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Porsche Club of America
The Northeast Region

By Andy Jenks
NOR'EASTER Online - January 2002

The year was 1976. I was seven years old. My father had just finished a phone call with Hyannis Porsche about buying his first Porsche. The next day he was off to the Cape to pick up one of the first 924s delivered to the east coast.

I guess that's how my passion for Porsches got started. I still remember when he brought the car home. Because it was such a new look for Porsche, everyone would look at the car and comment when we drove around town. That next summer my father and I headed off to Watkins Glen for his (and mine) very first driver education event. It was the second annual 48 Hours of Watkins Glen. I remember so many details from that trip: Going to the Glen Club for dinner, walking around the garage area, and standing on the control tower watching him fly down the front straight. Rob Stoesser and I have shared stories about the Glen and have realized that we were probably standing on that tower together watching our fathers on the track. My father and I went to many events in his 924.

Next came another first for Porsche to hit my father's garage. In 1982 my parents went to Germany to pick up their 1982 944. Once the 944 arrived at our house, we picked up where we had left off with the 924. We headed to driver education events at Mosport and Lime Rock just to name a few. We also enjoyed going to concours, swap meets, or just about anything Porsche related.

In 1984 my father made one of the best statements he has ever made. He said, "You'll be getting your license in a few years, so maybe we should find you a car that needs to be fixed up." That has to be the best thing a fifteen year old can hear. So, the search began. My father suggested we look for a big, old Volvo. I, being fifteen, suggested a Mustang. As I was going through the Want Ad, I came across the perfect car. It was a 1968 911 for $1,000. We drove the hour or so to go look at it. It was mostly green, with a different shade of green covering the rust. Most of the blown engine was still in the car. The car also came with several boxes of miscellaneous engine parts. It was perfect. We spent the next two or three years rebuilding the car. I have more memories of building that car than I do of driving it. Don't get me wrong, driving a 911 in high school is great, but the time my father and I spent working on the car was better.

They say the best way to learn is by doing. Well, I learned a lot. We rebuilt the engine, reworked the interior, cut out rust on the body and welded in new metal, and prepped the body for paint. One of the best parts of this process was going to swap meets looking for the smallest of items that would make the project complete.

After college I spent a few years getting on my feet and tinkering with a few small Porsche projects. I had a 924 that I spent a little time with and a 914 that was on its way to becoming a 914-6 before the rust got the best of it. In 1997 I bought my first Porsche that was road ready. It was a 1988 Anniversary edition 911 Carerra. I then joined the Porsche Club in the spring of 1998. I started going to autocrosses and soon after headed to the track for my first driver education event. I'd only had that 911 for just about two years when I decided to get something aimed more at track events. That's when I bought my current Porsche, a 1974 911. I think I like this Porsche the best. The inside has the old feel of my '68 911, but the car has been modified enough that the track events are exciting.

Well, that gets everyone up to date on how I got involved with Porsches and the Porsche Club. I always find it interesting to hear how people became involved with the Porsche Club. So, over the course of the next year I will be interviewing other members and sharing their stories. If you have an interesting story about how you got involved, send me an email. See you around the paddock.

Porsche Club of America The Northeast Region

Porsche Club of America
The Northeast Region