racing and all it entails. Sharing their expertise with the group were
Jim Blakewell, J.T. Snapp, Ed Mayo, and Skip Page.
Topics included: differences between SCCA/PCA Club and autocross competitions;
and car preparation, made all the more interesting by a liberal sprinkling
of "war stories" of exploits both on and off the track. The group had the
good fortune of being able to examine three beautifully-prepared race cars,
including the winning SCCA GT2 car of Jim and Laurie Blakewell (OK);
a new, nearly-completed car of J.T. Snapp (AR); and Ed Mayo's
"Cockroach" (Don't ask! Such an unlikely name for a car that took top honors
at this year's Parade autocross, piloted by Ed and his wife, Jan!).
Ed, in addition to being a long-time PCA autocross racer and shop owner
in Dallas, TX, is a whiz at identifying obscure parts, having previously
demonstrating his knowledge of Porsches by placing first in this year's
Parade Tech Quiz!
After
the Tech Session, a Scenic Tour gave everyone the opportunity to get out
and enjoy the perfect weather and beautiful leaf colors, in the best way
possible--- top-down driving in a 914, through the rolling countryside,
whetting appetites for a delicious meal in one of Hot Springs' many fine
restaurants.
Saturday
began at whatever time was felt to be appropriate, because at 11 o'clock,
all of the cars present, (and even some that weren't!), were to be judged
in an Informal Concours. This meant the earlier the better for breaking
out the old spit 'n polish. What an industrious bunch!
Saturday afternoon began with another Tech
Session, this time an open forum, moderated by Ed Mayo. Topics discussed
at this session included: Rust prevention; engine cooling; glass installation;
and..... ?
After
the Tech Session, a Gimmick (non-timed) Rally occupied the attention of
the group for several hours (pleasant for some/frustrating for others!).
Then came the Tech Quiz, consisting of
identification of parts found on a 914. If we had all concentrated
like that in school, there would be a lot more rocket scientists around
today! There were parts in the photos rarely seen since the cars were assembled!
A banquet capped off the day, with a delicious
buffet-style meal; plentiful door prizes donated by generous vendors (total
value of the prizes was estimated at over $5000!) and the awarding of recognition
certificates for the winners of the various competitive events, as follows:
INFORMAL CONCOURS (judging
by all attendees)
Best Stock 914-4 or 914-6
Gary and Penny Perser (OK) - white 914-6
Best Modified 914-4
Al and Mike Swanson (TX) - yellow "916-4"
Best Modified 914-6 or 914-8
Rich Johnson (TX) - yellow 914-6
Best Vicarious 914 (judged from pictures)
Glenn Stazak (IL) - red 914-6
Peoples' Choice
Rich Johnson (TX) - yellow 914-6
Dirtiest Engine Bay
Craig Strain (VA) - blue 914-4 (the plastic bag did
him in!)
RALLY
1st Place
Gary and Penny Perser (OK)
2nd Place
Al and Mike Swanson (TX)
3rd Place
Tommy Williamson and son (MS)
TECH QUIZ (pictures and multiple-choice
questions)
1st Place
Ed Mayo (TX)
2nd Place
Glenn Stazak (IL)
3rd Place
J.T.Snapp (AR)
LONGEST DISTANCE TRAVELLED IN A 914
Lawrence Bonkoski and Pam Schneider(IA)
As enjoyable as the organized events were,
equally enjoyable was the opportunity to see, in person, a wonderful collection
of 914s, meet their owners, associate faces with names, and
swap stories of how the cars were maintained, preserved, and restored.
Next year's event is bound to be even bigger!
914
Ramble Tour by
Gary Perser
Nimble
914's on a two-lane blacktop twisting through the Ozark Mountains
under fantastic fall foliage and a clear Fall sky…a formula for truly memorable
motoring. On Sunday morning, six of the 914's at the Ramble, two
from Texas, two from Arkansas, one from Missouri, and one from Oklahoma,
set off early in the morning from Hot Springs, following the lead of Charlie
and Teri Davis for a backroads tour to the top of Magazine Mountain
and beyond for a special lunch stop at the Wiederkehr Winery near
Altus, Arkansas. Charlie set a spirited, but sensible pace that let
us enjoy the performance of our cars on the challenging curves without
endangering the participants or terrorizing the locals. The roads
seemed to have been laid out by the engineering staff at Weissach
because they were ideally suited to the excellent handling qualities of
our cars. Smooth sweeping curves, linked esses like giant slaloms,
second-gear hairpins, increasing and decreasing radius, uphill and down.
We were constantly accelerating and decelerating, heel-and-toe downshifting
before squeezing on the power and clipping another apex, the wail from
the six Weber intake stacks just behind our heads blending with the nasal
rasp of the twin pipe sport exhaust echoing off the rock walls. Why
did they put radios in these cars?
Magazine Mountain, the highest point in
Arkansas, was great. A steep winding road with lots of switchbacks
led to the summit, where the view was magnificent. The group
hiked a short way to a gnarled old tree clinging to the edge of a rocky
cliff. There we all signed the sacrificial Frisbee that we flung
from the precipice, sailing into the trees far below. With the ritual
completed, we continued on to the Wiederkehr Winery, which was founded
by an immigrant Swiss-German family over a hundred years ago. We
arrived with enough time to tour the gift shop and scope out the unique
gift items and the impressive variety of wines produced at the winery.
Charlie and Teri had reserved a large table for us in the intimate, excellent
restaurant. We had been transported magically to the alpine region
of Europe: this couldn't be Arkansas.
All
too soon, we finished our superb meal accompanied by a prudent sampling
of Wiederkehr's excellent wines. Good-byes all around and the six
914's dispersed, beginning the journey back to the real world. Porsches
and the open road, a fitting conclusion to a wonderful weekend.
Special thanks to John Leto, Mike Shannon,
Jim Philpot, and Alan Barrilleaux for sharing their photos.
The 914 Special Interest Group has been
formed in an effort to promote owner contact, facilitate the exchange of
information, and ensure the public's awareness of the true value of the
Type 914 Porsche.
Information regarding the 914 SIG can be
obtained by contacting:
Charles Davis, 914 SIG Advocate
P.O. Box 213, Weatherford, TX, 76086
940.682.4719
chuxter@airmail.net