California Central Coast - Porsche Club of America

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gotten to its place in the sports car hall of fame without Ferdinand “Butzi” Porsche, the grandson of Dr. F. Porsche who was the clan patriarch and founding force of the Porsche enterprise. Butzi Porsche, only 28 at the unveiling of the 911, had joined the Porsche Design Department only a few years before. He was put under the leadership of Irvin Komenda who had been with Dr. F Porsche since the early 1930s. As the design team struggled with solidifying a viable concept of their new Porsche, irresolvable conflicts eventually arose between the old ideas (Komenda) and the new (Butzi). The generational and design differences became so divisive that Ferry Porsche, head of Porsche AG and son of Der Alte, made a crucial decision to give his young son a greater role in the evolution of the new car. And not because of any nepotistic impulse, but because Ferry Porsche saw that Butzi’s ideas were leading the team in the right direction. Through all the design and technical arguments, and all the emotional turmoil (the design team was under great pressure—the company’s future was at stake) Butzi emerged as the design and concept leader and, in the end, brought together the right mixture of designers, modelers, engineers, technicians, and management skills to force the right design at the right time by sheer force of will and personality. Butzi continued to demonstrate the same design and leadership skills at Porsche for the next 50 years. He died last year at age 71. His personality and design imprint will shadow this year’s celebration of half century of the 911. A few years ago Porsche AG had designated 2013 as the 50th Anniversary Year for the 911, not 50 years after the first production models went into the show rooms. This was partially in honor of those nervous designers and engineers who were present when the first 911 was shown to the public. Their job was over; it now up to the production and sales departments to make the car a commercial success and recoup the heavy investment made over the past decade. Although a half century has gone by since that fall day in 1963 when the yellow 911 sat on the display podium, one can still buy a new 911 today that has the same rear engine configuration and has the The Coastalaire April 2013 same silhouette: it is in many ways the same car, but its creature comforts and internal gear are vastly changed, improved, and made more reliable—albeit much more complex. The new 911 is safer, quieter, and has more room, and it has an array of electronic controls and gadgets that would have been almost impossible to imagine in 1963. There is a downside to all this incredible technology: the new Porsche 911s, to some, may have also traded away the directness, the close personal feel the owner experienced driving a simpler Porsche; maybe this is also just nostalgia talking. The new 991 version of the 911 is also 10 times more expensive than that first one, even taking 50 years of inflation into consideration; however, there seems to be no lack of buyers for the 50th Anniversary models—there is currently a waiting list at most dealers for 2013 models. The CCCR and the Coastalaire will join the worldwide celebration of this masterpiece of technology, performance, style, and design longevity. The Coastalaire, with input from all those who own or who have once owed a 911, will feature articles and stories about the 911 for the remaining months of 2013. Coastalaire would like to hear from any present or past 911 owners who have an early, special, or unusual 911, e.g., a 911 with very high mileage, or an all original car, or has an unusual history—bought in Germany, shipped to South Africa, and driven throughout the USA, for example. Or interesting family trips in 911’s. Send your stories, vignettes, anecdotes, and recollections, with any photos, either hard copy (we promise to return them in good condition) or better, digital jpg files to: Kit Kitamura at: coastalaireeditor@gmail.com or Milt Worthy at: miltworthy@mac.com 14
50 Years of 911 Cars Owned By CCCR Members 1964 ?? 1989 Norman Hollinger 1965 John Larson 911 1990 Karl Luft 1966 ?? 1991 Greg Hargis 1967 William Irving 1992 Benjamin Crockett 1968 ?? 1993 Sandy Keefer 1969 John Green 1994 ?? 1970 Jack Keely 1995 Steve McCarty 1971 Robert Sage 1996 Thomas Corpora 1972 Bob Breunig 1997 Brent Beahm 1973 Rory Murphy 1998 David Harvey 1974 ?? 1999 Eric Barkley 1975 Stan Florentino 2000 Dave Chivens 1976 Richard Berg 2001 Randy Betz 1977 Chuck Pratt 2002 Roxanne Carr 1978 Rick Mareina 2003 John Evans 1979 Frank Pekar 2004 John Hoskins 1980 Chuck Amiens 2005 Nigel Lock 1981 Ron Hall 2006 Perry Destro 1982 Christopher Clark 2007 Ken Finney 1983 Ronald Ayers 2008 Ken Daniel 1984 Neil Griffith 2009 Jean Marc Bellemin 1985 Bill Chadwick 2010 Marcel Bont 1986 Arthur Burgess 2011 ?? 1987 William Gibson 2012 ?? 1988 Bob De Vries 2013 Judy Brown This list is only representative; more that 150 911s are currently listed by PCA National as owned by CCCR members. The “??” stands for an unidentified Porsche 911 year. If any reader owns one of these missing years, please let the Coastalaire editors know about it. If there are any very special 911’s out there, also let us know. For example, Doug Brown’s fabulous 2004 Carrera GT is not a 911, but is designated a “Carrera.” How do we classify his car? And where do we put the 912? Is it an early hybrid? --a four cylinder 356 engine in a 911 body? The Coastalaire April 2013 15
Page 1 and 2: Coastalaire April 2013 Porsche Club
Page 3 and 4: The Coastalaire April 2013 3
Page 5 and 6: Board of Directors Chuck Jennings -
Page 7 and 8: Editor’s Exhaust Bob “Kit” Ki
Page 9 and 10: A tour of beers and motorcycles in
Page 11 and 12: DAVID J. DICKINSON, C.P.A. Licensed
Page 13: Happy 50th Anniversary! Porsche 911
Page 17 and 18: PORSCHE TECH INSERT: 48HrsLogo.jpg
Page 19 and 20: ADVERTISER DIRECTORY 2.........SGS

California Central Coast - Porsche Club of America

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