Commentary from the Left Seat By Robert L Turner How do you research a book? In this instance an action / adventure novel that focuses much of the excitement behind the wheel of exotic cars and takes place around the European continent. The answer: very carefully, with a lot of due diligence and Google Maps. But think back 20 years; how did authors get that vibe that translated to something authentic? If the author was lucky enough, and maybe had been published already, they took a plane across the pond and walked the city streets wrapped in a drab trench coat, drove the roads in an old Renault, stayed in edgy hotels and ate at the seedy restaurants they wrote about. But most probably bought a good Michelin map and travel guide traced their route with a highlighter and dog-eared each page. And when it came to cars, maybe they were fortunate enough to know someone who had the right car, or access to one. I’m lucky, having lived in Paris when I was young and Milano as a teen; I had the opportunity to travel extensively in Europe and the U.K. so there’s an understanding of the underlying culture and feel of the street, a head start on imparting that feeling of being there. But when it comes to the cars, some authors don’t get it and no doubt put automobiles into their books because they have to. After all, people have to get from Point-A to Point-B. But not for me, the cars in my books take on a life of their own. So I turned to some local Mav Region PCA members to help out researching the book. These are the kind of folks that will go above and beyond the call of duty because they love the marque, love to help and because they care. John Hamilton (yes our Mav Region President) did not think twice before letting me come down to Autobahn Porsche and take a Panamera out on the road. I thought I would sit in the passenger seat while he piloted this $100K vehicle around Ft. Worth traffic. But no…he tossed me the keys and said let’s go. How great is that? In my first novel The Driver, protagonist Marc Lange drives in the FIA GT3 European Championship in…you guessed it, a Porsche GT3 Cup-S. Well I needed a ride in a GT3 and experience it for myself. So once again I turned to our Mav Region folks and asked for a lift so to speak. Using the Mav Group on Yahoo, I posted a topic asking for a ride and Rob Trollinger stepped up and offered his newly acquired 2008 GT3. Talk about thrilling! This thing, this monster, this GT3 was something else. It pulls endlessly in every gear, the engine note angry and brutal and it can slice through a 28 Author of The Driver, a Marc Lange novel turn like a scalpel. The ride gave me just enough to give the reader a bit of insight into this incredible car. I am writing more and more; for instance doing a weekly blog called My Life with Porsche (www.mylifewithporsches. blogspot.com) and a monthly column for Planet-9 (www. planet-9.com). In my first column I wanted to compare and contrast the new Panamera and Cayenne (v2.0) and determine if they could be loved by us Porschephiles as cars we can call our own. This time I turned to Jason Durham at Park Place Porsche (a Planet-9 sponsor) and he did not even hesitate for a second, asking when I could come out to drive the cars. When I arrived, both were waiting, Jason telling me to take as much time as I needed to test them. And when the time came for the dreaded author photo, James Shofit lent me his Sparco racing suit and Todd Opperman at Topp Racing set up a <strong>2011</strong> GT3 Cup racer for the photo shoot. Amazing! Each of these folks would tell you that they didn’t do anything special; they just helped another PCA member. But this speaks to the spirit and the generosity that makes the PCA and especially the Mav Region so special. Yeah it may seem quaint but the PCA slogan: “It’s not just the cars, it’s the people” is alive and well.
Your Porsche deserves a new home! Let me help you find one… . Laurie Wirth REALTOR Serving North Dallas Suburbs Phone: 214-223-7488 Email: LaurieWirth@kw.com Website: www.LaurieWirth.com <strong>May</strong> 29