Board Meetings - California Central Coast - Porsche Club of America

COASTALAIRE 

Porsche Club of America - California Central Coast Region 

http://ccc.pca.org/ 

March 2012 

Autocross 2012 - Teststrecke Porsche I 

Wildflower Tour

California Central Coast Porsche Club Of America August 2009 

SGS MOTORSPORTS 

u experience 

u commitment 

u integrity 

805-544-7979 

3453 Empresa Dr. 

San Luis Obispo, CA 

www.vintageab.com 

4 Race / Track Day Prep 

4 Special Project Cars 

4 Parts and Accessories 

4 Spark Plugs to the Special 

Set of Wheels You’ve Been 

Dreaming About 

4 Service: Minor and Major 

Factory-Style Service 

4 Brakes 

California Central Coast Porsche Club Of America March 2012 

State-of-the-Art Frame & Laser 

Measuring Equipment 

Expert & Custom Color Matching 

Collision Repair 

Lifetime Warranty on All Repairs 

FOREIGN 

AND 

DOMESTIC 

4 Electrical Gremlins 

4 Engine and Transmission 

Overhauls 

4 Re-Sale and 

Consignments With 

an Ever-Changing 

Inventory 

4 All Cars Inspected by 

Our Shop 

Stop by for a visit at 1144 HIGUERA STREET, SAN LUIS OBISPO 93401 

Service ~ 545-9323 Parts ~ 540-3300 Sales ~ 545-9323 

www.sgsmotorsports.com 

Serving San Luis Obispo County Since 1982 

A Full Service Body Shop Where 

Quality is Never Sacrificed 

We Specialize in Insurance Claims 

Local Pick-up & Delivery 

2 

2


3

Features 

4.... .CCCR-PCA and Coastalaire 

Information 

4......CCCR Board Meetings 

5......2012 CCCR PCA Board of Directors 

5......Prez’s Corner 

6......Events Calendar 

6......Editor’s Exhaust 

10....Member Profile - Greg La Cava 

14....Porsche Tech - Pedro Bonilla 

18....Anniversaries / New Members 

19....Advertiser Directory / Rates / Name 

Badges / 

Board Meetings 

All members are welcome to attend the CCCR Board Meetings. 

Time is available for non-board members to have input during 

these meetings. So if you have interest, ideas to offer, or anything 

that you’d like to submit, you are more than welcome to attend. 

Location Date and Time 

San Luis Obispo First Wednesday of the month 

Country Club at 6:30 PM 

255 Country Club Dr. 

San Luis Obispo 

Please call a Board member to verify the meeting location and 

time in case either changes. 

Coastalaire 

COASTALAIRE 

In this issue 

Approved copies of the Board Meeting minutes are 

located on the CCCR website at http://ccc.pca.org/ 

Coastalaire is the official monthly publication of the Porsche Club of America, 

California Central Coast Region. The opinions expressed are those of the 

authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the California 

Central Coast Region of the Porsche Club of America, its officers or members. 

Permission is granted to charter regions to reprint if appropriate credit is given 

to the author and Coastalaire, with the exception of copyrighted material. Any 

material appearing in the Coastalaire is that of the author, and does not constitute 

an opinion of the Porsche Club of America, the California Central Coast 

Region, its Board or Appointees, the Coastalaire Editors, or its staff. The Editorial 

Staff reserves the right to edit all material submitted for publication. 

The deadline for articles and submission is the 10th of the month preceding 

the month of publication. 

Articles & Events 

7.......Driver’s Ed at Buttonwillow 

8.......Pozo Run and Chow 

9.......Autocross 2012 - Teststrecke 

Porsche I 

12.....MS Car Show 

16.....San Luis Obispo Concours 

de’Elegance 

17.....Wildflower Tour 

CCCR/PCA Website 


Webmaster - Eriel Nash 

eriel@eriel.com 


Member Services 

CCCR / PCA Mailing Address : 

California Central Coast Region of 

Porsche Club of America (CCCR/PCA) 

793 Foothill Blvd., Suite A-54 

San Luis Obispo, CA 93405-1683 

March 2012 

COASTALAIRE 

Porsche Club of America - California Central Coast Region 

Autocross 2012 - Teststrecke Porsche I 

Wildflower Tour 


COVER PHOTO 

The “fast” group coming 

into Pozo, ready to eat 

some grub! 

~ photo by ~ 

Chuck Jennings 

Concours Studios 

Classified Ads 

Classified ads are posted in the Coastalaire (when space is available) 

and the CCCR PCA website at http://ccc.pca.org/. Submit your text 

and photo (if required) by email to: Bob Kitamura at 

coastalaireeditor@gmail.com. Submit by the 1st of the month prior 

to the publication month. The editor reserves the right to edit the ad 

if it is over 40 words. The ad is Free To Members. 

Editor Bob “Kit” Kitamura 

coastalaireeditor@gmail.com 

Co-Editor Bob Mayberry 

porsche@surfari.net 

Co-Editor Bob “Milt” Worthy 

miltworthy@mac.com 

Co-Editor Jane Worthy 

janeworthy@yahoo.com 

Co-Editor Chuck Jennings 

concourschuck@gmail.com 

Contributing Writers Bruce Bero, Dave Mills, Bob DeVries 

Pedro Bonilla 

Staff Photographer Chuck Jennings 

It is available to all CCCR members on the website at http//ccc.pca.org/. 

4

2012 CCCR PCA Board 

Bruce Bero 

President 

805-544-2376 

bbmed@charter.net 

Ken Finney 

Vice-President 

805-542-9671 

klf4slo9ers@charter.net 

Paul Fasching 

Treasurer 

805-542-9982 

plfasching@yahoo.com 

Sanja Brewer 

Secretary / Membership 

805-541-9245 

sbrewer@eyesonly.com 

Dave Mills 

Safety / Equipment / Asst Membership 

805-547-1191 

demills@charter.net 

Marla Hill 

Historian / Goody Store 

805-466-6951 

thedressdoctor@yahoo.com 

Andrew Winterbottom 

Driving Events 

847-219-2964 

awinterbottom@sbcglobal.net 

Jon MIlledge 

Chief Driving Instructor 

805-528-1665 

jon.milledge@me.com 

Joe Korpiel 

Assistant Driving Events 

805-927-1244 

jkorpiel@charter.net 

Bob “Kit” Kitamura 

Coastalaire Editor 

805-441-3196 

coastalaireeditor@gmail.com 

Hamp Miller 

Immediate Past-President 

805-781-8605 

hampmiller@charter.net 


Prez’s Corner 

Bruce Bero, President 

First of all allow me to make a plea to the entire 

membership. If you have not yet signed up for 

the “Testsrecke Porsche I” please do so as soon as 

possible. All registrations can be made online thru 

“MotorsportReg.com”. Registering line will be the new 

format for Driving events such as future autocrosses 

and “DE” events within our region. 

The online registration gives us an accurate count for 

the of the number participants to expect and when they 

registered, along with archived data for future events 

and finally the burden of collecting funds is taken care 

of thus allowing the chairpersons more time to devote 

to the event planning. 

This event is 100% safe and is an absolute bucket list 

item for yourself and for anyone else who may venture 

behind the wheel of your Porsche. In just a very few 

laps you will immediately experience exactly what your 

car was built to do. 

Again this writing was prior to the “Parkfield Run” 

so I’ll trust my intuition and assume that once again 

our chair person Dave Mills, aka: “Shake and Bake” 

provided all with great back road runs and all enjoyed 

the hospitality of the new owners at the café. 

Our second Rallye School will be held on March 11, 

2012 hosted by Lynn Ayers who rumor has it, has been 

badgered by Dave Mills to be her navigator. ( remember 

rule # 3 ) . The Rallye is a perfect way to engage and 

involve your passenger in the fine art of co-driving 

without touching the wheel. 

Finally I hope some of you had the opportunity to see 

the interview on KSBY on February 19th. with several 

members of the Cal Poly Car Club and their “Electric 

911”. 

I for one am proud of their enthusiasm and continued 

effort to promote their venture and by the outstanding 

volunteer guidance given to them by so many members 

of CCCR/PCA. 

Bruce 

“It’s The People Not The Cars” 

5

CCCR ACTIVITIES CALENDAR 

DATE TIME ACTIVITY LOCATION CONTACT NOTES 

3/7 6:30 PM Board Meeting SLO Country Club Bruce Bero - 544-2376 

3/10 9:00 AM Breakfast Club Dorn's 

3/11 9:30 AM Rallye & School Atascadero Lynn Ayers - 466-8581 A fun day ending with a wonderful lunch 

3/24-3/25 7:00 AM 2012 Autocross Santa Maria Airport 


See page 9 for details 

Editor’s Exhaust 

Bob “Kit” Kitamura, Editor 

847-219-2964 



4/14 7:00 AM MS Car Show Edna Valley - SLO Jason Len - 801-4314 See page 12 for details 

4/15 10:00 AM Wildflower Tour & Lunch Creston Bob DeVries - 543-4880 

Drive the backroads to see fields of 

flowers, followed by lunch in a true 

cowboy restaurant. See page 17 for details. 


5/25 7:00 AM Wind in the Willows II Buttonwillow 


847-219-2964 

Drivers education on the Buttonwillow race 

track. See page 7 for details. 


6/1-6/3 varies 

The Meadows, Madonna 

SLO Concours de'Elegance 

Inn 

805-544-2266 

go to www.sanluisobispoconcours.com for 

details 



6/17 9:30 AM Santa Barbara Gallup 

Polo Grounds at Santa 

Barbara 

A nice drive to Santa Barbara to watch polo and 

Bob DeVries - 543-4880 

have a picnic w/ champagne if you want 


7/8-714 varies Porsche Parade Salt Lake City 


7/15 8:00 AM Gathering of Friends Laguna Lake, SLO Hamp Miller - 781-8605 Annual charity event and car show 



8/12 TBA 



9/16 TBA 



10/14 TBA 



11/10 12:30 PM Newcomer's BBQ TBD 


12/2 6:30 PM Christmas Party SLO Country Club 


1/2 6:30 PM Board Meeting SLO Country Club 


2/6 6:30 PM Board Meeting SLO Country Club 


On Saturday, February 11th , some of us from the club had an 

opportunity to view, sit-in and ride-in the new 2012 Porsche 911 

Carrera S (991) at the Porsche Santa Barbara open house. Thanks 

to Walt Branscome and other members of the sales team who 

spent time talking to and driving members of the Santa Barbara 

and California Central Coast regions of PCA most of the morning 

and afternoon. Even though I did not have the opportunity to 

actually ride in the 991, just sitting in the driver’s seat was quite 

an experience. I have heard both the pros and cons, and as I have 

mentioned before, for me, it is one of the nicest Porsches yet. 

You will notice in the newsletter that there are many club events 

coming up that will need volunteers to help. Make sure that you 

put them on your calendar. 

“Kit” 


6

2012 

Driver 

Education 

Details and 

Registration Forms 

In the April Coastalaire 

And on the CCCR Website 

Driving the concepts of tomorrow to your business today 

Porsche 918 Spyder Concept Konica Minolta bizhub C652 


CCCR presents 

Wind in the Willows II 

at 

Buttonwillow 

Raceway park 

Friday, May 25 

Ultrex Business Products 

712 Fiero Lane, Suite 33 

San Luis Obispo, Ca 93401 

(805)783-1234 

www.ultrex.net 

7

You may know me as “that photographer guy” with 

the audacity to drive his Corvette to CCCR events. 

After hanging out with CCCR folks for over a year, 

and after considerable lusting after beautiful Porsches, 

I added a 2002 Boxster S to my over-stuffed garage. 

I took my time getting to know “The Box”. I wanted 

to make sure I knew all her idiosyncrasies before I 

turned myself loose. With the exception of a few runs 

over the hill on twisty 227, I was a respectful gentleman 

with a car I had no experience. 

The Pozo Run on January 22 was my first official event 

as a member of CCCR. My wife, Betty, came along. I 

wanted her to meet my longtime friend, Nancy Grant. 

They hit if off right from the start. Auspicious. 

Dave Mills dishing out the instructions for the run 

On that chilly morning in the Staples parking lot, 

Dave Mills collected the 54 drivers plus navigators for 

our pre-run instructions. He explained that this was 

intended as a “sightseeing” run, but added, tongue-incheek, 

that some drivers would be “pushing it” just a 

bit. He asked that those wishing to stick to the sightseeing 

agenda give way allowing the faster cars the 

lead on the tour. 


Pozo Run Ecstasy 

by Chuck Jennings 

Now, I love my wife dearly, but on more than one occasion 

my driving triggerd her motion sickness, and 

what I had in mind for this run would have ruined her 

day. Gently (and hopefully), I asked Betty if she might 

enjoy riding along with Nancy. Much to my delight, 

they both thought this a great idea. I gave Betty a kiss 

on the cheek and watched her walk arm-in-arm with 

Nancy to her Carrera. What a great sport, my wife. 

With considerable anticipation, I merged into the 

queue as close to the lead cars as I could. It appeared 

I may have been the fifth car of 54 to leave the Staples 

parking lot. Fortunatley, I was well acquainted with 

all the roads between Templeton and Pozo, especially 

229 between Creston and Highway 58. It was my goal 

to keep the interval to no more than three seconds 

between me and that intimidating black Carrera in 

front of me. 

An hour and a half later, the black Carrera and I - 

completely exhausted - turned into the Pozo Saloon 

parking lot. My legs were weak, my stomach grumbled 

like a sick puppy, but my grin filled the entire distance 

between my ears. I was that adrenalin-drained kid 

having just gotten off his first roller coaster ride. 

Fortunately, the Pozo Saloon is just the place to 

unwind. By the time we lined up for our sumptuous 

brunch, a couple of Mimosas had diluted the adrenalin. 

And I pledged myself a Porsche Lifer. 

Chowing down at the Pozo Saloon 

8

arrival time 

CCCR -PCA presents 

U T O C R O S S 2012 

Teststrecke Porsche I @ Santa Maria Airport 

Arrive prior to 8:00am for registration. 

Because of TSA requirements, 

once you leave the site, you cannot 

return. All entrants must be on the 

premises by 9:00am. We will have 

two portable toilets on site. 

insurance requirements 

All car occupants must wear a Snell 

approved helmet (SA, SAH, K or 

M), which has the current available 

Snell rating (2010) or the one previous 

Snell rating (2005); or later SA 

(Sports Auto), SAH, K or M (Motorcycle) 

Snell rated helmets. You must 

show your helmet at Tech. We will 

try to have a limited number of loaner 

helmets available. 

registration 

checklist 

Be sure to the check oil, 

Set the tire pressure 

Fill up on gas 

Bring food & water. We will also 

have a catering truck on site where 

you can purchase food. 

We suggest wearing a long sleeved 

cotton shirt and comfortable cotton 

pants with shoes with good traction 

soles without having large lugs on the 

tread. Smooth tread rubber or leather 

is best 

Saturday March 24 Instruction and practice 

Sunday March 25 Timed autocross 

$60 per driver both days $40 per driver one day 


directions 

• US Hwy101 to Exit 167, Santa 

Maria Way 

• Exit onto Santa Maria Way 

toward NW (.3 mi.) 

• Take the first LEFT onto S Bradley 

Rd. (433 ft.) 

• Take the first RIGHT onto 

Lakeview Rd. (.8 mi) 

• Turn LEFT onto Orcutt Expressway 

- Hyw135 - (.8 mi.) 

• Turn RIGHT onto W Foster Rd. 

(1.0 mi) 

• At Tee, turn RIGHT onto 

Blosser Rd. (.5 mi) 

• Destination will be on the LEFT 

at the first of two keypad entry 

gates. 

• Registration is HERE. 

• Directions will be given to the 

autocross course. 

The CCCR autocross registration is now open. Registration is done via MotorsportReg.com. To register, you need to go to the MotorsportReg.com 

home page. You may do that by clicking HERE. If you do not have a MotorsportReg.com personal account, you must first establish one. On the 

first MotorsportReg.com page, you will see on the right hand side, “Create an Account”. Click on “Create an account now”. The website will lead 

you through the account creation process. It will then return you to the “Dashboard”. 

Before registering for the event, you must click on the tab “My Account” in the upper right. Be sure to list your car in the “Garage” section. 

Now that you have a personal account and are logged in, you should go to the “Dashboard” by clicking on the “Dashboard” tab in the upper right. 

At the “Dashboard”, you should scroll down to our event on March 24-25, “PCA – California Central Coast” at Santa Maria Airport. 

Click on the green “√ register!” button. Follow the page by page instructions until you are registered. 

9

March Member Profile 

Greg 

LaCava 

by Milt Worthy 

On last month’s CCCR run to Pozo there was a ‘93 

TwinTurbo gliding through the hills and canyon’s 

east of the Pozo Valley, easily keeping up with 

the traditional hot shoe crowd. The driver was Greg 

La Cava, Porsche pilot extraordinaire. Greg has been 

flinging cars around corners and curves since high 

school days in North Hollywood. His love affair with 

anything automotive spans more than four decades and 

covers racing venues from amateur night on Ventura 

Boulevard to Road Atlanta and Laguna Seca, and in 

rides from hopped up VW’s to race prepared Porsches. 

Although Greg doesn’t race competitively anymore, he 

still keeps a stable of fast cars and bikes at his rancho 

in Hog Canyon, east of San Miguel. He probably tells 

everyone that he lives in North County because of the 

lack of crowds and the clean, clear skies, but the car guy 

consensus is that Greg is there because some of the best 

driving roads in California are east of the Salinas River. 


Like a typical male denizen of the San Fernando Valley, 

growing up in the 60’s, Greg was predestined to 

be a car guy. At North Hollywood High, his first cars 

were standard Fords and Chevys. But he yearned for 

something more exciting: so he saved up his odd-jobs 

money and bought a new 1962 Turbocharged Corvair 

Spyder. The Monza was fast and handled well (in spite 

of Ralph Nader’s unsubstantiated claims), and, with a 

little coaxing, made nice, loud noises. 

Once out of high school, Greg wrangled a job 

at nearby Warner Bros. Studio, working in the 

mailroom—the best place to learn the movie business 

and movie people. He had a head start because most of 

his family were movie people. (Greg is a distant relative 

of the great 1930’s film director, Gregory La Cava—a 

namesake.) With a steady job Greg decided he could 

move up a notch in the car pecking order: he sold his 

Corvair and bought a new 1964 Corvette. The ‘Vette 

was fast and competitive—along the flat streets of The 

Valley, but if you were serious about street racing, you 

drove in the Santa Monica Mountains. And to do this 

you had to have a Porsche, especially a 356 Speedster. 

So Greg found one, made it go faster, learned to drive 

Mulholland Drive, and went looking for Steve Mc- 

Queen. 

In a couple of years Greg graduated from the Warner’s 

mail room and found his way into the tightly controlled 

movie make-up world, eventually becoming a 

highly successful make-up artist. He retired a few years 

ago after 40 years in the movies and TV. The last seven 

Speedster at POC Time Trials with 

prototype of first full face Bell helmet. 

10

Greg famous #39 911 taking the checkered flag. 

years of his career was Make-Up Artist on the TV series, 

“West Wing.” His job was making actors look younger 

or older, and/or more like someone else, but his passion 

was cars and racing which he seriously pursued in his 

spare time—from the mid-sixties until the early 1980’s. 

Greg’s track racing career began with his modified 

Porsche Speedster (the very same Mulholland 

Drive challenger) when he joined the Porsche Owner’s 

Club (POC) and competed in tracks and club events all 

over southern California. Later he sold his Speedster 

and bought several 911’s and raced them. Soon he began 

to compete in big time racing. One of his personal 

thrills was to the share the winners podium with Paul 

Newman: This was at the 1976 National Championships 

at Road Atlanta in the D Production class; Newman 

was first in his TR6 and Greg was third in his 1968 

911T. 

Greg continued to improve his driving and track 

savvy skills, and picked up other important wins 

during the 1970’s. One exceptional win came in early 

1980 when he drove a 914-6 in a 24 Hour race at 

Daytona and finished first in the GTU class. Greg soon 

began to be noticed by potential sponsors; one of whom 

was Alan Johnson Porsche in San Diego. 

In the late 1970’s Porsche AG and Porsche in North 

America were looking for ways to market their version 

of the 924 car. The obvious way to promote a new 

Porsche, at least to some executives, was to win important 

races. To this end, under Porsche’s Performance 


boss, Josef Hoppen, a business plan was developed that 

had at it’s goal winning the Production D Class championship 

of the SCCA. Hoppen’s scheme was to involve 

selected American Porsche dealers and provide them 

with factory developed racing 924 D cars or with racing 

“kits” that could be assembled in the United States and 

Canada. A race ready DP 924 weighed 1900 pounds 

and was powered by a fuel-injected engine that generated 

185 hp. With a 5-speed transmission in the rear and 

the 4-cylinder water cooled engine in the front, the Kit 

924’s proved to be formidable competitors. Porsche 

selected Alan Johnson Porsche in San Diego as one its 

preferred dealers, and Johnson selected Greg La Cava 

as the driver of one of his two 924 DP entries. In brief, 

Porsche won the 1980 SCCA D Class Championship 

easily, with Greg and Alan Johnson winning or finishing 

in the top enough to help secure the Porsche win. 

With this and other 924 victories, sales for the 

stock production 924’s in the United States took 

off and Porsche had a marketing winner on its hands. 

Later, at the end of 1980 Greg was involved in a bad 

crash in his 924 D and was never the same driver after 

that. He retired from competitive track racing in 1981. 

Today, Greg takes care of his 993 TwinTurbo, his 

motorcycles, a recently purchased Corvette, and his 

1956 Speedster—once owned by the actress, Ann-Margret. 

When he decides to drive the roads in San Luis 

Obispo County, his choice of vehicles covers 56 years of 

automotive innovation. With any selection, Greg owns 

Hog Canyon roads. 

Greg in 911 in the corkscrew at Laguna Seca 

leading Corvettes 

11

Highway to Cure 

Car & Motorcycle Show — 

Arts & Crafts Show & Sale— 

Live Music & Wine Tasting 

The Highway to Cure MS Goes Through San Luis Obispo 

Meet & buy directly from the local artists 

Time: 10am to 4pm 

General Admission: $10 (under 16 free) 

When: Saturday April 14, 2012 

Vehicle Placement 7:00-9:30 

Where: 1771 Corbett Canyon Rd., AG 

Lunch Tickets $15 

(2.3 Miles east of Hwy 227 & Corbett Canyon Rd.) Vehicle Entry $25 

XKS 

MOTORSPORT 

100% Of Funds Raised Go To The Multiple Sclerosis Society 

For Its Research To Find A Cure For Multiple Sclerosis 

For more information… 

email: camplen@aol.com • Call: 805-801-4314 

Join the XKs Unlimited MS Walk Fundraising Team 

Printing Donated Courtesy of 

Wine Tasting by 


• Pottery and Glass 

• Custom Jewelry 

• Photography 

• Paintings 

• Mosaics 

12

Highway to Cure MS Car & Motorcycle Show / Arts & Craft Show & Sale 

To benefit the MS Society 

“The Cure Runs Through San Luis Obispo 

Entry Form 

Name:__________________________________________________________________ 

Address:________________________ City:____________________________________ 

St:_ ______Zip:_ ____________ Email:_________________________________________ 

Day_Phone:___________________________Eve._Phone:_ ________________________ 

CAR ENTRY 

Make: _______________ Model: _________________Year: ___________ 

($25* each entry) Amount: $ __________________________ 

MOTORCYCLE ENTRY 

Make: _______________ Model: _________________Year: ___________ 

($25* each entry) Amount: $ __________________________ 

Meal Ticket(s) ($15 each) Qty. _______________ Amount: $ _______________________ 


Total Amount Enclosed: $ _______________________ 

#_ - - - - - - - - - - - - - Send_the_upper_portion_with_donation_and_keep_this_sheet_as_a_reminder_ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Highway To Cure MS Car & Motorcycle Show and Arts & Craft Show and Sale 

To benefit the MS Society 

Note_The_Date_and_Time... 

__Saturday,_April_14,_2012_•_10:00am_ -_4:00_pm,_1771_Corbett_Canyon_Rd.,_Arroyo_Grande. 

(2.3_miles_east_of_Hwy_227_@_Corbett_Canyon_Rd)_ 

A_People’s_Choice_Trophy_for_best_motorcycle_and_best_car_will_be_awarded 

Vehicle_Placement_Is_7:00_to_9:30AM 

Payment should accompany entry form. A $25 minimum donation per entry is requested. Each 

vehicle is considered a single entry. No refunds. Event will be held rain or shine. 100% OF ENTRY 

WILL GO TO NATIONAL MS SOCIETY. All event costs are underwritten by XKs Unlimited. Please 

make checks payable to MS Society. 

Mail all entries and funds to XKs Unlimited, 850 Fiero Lane, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 

*Entries received before April 6th deadine are $25. $30 at the gate. 

Questions may be directed to (805) 801-4314, or email camplen @aol.com. 

Printing Donated Courtesy of 

13

PORSCHE TECH 

The stoichiometric point is a term commonly used to 

describe the ideal fuel/air ratio in a combustion engine. 

The stoichiometric air-fuel ratio for gasoline is 14.7 to 1 

by weight. Theoretically, at this ratio all of the fuel will 

be burned using all of the oxygen in the air. Unfortunately, 

our gasoline engines don’t run at this point all of the time. 

When we drive, the fuel/air mixture varies from the ideal 

quite a bit. Sometimes the mixture can be rich (air-to-fuel 

ratio lower than 14.7) and sometimes it can be lean (air-tofuel 

ratio higher than 14.7). 

So, how can we tell when the engine is at its ideal 

stochiometric point, and better yet, how can we try to keep 

it there? 

In 1976 Bosch introduced what would eventually become one 

of THE most important technologies for reducing exhaust 

emissions: the Oxygen Sensor. Twenty years later (1996) 

Bosch had produced over 100 million of them. Today, Bosch 

O 2 sensors, are OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) 

on a wide variety of domestic, Asian and European cars, 

including Porsche. 

Ten years before the first Bosch O 2 sensor, Porsche performed 

the first emissions test on a 911 (2-liter, 130 HP/6100 rpm). 

The results are on the following table, compared with the 

same test performed on a 2004 911S (3.8-liter, 355 HP/6600 

rpm). 

INSERT: Table.jpg HERE 

THE STOICHIOMETRIC POINT 

by Pedro P. Bonilla (GCR PCA) 


As you can see, the reduction in emissions is to the order of 

95%! Porsche has come a long way. 

This drastic reduction in emissions was not obtained 

exclusively by the use of oxygen sensors, but also by the 

addition of the catalytic converters and an ever-developing 

engine management system geared towards less emissions 

while increasing performance. 

What is s a catalytic converter and how does it work? 

In chemistry, a catalyst is a substance that causes or 

accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected. 

Most cats (for short) consist of a ceramic structure coated 

with a metal catalyst, usually platinum, rhodium and/or 

palladium. The idea is to create a structure that exposes the 

maximum surface area of catalyst to the exhaust stream, 

while also minimizing the amount of catalyst required, since 

the materials are extremely expensive. Some of the newest 

converters have even started to use gold mixed with the 

more traditional catalysts. Gold is cheaper than the other 

materials and could increase oxidation which makes for a 

more efficient cat. 

There are three types of catalytic converters: 2-way, 3-way 

and 3-way + air. The first catalytic converter – the 2-way 

converter -- was used on U.S. cars between 1975 and 1980. 

These cats oxidized unburned 

hydrocarbons and carbon 

monoxide into water and 

carbon dioxide. 

The three-way converter, 

in addition to performing 

the same as its predecessor, 

reduces nitrous oxides into 

nitrogen and oxygen. 

The 3-way + air converter 

performs the same function 

as the 3-way converter, but 

also injects air between the 

two internal catalysts which 

improves the oxidation of the 

converter and thus reduces 

emissions even better. 

14

INSERT: CatMaterials.jpg HERE 

Cat Materials 

Most modern cars, including Porsches, are equipped with 

3-way catalytic converters. This refers to the three regulated 

emissions it helps to reduce. 

The reduction catalyst is the first stage of the catalytic 

converter. It uses platinum and rhodium (precious and rare 

metals – hence the high cost of the cats) to help reduce the 

NOx (NO or N O 2 ) emissions. When an NO or NO2 molecule 

contacts the catalyst, the catalyst rips the nitrogen atom out 

of the molecule and holds on to it, freeing the oxygen in the 

form of O 2 . The nitrogen atoms bond with other nitrogen 

atoms that are also stuck to the catalyst, forming N2. For 

example: 

2NO => N2 + O 2 or 2N O 2 => N2 + 2 O 2 

2NO => N2 + O 2 or 2N O 2 => N2 + 2 O 2 

The oxidation catalyst is the second stage of the catalytic 

converter. It reduces the unburned hydrocarbons and carbon 

monoxide by burning (oxidizing) them over a platinum and 

palladium catalyst. This catalyst aids the reaction of the CO 

and hydrocarbons with the remaining oxygen in the exhaust 

gas. For example: 

2CO + O 2 => 2C O 2 

The third stage of conversion is a control system that 

monitors the exhaust stream, and uses this information 

to control the fuel injection system. An oxygen sensor is 

mounted upstream of the catalytic converter, meaning it is 

closer to the engine than the converter. This sensor tells the 

engine computer (ECU) how much oxygen (O 2 ) is in the 

PORSCHE TECH 

continued from previous page 


exhaust. The ECU can then increase or decrease the amount 

of oxygen in the exhaust by adjusting the air-to-fuel ratio. 

This control scheme allows the ECU to make sure that the 

engine is running at close to the stoichiometric point, and 

also to make sure that there is enough oxygen in the exhaust 

to allow the oxidization catalyst to burn the unburned 

hydrocarbons and CO. 

Porsche has pioneered the engine management systems and 

the development of the VarioCam and subsequently the 

VarioCam Plus has greatly aided in the targets of emission 

reductions, fuel efficiency and power. 

The VarioCam Plus is a system that combines variable 

valve timing with a 2-stage lift on the inlet side. Essentially 

VarioCam Plus creates two engines out of one, switching 

seamlessly between them in response to the driver’s inputs. 

The VarioCam Plus improves responsiveness when starting 

from cold by raising the amount of cam lift and retarding 

timing helping to minimize fuel consumption and emissions. 

Porsche and other car manufacturers are constantly striving 

to perfect, not only the cats, but the complete engine 

management system to obtain greater reduction in emissions 

and better efficiency and thus power from their engines. 

To learn more about emissions, catalytic converters and 

engine management systems and more, please visit my 

website at: 

www.PedrosGarage.com. 

Happy Porsche-ing, 

Pedro 

VarioCam Plus 

15

License #673180 

San Luis Obispo Atascadero 

541-3036 461-3408 

Paso Robles Santa Maria 

238-7652 928-4949 

5 Cities Nipomo 

481-7978 929-1282 

North Coast 528-5828 


RESIDENTIAL ! COMMERCIAL 

INDUSTRIAL! 

We have your Breaker or Fuse - 

Hundreds in Stock! 

Reasonable Rates! 

$10 OFF Service Call! 

Just show this business card! 

Exp. 12/10 

16

Wildflower Tour 

! 1 


Lunch at the Loading Chute 

Sunday April15 

10:00 am 

This will be a leisurely tour to see the spectacular flowers of San Luis Obispo 

County. Polish up your Porsche for a photo opportunity in fields of colorful 

flowers. 

We will gather at the Black Horse Coffee and Bakery on Broad St. for a 

coffee and then off to the hills. We plan to stop in the flower area so you can 

have plenty of time to wander in the beautiful fields. 

We will the follow the back roads through the vineyards to the small town of Creston 

1:00 pm 

We will stop at the famous country restaurant, the Loading Chute. They are noted for their famous 

barbecue. After lunch we will follow some more picturesque roads back to Tempelton. There is no 

fee for the event, but I would like a head count for the restaurant by April 8. 

Email Bob de Vries @ slobob5@gmail.com 

17

ANNIVERSARIES 

Richard A. Berg & Samantha Curran 33 

Hamp H. Miller & Susan Miller 31 

Douglas S. Hendry & Robin P. Hendry 22 

Lawrence L. Thomas & Karen Thomas 20 

Bob Kitamura & Janice Kitamura 17 

Chuck H. Stevenson & Shelly Stevenson 17 

Sandy L. Keefer & Roy Keefer 17 

Jim P. Collins & Ann Collins 16 

Ken Cooper & Gisela Cooper 15 

Craig S. Swetland & Lynn Swetland 14 

Brian P. Louw & Beverley Louw 13 

Martin Howell & Jeanne Hanysz 12 

Robert E. Walker & Carol Walker 11 

Maurice Heagren & Jemma Heagren 10 

Peter C. Herring & Jean Letsinger 10 

John Larson & Lyn Larson 9 

Brian Glusovich & Carol Glusovich 7 

Sanja A. Brewer 6 

Kevin Wright & Alicia Wright 4 

Laurel A. Beason 3 

Dean Novotny & Robbi Rizzo 2 

Kit Steven & Megan Steven 2 

Christopher Han 1 

Coop Cooper 1 

Rick Wolfe & Coleen Wolfe 1 


NEW MEMBERS 

New Members for January 

Bruce R. & Alexander Monroy 

Arroyo Grande 

2007 Silver Caymen 

Vicki Stambaugh 

Pismo Beach 

2000 Blue Boxster 

WELCOME TO CCCR PORSCHE CLUB! 

Join us for Breakfast at Dorn’s in Morro Bay, Saturday, 

October 8 at 9:00am. See you there. 

18

ADVERTISER 

DIRECTORY 

2.........SGS 

2.........Vintage Autobody 

3.........Porsche Santa Barbara 

7.........Ultrex 

16.......German Auto 

16.......Select Electric 

16.......BMW of Santa Maria 

16.......XK’s Unlimited 

18.......Worthy Associates 

19.......Concours Studios 

19.......Pedro’s Garage 

20.......Leland West 

20.......The Tire Store 

20.......Porsche Santa Barbara 

ConcoursStudios.com 

• fine automobile photography • 

805 • 459 • 7416 

by Chuck Jennings 

Creating images that capture 

the elegance of your car. 

179 Granda #3 • San Luis Obispo • 93401 

All rates are for 12 monthly issues from the date started. 

Full Page.....$ 950 / year Half page..............................$ 600 / year 

1/4 page.....$ 400 / year 1/8 page or Business Card $ 300 / year 

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS. Their support of our club is greatly appreciated so you 

are encouraged to to make your first call to those advertising in the Coastalaire. Let them know that 

you saw their ad in the Coastalaire. We also encourage you to advertise your business in the Coastalaire. 

If you are interested please contact Bruce Bero at 805-544-2376 (bbmed@charter.net) or Sanja 

Brewer at 805-541-9245 (sbrewer@eyesonly.com). 


COASTALAIRE 2010 Yearly Advertising Rates 

CCCR Breakfast Club 

CCCR-PCA meets at Dorn’s Restaurant in Morro Bay every 2nd Saturday 

of the month at 9 AM. ~ 801 Market Ave. at the end of Morro Bay Blvd. in 

Morro Bay 

Worried about IMS failure? 

We have the IMS Guardian 

DIY Kit in stock, ready to ship. 

The only engine pre-failure 

warning system on the 

market for M96/M97 

Porsche engines 

The Kit includes a step-by-step DVD installation guide 

Call 954.385.0330 technolab/pedrosgarage 

Florida Pre-Purchase Inspections (PPI) 

FREE DIY tutorials 

and technical info 

on our website. 

technolab 

PedrosGarage 

We also offer: ECU Tuning, Bored TBs,HID/LED 

Performance Parts, Brake Caliper Restoration & Painting, 

AX & DE Magnetic Bras and Numbers, much more. 

954.385.0330 • www.PedrosGarage.com 

19

www.porscheinsurance.com 

Coastalaire 

350 Piney Lane 

Morro Bay, CA 93442 

The road awaits. 

You’ve got better things to do with your time than worry about car insurance. With Leland-West, you 

won’t ever have to worry. Our personal, attentive service, dedicated specialists and sympathetic 

claims process guarantee you’ll always rest insured. So give us a call. Then hit the road with 

carefree confidence. Leland-West, insurance for your classic and exotic vehicles. 

Get your Instant Insurance Quote at porscheinsurance.com or call 800.237.4722 


FACT: 

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clients an average of 

$548 per year. 

Ad 090817-PCA6.indd 1 8/18/09 5:08 PM 

Bulk Mail 

US Postage 

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Permit No. 79 

20

Board Meetings - California Central Coast - Porsche Club of America

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