Issue 9 • OCTOBER, 2013

In thIs month’s IssueCovered Bridge Tour

John Thompson

On page 5Prez Says

On page 6Festival of Cars

On page 10 news from porsche

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experience Performance & Luxury New & Used Porsche Sales

Full Service Facility for European Brands

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cAScAde region PorSche clUb oF AmericA

PresidentRoss Rampy

Vice PresidentMichael Hernandez

SecretaryDavid Duarte

TreasurerBill Lucas

Membership ChairmanGlenn Gumaer

Central ChapterJohn Thompson

Public RelationsAngela M. Ross-Lane

Website EditorJoel Weyhe

Media & GraphicsIgnite Media Group, Inc.

Special thanks toDave Johnson, Robert Forest

Contactder Auspuff is a publication of the Cascade Region of the Porsche Club of America. For more information or to become a member, visit us online at www.cascadeporscheclub.org.

turnIng 50 Isn’t so Bad...The Porsche 911 celebrated its 50th birthday at the annual Salon RetroMobile in Paris. The event, which took place on February 6-10, is hosted a retrospective of the famed German sports car through the years. For the first time in France, the T7 prototype was on display as well as a variety of rare models inlcuding the 911 SC Safari and 911 2.7RS.

Originally called the Porsche 901 when it made its world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963, but quickly renamed when French carmaker Peugeot pointed out that it owned the copyright on three-digit numbers with a zero in the middle, the Porsche 911 this year celebrates its 50th birthday. And, because its styling has remained largely unchanged throughout that time, the 911 not only still looks good for its age, but has also become one of the most easily recognizable, and -- thanks to continued German engineering expertise -- successful sports cars in history.

Some in the industry would argue that this obsession with retaining its appearance is nothing short of obstinacy. For every 911 fan there is a critic who complains -- quite rightly -- that by using an air-cooled rear-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive the 911 is not only flawed but, with all of that weight over the back wheels, poten-tially dangerous in corners. Yet, while Porsche finally adopted water cooling in 1998, the company has never seen fit to move the engine to the front or into the middle to achieve better balance and handling. Instead it has looked to four-wheel drive and numerous technological drivers’ aids to bring the rear under control.

Then there’s the naming convention. To the uninitiated, the Porsche is simply known as a 911. Yet ask a 911-owner what type of car they drive and they will invariably claim to own a 996 or a 964, or, if it’s the latest generation of model, a 991. These people are showing that they understand Porsche’s own internal naming conventions for different models and different generations.

However, strange quirks of engineering and ownership aside, each generation of the 911 has been better than the one before and in each case Porsche has raised the bar in terms of what is possible from a 2+2 sports car with a six-cylinder engine. And in doing so the brand has ensured for 50 years that Ferrari, Lamborghini, Jaguar and Aston Martin have continually raised their own games in order to keep up.

As part of the celelbrations at this year’s Salon RetroMobile in Paris, Porsche’s success at Le Mans and in the Paris-Dakkar was also be recognized with a number of ex-drivers including Henri Pescarolo and Gérard Larrousse being welcomed as special guests of the event.

From the New York Daily News, February 7, 2013

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Ross Rampy has been serving as President of the Cascade PCA since 2011. In addi-tion to his passion for Porsche, he also enjoys spending time with his 6 kids, 5 grandkids and 2 dogs.

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Fellow Cascade Porsche-Pushers,

Here it is already the end of September, and our

driving season is rapidly coming to an end. Our

next drives on October 19th will be our last offical

drive of the year for both chapters. The Central

chapter will be heading over to the coast while

the Southern chapter will experience the Rogue

Scenic Highway. So, before you put your Porsche

into hibernation for the winter, come join us one

more time, what a better way to spend a Saturday

afternoon, yes even with the Ducks and the

Beavers both playing. One can always tape a game

but you can’t record the fresh air and winding

roads of Oregon in the fall and of course the

friendly faces of your fellow Porsche-Pusher.

We launched our new website in early October,

and I’m sure you’ll love the enhancements to our

layout, content and design. Thanks to everyone

involved for making the project a success,

including our developer Ignite Media Group. If you

haven’t checked out the new site, be sure to do

so by visiting www.cascadeporscheclub.org. As

always, see you in my mirrors.

Sincerely,

Ross Rampy ross@cascadeporscheclub.org

From Our President

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The trip wasn’t without a few entertaining twists, though. Leader David Duarte initally headed in the wrong direction, leading the group away from Highway 62. After a minor adjustment, the trip was back on course. A prolonged rest stop at Mt. Mazama View Point gave an opportunity for a photo shoot for the new Cascade PCA website.

Afterwards, the group continued on to the Broken Top Club, arriving at 12:45 p.m. They were told that they could not park there, and had to drive to a remote site and be shuttled back to the Club to attend the Car Show. By the time everyone arrived at the Festival of Cars there was only about an hour and a half till the show ended. It was VERY hot and many participants were seen leaving the show early or hanging out in the shade to escape the heat.

There was a comparative dearth of cars (73) featured as compared to the more than 200 cars that were shown 2 years ago at Sunriver Golf Course. Many marques were not shown (Lamborghini,

Festival of Cars in BendAt 9AM on Saturday September 14, 7 Porsches of most models and vintages departed via Central Point to attend the annual Festival of Cars event at the beautiful Broken Top Club golf course in Bend.

Rolls Royce, Bentley, McLaren) and there generally was not the buzz of excitement that was experienced at previous shows.

Upon leaving the show, everyone re-grouped and had a delightful lunch at McMennaman’s Pub in downtown Bend. Afterwards, all but 2 members departed for the return trip home. David Duarte and Glenn Gumaer spent the night so they could test drive the new Cayman and 991 the next day at Carerra Motors in Bend.

The test drives brought a glimmer to their eye and both report there are a few new additions to their “bucket lists.” In fact, the two were so affected by their experience that they proceeded to engage in negotiations for a 2014 BMW

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328xi Sportwagon (for Dave) and a 2012 Volkswagon Eos (for Glenn’s fiance).

As the afternoon drew to a close, Dave left the dealership with a lease for his new BMW in hand.

Later, after the excitement wore off and some “buyer’s remorse” set in, David promptly rescinded his deal. Not to worry, though, he says it’s just a matter of time until he returns to finalize his purchase.

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Porsche Unveils

New Look for

Muffler Man

Landmark, Site of

North America’s

First Porsche

Experience CenterAfter breaking ground on the Porsche Experience Center in August, Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) is making progress on the 53-acre facility located in Carson, Calif. The Center will overlook the Porsche Test Track, which offers drivers a variety of track configurations and surface conditions on which Porsche road cars can be studied, along with the human performance of the drivers themselves.

To celebrate the construction progress, yesterday Porsche unveiled a new look for the iconic Muffler Man fiberglass statue, located off the 405 freeway. He now proudly wears a Porsche racing suit and serves as gatekeeper for the Experience Center site.

The new complex will feature the Porsche Human Performance Center and sports science lab, offering customized programs to maximize personal fitness and wellness for race car drivers and endurance athletes. The world-class facility will also include a business and conference center; family-friendly café; upscale restaurant; and, trackside viewing, dining and conference spaces that will be available for car clubs and corporate clients to reserve for events.

The complex will be home to Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA), who is moving their current operations from Santa Ana, Calif. PMNA sells production-based race car models to customer teams in North America and provides them with parts, service and expertise in between races and at the track. For the first time ever, Porsche will also be able to provide factory-backed classic car restoration and maintenance services at the new facility.

The Porsche Experience Center has already been a boon to the local economy, as the luxury automaker

has invested $28.7 million and created 310 jobs during the project development phase. Once operational, the facility is expected to result in the creation of 135 additional jobs and generate $22.5 million in economic activity each year for Southern California.

Porsche broke ground on the Carson facility in August 2013 and anticipates that construction will be completed and facility operations will commence during the fourth quarter of 2014. A second North American Experience Center is also under construction in Atlanta, part of the company’s new U.S. headquarters.

About Porsche Cars North America

Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), based in Atlanta, Ga. is the exclusive U.S. importer of Porsche sports cars, the Cayenne SUV and Panamera sports sedan. Established in 1984, it is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Porsche AG, which is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, and employs approximately 220 people who provide parts, service, marketing and training for 189 dealers. They, in turn, work to provide Porsche customers with a best-in-class experience that is in keeping with the brand’s 63-year history and leadership in the advancement of vehicle performance, safety and efficiency.

At the core of this success is Porsche’s proud racing heritage that boasts some 30,000 motorsport wins to date.

ConstruCtion underway at PorsChe exPerienCe Center Los angeLes

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dinner at the 115 Broiler

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Our Covered Bridge Tour Around the Willammette Valley by John Thompson

Rain, rain go away. Please come back some other day. Yep, that is what I was saying Saturday morning as I peered out into the ever threatening skies. It is tough to be an early Porsche owner in the Willamette Valley. Yes I know the cars were meant to be driven. Trust me, I drive it hard to make up for the extended periods of rest during the rainy winter months. I will also admit to being a mostly fair-weather owner. The reality of owning a car that is pushing 50 is that it has some quirks which I have grown to love and work around. However, water is a potential killer for an early, un-galvanized car. I have a leak around the driver’s window that funnels water onto my rubber floor mat creating a miniature slip-n-slide and I am sure some of my seals are leaking and channeling water to places unseen which are incubators for rust monsters. So if it looks like more than a possible shower, baby stays in bed.

So we visit the recent Saturday for the Covered Bridge Tour. The weather was less than promising and when it was time to head out to meet the group rain was coming down. The decision was made to take the daily driver. In the back of my mind I was skeptical anyone would show up, knowing much like me, the local group is fair-weathered. I was not surprised to be the first one there and soon joined by Arne and Deanna in their 911. We both waited a few minutes until the time came to pull a plug on the drive and reschedule it for next year. Since it was a couple minutes after 9, and being the only ones, we decided to head back home. Then all of a sudden we were joined by two other cars. This became a game changer. A brief discussion amongst us and we decided to do the deed. It was going to be Arne and Deanna in a 911, Roy in a 968, Byrke in a 911 Turbo, and John in an Audi? The Audi seemed a bit out of place so I offered to act as a

co-pilot and be the navigator. Hmmm…which car should I ride in? This is where I made my toughest decision of the morning. The Turbo it is!

Nothing puts speed into perspective quicker than riding in a car whose single cylinder output equals almost that of the entire engine to which I am accustomed. Leaving the 912 at home quickly became a good idea.

Our route took us to Cottage Grove and then out along Dorena Lake. I was navigating via iPhone maps which was more-or-less successful. Luckily, most of the bridges where along the road so they were pretty difficult to miss. We briefly stopped at each bridge and marveled at the timbers and joinery. A couple bridges were still used so we experienced them as they were intended. While the online route had only six bridges, there were actually 8. Three of which were in down town Cottage Grove. The last bridge I found very interesting in that it was a railway covered bridge. Its’ proportions were so a locomotive would fit through. The city has built a very nice park and display to go along with the renovated bridge. I would recommend a visit to this should one be in CG.

By the time we visited the last bridge, the skies had mostly cleared and I found myself feeling a bit guilty about not stretching the legs on the 912. Overall, there wasn’t that much rain and since we were mostly moving I probably wouldn’t have gotten that much water in the cabin. So I sat there feeling guilty but enjoying the ride back to Eugene. A long clear stretch opened up and Bryke’s foot must have gotten a spasm because all of a sudden my eye balls

were being forced to the back of my head and I was reaching for things to keep me from becoming one with the seat. OMG!!!! WOW!!! I found myself grinning and giggling inside like a little school girl. My guilt, not being quick enough to keep up, was left watching from behind as our tail lights grew smaller and smaller and smaller.

It has been quite a while since I’ve had the pleasure of being responsible for getting the group to its destination while not being responsible for leading it to the destination. While we had a small group, it was a very enjoyable day. Having the opportunity to ride shotgun in such a capable car was, admittedly, quite fun. After being dropped off, my drive home left me a couple moments to assess the day and wonder about owning a newer, faster, weather-resistant car. I came to the conclusion most of the day was spent driving in a manner

that was well within the abilities of all our cars. Truly only a few times could the Turbo offer a driving experience that was vastly different from my 912. Then I realized when I drive my 912 I grin ALL the time! I can now attest to the truth it is fun to drive a slow car fast, than a fast car slow.

Hope to see you on the road.

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