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Porsche
Club of America
By Dave
Weber, GT3Cup@PorscheNet.com
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 For
the past several years Speedvision (soon to be the “Speed Channel”) has
broadcast two days of coverage of the annual Barrett-Jackson Classic Car
Auction held in Scottsdale, Arizona. I’ve watched these broadcasts each
year, fascinated with the auction process, and amazed at the amount of
money some of the cars fetch. This year’s event was especially entertaining
as the “hot” cars turned out to be late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s muscle cars.
A number of terrific examples of that era went on the auction block and
were sold for prices generally between $50,000 and $125,000. I once owned
a Boss 302 Mustang for which I received $2000 as a trade-in on an Audi
100 LS. The Audi was a good winter car for Minnesota, but certainly lacked
the pizzazz of the Boss 302. If I’d just hung on to that car, storing it,
and maybe driving it only on sunny summer days, I could have auctioned
the car for substantially more money!
When the final tallies were made, something on the order of $26 million changed hands during the auction. A substantial amount in what is quote “a weak economy.” I guess people are feeling differently these days about what they do with their money. Also it’s apparent that a “buy America” movement is probably occurring in all collectibles. Susana and I have been making a list of must do things, and attending the Barrett-Jackson event is on our list. If we can make our schedules work, next year may be the time to check “that box.” We have decided to attend this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in England. I’ve followed that event on Speedvision also for a number of years. The Festival is held on the grounds of the Goodwood Estate, with the feature attraction being a “40 second run” hill climb event held on one of the Estate’s narrow roads. The event attracts a huge number of entrants, bringing vintage automobiles up to the most modern F1 creations. Over the course of the three days, a wide range of events is held for automobiles, motorcycles, and even exotic “soap box” cars fabricated by a number of England’s best automotive fabricators. Major automotive manufacturers participate, bringing their latest creations. This year’s event will highlight Lotus, and Tyrell and will include at least 6 current Formula 1 teams. A large contingent of famous “car people” show up to drive and meet the crowds. Should be lots of fun! I’ve just become aware of another interesting event scheduled for this year, which I’d very much like to attend. In September in Le Mans, France a new historic car event will be held. Called the “Le Mans Classic” the event will be held on the current 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit and will feature 300 racecars that were raced at Le Mans between 1923 and 1975. The cars will be split into 5 race groups that will race for 24 hours in 35 minute long races. Teams will be created made up of one car from each race group. The winners will be determined by the total finishing score achieved by each team. So lots of effort will have to go into keeping each team’s five cars running throughout the 24 hours of races. As I read about this event it dawned on me that the format they’re proposing to use for the event is very similar to our end of the season “Rumble” autocross event. In our event participants are classed and teams are made of up individuals in each class, and the winner is the team with the best overall performance. Same concept! I’ve always wanted to go to Le Mans for the 24 Hours race, but wanted to attend when Porsche was competing for an overall win. Since it may be several more years before Porsche is once again racing seriously, the “Classic” event may be our best option. I’ll have to check my frequent flyer accounts to see where I stand! And speaking of classic automobiles, I really enjoyed this year’s visit to Paul Russell. The number and assortment of cars undergoing restoration in their shop was very impressive. Alex Finigan was a gracious and entertaining host, and the region turnout was very impressive. You will not find many places (if any) in the US where you’ll see two 959 Porsches next too two Type 550 Porsches! |
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